"Fresh & Homemade Asian Cooking", by Laurie Stewart, book review
Although I have reviewed a number of books, most belong in the genre of fiction, possibly graphic novels, several theological pieces, and one children's book.
Cookbooks on the other hand - although I never had thought about it before - are a strange and unique creature when it comes to writing reviews for. Definitely within the realm of non-fiction, these tend to be more along the lines of technical manuals, or instruction manuals. They deal with facts.
How does one assess and review a cookbook?
My wife, owns and operates CMB Catering, focusing primarily on Corporate Catering and Luncheons and Summer BBQ events. She has over 25 years in the food industry, having held positions of line-cooks, head-cooks, catering manager and owner.
So I will hand this book review over to Jackie:
What I liked
The Glossary and appendix of certain specialty items and their availability were a great and useful help!I particularly liked the section of home-made spices for those inclined.
In the case of a cookbook, its easy accessibility and use in an active kitchen as a reference needs to be considered. This book works well as both; well laid out with its contents easily referenced and found.
The recipes are easily accessible to anybody, with few specialized ingredients. Some of the world's best dishes are simple and rustic and this cookbook matches these criteria.
Often cookbooks – intentionally or not – are aimed at a particular skill-set. Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, or Professional. I felt some instructions were somewhat ambiguous and could have been phrased clearer, especially for a beginner. For this reason I would place this cookbook's target audience at the Intermediate culinary skill-level.
Test Dish
I chose General Tao's Chicken on a bed of Jasmine Rice. It is true that we eat with your eyes and this dish is visually appealing!
I began this dish following the recipe's exact instructions.
I often cook traditional Chinese food with a good friend of mine from Taipei, Taiwan. The Chinese food as we are used to it is nothing like Traditional Chinese food (which is so much better!)
Often, as Westerners, we are far too used to Americanized versions of traditional Asian dishes. This dish is an excellent example of the traditional dish outdoing our Westernized version. This recipe is drastically different than any restaurant's. This recipe is nice in that its spiciness can easily be controlled by its amounts of chili pepper. As the book's title suggests, it is fresh and its ingredients' individual tastes shine through! Considering this recipe has a good amount of ginger and quite a bit of garlic, neither overwhelms the dish, creating a beautifully balanced blend. After preparing this recipe, myself, my husband, my daughter, and her boyfriend all sat down for diner. Everybody loved it. Delicious!
What I'd Like to see
I would have liked to have seen some history or origins to their traditional sources.
Many of the recipes can be easily modified to meet gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, and vegan diets. I would have liked to have seen suggestions of substitutions within the recipes to achieve these various diets.
It would have been advantageous to have included photos. I would have given this book 4 stars had it included photos.
Would I used some of these recipes professionally for catered events? Absolutely!
Three and a half stars!
Laurie's Ultimate Goods Presents: Fresh & Home-make Asian Cooking are also available in ebook at Amazon and Smashwords.
I look forward to tasting other dishes as well a checking our Laurie's second cookbook in her Ultimate Goods Presents series: Fresh & Home-made Indian Cooking!
Laurie Stewart is a local author from Ottawa, the nation's capital.
