ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, September 4, 1996 TAG: 9609040133
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ALMENA HUGHES FOOD EDITOR
Fans of Asian foods can find inspiration and instruction among numerous new cookbooks accommodating growing consumer interest in exotic and ethnic foods. Four such entries, plus an innovative new newsletter, aptly address the whats and whys of Asian cuisine.
"The Food and Cooking of China: An Exploration of Chinese Cuisine in the Provinces and Cities of China, Hong Kong and Taiwan" ($16.95, Wiley) includes traditional recipes as well as more exotic fare, such as shredded chicken and snake soup, Shanghai eel and garlic or abalone with oyster sauce. Food consultant, caterer, artist and author Francine Halvorsen examines the foods' selection, preparation and consumption; illustrates the close alignment of food and medicine in Chinese culture; and explains the place of food in philosophy and culture. More than 100 recipes are included. Basic black line illustrations seem exceptionally bland in contrast to Halvorsen's engaging text. However, readers still stand to benefit from the vicarious journey through typical recipes of 12 regions.
"James McNair Cooks Southeast Asian" ($14.95 and $24.95, Chronicle Books) is a fantastic visual and gastronomic trip through Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar (Burma). Multiple influences by Chinese, Indian, Dutch, Portuguese and British cultures have created among these cuisines exquisitely contrasted combinations: spicy and sweet; warm and cool; crunchy and smooth. McNair not only captures these dishes in more than 70 easy-to-follow recipes, but captures them on film in his typical breath-taking food stylings. A basics guide, shopping tips for special ingredients and ideas for dining and entertaining also are included.
"Beyond Bok Choy: A Cook's Guide to Asian Vegetables" ($25, Artisan) allows average consumers to at last name and use the ingredients they've long been been eating in Chinese restaurants.
Rosa Lo San Ross - a native of Hong Kong, student of James Beard and Marcella Hazen, cooking teacher and caterer - has created an informative compilation, with excellent color photos and 70 recipes spanning classic Chinese to original fusion. The press materials' suggestion to take along the 11-by-6- by- 1/2-inch hard-cover volume when shopping for ingredients may be overkill; the book is a little cumbersome for that purpose. But its clean photos and sufficient but not overwhelming vegetable profiles immediately followed by recipes for their use will make it a frequent reference resource.
"Ken Hom's Asian Ingredients" ($15.95, Ten Speed Press) is a more casual foray than Ross' into the Asian marketplace, but would still suffice as an introduction to Asian cuisine. It includes an equipment and techniques section, covering basic tools, cutting and cooking techniques; a vegetables section with 32 entries; an ingredients section with 43 entries including a few of the more exotic such as shark fin, bird's nest and duck eggs; plus 28 recipes using all you've learned in the previous sections.
After the nice color photos of vegetables and ingredients in Hom's book, I longed only for a few shots of the foods. However, R.W. Lucky, a cultural anthropologist who has traveled widely in Asia and lived and worked in Hong Kong, India and Japan, found a lot more lacking.
"There's no tactful way to say what I think about this book. It's an imposter, a cabinet shelf pretending to be a fully stocked pantry ," Lucky wrote in his review of Hom's book in the summer 1996 issue of The Asian Foodbookery newsletter. He backs his assessment with valid reasons before conceding that Hom's recipes are good and his purchasing and storage tips helpful. Ultimately, Lucky recommends Hom's book more to readers who are inexperienced in Chinese cooking and don't have a library card.
I've only seen one sample of "The Asian Foodbookery," which debuted in January and claims to be the only newsletter in the United States dedicated solely to all the cuisines of Asia. But each of its five book reviews (which are promised for each quarterly issue) seemed equally analytical and upfront as that given for Hom's book. The selection of books was diverse, also covering "Japanese Cooking for the American Table" ($15, HPBooks); "It Rains Fishes: Legends, Traditions and the Joys of Thai Cooking" ($24.95, Pomegranate Artbooks); "An ABC of Indian Food" (Prospect Books); and "At the South-East Asian Table" ($18.95, Oxford University Press). Occasional editor's notes added valuable personal observations to the reviews.
Editor/publisher Lucky says the newsletter's main objective is to help readers keep up with new Asian and related food books as well as to occasionally re-examine classics and works of historical interest. Other regular columns include recipes from the books reviewed; short essays, ruminations, interviews and food notes from Asia; and selections from travel literature that highlight Asian foods and customs.
Subscriptions cost $14 per year. Send requests to P.O. Box 15947, Seattle, Wash. 98115-0947.
recipes for:
MEATBALLS BRAISED IN CHINESE CABBAGE
CANTONESE STEAMED SPONGE CAKE
WOK-FRIED FISH WITH BLACK BEAN SAUCE
STUFFED CHICKEN
STRING BEANS WITH ROASTED CHILI SAUCE
(TEA KAEK PAD PRIK POW)
LENGTH: Medium: 94 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ALAN SPEARMAN/Staff. A variety of books on Asian cuisineby CNBfits the needs of cooks of all experience levels. color.