I can’t get enough Asian food: Indian, Thai, Japanese, Chinese, all of it. The range of flavors is enormous and incredibly complex for almost every dish. If I ever have trouble deciding what to eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, I will always fall back on Asian cuisine.
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March is coming out with many mouthwatering Asian cookbooks! I picked my top 5 to share that will hopefully pique your interest.
Sushi Party: Kawaii Sushi Made Easy!
Sushi is one of those things I don’t think I can get over. I spent all of 2020 supporting my local Japanese sushi restaurants on Friday nights – in fact, I am getting sushi tonight. Obviously, this has created a bit of a dent in my wallet. That’s why I need this cookbook: Sushi Party: Kawaii Sushi Made Easy!
I know I’m not alone when it comes to how intimidating sushi making looks. I don’t know why it’s so hard to perfectly roll some seaweed and rice, but it is… Let alone making adorable rolls that look like animals or helicopters. This seems like an almost impossible task, but I guarantee you this cookbook breaks everything down simply!
There are step-by-step instructions with pictures to help us along our journey.
There are 900 photos and 55 recipes in the Sushi Party: Kawaii Sushi Made Easy! cookbook. For us visual learners, this is a godsend! We will be sushi masters in no time.
The book is very easy to navigate. The glossary is very detailed, but recipes are organized in a colorized order. This includes labeling each sushi roll from easy, normal, and hard difficulties.
My Shanghai: Recipes and Stories from a City on the Water
I’ve always wanted to travel to China and taste all the regions’ different foods. Shanghai is basically the food capital of China. Now with the My Shanghai: Recipes and Stories from a City on the Water cookbook we can make all these fabulous dishes at home. There are recipes like Nanjing salted duck, steamed fish, and Suzhou red-braised pork belly that are truly breathtaking.
If you are at all discouraged about attempting to make Chinese food at home, this cookbook will guide you with ease. My Shanghai accentuates home cooking as most of these recipes have been passed down for many generations. These are home-cook friendly dishes with beautiful stories along side.
I know when flipping through, each recipe looks like there is a lot of ingredients. That is mostly true, but that isn’t uncommon in Asian cooking. There are a lot of spices or vegetables that make up each dish. Aside from some chopping, most items are left on the stove to slow cook or do a quick fry.
American-Chinese food is notorious for how starchy it is, which can put off a lot of people. Many of these recipes are vegetable-forward and light. As Americans, we are used to the heavy, sticky, and sweet Chinese food served in restaurants here. In My Shanghai: Recipes and Stories from a City on the Water cookbook dishes have been reworked for a more modern, vibrant, and fresh taste.
My Shanghai: Recipes and Stories from a City on the Water is incredibly photogenic! With 150 illustrations we can easily visualize these gorgeous recipes. It’s hard to believe that they are easy to whip up for a week day meal.
Real Vietnamese Cooking: Everyday Favorites from the Street to the Kitchen
I think many Americans don’t experience Vietnamese food beyond pho, which is a shame because Vietnamese cuisine is excellent. This is why I am thrilled to see this new cookbook: Real Vietnamese Cooking: Everyday Favorites from the Street to the Kitchen.
Vietnam has a unique history which is definitely apparent in their local fare. We see Banh Mi sandwiches, ban xeo crepes, and my favorite Vietnamese coffee. These dishes are examples of how their food was influenced by French missionaries in the 17th century. Vietnam was later colonized by the French in the late 1800s.
Even with French influences, these dishes are uniquely Vietnamese. Their “baguette” is made with rice flour which gives the bread a distinct flavor and texture. Even pho is theorized to have a lot of French (and Chinese) influence. It is believed that “pho” is derived from “pot au feu” a French soup.
As you can see, I adore Vietnamese food and the history is fascinating. This cookbook provides notes on each dish that explain the culinary history behind most recipes.
Mostly, I am excited to start dabbling in cooking each dish myself! The Real Vietnamese Cooking: Everyday Favorites from the Street to the Kitchen cookbook contains 88 amazing recipes. Most dishes are accompanied by photos!
I love how they are able to show us how to create each dish. Most of them are quite easy and don’t require a lot of time. The ingredients are also very easy to find in our local grocery stores.
Of course I cannot wait to taste the unique desserts they’ve provided like coconut and peanut dumplings or black rice and yogurt shake.
Eating Wild Japan: Tracking the Culture of Foraged Foods, with a Guide to Plants and Recipes
It should be of no surprise that I adore Japanese cuisine. After visiting Japan and experiencing the culture, I realize there is so much about Japanese cuisine that most Americans have never experienced. There’s a depth of flavor that we tend to overlook while indulging in Japanese-American food. Eating Wild Japan: Tracking the Culture of Foraged Foods, with a Guide to Plants and Recipes cookbook is going to open your eyes to some of those mysteries.
This isn’t exclusively a cookbook, but also a journey that identifies some of Japan’s “wild foods”. We can learn how to scavenge interesting mushrooms or types of bamboo that most of us Westerners have never heard of.
Obviously this is a bit of a specialized book as it explores the indigenous landscape of Japan. Much of Japanese food is foraged and not grown (I had no idea!) which makes their local cuisine all the more fascinating.
In Eating Wild Japan: Tracking the Culture of Foraged Foods, with a Guide to Plants and Recipes cookbook we not only learn about all the plants and how they are incorporated in local Japanese cooking, but there are also 33 recipes provided. Granted, I am not sure how much of these we can do if we don’t’ live in Japan.
I really enjoy the illustrations throughout this book and the author’s personal essays. It truly feels like you are walking in the forest with him exploring the magnificent land in Japan.
This is a beautiful book for those who are fascinated by Japan’s rich culinary history and people who enjoy learning about foraging!
Mister Jiu’s in Chinatown: Recipes and Stories from the Birthplace of Chinese American Food
What better than to learn how to cook authentic Chinese food than by the chef behind Michelin-starred restaurant Mister Jiu’s in San Francisco’s Chinatown? The Mister Jiu’s in Chinatown: Recipes and Stories from the Birthplace of Chinese American Food cookbook is a sight to behold. Not only are we learning from the best, but taking in the Jiu’s family history and how they found roots in San Francisco.
There are 90 show stopping recipes in this cookbook. Each one awe-inspiring and wildly approachable. My mouth dropped when I saw some of these recipes only took 30 minutes to prepare. They are so stunning and yet so easy. Even the ingredients needed are not difficult to find.
The author, Brandon Jew, has improved many Chinese America favorites, such as Orange Chicken. It utilizes better ingredients and has a fresher look! He’s also incorporated a lot of authentic recipes from China and new creations.
One feature I adore about Mister Jiu’s in Chinatown: Recipes and Stories from the Birthplace of Chinese American Food cookbook are the photos. Each recipe is vibrant, but there are photos of Chinatown and the surrounding areas of Mister Jiu’s in Chinatown itself. They’ve created a beautiful atmosphere while you flip through. It truly feels like you’re touring San Francisco (I would love to do this!)
Another big draw I have to this cookbook is the whole packaging. It is just a stunning hardcover with gold and red foil that will last a lifetime on my cookbook shelf.
There are so many awesome Asian cookbooks coming out in March that it is hard to just pick one.
What are some of your favorite Asian foods? I love everything, so I can’t narrow it down!
~Kaiti
