Cooking Around the World: South Asian Flavors

The Alachua County Library District's selection of cookbooks is often a highlight of the nonfiction shelves--a massive wall of big, beautiful books, full of mouthwatering photos catering to every whim and palate. Cookbooks are more diverse and interesting than ever--and that includes the representation of great cultural cookbooks from international communities, large and small.

In this series, we're going to highlight the cookbooks of different international regions and cultures. Whether this is the food you grew up with, or brand new to you, we want to help you dazzle your taste buds with these delectable choices.

This month, we're highlighting books from South Asian communities--both in Asia as well as immigrant communities around the world. We're going to try to highlight cookbooks that represent more interesting or lesser-known aspects of these culinary cultures, as well as trying to incorporate books catering to different diets and dietary restrictions. Let's dive in!

Rice. Noodles. Yum: Everyone's Favorite Southeast Asian Dishes

by
Abigail Sotto Raines

If you've always wanted to make authentic Asian fare but have been scared to try, Southeast Asian Rice and Noodle Dishes shows you how to make these meals for any time of day! Having traveled extensively around Southeast Asia specifically for this book, Abigail Sotto has come to learn, appreciate and really enjoy the rice and noodle dishes that each country has to offer. The countries she visited were Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Burma and Cambodia.

Asian Pickles: Sweet, Sour, Salty, Cured, and Fermented Preserves from Korea, Japan, China, India, and Beyond

by
Karen Solomon

This is a do it yourself guide to making the tangy pickles of Japan, Korea, China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and more, featuring recipes ranging from traditional tsukemono and kimchi to chutney and new combinations using innovative ingredients and techniques. For Asian food aficionados as well as preservers and picklers looking for new frontiers, the Far East's diverse and sometimes spicy array of pickled products and innovative flavor pairings will wow the palate. In this book the author introduces readers to the unique ingredients used in Asian pickle-making and numerous techniques beyond the basic brine. 

At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh & Sri Lanka

by
Madhur Jaffrey

For all who love the magical flavors of good Indian cooking and want to reproduce effortlessly some of the delectable dishes from that part of the world, here is a groundbreaking book from the incomparable Madhur Jaffrey that makes it possible. By deconstructing age-old techniques and reducing the number of steps in a recipe, as well as helping us to understand the nature of each spice and seasoning, she enables us to make Indian dishes part of our everyday cooking.

Vegan Indian Cooking: 140 Simple and Healthy Vegan Recipes

by
Anupy Singla

"This beautiful follow-up to Anupy Singla's widely praised first cookbook, the Indian Slow Cooker, is a unique guide to preparing favorite recipes from the Indian tradition using entirely vegan ingredients. Featuring more than 50 recipes, and illustrated with color photography throughout, these great recipes are all prepared in healthful versions that use vegan alternatives to rich cream, butter, and meat. The result is a terrific addition to the culinary resources of any cook interested in either vegan or Indian cuisine. Singla--a mother of two, Indian emigre, and former TV news journalist--has a distinctive style and voice that brings alive her passion for easy, authentic Indian food. Some of these recipes were developed by her mother through the years, but many Singla developed herself, including fusion recipes that pull together diverse traditions from across the Indian subcontinent.

Asian-American: Proudly Inauthentic Recipes from the Philippines to Brooklyn

by
Dale Talde

The eagerly awaited cookbook from Dale Talde, Top Chef favorite and owner of the acclaimed Brooklyn restaurant Talde. Born in Chicago to Filipino parents, Dale Talde grew up both steeped in his family's culinary heritage and infatuated with American fast food--burgers, chicken nuggets, and Hot Pockets. Today, his dual identity is etched on the menu at Talde, his always-packed Brooklyn restaurant. There he reimagines iconic Asian dishes, imbuing them with Americana while doubling down on the culinary fireworks that made them so popular in the first place. His riff on pad thai features bacon and oysters. He gives juicy pork dumplings the salty, springy exterior of soft pretzels. His food isn't Asian fusion; it's Asian-American. Now, in his first cookbook, Dale shares the recipes that have made him famous, all told in his inimitable voice. Some chefs cook food meant to transport you to Northern Thailand or Sichuan province, to Vietnam or Tokyo. Dale's food is meant to remind you that you're home.

Vegetarian Viet Nam

by
Cameron Stauch

Spicy, tangy, crunchy, and sweet, the dishes in this cookbook range from soups and noodle bowls to main courses with rice and stir-fried vegetables, as well as desserts and fruit drinks. Some recipes are naturally vegetarian while others draw on the full arsenal of Vietnamese herbs, spices, and sauces to make tofu and mushrooms as juicy as any meat filling. Includes a fully illustrated glossary to help readers assemble their own vegetarian Vietnamese pantry.

Flavors of the Southeast Asian Grill: Classic Recipes for Seafood and Meats Cooked Over Charcoal

by
Leela Punyaratabandhu

60 vibrant recipes proving that Asian roadside barbecue is just as easy, delicious, and crowd-pleasing as American-style backyard grilling. Sharing beloved barbecue dishes from the Southeast Asian countries of Thailand, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, and Indonesia, experienced author and expert on Asian cooking Leela Punyaratabandhu inspires readers with a deep dive into the flavor profile and spices of the region. She teaches you how to set up your own smoker, cook over an open flame, or grill on the equipment you already have in your backyard. Leela provides more than sixty mouthwatering recipes such as Chicken Satay with Coriander and Cinnamon, Malaysian Grilled Chicken Wings, and Thai Grilled Sticky Rice, as well recipes for cooking bone-in meats, skewered meats, and even vegetable side dishes and flavorful sauces. The fact that Southeast Asian-style barbecue naturally lends itself to the American outdoor cooking style means that the recipes in the book can remain true to tradition without any need for them to be Westernized or altered at the expense of integrity.

Pok Pok: Food and Stories from the Streets, Homes and Roadside Restaurants of Thailand

by
Andy Ricker

After decades spent traveling throughout Thailand, Andy Ricker wanted to bring the country's famed street food stateside. In 2005 he opened Pok Pok, so named for the sound a pestle makes when it strikes a clay mortar, in an old shack in a residential neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. Ricker's traditional take on Thai food soon drew the notice of the New York Times and Gourmet magazine, establishing him as a culinary star. Now, with his first cookbook, Ricker tackles head-on the myths that keep people from making Thai food at home: that it's too spicy for the American palate or too difficult to source ingredients.

There are also two sequels to this cookbook, Pok Pok: The Drinking Food of Thailand and Pok Pok Noodles: Recipes from Thailand and Beyond.

The Banh Mi Handbook: Recipes for Crazy-Delicious Vietnamese Sandwiches

by
Andrea Quynhgiao Nguyen

A cookbook devoted to the beloved Vietnamese sandwich, with 50 recipes ranging from classic fillings to innovative modern combinations. The Banh Mi Handbook opens a new realm of flavor for cooks who are tired of the same old sandwiches. Who can resist the addictive combination of crisp baguette, succulent fillings (such as grilled pork, roast chicken, or "the special," which is loaded with garlicky pork liver and thin slices of Vietnamese cold-cuts) and toppings (like tangy daikon and carrot pickles, thin chile slices, refreshing cucumber strips, and pungent cilantro sprigs)? Banh mi are the epitome of delicious street food, and their popularity has skyrocketed in the US in recent years. Respected food writer Andrea Nguyen's simple recipes for proteins, condiments, pickles, and more are a great introduction for those looking to venture into Vietnamese cuisine but who are intimidated by complicated recipes.

Ammu: Home Cooking to Nourish Your Soul

by
Asma Khan

A new cookbook from the star of Netflix's Chef's Table and one of the world's most prominent female chefs. Ammu is a heart-warming cookbook of comforting aromatic Indian flavors: Indian food from home, cooked with heart. Ammu is a collection of recipes from Asma Khan's childhood, from her Indian family kitchen. It is a celebration of where she comes from, of home cooking, and the inextricable link between food and love. It is also a chance for Asma to honor her ammu - mother - and to share with us the recipes that made her and rooted her to home. This book is a joyful celebration of memories of food, and its power to heal, restore, and comfort. It includes her ammu's comfort food from childhood, the recipes with which she was taught to cook, celebratoryfood for special occasions, and slow-cooked recipes passed through the generations of her family.

All descriptions adapted from the publisher.

By CynthiaM on August 8, 2022