(Part 2) Best asian cooking, food & wine books according to redditors

That's my monthly budget, too! (and as a 200 lb guy I do not have a dainty appetite so you can get plenty of food with that much)

Basically, this limits you from nice steaks and fresh seafood. Everything else is fair game.

My wife and I keep a list of what we've made so if we have trouble thinking of what to cook we can look through a bunch of options. (Note: the $200 monthly budget covers only me, not both me and my wife.)

In a given month, we'll eat:

• Pasta dishes (puttanesca, sauce+meat, sauce+eggplant, aglio e olio, butter/garlic/sage, etc)
  
• Stir fries, either following a recipe or using whatever veggies I have around
  
• Other Asian dishes - bibimbap, mabo dofu, jjajangmyeon (Korean noodles with a thick black bean sauce), kimchi stew, "sushi bowls" (sushi ingredients but usually no fish, and in a bowl of rice instead of wrapped), pad thai, etc
  
• Rice and beans with lots of cumin and garlic, plus celery and carrots and maybe heavy greens to add veggies
  
• Ham and navy bean soup
  
• Pizza (working my way through a recipes from a few different sources, slowly getting closer to actually good pizza, not just "good for homemade" pizza)
  
• Roast chicken! A 4# roast chicken is like $6 at Aldi and seriouseats.com has tasty seasonings
  
• Eggs - mixed with rice and scrambled, fried, poached, in burritos... however. Super cheap, super quick, super easy
  
• Tacos or burritos
  
• Chicken tagine (Moroccan braised chicken that is super flavorful)
  
• Doro wat (Ethiopian onion stew)
  
• "Green soup" served over ravioli (cheese-filled freezer ravioli) - throw a bunch of chopped veggies into chicken stock and boil until cooked, add a bag of spinach to turn it green, and then blend it with an immersion blender when it's done. Top with a drizzle of EVOO and parmesan
  
  A couple caveats: I buy very few prepared foods, very rarely have sandwiches so no lunch meat (it's spendy), and I don't eat breakfast. I do most of my shopping at Aldi and only go elsewhere for things they don't carry like specialty Asian ingredients. We have a couple big Asian groceries nearby that are good for that - we count a few basic sauces as staples that we find it's not too expensive to keep on hand that really open up our options for Asian recipes (soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and fish sauce).
  
  Edit: because this has gotten a good bit of attention I'll mention that we do have a good selection of cookbooks to work from. Not a huge number, but a well curated set that is mostly based on recommendations from friends and the internet, were gifts, or ones we knew were good because former housemates had them.
  
  But if you don't have many and don't want to spend the cash don't worry! Your local library should have a bunch, and many resources (that are less hit-or-miss than e.g. allrecipes.com) are available online. Good and Cheap, budgetbytes, and seriouseats (The Food Lab) are in my top 3 (I do have a paper copy from all 3, because I want to support what they do). Other cookbooks that I like, also listed in the "Source" column of the linked google doc:
  
  
• Chinese Takeout Cookbook. Meant to reproduce good American-style Chinese takeout, but often less grease-laden.
  
• Cook's Illustrated Best International Recipes (I think it's this one but I'm not sure - it was a gift and I got rid of the hardcover's sheath). I'm a little ideologically against recipes that use 15+ ingredients of which I only have half on hand, but the moussaka, pad thai, and chicken tagine recipes alone nearly make this book worth it (especially with some judicious substitutions)
  
• Everyday Harumi - I've had great luck with several recipes in here, but I also know that I'm not taking the recipes to their full potential because when my old roommate would cook from his copy it always turned out better.
  
• Maangchi's Kitchen - plenty of tasty, authentic Korean recipes. Like budgetbytes, her cookbook started on the web so all her recipes are available for free via her youtube channel, which is great fun to watch. Korean cooking can be involved so I rarely go beyond the simpler recipes (Korea is the only Asian country I've visited so it's the only one in this list I can speak to the authenticity of)
  
• the bread bible has some very tasty flavored breads (mushroom bread made with duxelle, or a cheddar mustard bread) and decent pizza
  
• Bread Baker's Apprentice has yielded some tasty baguettes and quite good pizza
  
• And I only recently got The Pizza Bible and have only managed to try one recipe from it but it turned out great

There are 2 Wagamama cookbooks. Recipe is probably in there.

https://andrewzimmern.com/2013/03/28/fuchsia-dunlops-fish-fragrant-eggplant/

https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2016/03/the-food-lab-vegan-experience-best-homemade-falafel-recipe.html

https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2016/03/israeli-style-extra-smooth-hummus-recipe.html

https://smittenkitchen.com/2009/03/pita-bread/

https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/samosa-recipe-punjabi-samosa/

https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/lemon-rice/

And stuff from these:

Thai Vegetarian Cooking (Thailand)

Real Vegetarian Thai (Thailand)

Teff Love (Ethiopia)

Kansha (Japan)

The Lotus and the Artichoke (Malaysia and Sri Lanka are my two favorites, but also has India, Mexico, and Ethiopia)

Decolonize Your Diet (Mexico)

Tahini & Turmeric (the Middle East)

http://thegreekvegan.com (Greece)

https://www.chinasichuanfood.com/topics/chinese-recipes/chinese-vegan-recipes/ (China, especially Sichuan)

https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-vegetarian-recipes/ (China)

http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/recipes/vegan/ (India)

https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com (India)

https://georgianrecipes.net/category/vegetarian/ (Georgia)

https://www.justonecookbook.com/tags/vegetarian/ (Japan)

https://hot-thai-kitchen.com/category/all-recipes/meatless-recipes/ (Thailand)

http://www.phamfatale.com/cat_25/tag_vegetarian/ (Vietnam)

https://thevietvegan.com/recipes/vegan-recipes/ (Vietnam)

Well, it's not limited to China. It covers 16 asian countries but it is very authentic.

I've owned this book for about 15 years and couldn't live without it.

Charmain Solomon's The Complete Asian Cookbook

You might try books published by Wei-Chuan Publishing, they have several bilingual, English-Chinese, editions. Chinese Cuisine features dishes from several regions, and Chinese Snacks has many of the goodies you find on the street or at a dim sum restaurant.

Here are all the local Amazon links I could find.


amazon.co.uk

amazon.ca

amazon.com.au

amazon.in

amazon.com.mx

Beep bloop. I'm a bot to convert Amazon ebook links to local Amazon sites.
I currently look here: amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, amazon.com.au, amazon.in, amazon.com.mx, if you would like your local version of Amazon adding please contact my creator.

Between Just One Cookbook, Japanese Cooking 101, Chopstick Chronicles, Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art ^BOOK, and Ochikeron ^YouTube you should be able to figure out something you like.

I am not the biggest fan of any of Nancy Singleton Hachisu books for beginners, but there are other good books, like Everyday Harumi - pretty much any of Harumi's books will be good, she doesn't go for crazy ingredients (ala Nancy Hachisu) and she's usually the top cookbook writer in Japan.

I've asked at several Thai restaurants and had them tell me that few if any of their "vegetarian" dishes do not have fish sauce or shrimp paste. Since then, I bought Real Vegetarian Thai and when I crave Thai, I just make it myself.

I cook mostly Asian food, although I'm not Asian. Here are several cookbooks I couldn't live without...

Real Thai (McDermott)

I have David Thompson's epic Thai cookbook, but that's more for special occasions. McDermott's book has excellent recipes from many regions of Thailand. The homemade curry pastes are really worth the effort.

Chinese (Sichuan): Land of Plenty, Dunlop

Chinese (Hunan): Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook, Dunlop

I can't recommend Fuschia Dunlop's cookbooks highly enough. You will have to search for some ingredients, but these days this is pretty easy.

General Asian: Complete Asian Cookbook (Solomon)

Charmaine Solomon's book is hit or miss sometimes, but it has so many recipes in it that it's worth it, from Sri Lanka to the Philippines to Japan, etc.

My favorite new, specialty cookbook is

Cooking at Home With Pedatha (Giri & Jain)

which has delicious Indian (specifically, Andhran) vegetarian recipes.

I'm a bit of a cookbook junkie, so I have a bunch to recommend. I'm interpreting this as "good cookbooks from cuisines in Asia" so there are some that are native and others that are from specific restaurants in the US, but I would consider these legit both in terms of the food and the recipes/techniques. Here are a few of my favorites:


Pan-Asian

• Asian Dumplings - the masterpiece on all things dumpling
  
• Asian American - Dale Talde's (Top Chef) book with lots of Asian cultures' food in the US
  
• Asian Pickles - pickles and fermented foods from throughout Asia
  
• Lucky Rice - recipes from the Asian festival of the same name
  
• The Asian Grandmother's Cookbook - traditional cooking passed down to American cooks
  
  Burmese
  
  
• Burma:Rivers of Flavor - good focus on difference in Burmese cuisine from other regional
  
  Cambodian
  
  
• Num Pang - Cambodian sandwich restaurant in NYC
  
• Cambodian Cooking - GREAT book on Cambodian cuisine, supporting refugees
  
  Chinese
  
  
• Ken Hom Complete Chinese Cookbook - great primer for cooking Chinese food using ingredients commonly available in US
  
• China Moon - classic SF Chinese restaurant food
  
• Feeding the Dragon - modern culinary journey through all of China
  
• Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking - omnibus focused on the home chef
  
• Breath of a Wok - focus on wok technique at home
  
• Every Grain of Rice - wonderful Sichuan food for home cooks
  
  Indian
  
  
• Madhur Jaffrey Indian Cooking - actually, any of her cookbooks are wonderful for Indian cooking
  
• Savour Mumbai - looks at Indian cuisine as a melting pot in Mumbai
  
• The Indian Family Cookbook - modern South Indian food
  
• Indian Harvest - Vikas Khanna's family cookbook
  
• Made in India - classic Indian food, from street to home
  
  Indonesia
  
  
• The Food of Indonesia - everything you need for a rijstaffel!
  
  Japanese
  
  
• Japanese Farm Food - authentic rural Japanese cooking
  
• Preserving the Japanese Way - how to make awesome Japanese pickled vegetables
  
• Sushi Chef - not strictly speaking a cookbook, but "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" book in English
  
• The Japanese Grill - authentic hibachi and Japanese grill recipes
  
• Japanese Comfort Food - lots of traditional Japanese recipes
  
• Nanban - Japanese "soul food"
  
• Tokyo Cult Recipes - hip modern urban food from Tokyo
  
• Yum Yum Bento Boxes - updated modern take on bento boxes
  
• Ivan Ramen - traditional ramen for a Western audience
  
• Izakaya - traditional Japanese pub food & small plates
  
• Nikkei - emigrant Japanese food culture in South America
  
• Donabe - traditional Japanese hot pot recipes
  
• Kyotofu - very unique Japanese dessert cookbook
  
  Korean
  
  
• K Food - modern take on Korean street food
  
• Maangchi's Real Korean Cooking - great resource for Korean cooking in a non-pro kitchen
  
• Traditional Food - omnibus of four regions of Korean food
  
• Koreatown - authentic, approachable guide to Korean food in a US context
  
• Smoke & Pickles - Edward Lee's fusion of his Korean heritage and southern barbeque
  
• The Kimchi Cookbook - many, many recipes for kimchi...
  
  Malaysian
  
  
• Malaysian Cooking - good overview of Malay cooking
  
  Middle Eastern
  
  
• The New Persian Kitchen - modern Iranian food
  
• Ottolenghi - Israeli-Palestinian collaboration
  
• Persiana - dynamic modern recipes from throughout the Middle East
  
• Zahav - modern Israeli food
  
• Sweet Middle East - traditional and modern desserts
  
  Philippine
  
  
• Filipino Homestyle Dishes - good intro to classic Filipino dishes
  
  Russian
  
  
• Mamushka - focus on Ukraine
  
  Sri Lankan
  
  
• Hidden Kitchens of Sri Lanka - beautiful photo-cookbook on Sri Lankan cuisine
  
  Taiwanese
  
  
• The Food of Taiwan - um... food... from Taiwan
  
  Thailand
  
  
• Nong's Thai Kitchen - she beat Bobby Flay in pad thai
  
• Pok Pok - Portland's most AWESOME Asian restaurant
  
  Turkish
  
  
• Istanbul:Recipes from the Heart of Turkey - lovely focus on urban Turkish food
  
• Anatolia - wonderful approachable approach to Turkish cuisine
  
• Essential Turkish Cuisine - focus on history and evolution of Turkish food
  
  Vietnamese
  
  
• The Slanted Door - great Vietnamese restaurant cookbook
  
• Vietnamese Market Cookbook - focus on simple Vietnamese from fresh ingredients
  
• Into the Vietnamese Kitchen - traditional Vietnamese home cooking
  
• The Banh Mi Cookbook - the greatest sandwich in the world!
  
• Vietnamese Home Cooking - another great overview
  
  (edit: screwed up a couple links)

I'm glad I'm vegan long enough now that I don't even really realize it anymore and don't feel the need to frequent any online vegan spaces. Like any place for any group online there's a lot of stupidity and of course plenty of misogyny.

Vegan spaces I'd put on par with libfem ones for the degree of misogyny that is celebrated. Lots of nudity, lots of imagery of violence. Libfems pretend it's 'for female empowerment'; vegans pretend it's 'for the animals'. Either way it's the same ol' standard rank and file 21st century western misogyny at play. Don't people ever get sick of not thinking for themselves? Not creating anything themselves? It's all so boring and uninspired. I realize that's like the least pressing issue about all of it, but sometimes I just wonder, don't people at least tire of that aspect?

Kind of off topic now but for practical purposes honestly I don't even seek out vegan websites (or subreddits) for recipes anymore. Either figure out my own these days, like the lentil bolognese I made last night (amaaazing), or far better resources are simply picking up non-'western' cookbooks. My latest acquisitions are Samarkand and Taste of Persia. So many amazing, exciting, fresh, flavorful vegetable based recipes that have stood the test of time, that you know are good cause all these countries full of non-vegans are eating them. Next on the wishlist is probably The Malaysian Kitchen, and old favorites are Lebanese Home Cooking and Middle Eastern Vegetarian Cookbook. Sorry I know OT, but I just love cookbooks. What's the word for the cookbook-obsessed? Like foodie, but... cookbookie?

But anyway for fucks sake come on. I assumed most vegans would feel the same as I which is jesus christ people drink some damn almond/soy/oat/rice/bean/flax/whatever milk. I can understand wanting a meat substitute since it is pretty inimitable, but milk? It's just creamy white stuff with some fat protein and sugars. Not hard to imitate, and frankly the plant based versions are superior anyway. I would challenge anyone to stop eating dairy for a year or two, then tell me it doesn't smell rancid and sweaty. You get desensitized to it when you consume it regularly but give yourself a break from it and your nose will pick up on those things big time. But bottom line it's just not necessary. It's the most frivolous, weird, and frankly disgusting part of non-vegan eating. I would think that would be the message (ok probably in more marketable inviting terms), not "well let's just have human women do it". ??? Ultimate facepalm.

www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0689707266

I bought A Taste of India, Madhur Jaffrey, in 1998, and have dragged it around the world with me ever since. Recipes, essays, and glorious photographs from all over different states in India; I can get lost in it.

Hey, does this work?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07TF99RPN

Yamato does have a Computer Shipping service that I used when bringing a tower to Japan, so even if you're not making a large shipment through them, that's still probably an option. Alternately, I've also seen people take the components they want in static bags inside hard cases and just buy the case/PSU/Monitor in Japan. This route is a lot cheaper and safer, TBH.

Your company isn't going to give you any support for the moving process? That seems a bit odd.

As for staples... If you don't know how to cook Japanese food you'll need to start there and then figure out what you like, which will dictate what you need. Keep in mind that a lot of Japanese cookbooks are written for a western audience and tend to use ingredients readily available in the west, rather than being tailored for Japan. This book is one I was gifted and it's pretty basic, but also pretty authentic, and may be a good place to start.

This is an amazing destination. I'm curious what type of journey you're on. What is the food like, for instance? I heard the author of Samarkand: Recipes & Stories from Central Asia & The Caucasus interviewed once and it sounds amazing. I may come back here and post that interview if I can remember where it exists...

Edit: It was from this Splendid Table podcast (an excellent cooking podcast): The road to Samarkand
by Lynne Rossetto Kasper.

I have recently been making an Asian condiment. I don't have exact ratios, but:

Soy Sauce

Sambal Chili

Sesame Oil

Mirin (you could sub rice vinegar if you don't want to reduce carbs)


If I had to guess a ratio, maybe 4:3:1:1. I just do what I feel, then adjust.
Its awesome for steamed broccoli and as a dipping sauce.

Also if you're a fan of Asian flavors, pick up Jet Tila's book. He has lots of great sauce. As he suggests, if you find one you like, make it in bulk to keep on hand.

> I know, I probably sound like a ridiculous hypocrite

It's not silly or ridiculous. Our bodies habituate themselves to the things we eat, our brains remember foods that taste good (aren't bitter or poisonous, have high fat content, salt content, etc). It's completely legitimate to miss the sensations or the emotional response (comfort) you once associated with them. It just may take some time to change, that's all.

> The vegan cheeses I've tried have frankly been extremely off-putting, and while I've been getting by on coconut and almond milks, I really dislike them.
Every time I step into a grocery store or restaurant, I feel sad and limited

Why don't you try not replacing them for a while? Looking into other vegan recipes, cuisines, and styles of cooking that have nothing to do with dairy? Lots of Asian food doesn't use dairy because of lactose intolerance.

Instead of feeling stifled, maybe try to explore something new. That can help make things feel interesting and different.

Is there an Asian cuisine like

Chinese food, Korean food (some of these are vegan), Japanese food (1, 2), Thai (ingredients for Thai food are less commonly available, but it's an incredibly interesting cuisine if you can find them)

or maybe something else you've wanted to explore?

is this the correct book???

I was gifted Charmaine Solomon's The Complete Asian Cookbook a few years ago, and I love it.

She gives you tons of recipes, but she also tells you what you might need in your cupboards. I would heartily recommend the book.

Edit: She does encompass most of Asia, so she is more inclusive than just "Chinese" cooking. Her chapters are listed by Asian country, so whether you feel like cooking an authentic Indian meal, or a Vietnamese desert, it is easy to find what you are looking for.

I like The Just Bento Cookbook that someone else already linked and also this cookbook: https://smile.amazon.com/Everyday-Harumi-Simple-Japanese-friends-ebook/dp/B01J24WP6Q/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=Japanese+cookbook+harumi&qid=1571830355&sr=8-3

I also really love the Cooking With Dog cooking show on YouTube. Her website is here with all the videos: https://cookingwithdog.com/ it appears that some of the recipes are translated to German.

Big fan of Aarti Paarti, a definite mix of recipes with some nice fusions. You get the best of traditional Indian and delicious new dishes! Certainly won't get bored, best of all there's great info on spices, cooking techniques, and the works. https://smile.amazon.com/Aarti-Paarti-American-Kitchen-Indian/dp/1455545414/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483194802&sr=8-1&keywords=aarti+paarti

My mom's Chinese and we've always had this one in our family Chinese Cuisine (Wei-Chuan's Cookbook) (English and Traditional Chinese Edition)

https://www.amazon.de/Vegane-Indische-K%C3%BCche-Traditionelle-Nachkochen/dp/3946566030/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1525726212&sr=8-3&keywords=vegan+richa

I got this japanese one and this thai one for my mum a month ago and she absolutely loved them! Maybe they'll suit your fancy?

I'm curious to know how you managed to make it to 2017 w/o being exposed to Thai food...but congratulations! One of the world's truly great cuisines. I highly recommend Buddha's Table: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1570671613/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Aarti-Paarti-American-Kitchen-Indian/dp/1455545414 is a good book too..

This. I have this version: http://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Cuisine-Wei-Chuans-Cookbook-Huang/dp/0941676080/ref=pd_sim_b_1 and it is a great book with traditional recipes. You'll definitely enjoy this book.

No real sites that offer great food. You can google some names of dishes, but you won't find the real chunks of knowledge you need to really make great Japanese food. Here are my best book recommendations:

Japanese Kitchen Knives: Essential Techniques and Recipes
Nobu: The Cookbook
Izakaya: The Japanese Pub Cookbook

Buy yourself a nice Japanese knife with that first book, then move on to Nobu, then the Izakaya book. They are awesome resources.

I recommend them all, if you get the chance. If you're interested in Lao food, then this book is worth a look - it's not the easiest book to work from (it kinda assumes you have a palace-full of kitchen lackeys to do the hard work for you), but it's a wonderful read, and all the dishes I've managed to cook from it have been delicious. Also, this book covers everything I listed, IIRC - we only got our copy recently and have only made a few recipes from it, but so far everything's good :-)

Also als ein wirklich schönes Buch empfinde ich folgendes

Ist zwar Vegan, aber was erwartest du hier sonst :P

THIS BOOK! NOW!
英語でつくる和食 (eigodetsukuruwashoku)/ Recipes of Japanese Cooking

http://www.amazon.com/Recipes-Japanese-Cooking-Yuko-Fujita/dp/481633677X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1345055381&sr=8-2&keywords=recipes+of+japanese+cooking

This book is the best cook book I've used. It has it all; the basic everyday recipes, like miso soup, sukiyaki, simmered dishes, AS well as some more traditional, tougher dishes. It also covers seasonal ingredients/dishes AND cooking technique in depth, explaining enough to make it easily understood, but with no overkill.

The best thing of all is that every recipe, and ALL the content, is in Japanese and perfectly translated/converted English. Amazing little thing to help you study while you cook.

I cannot recommend this book enough. Hell, I just about need to buy another one, since the spine on mine is destroyed, I used it that much.

If you can't cook amazing Japanese food with this book, there is no hope, period.

If she likes cooking like I do, I guess this with this would make a good gift.
Or buy those and cook her plov as a gift.

Charmaine Solomon's Complete Asian Cookbook is excellent for a wide variety of Asian cooking.

If you're just using it for miso, you don't need to marinade or even really cook it. You could cut a block into about 8 pieces and freeze it for maximum use (though that will change the texture a lot). Just slice into small cubes and simmer in the dashi or broth before you add the miso paste (stir a spoonful in a bowl with a little dashi, and add it right before you turn off the heat).

You might be able to buy dried shiitake online. Probably more expensive in the UK, but I got a huge jar of sliced and dried mushrooms from Amazon and the whole thing lives in the freezer. I soak about 6 pieces in water for half an hour to make a basic base for miso.

If you're in a large city, look for Asian grocery stores. Most cities will have at least one, and you'll probably find tofu much cheaper.

And yes, that's the konbu you want (that you linked). It lasts for ever, and expands a ton. You probably only need about a square inch per bowl of soup.

Check out this book. It's incredibly simple, all vegan Japanese cooking which doesn't rely too heavily on obscure ingredients. You can figure out some substitutions for lots of the veggies she suggests, but I found it an easy way to understand the typical flavors of a meal without too much effort.

Ninja edit: one of the awesome things about miso paste (I love the white variety) is that it lasts for bloody ages in the fridge (like a year or more if you store it in a zip lock bag). So many of these ingredients that look pricey are actually extremely cheap considering how much use you'll get out of them.

Also available on amazon.nl

https://www.amazon.nl/Crock-Pot-Cookbook-Delicious-Time-Saving-ebook/dp/B076QFSBY9?keywords=Crock+Pot+Cookbook%3A+A+Complete+Guide+Of+Slow+Cooker+For+The+Busy+and+Lazy+Man+With+70%2B+Delicious+and+Time-Saving+Recipes&qid=1519338586&sr=8-1&ref=sr_1_1

Tasting India

A Taste of India

The cuisine of India is incredibly vast. I know of no book which attempts to standardize and codify everything. However, there are several books out there which chop up Indian food into more manageable regional bits.

Two recommendations, one old and cheap, the other new and expensive. Both books are divided by region and focus on regional recipes. For the cheap approach, look for Madhur Jaffrey's "A Taste of India." The chapters are broken down into the individual regions and it's a good place to start learning about the different cuisines of India. Another book which takes the same approach is Christine Mansfield's "Tasting India." Mansfield's book is jaw droppingly gorgeous. The photography is stunning.

If you have any more questions, please let me know. I love Indian food and have tons of Indian cookbooks.

https://www.amazon.com/Aarti-Paarti-American-Kitchen-Indian/dp/1455545414 is to be more chances of security / son

I checked out this book from the library a few years back and really enjoyed the few recipes I made from it. The "calamari" is amazing!

I've heard good things about Kansha as well but have yet to read it.

They aren't publicly available, but I'm following the recipes from Dumplings All Day Wong. It's been a dumpling bootcamp that I'm thoroughly enjoying! Lots of clear instructions and great illustrations for technique. 10/10, would recommend.

I have recently discovered cooking is really relaxing and I love dumplings, so I think the effort it would take to make them would be relaxing and keep me busy and away from my anxiety.

Also, I find this cd ethereal and relaxing but not all might.

Relax!

I personally love this cookbook for Japanese cooking. It's more of an archive of recipes than a how-to to Japanese cooking, but it does detail certain ingredients and techniques. This cookbook, however, does not shy away from hard to find ingredients; I can't even find all the ingredients I'm looking for some times, and there are Japanese groceries all around my area. Sometimes you just need to figure out whatever the alternate names for things are. Ironically, I was able to find Komatsuna under the Gai Choy, which I believe is the chinese word for the same thing (mustard greens). Same with Shungiku under Tung Ho (chrysanthemum greens).

The most important things I learned in this book was that the mirin I usually buy is actually not true mirin. Real mirin is made in a similar process to sake, while aji mirin (what most people are familiar with) is mainly corn syrup. Another thing I learned was that high quality rice vinegar is usually brown, not clear (like the kind I buy). Not to mention, homemade dashi (using bonito flakes and konbu) is significantly better than making it from hondashi (the dashi equivalent of boullion powder). Almost every recipe will use a combination of these things (with soy sauce of course), but it's also exciting trying out recipes with ingredients less familiar with the uninitiated (ume/sour plum, dried shrimp, kabocha/Japanese pumpkin, etc.).

I would just buy this book https://www.amazon.com/Asian-Dishes-Need-Cook-Before/dp/1624143822/. It's changed my culinary life.

101 Asian Dishes to Cook Before You Die by Jet Tila is a good one. Covers Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Thai.

www.amazon.com/Asian-Dishes-Need-Cook-Before/dp/1624143822

I have both Wagamama cookbooks and use them all the time. Also, if you scroll down the page to the list of books others bought, there are quite a few good, basic japanese cookbooks for the beginner. Also have a google. This is a pretty handy site for beginners. Good luck and enjoy. (It also helps to find a local asian food shop for things like panko breadcrumbs, miso, wasabe, pickled ginger, and shoyu.)

This is it! If you want I can take a picture of a recipe and send it to you so you can try it out. :)

http://www.amazon.com/Real-Vegetarian-Thai-Nancie-McDermott/dp/0811811514

I have these three that I like quite a bit:

Japan: The Cookbook

Preserving the Japanese Way

The Gaijin Cookbook

You're welcome! Happy to help.

In the UK they sell it in the restaurants, failing that [Amazon](The Wagamama Cookbook https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1856266494/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_QikkybZEVJW6S) or any reputable bookseller.

It's great. Lots of recipes in there.

Nancy Singleton Hachisu has written a few books that sound up your alley (e.g. Japan: The Cookbook). She's originally from the US but has lived in the Japan countryside for many years after marrying a Japanese man, and her writing reflects her extensive learning experiences and research.

I ended up getting Gran Cocina Latina. So far seems like exactly what I was looking for - a little bit from each region. The author seems to have quite a bit of experience with the various areas (or at least to my inexperienced eye). My only complaint is that she calls for very specific ingredients that are not readily available where I currently live, and doesn't often mention more accessible substitutes.

The one I have for Asia is The Complete Asian Cookbook, which doesn't address 'Asian' cooking as a whole, but has a chapter for each country, each with an intro about the style and ingredients of the area.

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1. BB Cream
   
   
2. Pikachu
   
   
3. Chopsticks
   
   
4. Foods
   
   
5. I really love Knick Knacks like this

This is a recent Burmese cookbook by the co-author of Hot Sour Salty Sweet which is probably the cookbook I've cooked more things from than any other.