Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful Reference!
Review: I'm fairly new to cooking rice other than Uncle Ben's in a pot on the stove. Recently I invested in a quality rice cooker, and decided to get a bit more serious. This book has been a tremendous help to me the novice, not only did I learn the basics of cooking rice well, but I also learned that I didn't know much about rice at all. I never realized that there were so many different kinds of rice, or basic things like the difference between long-grain, medium-grain, and short-grain, or how to recognize high-quality rice, or the idea of washing rice. Then there was information on how to find different kinds of rice (I discovered that locally here in Raleigh I can find dozens of kinds easily, cheaply, and wow, Uncle Ben's now has a lot of new cousins on my shelf!).
Then the recipes in this book are plentiful, and the pictures are great. The authors did a fantastic job, and if you like rice, or would like to learn to love rice and all of its varieties, GET THIS BOOK! It's really opened up a new 'rice' world for us! ;-)
Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended!
Review: I'm very impressed by this book. The recipes and stories are intriguing, the photographs are gorgeous, and there's a lot of useful information.It doesn't call for many obscure ingredients, at least not relative to other popular Asian cookbooks such as Charmaine Solomon's. These recipes tend to be simple but delicious, relying on basic items like hot peppers, fish sauce, nori, etc. Highly recommended if you're interested in learning about other cultures, enjoy looking at beautiful cookbooks, or just like to cook. By the way, this book is an extra delight for those who, like me, aren't able to eat wheat - but I can honestly say I would have bought it anyway. But then, I even considered buying "Flatbreads and Flavours" when it came out, even though I can't have most of the dishes in it. These books are that good!
Rating:
Summary: Part photo essay, part travelogue, part cookbook, all rice
Review: My daughter tells me not everyone has at least four kinds of rice as pantry staples; I tell her they should - and this book gives them reason to. This has the most comprehensive inventory of rice types that I have seen. For example, I have only recently found a source for red rice; this book distinguishes between Thai red rice, mahogany rice, Bhutanese red rice, Himalayan red rice, South Indian red rice, South Asian red rice, Vietnamese red cargo rice and Wehani. Reading the differences, even without knowledge of what red rice I bought, allows me to adjust the recipes conservatively so that I don't over-cook, over-power or otherwise mutilate my find. The recipes are well chosen; many of the recipes are not rice recipes but dishes to accompany rice. This gives the book a greater range than its title might imply. The stories of learning the worldwide recipes on site add to the enjoyment of the recipes; they provide a travelogue of the search for new rices and rice uses. They are accompanied with excellent photographs of growing, harvesting, and cooking rice. Recipes come from Italy, Mexico, Japan, Turkey, Thailand, India, China, USA, Senegal, Persia, Jamaica, Spain, Uighur (Russian-Chinese border). There is an index by the geographic region which allows the book to serve as an ethnic cookbook. This is a cookbook to read and to use. I definately recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Part photo essay, part travelogue, part cookbook, all rice
Review: My daughter tells me not everyone has at least four kinds of rice as pantry staples; I tell her they should - and this book gives them reason to. This has the most comprehensive inventory of rice types that I have seen. For example, I have only recently found a source for red rice; this book distinguishes between Thai red rice, mahogany rice, Bhutanese red rice, Himalayan red rice, South Indian red rice, South Asian red rice, Vietnamese red cargo rice and Wehani. Reading the differences, even without knowledge of what red rice I bought, allows me to adjust the recipes conservatively so that I don't over-cook, over-power or otherwise mutilate my find. The recipes are well chosen; many of the recipes are not rice recipes but dishes to accompany rice. This gives the book a greater range than its title might imply. The stories of learning the worldwide recipes on site add to the enjoyment of the recipes; they provide a travelogue of the search for new rices and rice uses. They are accompanied with excellent photographs of growing, harvesting, and cooking rice. Recipes come from Italy, Mexico, Japan, Turkey, Thailand, India, China, USA, Senegal, Persia, Jamaica, Spain, Uighur (Russian-Chinese border). There is an index by the geographic region which allows the book to serve as an ethnic cookbook. This is a cookbook to read and to use. I definately recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: My favourite cookbook
Review: My family and I adore this book -- the information, the travel narratives, the photos, and of course the recipes. We were already eating a rice-based diet. This book has made our diet ever more varied and interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing book--great read, great recipes
Review: Obviously, don't buy this book if you don't like rice or starch. But that being a given, this is a wonderful book to read and to cook from. I bought a paperback in a store for about twice this price, so this is a great value and would make a fabulous gift. One of the previous reviewers who noted that nowheres near all of the recipes in this book actually _include_ rice was correct--they don't. But the authors talk in their introduction about how their book is meant to be a cookbook for those who eat rice at every meal--how you go home, start cooking rice, and then decide what to eat with it. That said, there are many recipes here that make fast, tasty meals when combined with rice. Must-try recipes include Thai sweet rice cakes and Chinese-style summer stir-fry (to eat with rice).
Rating: 
Summary: No pictures of the recipes!
Review: Since I have a great love for Asian and Oriental food, I am no stranger to rice in many of its variations. But my knowledge is fragmentary, and I am guilty of thinking of it as a mechanism for delivering food to my mouth, when the exact opposite is really true. To be honest, I didn't even know how much I didn't know. So when a friend confided to me that he had acquired a copy of "Seductions of Rice" I was intrigued. His description of the book convinced me that I would have to read it and, after some arm twisting, he yielded it up - on temporary lone only. For some reason I was expecting one of those thin lightweight essay books on rice and was amazed to discover this is a large, very well made volume with a great deal of narrative and an immense number of recipes. The book is full of countless black and white photographs taken by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid on their rice hunts across the globe. There are also some wonderful color photographs taken by several professionals of food that looks so appetizing I was gaining weight reading the book. It is sufficiently well made and protected to last several generations of rice hungry families The narrative text provides many dissertations on the varieties of rice and the cooking thereof, as well as many pastiches about the authors' travels and the people they met. Often the recipes themselves contain even more narrative. Much effort has been put into making the book of value intellectually as well as gustatorially. For the most part it is arranged geographically, with chapters on Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Indian, Central Asian & Persian, Mediterranean, Senegalese, and North American rice cookery. The obligatory (but often left out) glossary, mail order, bibliography and index sections are also present. The book is clearly intended to be a working reference and the authors' have spared no effort to please. The recipes are often quite unusual. The writers have a great love for village, local and family cooking. As such you will find few of the ornate banquet dinners that are often presented to us in the US. Instead this is about food cooked by the people who love it the most. The recipes are clearly printed, with ingredients and alternatives carefully spelled out. Instructions are easily written, and it is hard to get lost mid-recipe, which is always a concern for someone as nearsighted as myself. I was delighted with many of them and am inspired to go out and add many bags of rice to my larder. Of course, I will now have to buy my own copy of "Seductions of Rice."
Rating:
Summary: Travelogue and Cookbook
Review: Since I have a great love for Asian and Oriental food, I am no stranger to rice in many of its variations. But my knowledge is fragmentary, and I am guilty of thinking of it as a mechanism for delivering food to my mouth, when the exact opposite is really true. To be honest, I didn't even know how much I didn't know. So when a friend confided to me that he had acquired a copy of "Seductions of Rice" I was intrigued. His description of the book convinced me that I would have to read it and, after some arm twisting, he yielded it up - on temporary lone only. For some reason I was expecting one of those thin lightweight essay books on rice and was amazed to discover this is a large, very well made volume with a great deal of narrative and an immense number of recipes. The book is full of countless black and white photographs taken by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid on their rice hunts across the globe. There are also some wonderful color photographs taken by several professionals of food that looks so appetizing I was gaining weight reading the book. It is sufficiently well made and protected to last several generations of rice hungry families The narrative text provides many dissertations on the varieties of rice and the cooking thereof, as well as many pastiches about the authors' travels and the people they met. Often the recipes themselves contain even more narrative. Much effort has been put into making the book of value intellectually as well as gustatorially. For the most part it is arranged geographically, with chapters on Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Indian, Central Asian & Persian, Mediterranean, Senegalese, and North American rice cookery. The obligatory (but often left out) glossary, mail order, bibliography and index sections are also present. The book is clearly intended to be a working reference and the authors' have spared no effort to please. The recipes are often quite unusual. The writers have a great love for village, local and family cooking. As such you will find few of the ornate banquet dinners that are often presented to us in the US. Instead this is about food cooked by the people who love it the most. The recipes are clearly printed, with ingredients and alternatives carefully spelled out. Instructions are easily written, and it is hard to get lost mid-recipe, which is always a concern for someone as nearsighted as myself. I was delighted with many of them and am inspired to go out and add many bags of rice to my larder. Of course, I will now have to buy my own copy of "Seductions of Rice."
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: This book is a combination of excellent travel narratives, photo-essays, and recipes. Most delicious are the fried rice recipes and the dipping sauces. Definitely a pleasure to peruse and also to utilize for simple dinner recipes with complex and authentic flavors. Some of the ingredients are difficult to find in typical grocery stores, but may be found in tiny international markets. A must for lovers of Chinese, Japanese, and Indian cuisines.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: This book is a combination of excellent travel narratives, photo-essays, and recipes. Most delicious are the fried rice recipes and the dipping sauces. Definitely a pleasure to peruse and also to utilize for simple dinner recipes with complex and authentic flavors. Some of the ingredients are difficult to find in typical grocery stores, but may be found in tiny international markets. A must for lovers of Chinese, Japanese, and Indian cuisines.
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