Rating: 
Summary: Excellent and Usable
Review: Alford and Duguid's book is beautiful, interesting, and the recipes are fantastic. Many of their recipes have become weekly standbys in my house. Their commentary is down to earth and helpful. I couldn't recommend this book highly enough for anyone interested in learning about or building a library in southeast asian cooking.
Rating:
Summary: a pleasure to read and cook from
Review: Asian food has been a mainstay in our family for decades and as a group, we've consumed tens of asian cookbooks. This book is among the most pleasurable to use and the results are always a delight.
Beautiful photography and the essence of cultures are captured and waiting for you here.
Rating:
Summary: AMAZING! Best Cookbook in my collection!
Review: I am, admittedly, a coockbook hoarder. I have them everywhere -- even in the drawers of my nightstand and tucked under the bed. I read them cover-to-cover like other people read novels.Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet is, without a doubt, the best cookbook I have ever read. It is part travel novel, part anthropology lesson, and -- in large part -- a primer for westerners in Southeast Asian cuisine. Easy to read, straightforward in instruction, its' only flaw is that -- in rare instances -- recipes may include items not available in even a metropolitan Asian market. (I have been to all of the Asian markets in Little Chinatown in Chicago and have yet to find coriander root!) But the ingredients are largely available at most Asian markets and even some larger supermarkets, and substitutions are often recommended. The grilled chicken with hot and sweet dipping sauce has become a family favorite. The dipping sauce was so flavorful, so simple yet so complex in flavor -- I was surprised that I had made something so delicious. Buy the book -- you won't be sorry!
Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Cookbook with Excellent Recipes
Review: I bought this cookbook after reading many wonderful reviews. I was not disappointed. This book is beautiful from start to finish. It took me while to pick out a recipe to cook because everything looks and sounds so incredible. I have now cooked several dishes and everything has been great and fairly simple to make. One of my favorites so far is the dish, "Our Favorite Noodles with Greens and Gravy." Find a good oriental grocery store, buy the book and impress your family and friends.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Book
Review: I can't cook because I can't quit looking at this book long enough to do so. Gorgeous print and photos. Bravo to the authors. Thank you for sharing your journey.
Rating:
Summary: A Bit of SE Asia in Your Home
Review: I echo all the success people have had with this cookbook, and add that it is truly a beautiful, readable book that will transport you to SE Asia. I have traveled this area repeatedly, and this book is the ultimate travelogue: the photos are beautiful, the stories engaging, and the recipes work! A perfect coffee table cookbook, and much more.
Rating:
Summary: Glowing Ember
Review: I too have stacks of cookbooks and this is definitely one of the best. A few points:
Unless you live in one of the 3 or 4 biggest cities, this food is going to look like it is from Mars (nay, even most the people in Los Angeles, arguably the best city in the world for sheer depth and breadth of ethnic food, would probably find that this book is completely outside their realm of experience). And amazingly, it doesn't really fit into one neat little bucket; following the Mekong River, this book hits on 5 distinct cuisines:
1. Vietnamese
2. Laotian
3. Cambodian
4. Northern Thai (Esaan)
5. Islamic Chinese
Even in Los Angeles, it is almost impossible to find Esaan food, which is quite different from the Royal Thai cuisine that the country has fallen in love with. Vietnamese is an amazing cuisine that seems to be spreading significantly (if with more emphasis on rice noodle bowls than tendon soup).
If you are interested in the history of food, this is also a fascinating tract. In the West, the history has two phases: before and after ready access to salt, the prior phase being dominated by what are called 'masking spices' (some of which came from the east) and then the whole history of integral sauce making afterward. One of the big points made in this book is that in the East, the focus is on the balance of flavors (see title), and, most importantly, the final targeting is done by the consumer (whereas in the West, spicing a dish from a gourmet restaurant is an act of sedition). Not to indict either one: take a lesson from the book: celebrate the differences.
Rating:
Summary: outstanding in every way
Review: I too, am a cookbook collector. My shelves are so crowded now that I have to think very carefully about any new additions. Hot Sour Salty Sweet has exceeded all expectations. It is beautiful, educational, entertaining, not to mention that it has wonderful, accessible recipes that taste authentic. Overall, it is the single best cookbook that I have purchased in the last few years and I have gotten many good ones.
Rating:
Summary: Not just a coffee table book!
Review: I usually pick my cookbooks by number of recipes and quality of instruction. It is seldom I buy a cookbook that has lots of pictures and non-recipe discourse. However, this is probably one of the best cookbooks I have purchased in the last 2 years. It has clear, concise recipes from my favorite region for food - practically fool-proof (my husband even made the bok choi successfully!).
And adding to the food quality is the need to curl up with this cookbook as if it were a novel - wonderful descriptions of a facinating part of the world, and expressive and intriguing pictures to fire the imagination. I only regret that I have to get it dirty - I'll have to buy a 2nd copy for my coffee table!
A must have for anyone who loves to have fun with food!
Rating:
Summary: An Amazing Culinary Experience!
Review: If anyone out there is looking for quality and exquisite taste in Southeast Asian cooking, this is the book for you. Excellent instructions, very flavorful recipes and beautiful photographs. This book has it all. A must have in your kitchen. The experience in cooking these recipes is outstanding. A remarkable book. Buy it and see for yourselves what this book has to offer. AMAZING!!!
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