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Rating: 
Summary: The Best
Review: I purchased this cookbook for my son and his new wife who is from China and though this may sound strange to have purchased a book like this for someone from China, they loved it and have cooked many dishes. After looking at it, I purchased it for myself and have made about 7 of the recipies. I love the Lemon Chicken Stirfry, 3 Seafood Stirfry and the Fried Rice and Vegetables. It is easy to follow and I have not had a problem finding any items I need. This has become one of my favorite cookbooks.
Rating: 
Summary: Westernized ingredient lists are incomplete, inaccurate
Review: I received this book for my birthday because I had it on my Amazon wish list. I like it fine, but I think the recipes were not tested thoroughly in regards to their ingredient lists. For one thing, some dishes are missing what I consider the defining flavor/ingredient, like omitting star anise from the Vietnamese beef noodle soup (pho) recipe. I just about fell off my chair when I saw that...star anise IS pho. My mother is Vietnamese, so I've had plenty of pho in my lifetime to know this. Ironically, there's a picture of star anise on the page that introduces the Vietnamese section.I also think there should've been red onion and Thai basil in the Thai beef salad recipe. Lastly, the Singapore noodle dish came out a bit bland because the recipe called for way too many noodles and not enough seasoning. I didn't even use the full amount of noodles -- it called for roughly 9.5 oz., I used 8 oz. I had to add a lot more extra seasoning during the last stage of cooking, and by then the meat had overcooked. The book also has the annoying habit of integrating prep instructions with regular instructions. Anyone who knows anything about Asian cooking understands that prep is 90% of the work -- you need to have everything sliced, diced, marinated, because you toss it all together very quickly when cooking. Although each recipe has estimated prep and cooking times, it wasn't clear to me what the authors considered prep vs. cooking. This book is good for someone who already knows how to cook and is just getting their feet wet with Asian cooking. It's also good for cooks who don't have the access or knowledge to some of the harder-to-find ingredients. You swap authentic taste for convenience, however. Also, it's a bummer that I feel I now have to second-guess the recipes where ingredients and measurements are concerned.
Rating: 
Summary: Good basic Asian cookbook primer.
Review: I was recently given this book and I find that it is a good book to get started in Asian cooking with. Having cooked some form of Asian food for years now, I like the availability of the smattering of different cuisines it covers, and have found some recipes I had never seen before, like Tapioca and Taro Pudding (my current favorite comfort food). I am not sure about how true it is to the various Asian cuisines it encompasses, and those who consider themselves self-appointed experts in Asian cuisine might turn their noses up at some of its recipes (the recipe for Potato, Broccoli, and Red Bell Pepper Stir-fry comes to mind), but for those who are new to this realm of cooking it might be a good book to start with. Many recipes seem to have been developed for those who have little access to a decent Asian market, and that is certainly helpful to the beginner. Only a few recipes call for ingredients that may be harder to find at a standard non-Asian market, but Ms. Wu offers substitutes. A bonus is that the book is filled with color photos: there are big photos of every recipe, helpful (though a bit small) photos of the ingredients, and step-by-step photos of the techniques used for each recipe. My only disappointment is that Ms. Wu did not indicate the country of origin for most of the recipes, nor the correct name associated with them. For instance, in looking for a recipe for a basic Vietnamese pho soup, I had to search the soup section page-by-page to find it under the name: Hanoi Beef and Noodle Soup. However, once I found the recipe and tried it, I was not disappointed; it was delicious.
Rating:
Summary: Good basic Asian cookbook primer.
Review: I was recently given this book and I find that it is a good book to get started in Asian cooking with. Having cooked some form of Asian food for years now, I like the availability of the smattering of different cuisines it covers, and have found some recipes I had never seen before, like Tapioca and Taro Pudding (my current favorite comfort food). I am not sure about how true it is to the various Asian cuisines it encompasses, and those who consider themselves self-appointed experts in Asian cuisine might turn their noses up at some of its recipes (the recipe for Potato, Broccoli, and Red Bell Pepper Stir-fry comes to mind), but for those who are new to this realm of cooking it might be a good book to start with. Many recipes seem to have been developed for those who have little access to a decent Asian market, and that is certainly helpful to the beginner. Only a few recipes call for ingredients that may be harder to find at a standard non-Asian market, but Ms. Wu offers substitutes. A bonus is that the book is filled with color photos: there are big photos of every recipe, helpful (though a bit small) photos of the ingredients, and step-by-step photos of the techniques used for each recipe. My only disappointment is that Ms. Wu did not indicate the country of origin for most of the recipes, nor the correct name associated with them. For instance, in looking for a recipe for a basic Vietnamese pho soup, I had to search the soup section page-by-page to find it under the name: Hanoi Beef and Noodle Soup. However, once I found the recipe and tried it, I was not disappointed; it was delicious.
Rating:
Summary: Great Set of Basic Recipes
Review: This book is a great example of a useful asian recipe collection. The best aspect of the book is the fact that all of the recipes are well illustrated. Not only is the food itself illustrated, but all the preparation steps are also illustrated making the cooking process very easy. A large number of diverse recipes are included that provide a nice sample of asian cusine. The only disappointment I found was that each recipe stands alone. The recipes are grouped according to type (soups, meat and poultry, etc), but we aren't given any background for any of the dishes; for some we don't even know what country they come from. Still the recipes are all interesting, and easy to make. If all you need is a set of great ideas for asian meals, you'll find this book invaluable. If you're looking for the cultural background for dishes, you'll have to look elsewhere.
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