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Rating: 
Summary: Easy to follow, beautiful pictures, delicious recipes
Review: I prefer cookbooks with pictures of the food so that I have a better idea of what I am actually making. This cookbook has lots of beautiful pictures, the recipes are easy to follow, and they also give a timeframe for preparation and cooking so you don't wind out starting something a little more difficult on a weeknight. I followed most of the recipes exactly, with a few exceptions. Since my husband is allergic to fish, I do not use fish oil and I substitute chicken for fish in some cases. I also do not have a mortor and pestle so I cheat and use a spice grinder. Still, the recipes came out just delicious, and I love the different regional dishes available. This book gives excellent examples from many different asian regions. Well worth the money in my opinion.
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: most beutifull and useful book for asian cooking
Review: well done cookbook with superb guidelines, explanations, pictures and recipes. I would like to know other cooking books from its publisher !
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