Noodles (Essential Kitchen Series)

Rating:
Summary: Some Lovely Recipes............
Review: .......are contained within this noodle cookbook alongside a few that I could've done without entirely. So far, the wonton recipes, such as "Pot Stickers" and "Beef Triangles" have been truly enjoyable. I'm eager to try some of the other recipes contained in the "bundles and parcels" section of the cookbook as well. The soups I've tried, such as "Somen, Pork and Scallion Soup" and "Chicken Noodle Soup" have been good, but nothing to write home about. These recipes aren't ones that you couldn't find elsewhere. There are also sections devoted to "salads", "duck and chicken", "seafood", "pork and beef", "vegetables", and "desserts" making this cookbook diverse in the forty or so recipes it contains. I've made one or two recipes from each of these remaining sections, finding most pleasing, some exceptional ("Salmon with Sweet Pepper Sauce"), some less than good (the "Fried Tofu Salad" oddly mixes the flavors of a variety of vegetables with peanut butter), and others just plain odd ("Baked Chicken Wings with Noodle Stuffing" in which you really cannot stuff the wing).

The photos in this cookbook are attractive and appetizing. At the beginning there is a helpful primer on noodles, from soba to ramen to hokkien to udon and many other types of noodles which also includes tips on cooking noodles. Overall this cookbook is quite nice, but thus far, few of the recipes have really won me over.

Rating:
Summary: Great photography, simple tasty recipes
Review: Asian cooking is a real mystery to me. I often found myself craving a simple, yet savory noodle dish but never knew how to make any. Nor did I know what to buy as I stood, glaze-eyed in front of the Asian food section in the market. This book has solved my problems by providing easy and tasty recipes that don't contain a bunch of unusual ingredients. In a quick trip to the local market I was able to pick up everything I neded for a very yummy & quick dinner. The photos are mouth-watering and will get you inspired.
One drawback is that the recipes do not contain nutritional stats. Another is that although there are over 50 recipes, I still would like the book to be a little longer.