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Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia
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List Price:
$35.00
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$23.10
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Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 641.5959
EAN: 9780393054774
ISBN: 0393054772
Label: W. W. Norton
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 352
Publication Date: 2006-08-28
Publisher: W. W. Norton
Studio: W. W. Norton
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Editorial Reviews:
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The first book to reveal the undiscovered jewels of Southeast Asian cuisine.
Just when you thought you knew everything about Asian food, along comes James Oseland's Cradle of Flavor. Oseland has spent two decades exploring the foods of the Spice Islands. Few can introduce us to the birthplace of spice as he does. He brings us the Nyonya dishes of Singapore and Malaysia, the fiery specialties of West Sumatra, and the spicy-aromatic stews of Java. Oseland culled his recipes from twenty years of intimate contact with home cooks and diverse markets. He presents them here in easily made, accessible recipes, perfect for today's home cook. Included is a helpful glossary (illustrated in color in one of the picture sections) of all the ingredients you need to make the dishes and where and how to buy them. With Cradle of Flavor, fans of Javanese Satay, Singaporean Stir-Fried Noodles, and Indonesian curries can finally make them in their own kitchen. 16 pages color photographs; 3 maps.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: A Real Treasure
Comment: I bought Cradle of Flavor based on the credentials of the author and on the glowing reviews that this book was a definitive work on Indonesian / Malaysian cooking in English. Granted it is not loaded with photos, which I always enjoy, but the recipes are terrific and what you need to learn about this cooking is in this book. I am very happy I bought it.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Authentic recipes from Indonesia
Comment: I was originally quite skeptical about this book. I mean this is an American guy who's writing recipes from Indonesia, what could he possibly know? After borrowing the book from a local library, reading it, trying a couple of recipes, and then deciding to buy it from Amazon, Well.. I guess A LOT!
I was born and raised in West Sumatera, Padang to be exact (this city is mentioned a lot in the book). I got shipped out of Indonesia to the U.S. in my early teenage years. I wasn't interested in food or want to learn to cook then. I took it for granted that I wouldn't miss anything and get used to the American food. It was not until I arrived in the U.S., got homesick, and craved for sambal and rice on a regular basis, that I realized how hard it was to create or get a taste of home. Most Indonesian restaurants here were either Javanese (which is different from spicy West Sumatra's food) or "Americanized". When my mom died, all hopes of learning to cook food I grew up with was gone. Whenever I felt homesick, I'd cook Indonesian food based on recipes found on the web, blogs, and little bits of knowledge that I picked up on my annual visit home. But nothing seemed to taste the way I remembered. That was until I tried recipes from this book. Everything smells and tastes almost exactly as they are supposed to be. The book goes into a lot of details explaining how to handle the ingredients and the step-by-step cooking process, which definitely makes the difference in my cooking. I use this book all the time now, and follow the instructions to the T. The only thing I don't do is adding sugar when cooking main courses. I see a couple of reviews complaining that there aren't many pictures in the book. While that's true, it's not exactly a deal breaker. To get an idea of what the dishes look like, google for images, that should help.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Plenty for almost everyone
Comment: James Oseland captures the essence of Malaysian and Indonesian food very well in this book. Each chapter starts with an nicely written account of an experience in this world of rich culture and cuisine and moves on into recipes. There are few pictures and the paper stock is not laminated. For most, I'd imagine this is more than enough info and involved preparation. I'm left wanting a little more.
Oseland mentions one of his teachers buying Daun Kunyit (Turmeric Leaves) from the market, but does not include them in any of the recipes. I grow turmeric, and have plenty of daun kunyit. It is a common spice in rendang. If you are really into reproducing a recipe as accurately as possible, you need to suppliment this book, most easily with the internet. Another such omission is of recipes calling for either the zest or juice of the kaffir lime. Another omission is Torch Ginger Buds. Oseland suggests you do not make your own coconut milk in the US, suggesting the homogenized canned stuff from Thailand. I make coconut milk from coconuts in the US, and no, it isn't as rich as the canned stuff, but the complexity and freshness of homemade adds an extra depth and dimension to food, IMO. I just make more of it to compensate for each coconut having less cream than in Asia. I agree to disagree with Oseland on this point, and while he favors a food processor over a mortar, I really enjoy pounding my spice pastes by hand. Finally, in Desserts, Oseland deems one category of Kuih or Kueh as demanding a lot of artistry and purposefully leaves them out of the book except for 1 recipe, Onde-Onde. Quite a few people have blogs with recipes and instructions on these too hard to make Kuih, and they aren't that hard to make. I found it like someone not including a baguette recipe becuase the average home baker would never rival the great boulangeries of Paris.
Bottom line, I am very very happy with this book, but it is not the encylopedia of uncompromised "spice islands/indonesian/malay/singapore" recipes. Oseland definitely knows what he is talking about, and the area this book covers is his second home. He has made a perfect book for the people (and a very good book for the obsessed hobbyist).
Customer Rating:
Summary: great intro to Indonesian cooking
Comment: I've cooked many recipes from this cookbook, and it's been great. The food is delicious, and the instructions are clear. The recipes have been adjusted to take into account the availability of ingredients for American kitchens, but except for that, the recipes seem true to the authentic flavors.
Sometimes the cooking instructions have been oversimplified and dumbed-down too much (as in frying potatoes one piece at a time, for example), and that's my only criticism of the book. But for a beginning cook, or a cook intimidated by or unfamiliar with Asian cuisines, the detailed play-by-play instructions may be a plus.
I bought my book from Amazon after browsing the Cradle of Flavor online message board (Egullet forums). A group of people have cooked every recipe in the book and posted numerous photos and comments.
Overall I recommend this book as an excellent introduction to Indonesian cooking.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Passion for the palate
Comment: I'm a chef and have been fortunate to travel somewhat extensively to the three countries whose cuisines are covered in this book, particularly Indonesia. I love this book. I'm actually relocating to Malaysia soon, and this book will go with me. It's great as a cookbook, but its true delight is found in the prose that accompanies the recipes, recounting the author's experiences in SE Asia, discussing hints for shopping at an Asian market, selecting the best spices, etc. I've had many of the dishes in the book, from satays in Bali to Padang-style food in Jakarta to the wonderful gudeg and ayam bubur in Yogyakarta to a fantastic fusion of Chinese, Malay, and Indian street food in Kuala Lumpur, to the comfort-food appeal of Nyonya cooking in small, family-run restaurants in Melaka (Malacca) to the fantastic crossroads of cuisine found in Singapore (indeed, about the only things to really do in Singapore are shop and eat).
It's been said that food is the most apparent uniter of any culture, and that once everything else has been watered down or weaned away completely (think of Greek or Italian immigrants who have come to America), the last cultural identifier that remains is the food. It's so true, and this book absolutely takes you on a cultural and culinary journey. The author's passion for food and for the people of these fascinating countries practically leaps off the pages. The wonder of Indo-Malay cuisine is indeed the best-kept secret in Asia. Any sizeable city in America is likely to be overrun with Chinese and Thai restaurants. Vietnamese food is plentiful, and you can usually find Korean or Japanese food without much difficulty. But try to find an Indonesian restaurant, or a Malaysian restaurant serving up Nyonya chicken. If you do find one at all, it's likely to disappoint if you've ever spent any time in these countries. This book is the cure for what ails you.
Any cookbook will offer a list of ingredients, preparation instructions (in varying degrees of clarity and depth), and occasional notes on the dish itself. This book utterly transcends the basic offering. Virtually every recipe is replete with anecdotes, personal observations, and a truly in-depth guide to making the dish spectactular. I do wish there were more color photos, the few that are included aren't really sufficient, but the quality of the recipes and the fantastic depth of the writing more than makes up for it.
Highly, highly recommended.
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