Review: Donabe by Naoko Takei Moore & Kyle Connaughton

Title: Donabe: Classic and Modern Japanese Clay Pot Cooking
Author: Naoko Takei Moore & Kyle Connaughton
Format: egalley
Pub. Date: October 27th 2015
Source: Netgalley/Ten Speed Press


Book Description:

A beautiful and lavishly photographed cookbook focused on authentic Japanese clay-pot cooking, showcasing beloved recipes and updates on classics, with background on the origins and history of donabe.

Japanese clay pot (donabe) cooking has been refined over centuries into a versatile and simple method for preparing both dramatic and comforting one-pot meals. In Donabe, Tokyo native and cooking school instructor Naoko Takei Moore and chef Kyle Connaughton offer inspiring Japanese home-style recipes such as Sizzling Tofu and Mushrooms in Miso Sauce and Dashi-Rich Shabu-Shabu, as well as California-inspired dishes including Steam-Fried Black Cod with Crisp Potatoes, Leeks, and Walnut-Nori Pesto or Smoked Duck Breast with Creamy Wasabi–Green Onion Dipping Sauce. All are rich in flavor, simple to prepare, and perfect for a communal dining experience with family and friends. Donabe also features recipes from luminary chefs such as David Kinch, Namae Shinobu, and Cortney Burns and Nick Balla, all of whom use donabe in their own kitchens. Collectible, beautiful, and functional, donabe can easily be an essential part of your cooking repetory.

Review:

★★★★★

So real talk, this the best cookbook that I've read in a long time. I got this book because I love Japanese food, but I've never cooked it myself. This book made me want to, immediately.

The recipes are divided by technique/type of pot. There's an intro, a section of how to use the pots, how it's made, there's a section for planning menus, one for sauces and stocks. And at the end, there's a glossary and resources.

The photography is absolutely stunning. It's like an art book. Everything looks professional and delicious and like I want it. And I think that's what the photos of a cookbook should do.

It seems to be middle of the road, difficulty-wise. It's not super easy, 101 level stuff, but there's nothing here that looks like only an Iron Chef can prepare it. It seems both approachable and elegant at once.

The recipes are well written, with plenty of tips on cooking and technique catered to each dish. Each recipe includes how many people it'll serve, the courses, and what equipment you'll need to make it. There's also personal stories that make this seem like a book from the heart, as well as history about the dishes.

I like that they tell you "if you don't like it, change it". It encourages personal twists and substitutions, which sets a relaxed tone that follows throughout the book. A lot of the recipes, because of this, are vegetarian friendly or easily adaptable.

The things that jumped off the page by being super delicious sounding include Smoked Duck Breast with Creamy Wasabi-Green Onion Dipping Sauce, Fried Scales-On Tilefish with Winter Melon Tagliatelle, and Green Tea Rice Balls.

I highly recommend this if you love to cook, love Japanese food, or even if you just like to flip through cookbooks for the pictures. It's worth it.

Review, Trailer, & Giveaway: Secret of a Thousand Beauties by Mingmei Yip!

Title: Secret of a Thousand Beauties
Author: Mingmei Yip
Format: Paperback, 320 pages
Pub. Date: November 25th 2014
Source: Author


Book Description via Goodreads:

Set against the vibrant and intrigue-laden backdrop of 1930s China, Mingmei Yip's enthralling novel explores one woman's defiant pursuit of independence.

Spring Swallow was promised in marriage while still in her mother's belly. When the groom dies before a wedding can take place, seventeen-year-old Spring Swallow is ordered to become a ghost bride to appease his spirit. Under her in-laws' protection, she will be little more than a servant, unable to know real love or bear children. Refusing to accept her fate as a "bad-luck woman," Spring Swallow flees on her wedding day.


In the city of Soochow, Spring Swallow joins a community of renowned embroiderers. The women work for Aunty Peony, whose exquisite stitching once earned her the Emperor's love. But when Aunty Peony agrees to replicate a famous painting--a lucrative assignment that will take a year to complete--betrayal and jealousy emerges within the group. Spring Swallow becomes entangled in each woman's story of heartbreak, even while she embarks on a dangerous affair with a young revolutionary. On a journey that leads from the remote hillsides around Soochow to cosmopolitan Peking, Spring Swallow draws on the secret techniques learned from Aunty Peony and her own indomitable strength, determined to forge a life that is truly her own.

Trailer:

Praise:

"A unique and enthralling style…flawless." –Baltimore Books Examiner on The Nine Fold Heaven


"Surprising and often funny….Part epic, part coming-of-age story, part modern fairy tale." --Publishers Weekly on Song of the Silk Road


"A serious, engaging story of faith, devotion, and the commingling of cultures." –Booklist on Petals From the Sky

About the Author:

Mingmei Yip was born in China, received her Ph.D. from the University of Paris, Sorbonne, and held faculty appointments at the Chinese University and Baptist University in Hong Kong. She's published five books in Chinese, written several columns for seven major Hong Kong newspapers, and has appeared on over forty TV and radio programs in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Mainland China, and the U.S. She immigrated to the United States in 1992, where she now lives in New York City.

Review:

★★★★★

This book is beautiful. It lingers with you even after you've finished, set it down, and walked away. In part this is because of the plot, in which the main character Spring Swallow escapes her fate as a ghost bride after her arranged-to-be-husband's demise. This sadness, this ghost haunts the overall tone of the book, giving each layer of beautiful prose a melancholy undertone. But this book also stays with you because of the rich detail that's put into the writing. Like Yip's other books, there's something almost song-like about the way this was written.

Secret of a Thousand Beauties is a book that comes off as well informed. I learned quite a fair bit about the art of embroidery in this book, which is something that I have no shame in saying that I knew absolutely nothing about. In addition, it blends this old tradition with the cultures of China. It was fascinating to read about their daily lives and traditions and customs as I navigated along Spring Swallow's journey.

It sucks you in from the beginning with its alluring use of language and the shroud of mystery that hangs over it all. The more you read, the more characters you meet who have secrets of their own. You cannot help but to continue to read in the hopes that you'll discover all of them, and what makes them act as they do.

I recommend this book to anyone who has an appreciation for art, historical settings, Chinese culture, or beautiful, poetic prose. Thank you to Mingmei Yip who gave me a copy of her book in exchange for my honest review.

Giveaway:

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Cookbook Review: The Mighty Spice Express

Title: Mighty Spice Express Cookbook: Fast, Fresh, and Full-on Flavors from Street Foods to the Spectacular

Author: John Gregory Smith

Format: Hardcover, 224 pages

Pub. Date: October 1st 2013

Source: Goodreads First Reads



Summary from Goodreads:
John Gregory-Smith's new book is a revelation. Drawing inspiration from Thailand, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, India, Mexico, Turkey, and Morocco, Gregory-Smith has created recipes that are super-quick to prepare and full of savory flavors.

Whether you're looking for a Mighty Bite, a Not Quite Lunch, a Midweek Lifesaver, Something Spectacular, or a Naughty but Nice recipe, even the most complicated meal takes less than 45 minutes to make.

Try the Taiwanese Beef Noodles, ready in 15 minutes, and made with a mix of spices that don't take long to cook, or his Cinnamon Fig Tarts, which you can make in 25 minutes. Here you'll find exotic flavors and tongue-tingling spices from every corner of the globe--all super fast.

With Mighty Spice Express, your spicy dishes don't have to simmer for hours or steep in complicated mixtures. Put away the pestle and mortar. Get all the taste without the sweat.

★★★★ ★

Four and a half stars.

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One of my life missions is to make my girlfriend try more "exotic" foods. There's a lot of spices and bold flavors that she hasn't tried yet, and I had her in mind when I picked up this book. I have to say, this is quite the perfect little guide.

As the title hints, the "express" part of this book is that they're all meals or dishes that can be prepared quickly. Speed is definitely a main asset of this cookbook. At the beginning of the book, there's a book of all the spices that the recipes use, so that nothing takes you by surprise and you can be prepared to cook at a moment's notice. In addition to that, each recipe has little pictures of spices on the bottom so you know what's used without even reading the bulk of the recipe.

The pictures included are lovely, and I liked that there were personal stories peppered throughout the recipes. It helped give the book a more passionate and authentic feel. I've never been to India or anywhere remotely close, but these stories helped to draw me in and made me want to try more of the dishes. These recipes are divided by course, making it easy to plan meals ahead of time.

A lover of bold flavors, there are SO many recipes in here that I cannot wait to try. That being said, the ones that jumped out the most to me include Crab and Scallion Pancakes, Goan Cinnamon & Mint Chicken Curry, Crawfish, Pink Grapefruit & Glass Noodle Salad, Pineapple & Lime Pie.

I'd recommend this book to anyone wanting to branch out into new flavor territory, or anyone with a busy schedule that requires quick but delicious meals. I received this book from the Goodreads First Reads program in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Nine Fold Heaven

Title: The Nine Fold Heaven
Author: Mingmei Yip
Format: Paperback, 320 pages
Pub. Date: June 25th 2013
Source: Author, Mingmei Yip

★★★★★

Five stars.

The Nine Fold Heaven is a continuation of the novel Skeleton Women. In this next book, Camilla, Shadow, Rainbow, and even Jinying and the notorious gang leaders return. Camilla is left in the aftermath of the downfall of Master Lung, in a pool of uncertainty and speculation- Is Master Lung alive, and what of his son? To further tempt Camilla, she has heard rumors that even her own son may still be alive. Though once bitter rivals eager to claim the coveted spotlight in 1930s Shanghai, Camilla and the mysterious magician Shadow must now work together to free themselves from the seedy underbelly of the lives they lead, and nothing- not gangsters, superstition, or even the law- will stop Camilla from achieving her agendas, both hidden and in plain sight.

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I was ecstatic when Mingmei Yip contacted me to review The Nine Fold Heaven, since Skeleton Women was one of my favorite reads of last year. I have to say that I definitely was not left disappointed.

The author's gift for narration and prose is one that I rarely come across while reading, a cool and refreshing change from my normal books. It wraps around the reader's thoughts and demands attention in its beauty and detail. There is a melodic, dark tone to the entire novel that I cannot quite explain, leaving the writing with a vibe somewhere in a mixture of a song, a meditation, and a story. This work is also sprinkled with quotes from books and poems, as well as Chinese sayings and proverbs, that help give this book a tone of unique mysticism that sets it apart from others. And then there are the elaborate details that whip up vivid images of Chinese life. Whether in a five star restaurant or a slum of Hong Kong, I was easily able to lose myself in the world that Camilla lives in.

As an English speaking reader, I also greatly appreciated that non-English words were italicized. I was easily enough able to learn their meaning based on the context, but it was a simpler process because my attention was drawn to them.

The plot of this book takes many twists and turns, and often times I found myself utterly unknowing where it was going to lead me next. When Camilla is self-reflective or plotting, the writing appropriately slowed to a more leisurely, tranquil pace. But when gangsters, masterminds, and murder take their place in the story, the pace quickens to one full of action and suspense that left me quickly turning the page to find out what happened next. More often than I'd care to admit, I was pleasantly taken aback by a change in story development.

Like Skeleton Women, The Nine Fold Heaven is full of strong female characters, and I don't read nearly enough books where this is the case. Whether it is the meticulously trained Camilla, the cunning and elusive Shadow, or even the little orphan Peiling, each are headstrong and smart in their own ways. My personal favorite is the journalist, Rainbow, due in large part to her "army" of Pink Skeleton women, who obtain her information from the four corners of Shanghai and beyond.

Emotions run strong throughout the course of this book, and there are a lot of them. The love of a mother. The desire or romance of a lover. The desperation of one fallen on hard times. Even the wistful memories of love and memories long past. I felt so many things while reading this, sometimes more than I could name and definitely more than I could even comprehend at times.

Another aspect of this story that I thoroughly appreciate is that there is no cut and dry good versus evil. Everyone is a little bit of both. There are "bad" people who unexpectedly do good things, and there are "good" people that are forced to do bad things do to dire situations. Because there is no clear villain, this story has an added layer of realism and grit that give the story more depth.

Though this is a continuation, and I recommend reading Skeleton Women first, it is not required. Back story is provided throughout enough that this can work as a stand alone. For anyone interested in gangsters, strong female leads, Chinese history, or beautifully woven narration, The Nine Fold Heaven is a must read. This is adult fiction, and does contain brief profanity and adult situations. This is the second book I have read of Yip's, and it definitely will not be the last.

Thank you to Mimgmei Yip who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.