The Lucky Rice Cookbook

I have always been a fan of Asian cooking. The flavors and ingredients simply speak to me. When I saw the Lucky Rice Cookbook by Danielle Chang, I simply had to have it! Chang's cookbook is a mix of stories, and recipes from various markets and festivals as well as families. As an Asian cookbook, I think what I liked the most was the approachability of the format.  Some of the ethnic cookbooks, both Asian and other cultures have felt too intimidating to use.  The Lucky Rice Cookbook is the absolute opposite of intimidating.  All the recipes included seem approachable and enticing to any level of cook.

Some recipes included are ABC Beef Broccoli, Macanese African Chicken and Garlicky Smashed Cucumber Pickles. These dishes include ingredients available to anyone at a local grocery store. Other recipes have ingredients that may be more difficult to attain, unless one has access to an Asian market, but a persistent cook could locate the ingredients either at a specialty market or online.

A few of the book's recipes that I particularly loved were the fusion ones.  I am always intrigued with fusion.  The thought of combining Asian concepts with other flavors captures my attention.  One recipe that I will try soon is the Jewish Pastrami Egg Rolls.  I love a good reuben sandwich, and this recipe which has deli pastrami, sauerkraut, spicy mustard, onion and mayonnaise  all rolled up into a egg roll wrapper and fried sounds like a concoction that I would enjoy.

If you enjoy the tastes and flavors of Asian cuisine, I highly recommend The Lucky Rice Cookbook. You will not only enjoy the well-written and easy to follow recipes, but the book itself is a true treat for the recipe aficionado.

FTC disclaimer: I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review