Author: Ani Phyo
Publisher: Da Capo – Lifelong Books – 305 pages
Book Review by: Laxmi Chaandi
It is rare to find books on raw foods. Let’s consider ourselves lucky that we found this one. After all, before man discovered fire, he ate raw plants and fruits – the most natural of foods. That included grains, nuts, legumes and seeds, as time went by.
If you count the vast varieties of foods coming up from the ground, which includes root crops, plants and trees, all of those put together far surpass all the different kinds of meats and seafood. Yet meat and seafood dominates the American fare, and vegetables for the most part are simply side dishes.
If you grew up in India like I did, plant-based food ruled, and meat was an exception. That has not changed much, especially in the villages and towns, and even in India’s cities. There is such a huge variety of vegetarian food available to enjoy in India and in the other countries of Asia, which many in the Western world are not aware of.
Ani’s Raw Food Asia introduces that range of food to the Western palate. You will find a large range of delicious raw food that is also healthy for you.
In over 300 pages, you will find drinks and foods for different times of the day: from breakfast breads to mid-morning meals to light lunches to sumptuous snacks for the afternoon, to tea-time treats to dinner delights to delicious desserts from the East.
Desserts: these should come last but they’re here first for alphabetical placement. Delight yourself with the five-spiced poached pears parfait with candied walnuts from China; and the halo-halo (mixture) ice cream dessert in shaved ice with cashew cream, coconut and matcha green tea.
Drinks: you will discover delightful drinks like the date syrup from India; the cinnamon, ginger and fig teas from Korea; and the coconut durian shake from Thailand.
Pickles, condiments and accompaniments: try the cucumber pickle from Indonesia, the daikon lemon pickle from Japan and the white Kimchi from Korea.
Noodles: enjoy the glass noodles with marinated carrots, mushrooms and spinach from Korea; the noodles and vegetables in a red curry sauce from Thailand; and the vegetarian pho with vegetables and Hoisin sauce from Vietnam.
Rice dishes: relish the Kashmiri pulao from India; the tomato mango sambal from Indonesia; and the sweet corn rice with lemongrass chili from Singapore
Rolls, wraps and pancakes: sample the moo shoo vegetables with Hoisin sauce from China; the samosas with tomato dhal and mock tamarind sauce from India; and the summer rolls with ginger peanut sauce from Vietnam.
Salads and dressings: taste the carrot, cucumber and red bell pepper matchstick salad from Indonesia; the spinach with creamy Miso dressing from Japan; and the radish sprout and pea salad with parsley dressing from Korea.
Side dishes: savor the baby bok choy with Chinese cabbage in ginger sauce from China;
the mixed vegetable skewers with almond butter sauce from Hawaii; and the cilantro cheese-stuffed cucumber ravioli from Vietnam.
Soups and curries: partake in the yellow coconut curry with vegetable from India; the sesame mushroom soup from Korea; and the coconut tomato soup from Thailand.
The last chapter has menus for a variety of food and drinks served at parties and other social events, such as birthdays, brunches, buffets, cocktail s, dinner parties, picnics, potlucks and wedding celebrations.
This book has such a variety of recipes for preparing numerous foods and drinks that it can get overwhelming, especially for the person who is unfamiliar with Asian dishes.
Much of the food is raw or near-raw but there are also cooked items.
Ani Phyo has done a wonderful job in gathering and introducing all that information on Asian foods, and presenting it with her personal-touch writing. The book has well-organized materials and full-color photos, not just of foods but places in Asia, to give the reader a sense that she or he is there.
