Beyong BOK Choy: A Cook's Guide to Asian Vegetables

I bought this book after I left school and had to start cooking on my own. As an ABC, the first time I went to an Asian grocery store was very intimidating; my first impression of the vegetable aisle was a huge wall of leafy greens. Although, I haven't tried any of the recipes, I find the book useful for identification, storage and preparation of the vegetables. More importantly, each page includes a picture and the name of the vegetable in English and Chinese (both character and the popular English phonetic name form - usually Mandarin and Cantonese pronunciations).

This is good for someone just becoming interested in Asian cuisine. The photographs are large and beautiful, the recipes simple in the respect that they will bring out the best of the vegetable being highlighted. It's not a book for vegetarians and never claimed to be. It's an introduction to Asian vegetables, what to look for when buying them, general uses, storage and care, and censored cultivation tips on some of the vegetables. I say censored because as a gardener who has grown Asian vegetables for years, Ross gives cultivation information for only a few select vegetables (and brief at that) for the easiest to grow. This is not for the Asian gardener's library unless you like the other information. This would make a great gift.

This book is a great introduction to Asian vegetables. The photographs are very useful and the general presentation is very good. Information is given as to how to prepare and cook with these vegetables, and there are many recipes to that effect. My only disappointment was that there weren't more vegetarian recipes, although many are adaptable.

This is a beautifully crafted book with wonderful photographs. It's an excellent book even for Chinese. My only complaint is that I wish Lo San would have included more vegetables in her book. There are a lot more other Chinese vegetables she hasn't included. Some of those absent are from the fungi family (if that's a vegetable!) and other Chinese green leafy/root vegetable.