The Book of Stir-Fry Dishes

Seven years ago my husband Dub and I sailed into Whangarai Harbour in New Zealand. On our way in I spied some friends or ours, Gayle and John, who we'd met in Tahiti. They were Kiwis and they were ending their five year circumnavigation, home at last. We anchored close to their boat and later dinghied over for sundowners (usually Coke and Rum). That evening, as usual, we told tall tales of our adventures at sea and we congratulated ourselves on being in this wonderful place at this wonderful time. Later, as we were saying our goodbyes, Gayle gave me her set of the Salamandar Book of Series Cookbooks. They are sold by HP Books in the States as paperbacks. Gayle carried these books around the planet and now she was giving them to me, complete with her notes (written in the books) on the recipes, how well she and John liked certain dishes, which were their favorites, how hard they were to prepare. She knew I was a cook and she thought I'd appreciate them. She was right. Like all the books in the series "The Book of Stir-Fry Dishes" is about five inches wide and about a foot tall, making them kind of unique among cookbooks. But one should not be put off because of the odd shape, these are real books and you can find mighty darned good recipes in them, some very good recipes in this delightful little stir-fry book, like the Tuna with Spicy Salsa on Page 17 which apparently was Gayle and John's favorite dish in the book. But, of course, I'm not surprised at that, because John was a great fisherman and caught a lot of tuna during their travels in the big blue Pacific. Dub and I are fond of it too, but we really like the Lemon Chicken on Page 38. There is a lot on offer in this little book, stir-fry from around the world, like the Stir-Fried Moussaka on Page 77. If you don't stir-fry you gotta get a wok and start, you'll just love it. Review Submitted by Captain Katie Osborne

In its almost 50 parts, all written by experienced cooks and cook book writers, HP Books' "The Book of ... Cooking" series takes you to the cuisines of various regions of the U.S. and around the world; all in easy to follow, well-explained recipes. This installment, the Book of Stir-Fry Dishes, starts with a brief introduction into the basics of cooking in a wok and a glossary of stir-fry ingredients, and then presents recipe suggestions for all major types of stir-fries, from fish and shellfish to pasta, noodles, rice and even desserts. Special chapters are dedicated to poultry, (red) meat and vegetable stir-fries. Classics such as chow mein, teriyaki and sweet and sour dishes appear next to unique recipes such as coconut pork with lime, five-spice salmon, jasmine-scented shrimp, lobster in mustard cream, Malay curried clams, maple-glazed apples, pork with melon and mango, and toffee pears and mangos. From Arabian chicken in pita to zucchini with prosciutto, this collection of recipes, while not all-encompassing, is a great introduction to the wide variety of stir-fry cuisine - and at a relative bargain price, to boot. Also recommended for fans of Asian cooking: this series' installments on Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese and Chinese Cooking, and on Curries and Indian Foods. Also recommended: Around the World Cookbook Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home: Fast and Easy Recipes for Any Day Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant: Ethnic and Regional Recipes from the Cooks at the Legendary Restaurant (Cookery) Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian: More Than 650 Meatless Recipes from Around the World On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals (4th Edition) Textbook only Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition - 2006

This book is absolutely wonderful! The recipes are as delicious and exciting as they sound, and I have wowed family and friends with my wonderful creations based on the recipes in this book! Only a few, minor criticisms: some of the dishes are a bit bland (they could use a splash of wine or a few more spices); also, I have cooked in a wok before, so they recipes were not challenging to me, but to a beginner wok-cooker, there might have been just a few more tips and suggestions as to how one cooks in a wok. But otherwise, I just received another book from this series (Book of Fondues) and can not wait to start some more cooking!