Cookbooks
“There's a term that's been coined to describe cookbooks that don't deliver the results, and that's "cookery fiction". Sadly, some of the most beautiful books on my shelves fall into this category (unfortunately for those of us who bought them with high hopes, only to have our expectations dashed as soon as we tried to cook from them). There is nothing more irritating; it is a waste of good time and ingredients and there is no excuse for it. As a user and author of cookbooks, I know there is nothing more important than coming up with recipes that will work, regardless of the level of expertise of the person doing the cooking. For that reason, all my recipes have been tested many times over, always looking for the simplest way to achieve a result, without sacrificing authenticity. Here is a bibliography of the books I have written, each with a brief description of its contents. Those of you who only know me for my Asian recipes may be interested to know I enjoy cooking food from many countries, as attested by the recipes in the International Cookbook (previously titled 'Best of Belle'), Best-Loved Recipes, The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook and Love and a Wooden Spoon. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for taking me into your kitchens and wish you many years of happy cooking and healthy eating.” Charmaine Solomon
Encyclopedia of Asian Food
Charmaine Solomon's Encyclopedia of Asian Food will lead you through the maze of Asian cuisine, from Goa to Kyoto, from Burma to Manila, shedding light on the shapes, aromas, colours and flavours that festoon these far-flung wonderlands.
Charmaine is your ideal guide. Her thirty years' experience writing, cooking and exploring the breadth of Asia, gives her an authority that rings clear throughout this comprehensive volume. The Encyclopedia of Asian Food is both a practical guide to Asian cuisine and the comprehensive reference book on the subject.
With Charmaine, cook over 500 recipes, including the classical recipes of each country made richer still by her anecdotes and reminiscences. There is advice on buying, preparing and storing ingredients, and she will also guide you through Asian cooking techniques and utensils.
There is an illustrated index to help identify unfamiliar ingredients, a recipe index, and a comprehensive index which includes non-English terms.
The Encyclopaedia of Asian Food won a silver medal in the 1996 Julia Child Cookbook Awards and a Silver Ladle in the 1997 World Food Media Best Food Book awards.
Complete Asian Cookbook
With over 800 recipes from 16 countries, Charmaine Solomon's The Complete Asian Cookbook is the perfect introduction to the food of Asia. Charmaine Solomon has tried and tested every recipe, ensuring that they are simple to prepare and that every ingredient and every preparation step are explained in easy-to-follow terms.
This classic cookbook, in print for over 40 years, ventures into culinary areas that are often overlooked: the sour-hot dishes of Thailand, the Nonya cooking of Singapore and Malaysia, the soul-warming hotpots of Korea; as well as excitingly different dishes from the lands of Burma, Laos and Cambodia.
Take the challenge. Explore the last frontier of world cuisine and create simple and exciting dishes that you'd never before thought possible. Charmaine Solomon’s The Complete Asian Cookbook has been translated into German, French, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian and Portuguese.
Thai Cookbook
In the global kitchen of culinary ideas, the food of Thailand is rapidly assuming ascendancy. Until a few years ago, Thai cooking was the overlooked Asian cuisine and visitors to the Land of Smiles found few Thai restaurants upon returning home. However, today, throughout the US and Canada, UK and Europe, Asia and Australia, the combination of fresh food, healthy cooking techniques and vibrant flavours is coming up a number one.
Charmaine Solomon's Thai Cookbook is the first complete guide to this exciting cuisine. As well as over 180 mouth-watering recipes, the principal ingredients and cooking techniques are explained. Simple yet effective presentation ideas are detailed in step-by-step photographs. The recipes are authentic, based on Charmaine's research in Thailand, but have been selected as those with most appeal to a Western palate. All the ingredients used are readily available worldwide.
This is the book for everyone who has tasted Thai food and thought, 'I wish I could cook this at home'. Now you can, easily. And for anyone who has previously missed out on Thai cuisine, Charmaine Solomon's Thai Cookbook is likely to be a revelation. It is an excitingly flavoursome yet subtly balanced cooking style that is as appropriate for a dinner party as it is for family meals.
Complete Vegetarian Cookbook
More and more people are finding out about the subtle delights of vegetarian cuisine. No longer are vegetables confined to being an accompaniment. Both in restaurants and family kitchens people are discovering a cuisine that combines elegance with fresh and nutritious ingredients. In this book there are over 600 delicious recipes from all over the world, including India, the Middle East, Asia and the West. Whether you favour French, Greek, Italian, Lebanese, Indian or Asian dishes, you will find them in Charmaine Solomon's Complete Vegetarian Cookbook. The recipes have been created and tested by bestselling author Charmaine Solomon. They are easy-to-follow and designed to make your cooking simple and pleasurable. The origin and the history of many of the dishes are included, making this both an interesting and practical guide to vegetarian cookery. A glossary of terms and ingredients, advice on combining dishes as well as seasonal menus are also included. Beautifully illustrated, the recipes in the Complete Vegetarian Cookbook are nutritious and healthy, and guarantee to delight the palate, making even the most ardent meat eaters welcome a change. This book is a valuable kitchen companion and an inspiration for both novice and experienced cooks.
Charmaine won Best Vegetarian Book in English for The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook in the 2002 Best Vegetarian Book in English for The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook in the 2002 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. Recipes from The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook have also been chosen to feature in Food & Wine Magazine's 'Best of the Best', a collection of recipes from 25 of the very best cookbooks published in the US in 2002.
The Curry Cookbook
Curry! What mystique surrounds the word, and what knowledge is required to gather together the culinary masterpieces from Asia that we know as curries.
Here is a collection of some of the world's best curry recipes to delight the keen curry fancier and to guide any cook through these spicy riches from the East.
This book is also a lively dialogue between two curry experts - Charmaine Solomon, world-renowned writer on all the cuisines of Asia, and her musician husband (who is also a very talented cook), Reuben. She is from Sri Lanka, he from Burma. Both are frequent travellers in Asia with a lifetime interest in it's cuisine. They are so well versed in the delicate science of curry cooking that they can debate the subtleties between themselves whilst handing on their intimate knowledge in easy-to-follow recipes.
The recipes in The Curry Cookbook have been gleaned from Sri Lanka, India, Burma, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. Important sections concern the basics of curry cooking and presentation, and preparation of curry powders and pastes in the home kitchen. There are also recipes for accompaniments, from piquant sambals and chutneys to vibrant salads. The major chapters give recipes for Rice, Bread and Noodles, Meat, Fish & Seafood, Poultry and Vegetables. A comprehensive glossary and index assist cooks of all countries to fashion authentic and memorable meals from the great cuisines of Asia.
