Balance and Harmony: Asian Food by Perry, Neil (2008) Hardcover

by Neil Perry

"In Balance & Harmony, Neil Perry revels in his love for Asian the great flavours, the contrasts in tastes and textures, and the way that just about anything can be cooked with a wok and a bamboo steamer. Balance & Harmony is set out in the style of a cooking school by the Rockpool masterchef, progressing from the easiest steamed, stir-fried, braised and deep-fried dishes, to more challenging and intricate plates as you gain confidence and knowledge. In addition to the wonderful individual recipes, there are a series of banquet ideas, ranging from the simplest to the most gloriously memorable."

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Asian Literature, Nonfiction

400 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2008

Reviews

[Hanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cooked a lot of Asian food before I had this book, using other cookbooks or finding information online, but this book was a total I eye opener. I generally steer clear of books written by chefs because they're often illadapted for home cooking and I don't have a sous-chef standing by for those evenings when I just want to whip up a quick dish from Heston's latest book. Although I was initially suspicious (I admittedly bought the book because it's beautiful, not on Neil's reputation), this book is refreshingly non-cheffy. While authentic ingredients are required, they're readily available at Asian grocers. (Must admit that I do live in Sydney and work near Chinatown - the proximity certainly helps)

This book really helped in nailing some techniques and achieving more authentic flavour. It also totally invigorated my interest in Chinese food and re-opened my eyes to its diversity and amazing textures. It may seem a bit inane, but the dish that won me over was the recipe for fried rice (a dish I never order) which is just perfect and delicious. I love the steamed dishes and the ma po tofu is great. The only thing I found puzzling were frequent uses of "Thai yellow bean soy sauce" which I couldn't find under that description., but a query posted to NP's website revealed that light Thai soy sauce was meant.

A good indicator of whether a cookbook was worth buying are the number of pages splattered during cooking, and this book has quite a few pages stuk together. I really love it!

[Cook These Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Australia has no specific cuisine: the food Australians eat is as diverse as our population. Aside from a strong European background, the food we eat is heavily influence by the varied cuisines of Asia. 'Balance and Harmony' falls into this grand pan-Asian tradition.

Read our full review: http://cookthesebooks.com/balance-and...

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book by the well know owner of Rockpool (amoung others) in Sydney.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some delicious sounding recipes with beautiful pictures in here. Very inspiring.