Asian Cookbooks for Winter Reading by Ruth Paget

Asian Cookbooks for Winter Reading by Ruth Paget 

When I saw that the Monterey County Free Libraries (California) had an online winter reading program for adults through www.beanstack.org, I signed up with the goal of learning more about the food of Asia. 

I received a BA in East Asian Studies from the University of Chicago and have learned to cook many Asian dishes to add to my study of Japan and China that began when I was an exchange student in Japan and a study tour participant in China. Over the years, I have accumulated cookbooks from Southeast Asia as well as East Asian ones in paper and kindle formats to learn more about the foods I have sampled for fun and as a restaurant reviewer for the Monterey County Weekly newspaper (Circulation: 200,000). 

The books I have read so far for winter reading at the Monterey County Free Libraries include the following: 

 *Bhutan 

 -Foods of the Kingdom of Bhutan by Ernest and Eric Nagamatsu 

*Cambodia 

-Num Pang by Ratha Chapouly 

*China 

-All Under Heaven by Carolyn Phillips 

-Complete Chinese Cookbook by Ken Hom 

-Cooking South of the Clouds by Georgia Freedman 

-Dim Sum Field Guide by Carolyn Phillips 

-Every Grain of Rice by Fuschsia Dunlop 

-Invitation to a Banquet by Fuchsia Dunlop 

-Land of Fish and Rice by Fuchsia Dunlop 

-Land of Plenty by Fuchsia 

-Nom Wah Cookbook by Wilson Tang 

-Phoenix Claw and Jade Trees by Kian Lam Kho 

-Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook by Fuchsia Dunlop 

*India 

-660 Curries by Rhagavan Iyer 

-Chaat by Maneet Chauhan 

-Complete Book of Indian Cooking by Suneeta Vaswani 

-Feasts and Fasts by Colleen Taylor Sen 

-Indian for Everyone by Anupy Singla 

-Masala by Anita Jaisinghani 

 *Indonesia 

-Balinese Food by Vivienne Kruger 

-Indonesian Regional Food and Cooking by Sri Owen 

*Japan 

-Bento for Beginners by Chika Ravitch 

-Harumi’s Japanese Kitchen by Harumi Kurihara 

-Japanese Cooking by Shizuo Tsuji 

-Japanese Grill by Tadashi Ono 

-Mastering the Art of Japanese Home Cooking by Masaharu Morimoto 

-Modern Japanese Cuisine by Katarzyna Cwiertka 

-Ramen Obsession by Naomi Imatome-Yun 

-Tokyo Cult Recipes by Maori Murota 

-Washoku by Elizabeth Andoh 

*Korea 

-Korean Cuisine by Michael J. Pettid 

-Korean Home Cooking by Sohui Kim 

-Koreatown by Deuki Hong 

*Malaysia 

-The Malaysian Kitchen by Christina Arokiasamy 

*Myanmar 

-Delicious Myanmar by Juan Gallardo 

*Nepal 

-Foods and Flavors from Nepal by Jyoti Pahak 

*Philippines 

-7000 Islands by Yasmin Newman 

-Amboy

*Polynesia 

-Totally Polynesian by Sarah Spencer 

*Russia (Most of Russia is in Asia) 

-Cabbage and Caviar by Alison K. Smith 

*Thailand 

-Bangkok by Leela Panyaratabandhu 

-From the Source – Thailand by Lonely Planet Food 

-Pok Pok by Andy Ricker 

*Vietnam 

-Asian Dumplings by Andrea Nguyen

-Into the Vietnamese Kitchen by Andrea Nguyen 

-Phô Cookbook by Linda Nguyen 

-Rice and Baguette by Vu Hong Lien 

To tie all my Asian cookbook reading together, I read Leading with Cultural Intelligence by David Livermore. Livermore writes for readers who want to become expatriate managers who want to live overseas or become diplomats. He says that one of the best ways to prepare for these professions is to learn foreign languages and eat foreign food. Both of these activities can be done by young people before college. 

You can also prepare foreign foods while listening to foreign music to further enhance what you read about in Asian cookbooks. 

Happy cooking! 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Monterey County Cookbook Shelf by Ruth Paget

Monterey County Cookbook Shelf by Ruth Paget 

When I moved to the Monterey Peninsula on California’s Central Coast more than thirty years ago, I knew I would be able to find many Hispanic and Asian markets and restaurants with products and dishes from the many cultures that make up those broad categories. 

What I did not expect was how easy it was to find Italian and French ingredients that I could cook with at home. Over the years, I have made a Monterey Peninsula Cookbook shelf that leans towards Western Europe. I cook this way and eat Asian and Hispanic food from restaurants. 

The information in these cookbooks has helped me maintain weight and set up a three-meals-per-day weekly menu with no snacks. 

The following books may be on Kindle now to lower costs for purchasing them: 

-The Breakfast Bible: 100+ Favorite Recipes to Start the Day by Kate McMillan 

-Breakfast by Brigit L. Binns 

-Focaccia: Simple Breads from the Italian Oven by Carol Field 

-The Elements of Pizza: Unlocking the Secrets to World-Class Pies at Home by Ken Forkish 

-Mastering Pasta: The Art and Practice of Homemade Pasta, Gnocchi, and Risotto by Marc Vetri 

-Pasta Sauces by Chuck Williams 

-Martha Stewart’s Appetizers 

-Hors d’Oeuvres and Appetizers by Chuck Williams 

-Pâté, Confit, Rillettes: Recipes from the Craft of Charcuterie by Bian Polcyn with Michael Ruhlman 

-The Sommelier Prep Course: An Introduction to the Wines, Beers, and Spirtis of the World by Michael Gibson 

-The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide by Mary Lou Heiss and Robert J. Heiss  

-Coffee: A Conneisseur’s Companion by Claudia Roden 

 -Coffee for Dummies by Major Cohen -Honey for Dummies by C. Marina Marchese and Howland Blackiston 

-The Good Cook’s Book of Mustard by Michele Anna Jordan 

 -The Book of Cheese: The Essential Guide to Discovering Cheeses You’ll Love by Liz Thorpe 

 -Sugar Changed the World by Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos 

 -The Chocolate Connoisseur by Chloe Doutre-Roussel 

 -Holiday Entertaining by Chuck Williams 

 -Out of the East: Spices and the Medieval Imagination by Paul Freedman 

 -Vinaigrettes and Other Dressings by Michele Anna Jordan 

 -The Good Cook’s Book of Oil and Vinegar by Michele Anna Jordan 

 -The Good Cook’s Book of Tomatoes by Michele Anna Jordan 

 -The Good Cook’s Book of Salt and Pepper by Michele Anna Jordan 

 -Polenta by Michele Anna Jordan 

 -California Home Cooking by Michele Anna Jordan 

 -The New Cook’s Tour of Sonoma by Michele Anna Jordan 

 -Complete Pasta Cookbook by Chuck Williams 

 -San Francisco Seafood by Michele Anna Jordan 

 -The Food of France by Waverly Root 

 -The Food of Italy by Waverly Root 

- More than Meatballs by Michele Anna Jordan

 -The Art of the Table by Suzanne von Drachenfels 

 -Home Comforts by Cheryl Mendelson 

These books feature the home cooking of France, Italy, and California for the most part. The recipes are fun to try and teach some very valuable life skills like how to limit usage of delicious and expensive red wine vinegar. 

Happy cooking! 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Faux Steak Croutons Recipe by Ruth Paget

Faux Steak Croutons Recipe by Ruth Paget 

Makes 3 – 4 cups 

Ingredients: 

-Day-old bread cut into large cubes to make 3 to 4 cups 

-1/4 cup olive oil 

-1 to 2 tablespoons meat seasoning such as Omaha Steak Seasoning 

Steps: 

1-Heat olive oil in a frying pan with the seasoning. 

2-Add bread cubes and turn them to coat all sides with seasoned oil. 

3-Turn bread cubes until all oil is absorbed. 4-Cool and serve as a snack. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Tuna - Pasta Salad Recipe by Ruth Paget

Tuna – Pasta Salad Recipe by Ruth Paget 

For 4 People

Ingredients: 

-1 (5-ounce) can tuna packed in water, drained 

-2 cups cooked semolina macaroni pasta 

-4 celery stalks chopped 

-12 pitted, whole black olives 

-1/2 red onion, chopped 

-5 roasted red pepper sections packed in oil, chopped 

-5 sun-dried tomato sections packed in oil, chopped 

-4 pepperoncino peppers -salad dressing of your choice 

Steps: 

1-Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and serve with the dressing of your choice on the side.  

Source: Ruth Paget – Monterey, California 2023 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Coulis: The Succulent Tomato Society Game Created by Ruth Paget

Coulis: The Succulent Tomato Society Game Created by Ruth Paget 

A silky, tomato coulis sauce enhances the flavor of slices of fish terrine, salmon and spinach terrine, and vegetable terrine. A coulis is just one of the many preparations for tasty and nutritious tomatoes. Tomatoes contain significant amounts of Vitamin C and beta carotene that the body converts to Vitamin A. Tomatoes also contain the antioxidant lycopene that helps remove free radicals that may cause cancer from the body.  

Game Objectives: In this game about tomatoes, you will learn about tomato varieties, tomato characteristics, professional vocabulary associated with tomatoes, and how to hold tomato tastings for fresh and canned varieties. 

Number of Players: 1 or teams of 2 to 4 

Tools Needed to Play the Game: 

-Access to Google to obtain images and a color printer to print out tomato variety images 

-pens 

-notebook paper 

-index cards 

-large notebook-paper sized envelope to store game materials

-fresh tomatoes for tastings 

-canned tomatoes for tastings 

-The Good Cook’s Book of Tomatoes by Michele Anna Jordan: A New World Discovery and its Old World Impact with more than 150 recipes 

Game 1: Tomato Varieties 

Download photos of the following tomato varieties. For each one, paste the image on notebook paper and note the name on top of the page with a pen. 

Tomato Varieties to Look Up: 

1-Ruby Pearl 

2-Broad Ripple Yellow 

3-Sweet 100 

4-Sun Gold 

5-Green Grape 

6-Pink Teardrop 

7-Camp Joy 

8-Yellow Peas 

9-Snow White 

10-Tiger Tom 

11-Roma 

12-San Marzano 

13-Orange Roma 

14-Yellow Plum 

15-Rocky 

16-Enchantment 

17-Banana Legs 

18-Early Girl 

19-Stupice 

20-Dona 

21-San Francisco Fog 

22-Valencia 

23-Peach 

24-Taxi 

25-Great White 

26-White Wonder 

27-Green Zebra 

28-Red Rose 

29-Evergreen 

30-Caro Rich 

31-Brandywine 

32-Marvel Stripe 

33-Black Krim 

34-Yellow Ruffle 

Once you have photos pasted on sheets of notebook paper and the names written above the tomato, begin memorizing the names with the images. Memorize 5 tomato varieties with names at a time to break down memorization into manageable pieces. Cover up the names with a piece of paper and quiz yourself on the names that go with all the images. 

Game 2: Tomato Characteristics 

Refer to Michele Anna Jordan’s Good Cook’s Book of Tomatoes to write down the characteristics of each tomato variety on the back of the image that goes with the tomato variety. Memorize the characteristics for 5 tomato varieties at a time to break down memorization into memorable pieces. Quiz yourself until you have all the characteristics noted. 

Once you have noted characteristics for each tomato variety, you are ready to move on to best uses for each tomato variety. 

Game 3: Tomato Best Uses

Refer to Michele Anna Jordan’s Good Cook’s Book of Tomatoes to write down the best uses for each tomato type on the back of each tomato variety image. Memorize the best uses 5 at a time to break down memorization into manageable pieces. Quiz yourself on tomato variety uses until you know all of them. 

Game 4: Tomato Vocabulary 

Knowing what you are buying can help you recognize bargains and get the best value for your money. To find definitions for the following words, refer to Michele Anna Jordan’s The Good Cook’s Book of Tomatoes. 

The terms to look up include: 

-ground (or crushed) tomatoes 

-tomato sauce 

-double-concentrated tomato paste in a tube 

-canned tomatoes 

-dried tomatoes 

-all’amatriciana 

-andalouse 

-arrabiata 

-aurorea 

-bolognese 

-choron 

-concassé 

-coulis 

-double concentrated 

-tomato paste 

-dried-tomato bits 

-dried-tomato purée 

-dried tomatoes 

-fondue 

-ketchup 

-marinara 

-nantua 

-portugaise 

-puttanesca 

-ragù 

-salsa 

-stewed tomatoes 

-sun-dried tomatoes 

-tomato paste 

-tomato purée 

-tomato sauce 

Write the terms on the front of an index card with the definition on the back. Memorize 5 terms at a time to break down memorization into manageable pieces. Quiz yourself until you know all the terms. 

Game 5: Tomato Tastings 

Go through the 150+ recipes in Michele Anna Jordan’s Good Cook’s Book of Tomatoes and pick out 1 or 2 to try making and serve after a tomato tasting. 

Refer to Jordan's book for tips on summer and year-round tasting set up. 

Happy Gaming! 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Old Fisherman's Grotto in Monterey, California by Ruth Paget

The Old Fisherman’s Grotto by Ruth Pennington Paget 

When my daughter Florence sang in musicals at the Bruce Ariss Theatre on the Monterey Wharf, we would stop the for bowls of clam chowder at the Old Fisherman’s Grotto sometimes before her rehearsals and performances. 

They sold clam chowder that you could eat outside the restaurant and other things like sandwiches, candy, bottled water, and soda for families who came to visit the Monterey Wharf and look at seals, take whaling boat trips, and buy souvenirs. Even well-heeled families from San Francisco got food at Grotto’s outside stand. Most families chose items to eat from this outside café, because the items were reasonably priced. 

The restaurants in downtown Monterey are “fancy.” You have to probably show that your kids have earned a certificate in etiquette at the American School of Protocol to eat in them anymore. The director for the musicals Florence was in went to the Grotto before shows for an early dinner. She was a former Broadway director and voice teacher, who obviously was well-versed in opera, too. 

Once you had auditioned and gotten into a play, she rehearsed leads and chorus with equal rigor. While she rehearsed the chorus with piano accompaniment, I would work on my articles for the Global Librarian column I did for the Bay Area Chapter of the Special Libraries Association in San Francisco when I was getting my master’s degree in Library and Information Science at San Jose State University in California’s Silicon Valley. 

Fortunately, I like musicals, so I did not mind listening to the songs from Sound of Music, H.M.S. Pinafore, and Give my Regards to Broadway as I was writing. Even though I was listening to this, I was able to write about intercultural role playing groups for training people to work with library customers from different cultural backgrounds, tips for learning foreign languages, the history of the Spanish language, tailoring websites for different cultures, tips on how to work with Chinese-American library customers, tips on interpretation, tips on how to organize and produce foreign-language marketing materials, and tips on how to work with Arab-American library customers (many Arab-Americans are Orthodox Christians with new immigrants being Muslim). 

Each show Florence was in required four months of rehearsal (4 to 5 hours per night) and three months performance. We usually ate early dinner at home, and then I would drive Florence down to the Wharf. She got in costume, put on full make-up, and sold tickets to the shows all over downtown. They always had a full house. Florence sang lead songs for kids and took pictures with tourists. 

She got some clam chowder paid for by me for doing all this. She also did make-up for the leads for dress rehearsals and performances. She memorized the entire play and assisted the stage manager on the other side of the stage in case actors forgot lines. Florence was a professional child actor with tons of acting and sales experience before she was eighteen years old. 

One of the reasons she was accepted into the playwrighting program at Juilliard was her knowledge of all aspects of theatre, which included three semesters of college-level acting courses at Monterey Peninsula College. 

This Christmas season, my little family went down to the Monterey Wharf for several dinners at the Old Fisherman’s Grotto – inside this time. There were harbor seals playing around and a large school of sardines swimming around. 

We arrived early to get the locals menu. Florence reserved us window seats overlooking Pacific Grove on the upper level of the restaurant. The restaurant is always a little chilly, so Florence kept her Juilliard jacket on. I smiled at her and ordered a Bloody Mary cocktail to go with my chicken piccata, a standard pantry dish of chicken breast sautéed in olive oil with lemon juice and capers. 

I could buy the clam chowder in cans as a souvenir.

The food is good, but I just liked listening to all the Frank Sinatra music in this Manhattan by Monterey Bay Restaurant crooning, “I did it my way.” 

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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A Progressive's View of French Civilization by Ruth Paget

A Progressive’s Version of French Civilization by Ruth Paget 

When Florence was a student at the Waldorf School in Monterey, I often took her to the outdoor labyrinth at the Community Church of Monterey in Carmel Valley to keep up her French heritage. This labyrinth is a miniature version of the labyrinth laid in the floor of Chartres Cathedral in France during the 12th century. 

Florence had rolled across this labyrinth in a baby stroller when we lived in France, but had not been back to walk it there. Children in France walk church labyrinths. They slow down their lives to not miss a turn. They are too busy concentrating to smile. Sometimes they scold one another for jumping a lane.

Chartres is not the only cathedral with a labyrinth. Amiens in northern France has a black and white labyrinth still in use. The cathedral in Poitiers, France has a wall labyrinth that people point out to children and trace out the path with their fingers after mass. There used to be many more labyrinths in France, but church authorities have removed them over the centuries. 

In Chartres, the labyrinth persists, I believe, because its links to pagan Greek myth were eradicated. The original center of the labyrinth had a leather cover that depicted Theseus, the dead minotaur, and Ariadne’s thread. 

The first time we went to the labyrinth I planned to show Florence why Chartres Cathedral was important to understanding the history of France. Florence was looking forward to a mom adventure. “This circle is like a game. You enter here facing the mountains. Then, you follow the path to the center. When you are in the center, you rest a bit and think, and then come back here,” I said.

Florence looked at the labyrinth and said, “This looks a little hard.” 

“Just concentrate on what you are doing. When you get to the center, I’ll tell you a story,” I said. Florence went off walking. When she reached the center. She stood facing me. 

I began my story. “In Chartres, the center of the labyrinth had a leather cover showing the Greek hero Theseus, the minotaur he killed, and Ariadne’s thread that allowed him to get out of the labyrinth. I’ll tell you another story when you get back.” 

Florence laughed and wound the labyrinth and came out to stand by me, facing the mountains. 

“What’s the second story,” Florence asked. 

“Well, there are two things to remember here. First, killing a minotaur is like solving a big problem. Solving a problem makes you smarter, but it also disrupts a previous pattern. Being smarter helps you solve the consequences of solving the problem, too. The result is that when you exited this labyrinth, the Greeks would have said you are transformed or changed by becoming smarter,” I said.

“And…,” Florence said, waiting for my story thread. “Second, Ariadne’s thread saved Theseus from the consequences of killing the minotaur. The church put Ariadne’s thread there to say that belief in Christ serves the same purpose. The early church used an older religion to explain the new one. ” I said.

I took out a book I had on the stained glass windows of Chartres and showed Florence the eastern rose window with Christ at the last judgment. 

“This window is what you see when you leave the labyrinth at Chartres. The people who do more good than bad go up to heaven with singing angels at the right. The people who do more bad than good go down to the left with monsters who dance in fire. This image usually appears in stone over the doors of churches in France from the Middle Ages,” I said. 

“How big is this window?” Florence asked. 

“I’ll give you an idea,” I said and stood opposite of her with the mountains to my back. I put my right arm up and my left arm down. “The rose window with Christ at the Last Judgment looks the size of those mountains behind when you look up from the labyrinth at Chartres,” I said. 

 “Do you have to be perfect to go to heaven?” Florence asked. 

“The last perfect human was Christ, and he was crucified. You have to do more good than bad. According to Catholicism, we are born with original sin. No one is perfect, but we can strive to do right. The Catholic Church also has a tradition of warrior saints, who protect the faith and country. This is especially true in France where Joan of Arc is said to have saved France,” I said.

“Who was Joan of Arc?” Florence asked. 

 “She was a shepherdess, who became a general. She felt that her civilization was in danger of disappearing and fought to protect it. Many people think all the French do is sit in cafés, drink wine, and talk philosophy all day long. This does not reflect French civilization for almost all of its history. France has been at war most of the time,” I said. 

“Is that bad?” Florence asked. 

“It’s not a question and good and bad really. It’s historic fact. France is beautiful and many people want what the French have worked very hard to create. They have maintained their culture for centuries by fighting to protect it,” I said. 

“That’s a lot of war,” Florence said. 

“It is. Let me walk through the labyrinth with you. Another thing you should know about France is that the kings and aristocrats had the nicest stuff. The farmers, called peasants in France, prayed that soldiers would not march through the fields and take all the crops. The peasants absolutely rejoiced when they could bring in food at harvest,” I said, finishing my French history lesson in Carmel Valley. 

By Ruth Paget Author of Marrying France and Eating Soup with Chopsticks

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