Cooking with an Asian Accent

August 5, 2013
In his new cookbook, Compestine (Revolution is Not a Dinner Party) infuses Eastern philosophy into Western cuisine. The author of 20 books on Chinese culture and cooking creates 125 Asian-infused recipes and presents a contemporary “new cuisine” that is as practical as it is holistic. Rich with guidelines for employing both Western and Asian cooking techniques and tools (including Wok stir-fry, steaming, and outdoor grilling), Compestine’s East-meets-West recipes are adventurous yet easy to prepare. A yin-yang balance of ingredients is the cornerstone of her food-as-medicine approach and shapes the therapeutic value, originality, and simplicity of each recipe. Basic match-made sauces, including green tea–orange, sweet-and-sour chile, spicy honey-basil, and lime-peanut sauces, make excellent condiments for the vegetable, meat, and grilled seafood recipes. A pumpkin seafood hotpot featuring crabmeat epitomizes the East-West culinary alliance, as does a spicy chickpea-avocado salad with sesame sauce. There are also tips on how to select and store basic pantry supplies, along with descriptions of the equipment and technical skills needed to cook these dishes. In “embracing the best of both worlds,” Compestine extends an invitation to Western cooks to try the Chinese approach to dining and encourages them to become fluent in the preparation of Asian-style meals.

December 1, 2013

Compestine (Ying's Best One-Dish Meals) has authored numerous books for children and adults. Her newest cookbook compares Asian and Western cooking styles and aims to blend the philosophy of the former with the efficiency of the latter. Like Hiroko Shimbo in Hiroko's American Kitchen: Cooking with Japanese Flavors, the author uses accessible preparations and substitutes hard-to-find ingredients for more conventional ones. Heartwarming hot pot, peach-shrimp spring rolls, coconut-soy milkshake, and other recipes are mostly quick and healthy. Headnotes discuss medicinal benefits in the context of traditional Chinese medicine. VERDICT A health-focused collection of creative new recipes, with many meat and dairy-free choices.

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