Balance and Harmony-The Cookbook
A review of the new asian cookbook by Neil Perry
Neil Perry has long been an influence on my cooking, I have always admired his approach to Asian food and yet despite the modern touches he has always kept an eye firmly on the foundations of Chinese cuisine. His work is now widely recognised outside of Australia and not before time, his series for Food Source on cooking throughout the Asian subcontinent was fascinating and inspired me to travel further afield in search of great food.
His first Asian cookbook, ‘Simply Asian’ has rarely left my side, it was all I wanted in a cookbook and future menus of mine were heavily influenced by his work. I have long hoped for a follow up and now I have it. ‘Balance and Harmony’ is a lovely book, firmly geared towards Chinese cuisine it still wanders across to Vietnam and Thailand for one or two suprises and there are a few of his famous curry pastes to try.
He manages to cover a lot of ground with this book, from different cookery methods to fish preperation and often overlooked basics such as coooking rice properly, something Perry has always attached a lot of importance to and rightly so. Earl Carter once again provides superb photographs over some 390 pages and given the right amount of publicity this could become a future classic. I hope so.
A word to the publishers, the binding is crap-sort it out otherwise they will all fall apart!
ISBN: 9781740459082
RRP: £30.00
Publisher: Murdoch Books
November 19, 2008 @ 7:20 pm
Miles,
Sounds like a wonderful book but you’ll forgive me if I don’t jump for joy….. fact is I’ve just singed my fleece on the gas hob
Perhaps I should add for the benefit of our American friends that a fleece is sort of woolly outerwear for mountaineering folk and middle aged women who ought to know better
Cid
November 19, 2008 @ 7:48 pm
Rod,
Thanks-forgot that bit!1
Miles
November 20, 2008 @ 8:59 am
Cid,
Sounds nasty! Are you in training for my job?
Miles
November 20, 2008 @ 9:00 am
Miles,
Much to my chagrin I’ve had to go back to my Nigella black satins and stilettoes just to elevate myself from the flames
Do not concern yourself with me getting cold because very likely I shall be forced to turn to my all in one thermal long johns underneath during the winter months… as indeed Nigella probably does, she looks the practical sort to me 
I fancy the paperwork side of your job Miles, more than the burning of fingers and cooking for very demanding people at all hours of the day and night. Being the shy retiring person that I am
, I’m much better off in the background so front of house is out too….. could I have a little office off to one side where I could
blogquietly get on with organising things?Cid
November 20, 2008 @ 4:38 pm
Cid,
You don’t want the office side of my job-trust me. I think I prefer getting burnt
Miles
November 20, 2008 @ 6:01 pm