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101 Asian Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die: Discover a New World of Flavors in Authentic Recipes PDF

311 Pages·2017·9.084 MB·English
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Preview 101 Asian Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die: Discover a New World of Flavors in Authentic Recipes

101 ASIAN DISHES YOU NEED TO COOK BEFORE YOU DIE DISCOVER A NEW WORLD OF FLAVORS IN AUTHENTIC RECIPES JET TILA Award-Winning Chef and TV Personality Begin Reading Table of Contents About the Author Copyright Page Thank you for buying this Page Street Publishing Co. ebook. To receive special offers, bonus content, and info on new releases and other great reads, sign up for our newsletters. Or visit us online at us.macmillan.com/newslettersignup The author and publisher have provided this e-book to you for your personal use only. You may not make this e-book publicly available in any way. Copyright infringement is against the law. If you believe the copy of this e-book you are reading infringes on the author’s copyright, please notify the publisher at: http://us.macmillanusa.com/piracy . THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO ALI, AMAYA AND REN. YOU ARE ALL THE CENTER OF MY UNIVERSE. FOREWORD Just so you know, I pretty much made this book happen. I was starting a new gig, hosting a culinary game show called Cutthroat Kitchen. Like so many (OK … all) culinary competitions, Cutthroat required knowledgeable judges who could evaluate dishes and make sure at the end of the very long day, there was a winner. It was decided that we would use a rotating roster of three judges, one of whom was a guy named Jet Tila. I didn’t know him, so I Googled around and checked out his credentials. He was a true culinary child of Los Angeles, raised in his family’s Thai grocery store nestled among Chinatown, K-Town and Little Tokyo. On top of that, he had a Mexican aunt and was totally into the burgeoning taco culture that all but defines the City of Angels. Jet eventually rose to an executive chef position in one of Vegas’s most celebrated properties. He became the U.S. Culinary Ambassador to Thailand. He was known as a solid cook, well connected in the community, and, as near as I could tell, was a good choice. When Jet showed up the first day, I was struck first by his genuineness. He was happy to be there and to be working, and to be working with me. He was humble in a way that comes from being totally at home in one’s skin and certain of one’s skills. Speaking of, Jet’s got some serious sleeves, and that ink means, of course, that he’s a great chef, right? We’ll see, I thought. Now one of the things about Cutthroat Kitchen is that terrible things happen to the chefs during the rounds, but the judges aren’t there. They don’t know anything about what’s transpired. But here’s the thing, with just a few tastes, Jet always knows. He’s able to take a dish apart in his head. And he can turn to the chef and lay it all on the table in a way that says, “Brother, I live in your world and I love you, but …” By the end of the first day, I was inducted into the Jet Tila fan club. This guy knew his stuff cold and knew how to talk the talk in a way that made you love him even as he was showing you the door. He understands flavor, technique and ingredients, and he has an obvious passion for communicating what he knows. And then, he started teaching me how to cook. OK, I’d like to think I know a thing or two about cuisine, about cooking, but in the web postshows we produce at the end of each episode, Jet started seriously schooling me on Thai cuisine. He taught me how to make better spring rolls, better dipping sauces, and he showed me where I was going wrong with tempura. He was patient, watchful and utterly generous with his knowledge. It was after the tempura escapade that I said, “Damn, Jet, you really should write a cookbook!” And here it is. Is it the definitive tome on Chinese or Korean, Japanese or even Thai cuisine? No. But it’s the most practical guide to getting Asian flavors on the plate that I’ve ever seen. You know that swinging door in the back of a kitchen that has the round window? The one the colorful plates and seductive aromas come out of? Well, Jet opens that door and invites you in and pretty soon those dishes and flavors and aromas will be coming out of your kitchen. And yes, your pad Thai and your Korean BBQ will be just as good. So … you’re welcome. —Alton Brown

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Most books are stored in the elastic cloud where traffic is expensive. For this reason, we have a limit on daily download.