A taste of the Far East

On a gastronomic tour that covers Thailand, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Indonesia, this book examines the local traditions and history to describe the cultural and culinary influences that have shaped each nation's unique cuisine. For every region, the author describes her personal experience of the country, its people and their food, from markets and street stalls to restaurants and family banquets.

Choosing the best from each region, the book offers a selection of recipes for every course of a meal.

The recipes make full use of the spices and flavourings so typical of the Far East, to produce dishes such as chicken flavoured with lemon grass and ginger, fish stew aromatic with dill, okra in sambal sauce, raw oysters with a chilli-radish dip and roast duck served with five-spice powder and hoisin sauce. There is advice on serving each dish, the substitutes for ingredients not readily available elsewhere, and basic techniques and equipment needed.

There are photographs of both the locations and the finished dishes.