RODALE A Common Table: 80 Recipes and Stories from My Shared Cultures

I had this book out from the library and decided I had to have it. There are so many great recipes by the author, some of which she has inherited from family, and others she has modified a little from friends and other cultures. They are, quite frankly, inspiring.

I love Chinese food, and East-Asian cuisine in general. Even though my parents are from the midwest, they spent a lot of time in China and Taiwan, and I grew up eating Chinese food. A lot of existing Chinese cookbooks are either imprecise and rely on experimentation, or over-simplified for a western audience. A Common Table is exactly the cookbook I've been waiting for - delicious, authentic recipes organized for any level of skill, that demonstrates a deep shared understanding of both Western and East-Asian cultures. This cookbook not only elevates my Chinese food game, but also speaks to my personal experience. Also - the pictures are AMAZING! Buy this book!

I had purchased this cookbook off Amazon and it sat on my nightstand for about a week until I came down with a cold. While lying in bed I picked it up and saw that the first recipe was “Simple Congee”, a rice porridge that my mother used to make for me whenever I got sick as a child. Even though I wasn’t feeling great, the picture of the dish ignited a craving for the taste and comfort of my mother’s rice porridge so I decided to make some for myself. Cooking the dish was exactly as described, “simple”, it also delivered on taste and comfort as well. I can’t wait to try out the other recipes!The book as 80+ recipes divided into 7 sections (breakfast, lunch & small eats, date night in, celebrations & gatherings, on the side, sweet, and drinks). Most of the recipes are Korean or Chinese inspired. I’ve actually grown up eating a number of dishes in the book (like Char Siu Pok and Hong Shao Rou) but never knew the ease of making them myself until I bought this book. The pictures are beautiful and inspiring, the recipes aren’t overly complicated, and there are personal stories and anecdotes from the author throughout (which I really like). I highly recommend this cookbook if you’re looking for a reasonably simple recipes for authentic Korean and Chinese dishes.

AMAZING GIFT FOR YOUR FOODIE FAMILY AND FRIENDS! I love Korean food and have enjoyed Korean-Chinese dishes before, but I have NEVER tried SOUTHERN-Asian-Fusion Cuisine! Let me tell you, it was impossible for me to get through the Table of Contents without dramatic double-takes, excitedly pointing at recipes, while flipping back and forth through pages to see if the pictures looked as good as the dishes sound (the pictures are even more mouthwatering).Having lived in multicultural melting pots like San Francisco and Los Angeles, this cookbook and these recipes already feel like home to me! The author takes the time to explain how these recipes were inspired by her Chinese roots, her Southern upbringing, and her marriage to a Korean-Irish man from Hawaii and how each influence every dish she's created. Beautifully done!Christmas gifts ordered and ready to go!

I had followed Two Red Bowls for years, so this was on my radar, but the final product is so much more than expected! Like the blog, this is a really smart cookbook that has introduced me to a lot of flavors and dishes that I would have never tried on my own (the closest I come to gourmet Chinese or Korean are the finest boneless bbq spare ribs NYC can offer and the exceedingly rare, actually edible, delivery kalbi), but also put a spin on old favorites (Chinese Cola Chicken Wings! I thought only my aunt used cola in her chicken) that you get down home in the South.It's also a physically beautiful book--whatever stock of the paper is, it really holds up and gives the pages some substance without adding so much heft you can't pick it up easily with one hand or annoying sheen (you can see the recipes in the light of your kitchen). Makes the whole thing feel rich but not haughty if that makes sense (and the pictures still pop!). My favorite part though, aside from the food (and the representing for cast iron!), are the glimpses into Cynthia's life and how it relates to her cooking. I always loved that her blog was so personal, and I am glad to see that continue here. When I try her recipes I feel that I am trying to create some of the moments she talks about for myself rather than get a recipe right (and thank god, because my cooking may fill you up on love, but picture perfect recreations of these recipes it is not).Keep cooking Cynth! Do an all spam one next!