Any recommendations for east Asian vegetarian cookbooks?

I see lots of unfamiliar greens, veggies, and other produce where I currently shop--mostly stuff that looks to be used in east Asian or southeast Asian cooking. I'd like to learn to use these new ingredients as well introduce myself to a new style of cooking.

Anyone have any recommendations for vegetarian cookbooks that would serve as a useful introduction to east Asian or southeast Asian styles of cooking?

I had great luck learning south Asian styles of cooking using Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking by Julie Sahni, and I'd love to find a similar tool for learning east/southeast Asian cooking.

It's not a vegetarian cookbook, but Victor Sodsook's "True Thai" has plenty in it for a vegetarian to sink his/her teeth into.

A classic is Madhur Jaffrey's "World of the East: Vegetarian Cooking." Lots of Indian, but equal portions of other Asian cuisines.

I second the recommendation for Victor Sodsook's True Thai. An excellent Thai cookbook. One of my favorites.

-Paul W.

This is so frustrating! When I was living in Oz a (chef) friend gave me a book that described (with pictures) all those weird and wonderful Asian veggies that were around; also covered a lot of stuff unfamiliar stuff from elsewhere. Unfortunately it's still in storage, and I can't for the life of me remember the exact title and various Amazon and Google searches have been fruitless. Really is a great book...

In the meantime, have you checked out Charmaine Solomon? She's one of the best writers on Asian food in Oz.

If we're counting Indian cuisine, I recommend Yamuna Devi's Lord Krishna's Cuisine--The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking. Yamuna Devi, an Italian-American by ancestry, is a convert to Vaishnava Hinduism (worship of Lord Vishnu in His manifestation as Krishna) and was for many years the personal cook for A. C. Bhaktivedanta, or Sri Prahbupada, who founded the world-wide Vaishnava movement known in the USA as the "Hare Krishnas". The sect practices lactovegetarianism, and this 700+ page book is a gold mine of authentic vegetarian recipes of the upper Hindu castes of India. Traditions and styles from all of the many regions of India are represented. The book provides some valuable insights into the systematics of Indian cuisine--how it is put together and what makes it tick.

The one drawback to this cookbook as a general guide to Indian vegetarian cooking is that it only includes Vaishnava dishes. The Vaishnavas shun onions, garlic, and other plants of the onion family on the grounds that they encourage impure thoughts. This may be fine for the upper castes who formed Sri Prahbupada's social circle, but it ignores the food of a majority of India's populace, for whom onions and garlic are staples. But as a guide to the Vaishnava cooking of India, a very significant facet of the whole of the cuisine, this book is unmatched.

-Paul W.

Thank you Stuart, Nayan, and Paul. It looks like I have some excellent choices to select from . . . all of these books sound quite interesting!

[Robin Garr]

A classic is Madhur Jaffrey's "World of the East: Vegetarian Cooking." Lots of Indian, but equal portions of other Asian cuisines.

A strong second. Although some of the recipes may be "simplified" a bit for those who demand hard-core authenticity, this is a VERY good general book for both pan-Asian and vegetarian cookery. It's one of the most-thumbed books in this omnivorous household.