{"id":3659,"date":"2014-08-29T11:00:30","date_gmt":"2014-08-29T14:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tracyleekarner.com\/?p=3659"},"modified":"2014-08-29T11:00:30","modified_gmt":"2014-08-29T14:00:30","slug":"review-of-exotic-table-a-cookbook-by-aliya-leekong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tracyrittmueller.com\/2014\/08\/29\/review-of-exotic-table-a-cookbook-by-aliya-leekong\/","title":{"rendered":"Review of Exotic Table, a cookbook by Aliya Leekong"},"content":{"rendered":"

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My recent favorite cookbook is Exotic Table: Flavors, Inspiration, and Recipes from Around the World – To Your Kitchen by Aliya Leekong<\/a>.<\/h2>\n

If you’re proficient in the kitchen, have an adventurous palate (not afraid of heat or exotic spices) and want to be challenged to try new flavor profiles, this is a well-written book by a skilled chef.
\nThere are 10 chapters full of new ideas: 1) Spices, Ingredients and Equipment; 2) Hors d’Oeuvres and Snacks; 3) Soups and Salads; 4) Fish and Seafood; 5) Poultry; 6) Beef, Pork, Lamb and Goat; 7) Vegetables and Side Dishes (my favorite chapter); 8) Breakfast, Savory Tarts and Breads; 9) Desserts; 10) Drinks.
\nThe title is spot-on. The recipes are from around the world, including lesser-known exotic locales in Africa, Caribbean, South America and Indonesia. Some people can get awfully riled up about whether something is “authentic,” but Aliya Lekong understands that there is an inevitable loss of authenticity when you move food out of its culture of origin and prepare it half-a-world away in your own kitchen. I agree with her\u2014in my kitchen, making food\u00a0taste delicious is more important than following bad recipes that claim to be\u00a0authentic<\/em>.
\nHer recipes are not replicas of food you would eat if you traveled\u00a0the world, instead her recipes are\u00a0inspired<\/i> by dishes found around the world. It’s like jazz-cooking, improvising on a theme. As she says in her introduction, “I work with what I can find, have on hand, or simply prefer flavor wise. I encourage you to follow the same idea…”
\nThat’s the way I cook, and this book has given me enough new ideas to keep me buzzing with culinary creativity for at least the next 6 months.
\nHow important is\u00a0authenticity to you? Are you a recipe-follower or a recipe innovator?\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My recent favorite cookbook is Exotic Table: Flavors, Inspiration, and Recipes from Around the World – To Your Kitchen by Aliya Leekong. If you’re proficient in the kitchen, have an adventurous palate (not afraid of heat or exotic spices) and want to be challenged to try new flavor profiles, this is a well-written book by …<\/p>\n

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