Product Description

Not so long ago, the range of rices on supermarket shelves ran from white (plain) to white (converted). Today we can choose from among the hundreds of rice varieties now available of which Thai jasmine and Chinese black are just two. From China and Japan, Thailand and India, to the Mediterranean, Senegal and the Americas, rice is a way of eating day to day for millions of people. But because rice has not been a staple of most Western diets, many of us do not appreciate the multitude of aromas, flavours and the simple ways of preparing meals for which rice is the essential ingredient.

Seductions of Rice reintroduces this ancient grain and explores its fascinating and exotic world. Visit rice growers on China's Li River, order a meal in a South Indian rice stall, and observe harvesting techniques in a Thai paddy. The traditions of each region covered are captured in nearly 200 nutritious, simple and versatile recipes along with vivid essays and stunning photographs. To delight the senses and satisfy the palate, cook up such fabulous dishes as Thai Grilled Beef, Turkish Yogurt Sauce or Cucumber-Sesame Salad, Jamaican Rice and Peas or Rhubarb Lamb Stew. With a pot of rice cooking on the stove, all you need is something to serve with it, on it or in it.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #440768 in Books
• Published on: 1998-10-06
• Released on: 1998-10-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 474 pages

From Amazon.com
Chinese stir-frys, Spanish paellas, Japanese sushi, Indian thorans, Thai salads, Turkish pilafs, Italian risottos, Senegalese yassas, American gumbos: if rice isn't the heart and soul of all these diverse dishes, rice can be found piled right there at the side of the plate, or in a bowl. To say that Alford and Duguid, authors of the award-winning Flatbreads and Flavors, deliver the world of rice is much too simple an understatement. Your days of buying one rice to serve all purposes will end with even a cursory reading of this lovely book.

The authors are photographers as well as writers, but their greatest skill may be to travel the world at the level of the culture they visit. They seem able to drop away from Western culture and hunker right down with rice vendor or cook, no matter where.

Seductions of Rice opens with all the basics of rice, everything a reader would want to know and then some. Then on to the cultures of rice: Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Indian, Central Asian, Mediterranean, Senegalese, and North American. Recipes either made from rice or to accompany rice range from Chinese Congee to Thai Green Papaya Salad to Japanese Quick Morning Miso Soup to South Indian Lentil Stew to Cuban Black Beans to Mexican Green Rice.

And in between? The authors fill in all the space between these diverse grains of rice with traveler's tales from the road. It is a luxurious book, a delicious book, a ripe combination of travel and taste. You leave off thinking that the world must be the shape of a rice ball. --Schuyler Ingle

From Publishers Weekly
In their debut cookbook, the IACP and James Beard Award-winning Flatbreads & Flavors (1995), Alford and Duguid explored a wide range of ethnic cuisines using the traditional flatbreads of each as a springboard. Here the authors, who are married, do the same with rice, yielding similarly terrific results. As is explained in the introduction, there are two kinds of rice dishes represented here: dishes that incorporate rice (Grilled Sticky Rice Balls; Central Asian Rice and Bean Stew) and those that are served atop or with rice (Spicy Simmered Tofu; Savory Chicken Finely Chopped). Recipes are organized in chapters by country and region (e.g., China, India, the Mediterranean, North America) and they overflow with the information gleaned by the authors who traveled far in their research, their two young sons in tow. The chapter on India recounts the days they spent observing workers in a rice stall at an open-air market, as well as recipes for Ripe Mango Chutney, Banana Salad and various pachadis (yogurt sauces differentiated from raitas because the yogurt is heated). The chapter, "Gohan, Sushi, Mochi: The Japanese Way," describes the making of miso along with a Salad of Grilled Mushroom and Fried Tofu and Soothing Tea Rice. Unexpected flavor combinations (risotto with beer, Rhubarb-Lamb Stew from Persia) add extra spark to this comprehensive exploration, illustrated by more than 200 photos, which gains depth from Alford and Duguid's personal accounts and their infectious interest in the growing of rice as well as its use (Alford and Duguid are real agricultural geeks, and they love to share facts). This is a must-have compendium for any serious cook. 35,000 first printing; 12-city author tour.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ingram
The authors of "Flatbreads and Flavors" set out to find the world's most essential and satisfying food. The glorious result is 200 easy-to-prepare dishes from the world's great rice cuisines. Over 200 photos.

Customer Reviews

Comprehensive
An excellent book. They say the book only scratches the surface of different types of rice, but this book is packed with information. Beautiful presentation of pictures keeps all the information flowing and interesting. A+

one of my top 5 favourite cookbooks
I have made over 50% of the recipies in this book. No other cookbook has given me this many "staples"!

The recipes produce delicious results with some tastes outside of "standard" North American fare that are easy to fall in love with, are straightforward to cook, are well explained, and "from scratch" hence they produce tastes one does not tire of. Some recipes require some planning but none take long to cook or unfamiliar gadgets/techniques (ie. you need left over rice, or marinate chicken a few hours before). They create food I don't feel guilty eating (it's not oil-laden or processed). Some require a few more exotic ingredients, but these can be found in major grocery stores. The authors explain what they usually pair together, which helps with meal planning.

My favourite rice dishes include: Mexican red rice (simple deliciousness, my all-time favourite dish), Mexican green rice, rissotto alla birra (with beer - creamy and indulgent), festive Turkish pilaf with pinenuts (wonderful flavour and texture), golden rice with saffron (calls for fish stock but I substitute chicken), and spring pilaf with fresh herbs (perfect side). These dishes are what I build my meals around; sometimes I just make some vegetables for a no-meat night.

Then there are my other indispensibles: Jamaican rice and beans (a quick one-pot meal made with coconut milk), classic Thai fried rice (10 minute meal if you have left over rice - how so few ingredients taste so good I don't know), everyday sprouts, and Spanish rice pudding (my favourite rice pudding ever).

Dishes that "wow" that I save for weekend dinners/company: thai grilled chicken with hot and sweet dipping sauce (addictive - you'll hear things like "you made this?), grilled pork satay with red curry sauce (another really addictive sauce), lamb-onion stew with cinnamon (really nice flavours if you enjoy lamb), black Thai coconut rice.

If you like trying new things and enjoy cooking, you will love this book. It will reward you with recipes you will use again and again and again.

My favourite cookbook
My family and I adore this book -- the information, the travel narratives, the photos, and of course the recipes. We were already eating a rice-based diet. This book has made our diet ever more varied and interesting.