Noodles, Rice, and Everything Spice
With the popularity of graphic novels, memoirs and histories, it’s no surprise that graphic cookbooks would follow. Noodles, Rice, and Everything Spice begins with an illustrated account of Chef Mallika Kauppinen’s life and culinary upbringing in Thailand before marrying in Finland and introducing the Baltic nation to Thai food. Christina De Witte’s brightly colored, simple but vivid drawings illustrate history lessons (Portuguese traders brought peppers to Thailand in the 1500s) and then, recipes. The text is essential throughout, but the illustrations add—pun coming—a dash of spice. Kauppinen covers everything from snacks and soups to desserts and beverages, with noodle, rice and curry entrees in between.
Let’s Make Bread begins on a similarly autobiographical note. Ken Forkish is a James Beard Award winning baker and Sarah Becan a comic artist. “And we’ve joined forces to explore the world of artisan baking!” they declare. Where cooking is mostly an art, baking is more of a science. As a result, the illustrated instructions are detailed and, yes, often scientific. “Once the environment becomes anaerobic (without oxygen), their activity converts to fermentation: they (yeast) eat sugars and output CO2 gas and Ethanol.” You get the picture, but the end result are appealing recipes for a dozen kinds of bread.
Get Noodles, Rice, and Everything Spice at Amazon here.
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