This is great, there’s so much you can with rice and so many ways to eat it! Rice is a staple in many countries, it’s accompanied by what’s grown in the garden and with meat or seafood. Sometimes with sauce or plain, so many recipes to try! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy.

Lotus food founders Levine and Lee have put together a finely crafted volume focusing on rice. They focus on varieties grown across the world, describing color, growth facts like where it is grown and nutrition levels, the reason for rinsing rice [getting asbestos levels down], and even harvesting. They give simple instructions for cooking the grain in broth or water, as well as complex but easy to follow recipes for common dishes with rice as it is cooked by rice farmers around the world. This is no white rice 🍚 cookbook either. While recipes may call for white rice, it is just as common to use black forbidden rice, red rice, jade green rice, etc. Variety is the focus and recipes run the gamut from soups to salads to traditional fried, pilaf, pullao, and desserts. Instructions are given for how to create that treasured golden brown crust prized by any cultures. A valuable addition to any cookbook collection for all those cooks struggling to make perfect rice.

This book absolutely lives up to its name. Not only was this text full of recipes but it also contained a cultural and historical perspective that I was not expecting. I found it to be fluid and easy to follow. The images were beautiful and the instructions were intuitive. Admittedly I haven't tried every recipe in this book however the several that I did complete were delicious. There were several vegetarian recipes. Overall I think this is an excellent cookbook for anyone who enjoys rice.

"Rice is Life" lives up to its name! I knew there was more variety of rice in the world than jasmine, basmati, and brown, but this book opened my eyes to how rice is consumed worldwide. The historical and cultural portions paired well with the recipes from different countries and created a beautiful, holistic narrative.

I loved the photography throughout the book and liked that the structure followed the traditional path from appetizers to mains to desserts. There was a lovely variety of recipes and none of them looked too hard for a home chef to follow.

Rice is life has a fantastic variety of recipes And is very well presented. All of the pictures are beautiful and truly displays the dish and makes it look appealing. It is a perfect companion to other books for side dish ideas.

Rice really is life! I loved the variety of recipes in this book. There is truly a recipe or food style for everyone here. Pictures are good as well. I recommend for those who has rice as a daily food.

Rice Is Life was not exactly what I was expecting when I requested to read this title--it was so much more! I learned plenty about the cultivation of rice in different parts of the world, as well as ethical and sustainable practices. I know more about a wide variety of rice types, and have orders on the way to try a few new-to-me varieties. The photography is gorgeous (though I do wish there were more photographs of the actual dishes of the recipes), and the layout suits the book itself quite well. I appreciated the *wide* variety of regional dishes presented in this book instead of just similar versions of overdone ones that we frequently see.


My thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the opportunity to preview this title in exchange for my honest opinion.

I received this book from the publisher through Netgalley for review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Rice; a world food staple and one much taken for granted. Highly informative book. Recipes and preparation tips throughout this cookbook introduce you to unique varieties of rice worthy of a try. New methods of growing mean a more sustainable way to produce more. Excellent book on the topic.

I tried several of the recipes in this book, which were quite enjoyable. Add to that beautiful pictures and detailed information that extols the goodness of all things rice.

This could have easily read like a giant advertisement for Lotus Foods. I mean, the founders of the company are here writing the book that shows how to use all their various products that they sell. THAT SAID, the book is careful to call for varieties of rice that you can find anywhere, even if you can't find the branded stuff locally, which I'd say is a smart move. Gone are the days where a company would print little cookbooks for you to figure out how to use more of their product.

As a recipe book, this does indeed stand on its own. As a RICE book, there's a ton of information about rice, how it's grown, its history, and lots of information about organic farming practices. As a rice recipe book, I'm docking a star, because there's a bunch of recipes that are just calling for rice noodles. Yeah, technically it IS made of rice, but it's not really what I think of when a book bills itself as a rice recipe book. Aside from that, the pictures, the information, and the general recipes are pretty straightforward to follow.

There is a reasonable variety of recipes here, although the recipes that they're using are specifically using the types of rice that they're importing/selling, and come from the regions where those grains are grown. For example, you're not seeing much calling for American long grain, or whatever generic long grain rice. There are several that call for basmati, and any of the Indian recipes are heavily centred on Northern Indian recipes, which is fine, but know what it is that you're going in on. However, in their defence, when they do call for their name brand black rice (forbidden rice), they tell you to substitute whatever other black rice that isn't sticky that you can get your hands on. Pretty cool, I'd say.

There's a ton of vegetarian recipes, but the vegan ones are light on the ground. It's fine, because pretty much any of the non vegan ingredients (except eggs) are pretty easy to substitute, and the recipes can be converted to vegan. For those who want it, there are meat and fish recipes as well that involve rice or rice noodles.

I based one of my college projects off the premise that food and specifically rice is a huge part of culture. We made a mini cookbook! So when I saw this cookbook I knew I had to take a look. And I was not disappointed.

Rice is Life is a cookbook about, well, rice. I know, shocker. But it's not just fried rice in here! The cookbook is split into 5 sections: Eggs and Rice; Snacks and Soups; Salads and Sides; Main Dishes; and Desserts.

The cookbook has a firm international flair. While sometimes I am very critical of this, it makes sense in this cookbook. As a Lotus Foods cookbook, this comes from a place of love and respect for rice, its growers, and its cultures. This is particularly evident in the introduction to the book and each of its sections. This isn't just some brand cookbook trying to sell you more Crisco. It tells you about rice history, culture, and innovation. One could wonder why a cookbook needs that, but I am not one of those people. This is how I prefer cookbooks. In my cookbook-buying adventures, I have purchased a number of lovely-looking cookbooks, but I almost never reach for the ones without anecdotes. (I do prefer to skip mommy and me blog stories if that tells you anything.) Also, if this cookbook with its internationally-inspired recipes didn't tell you anything about the cultures the recipes were inspired by, I'd be throwing a fit. Yes, I'm salty about the being made fun of for ethnic food as a kid but now that food is trendy trope.

I fully admit I haven't actually tried any of these recipes yet. It's not that they seem extremely technical or unappetizing. It's quite the opposite. The directions are clear (and I could gripe for hours about unclear recipe directions) and the flavors seem right up my alley. I'm simply too lazy to break out a recipe unless there are people around to try it.

I recommend this cookbook for anyone that likes rice and cookbooks. And if you don't like rice, what's wrong with you you probably wouldn't pick this up based on the title alone. Rice is Life by Caryl Levine, Ken Lee, and Kristin Donnelly comes out October 11, 2022. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I received a free ARC in return for my honest opinion.

Wow! This book is so much more that I was expecting. Not only is it chock full of delicious recipes, but it tells the story of the grain and the individuals who cultivate these hidden treasures. The photography is absolutely gorgeous and each and every page has a new surprise. Very well done!

Rice is Life is part informational and part cookbook. It is full of beautiful photographs and contains a lot of interesting facts about the history and cultivation of rice around the world. Most of the recipes really appealed to me and I will definitely be trying some of them out. The only thing I didn't care for was that the authors' brand of rice was mentioned quite a bit. At times, it felt like a sales pitch for their product.

Thank you to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this book.
Is there anything better than the book just about rice?!
Rice is actually my life. I can eat any and kind rice. when I saw the title I knew this is the book for me.
This book gives insight about the history of rice and its varities found around the world. It gives various helpful tips and tricks from selection to cooking of rice.
Recipes given were diverse. steps were easy to follow. It also includes some beautiful pictures of the recipes as well as photos about rice production field.
Definitely gonna try some of these recipes.
Loved it!!

I had no idea there was so much to learn about rice! The beginning of this book is so informative about rice agriculture and it’s impact on the environment. I really enjoyed the exploration of the different kinds of rice and different methods of preparation. Best of all, the recipes look delicious and not overly complicated. I’ve only made one so far, but it was an utter delight. I will definitely be picking up a finished copy when this releases.

What a great book about one of our staple foods! I loved learning more about rice, growing, it, cooking it, and amazing recipes.

Rice is Life is not only a beautiful book featuring delectable recipes with gorgeous accompanying photos, it is also about rice and rice cultivation by two authors who obviously live by the mantra “Rice is Life”. Rice is a complex grain that has way more depth than the instant rice many grew up on. There are numerous varieties of rice found on nearly every continent, and come in a rainbow of colors and different textures and flavors, there are so many possibilities. Caryl Levine and Ken Lee have done a spectacular job with this collection. I’ve already purchased some of their “forbidden” black rice and can’t wait to try these recipes. There are recipes for everything from main dishes to deserts, and the ingredient lists are easily obtainable. Everyone from a kitchen novice to the most experienced chefs will enjoy this volume, and it’s the perfect edition to any kitchen bookshelf.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and authors fir an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. I will definitely be purchasing a copy for my kitchen!

This is a wonderfully informative rice cookbook that includes beautiful photos, rice history, info on the types of rice, and plenty of recipes, including breakfasts, snacks, main dishes, and desserts. There's information on how to cook different types of rice, as well as a chart for Instant Pot/pressure cooker times. So helpful!

But...the best part is the recipes! From Spiced Lentil and Rice 'Shakshuka' to Jasmine Rice & Herb Salad to Rice & Black Beans with Coconut Milk & Thyme, everything looked (and sounded delicious). There are a lot of vegetarian recipes, and well as fish and seafood, and of course, the all important chicken and rice dishes.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC!!

I have always liked rice better than pasta, so Rice Is Life: Recipes and Stories Celebrating the World's Most Essential Grain
is a welcome cookbook to add to my collection. This is an excellent cookbook with more information than expected about rice. Not only does it cover many varieties of rice, it includes information on how it’s grown, how to cook different varieties, how to choose appliances, such as rice cookers and my favorite, Instant Pot or pressure cooker, to cook it (including time tables), and many recipes to use it. The authors have also included a troubleshooting chapter with helpful hints to eliminate mushy, overcooked, undercooked, sticky or scorched rice. This cookbook is an excellent choice for anyone who likes rice, which includes almost all of us.

The book includes beautiful photographs of not only most of the recipes, but also the landscape where it’s grown as well as the actual rice plants and areas where rice is grown. The photos are good enough that many readers will want to make something new every day with a new kind of rice.

The recipes are easy-to-follow and written in the traditional form so that both beginning and advanced cooks will have no problem preparing them. Included are appetizers, soups, side dishes, salads, main dishes and desserts calling for both rice and rice noodles. While many of the recipes have Asian roots, there are recipes from all over the globe.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

As a fan of Lotus Foods, I was excited to check out this new cookbook. It includes information about sustainable rice farming, which is more interesting than it sounds. The recipes look quite good, although I would have liked to see more substitutions or variations mentioned. Although I'm probably going to get a copy and make almost all the desserts (LOL, that's right, start with dessert!), I couldn't give 5 stars because there were a number of recipes without pictures. If you eat rice (have you had their rice ramen noodles? yum) or are interested in sustainable eating practices, this is for you.