Noodles, Rice and Everything Spice is a comic cookbook written and designed by two Thai food enthusiasts with a goal to share their homeland's known and loved recipes, from noodles, through sides, all the way to rice dishes. The book starts with an explanation of the authors' respective backstories and offers a unique insight on how the book came to be and where their passion for sharing Thai food with the world stems from. From here on, the authors seemlessly move onto listing various kitchen tools, ingredients and places to look for them before delving into the recipes themselves. Alongside these lists, we are offered intriguing tips and recommendations from the seasoned cooks.

We are introduced to multiple chapters, each focusing on different kinds of foods (e.g., rice dishes, noodle dishes, sides etc.) as well as introductory comic strips at the start of each one. These comic strips pose as a special addition and enhance the books enjoyability. They add a whimsical and personal touch that would otherwise go unpresented, as with most cookbooks out there. Each recipe has a minimum of two pages dedicated to it, including detailed illustrations describing the whole process of preparing it. Given the authors' nationality, their tips and suggestions about each recipe contribute to its originality and authenticity in regards to the Thai culture and cuisine.

An aspect that was greatly appreciated while reading the book was the fact that the reader not only dived into new recipes, but also got to learn about its people's culture and history, seeing as there were many interludes and comic strips where context behind an ingredient, ethymology, or the recipe itself was explained.

All in all, the comic cookbook was an enjoyable read and its personal and cooking-related characteristics made it stand out in comparison to a 'traditional cookbook'. I will certainly be trying some of the recipes myself.

This is an incredible cookbook with lots of variety. All recipes are well set out and easy to follow. I cannot wait to try out some of the recipes

I love comic cookbooks because instead of rereading the steps when I inevitably forget what to do next I can just follow the pictures. This is both a comic cookbook and a guide to Thai culture and cuisine. It’s pretty accessible and they offer store-bought alternatives for people who can’t source the ingredients or want a faster recipe.

The art style is kind of minimalist and cartoony with goofy facial expressions and bendy noodle arms. Some of the introductory history material is less sequential art storytelling than illustrated facts (if I’m splitting hairs). I’m also personally never a fan of photographs being added to comics.

The recipes are easy to follow and have quick tips for stuff like reheating and storing food. I like that the authors used the Thai words for the dishes and ingredients but I wish they also included how to pronounce them in IPA. Sometimes there were weird cooking steps or ingredient combos (6 big chiles and 3 small ones?) that I wish had been explained a bit more. If you’re not into spicy food, the drinks and dessert section is still pretty interesting.

Thanks NetGalley, Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press, and Ten Speed Graphic for this arc!

5/5 delicious stars!

I loved this! The art was adorable and the recipes all easily laid out and informative. I'm definitely purchasing a physical copy for my cookbook shelf at home!

Welcome Back!

Today’s read is a bit different. It’s a graphic novel mixed with a cookbook. I love cookbooks and have a small collection of them on my shelf in the dining room area of my home. So when I saw this book on Netgalley, I requested an E-ARC copy to try and I absolutely ended up loving it (thank you so much to the publisher for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions)! (I will totally be picking up a copy to add to my cookbook collection in the future).

SPOILERS AHEAD

**This part of the review will be slightly different than normal, I want to talk about some of the story that was given in the book but also give my overall thoughts all at once.

In this comic book cookbook, we get to learn about a pair of friends who met over their love/desire to learn a language (with one person being the tutor and the other person being there to learn) however, their friendship grew and they ended up making this very book! (Which is completely awesome)! Throughout the cookbook we not only learn recipes but we also learn a lot about the different regions of food within the country, how different ingredients and spices are used, and more! Adding all of these elements together with some really delicious-looking recipes absolutely sold me on this cookbook!

This comic book cookbook hits shelves on May 7th, 2024, I definitely recommend checking it out and maybe even trying to make a dish or two!

Goodreads Rating: 5 Stars

***Thank you so much to the publisher for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

This is a litte gem: food, culture, personal story are mixed in this tasty abd interesting travel guide/cookbook/illustrated "comic"

I really liked it. I'm glad I had the chance to read it!

Really great graphic cookbook. I learned a lot about the diff regions of Thai food and its origins with Portuguese, Indian, and Chinese influences woah! Really helpful instructions too on substititions and ways to alter recipes.

Received a free PDF of this book from Net Galley.

What a beautiful and heartfelt cookbook! The illustrations, history, and personal storytelling drew me in immediately. I feel like I learned a lot without even meaning to -- it was so accessible and also made me really want to cook Thai.

Some cookbooks that include narrative or background text are more like poems or a stream you can dip in and out of. This one made me sit down and read it through like a comic book, following along and noting recipes I'd want to come back to later.

So far, I've only made a Thai style omelette but it was a perfect quick and flavorful lunch that I'd never made before. Some of the other recipes are more intimidating or seem complex, but the cute step by step drawings are a great guide. I would recommend for more confident or advanced chefs, or folks who already have the equipment mentioned + access to a great Asian grocery. Knowing all the work and special ingredients that go into creating such delicious food also makes me feel completely justified in eating at Thai restaurants and giving them all my money.

You can feel the love for Thai food and culture all throughout this book. It would be a beautiful gift for yourself or a cook in your life to treasure.

Review also posted on goodreads.

I love Thai food so this cookbook was right up my alley. I thought this book was very clever being in the graphic novel style. It was also well organized. It gives an introduction of the various regions of Thailand and their culinary differences, as well as an Asian grocery and ingredients/tools 101. Some of this will be review for those that already cook Asian food but overall, I think it's important though so home cooks aren't intimidated by the ingredients. I also liked how it organized the recipes: noodles, rice dishes, soups, etc. Some of the graphic novel story pieces didn't interest me but I could see others liking it. Some of the recipes require you to make another recipe for a piece of it, which can get time-consuming but it all seems to be authentic. I look forward to making more recipes but as I said, they will probably be weekend meals when I have more time. Overall, I would recommend this fun, whimsical, as well as authentic cookbook.
Thank you to NetGalley and for providing me with an ARC. All opinions expressed are my own and were willingly given.

Noodles, Rice, and Everything Spice is an appealing, clever, and useful cookbook in comic form by Christina De Witte and Mallika Kauppinen. Released 7th May 2024 by Penguin Random House on their Ten Speed Press imprint, it's 208 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats.

The art is very simple but appealing and fun, full of energy and whimsy, and at the same time ingredients and prep methods are clear enough to follow easily. The text is direct and unvarnished and the authors have included an intro on their meeting and friendship leading up to this collaborative effort. Despite coming from disparate backgrounds, there's fertile common ground and the "origin story" is well worth a read.

The recipes themselves are arranged thematically: tools and supplies, ingredients (and a tutorial for shopping at Asian stores which was helpful and fun), snacks & starters, noodles, rice dishes, soups & curries, desserts & drinks, and staples and accompaniments. Most of the standard recipes which readers can think of are included in some form here.

Recipe ingredients are written in an illustrated bullet list, followed by step by step instructions. Ingredients are given with imperial (American) units, not metric. There's no nutritional info included. Many of the ingredients will be available at any well stocked grocery store in North America, but a significant proportion of the ingredients will require a trip to an Asian market or grocery store.

Thai food is a brilliant fusion of salt & sweet, spicy & savory; really an explosion of flavor, and this book captures an honestly surprising amount of variety and breadth. Don't let the comic format come in the way, this is a *real* cookbook, made by authors who are familiar with and experienced at cooking the cuisine.

As an aside, the authors' family histories are fascinating and varied and sensitively told - they've both moved extensively, both live in Europe now, one is from a varied (multi-ethnic) background, the other has a Finnish husband and Finnish/Thai son. The experiences aren't hammered on or waved around, but they are warmly and positively mentioned and representation is important. One reason they connected (giving rise to the cookbook collaboration) is Ms. De Witte's wish to connect to her Thai roots and learn Thai as a young adult (Ms. Kauppinen is a teacher and Thai + Finnish tutor).

Five stars. A solid cookbook. It would be an excellent choice for public or school library acquisition, home use, and gift giving purposes.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

This cookbook provided such a great introduction to Thai cuisine for home cooks. I especially loved the introductory sections, including the portions devoted to history and grocery shopping, as well as the Staples & Accompaniments section at the end. The illustrations are so bright and colorful that they pop off the page and make you want to get cooking right away!

Noodles and Rice and Everything Spice is a delightful book to browse, learn and cook from. The illustrations are full of energy and enthusiasm for the information and recipes.
Although some of the recipes look pretty in depth, I feel like they would be worth the extra effort to get the authentic Thai food experience.
A fun book with lots of delicious recipes and ideas!

Thank you Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press, Ten Speed Graphic, and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this book. This book is a great visual guide to Thai food that is easy to follow and recreate at home. It provides recipes from different regions of Thailand with some history and even gives a tour of an Asian market and suggestions about the ingredients.
I enjoyed the non-traditional, graphic novel format and step-by-step preparation illustrations of each dish. It would also be nice to include real photos of finished dishes so those unfamiliar with Thai cuisine could see what the dish should look like. Overall, this is a great book that is both educational and fun.

I’m beginning to love graphic novel cookbooks and this one was perfection! Lots of good info and recipes to try. Love! Definitely a keeper

I absolutely adored this book. It was so cute! I read it with my son who is nine and he loved following along with the illustrations. Very engaging book and loved the conversational tone and step by step images of the recipes.

I enjoy learning about cultures beyond my own, and cooking food from other countries to enjoy and share. I've just finished savoring my very first comic cookbook, and what a delight it is! The cookbook is just about as friendly and helpful as it could be, and packs a lot of history, culture, and personal memories into each warm and fuzzy page. I would love to see this cookbook start a trend.

A local farmer's market carries whole coconuts, but I've always felt intimidated by using them in cooking. I appreciated learning more about coconut milk and meat, and how it's collected. And how charming is it that the first, richest 'squeeze' is called the "Head" of coconut milk and the last watery gleanings are called the "Tail"?

Many of the ingredients used in the 50 recipes contained in this comic cookbook aren't easily found around my neighborhood, but I was cheered to see that the authors not only mention, but encourage the use of canned and bottled sauces, marinades, soup bases and the like. This should guarantee that more people will actually try cooking the dishes.

The section titled "A quick note about..." is misnamed, as it's really several pages long and gives us a solid overview of commonly used spicing, flavor balances, ingredients, and even serving utensils.

About 40ish pages in, having been well-grounded in Thai food culture, we finally come upon the recipes, beginning with "Snacks and Starters". All the recipes are accompanied by step-by-step illustrated instructions, even more information about Thai culture, childhood memories, and little tips and tricks from the authors cooking experiences.

The recipes are varied, and there's going to be something in the collection to appeal to every palate. There's extensive coverage of the different types of curries that are so popular in Thai cuisine. I could tell that the goal of that section was to demystify cooking with curry. If curries are intimidating to you, this will arm you with enough information and assurance to prod you towards cooking curry dishes yourself.

'Desserts and Drinks' is a sweet treat in itself, filled with more history lessons and personal memories from the authors. There's a good handful of complex, average, and simple recipes. I am going to try making Khai Waan (Sweet Egg) this afternoon, since I have all the ingredients (there's only four, and one is water!) and the instructions are very simple.

'Staples and Accompaniments' is very helpful for cooks wanting to stock their kitchens with ingredients for Thai food. You'll also learn about good side dishes to support the main dish you've chosen to cook.

If a cookbook could become a gesture, "Noodles, Rice, and Everything Nice" would be a warm hug. Pick up a copy and gather your family to create your own new taste treats and lasting memories.

My thanks to authors Christina de Witte and Mallika Kauppinen, Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a digital review copy of this book. This review is my honest and unbiased opinion.

This was very nice to read, even though it is part cookbook. The stories that accompanied the recipes were very fun to read and I really love the concept of this sort of cookbook. I also really liked that the creators of the book made this out of their own experiences.

Even if you won't be making the recipes, this is very nice to read!

I absolutely love every single thing about this comic/cookbook. Before even getting into it, I was so ecstatic that this even exists. As a Thai girl wanting to cook more Thai recipes, this was an easy grab and it blew out of water. I loved going through the artwork, the illustrations, and the story. But the recipes truly are what stood out. I'm so ready to try every single item in the book. The nostalgia and the excitement surrounding each dish will definitely make me a much better cook! I can't rave enough, all the stars for this!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this amazing cookbook. All opinions are my own.

This was a one-of-a-kind cookbook. The authors put so much heart into telling their stories and teaching about their culture in their cooking. This book brings together cute art, beautiful stories of people finding identity through cooking, and delicious Thai recipes. A wonderful read!

A fun way to making cookbooks approachable is turning them into graphic novels. It was such a pleasure to read Noodles, Rice and Everything Spice by Christina de Witte and Mallika Kauppinen. I’m a fan of Thai food and this book took me on a tour through the country’s various regions sharing recipes and stories along the way. The stories and facts included helped to make a more immersive experience before dipping into each sections recipes. Not only were there stories and recipes but tips, tricks, info on cooking supplies and how-to’s were sprinkled along the way. From starters to main dishes this was such an enjoyable and handy book. I also loved the bright and fun art style as well as layout. It was easy to read, and a book I will be returning to for recipes. I would love to see more cookbooks like this!

Thanks to Clarkson Potter, Ten Speed Press and NetGalley for this Arc in exchange for my honest review.