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Member Reviews

Pepper Hamilton
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic simple directions with lots of variety
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2025
I enjoy preparing and eating Oriental food more than any cuisine. Cookbooks can reflect different areas in physical locations and present differences and shifts in taste and spiciness. That is the thrill of diving into cookbooks for me.
Maricel explores Filipino, Cantonese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese and Korean food in this expansive cookbook. I love when hints and directions are written with clarity because the cooking and eating become more fun and the fact that I made it myself is the icing on the cake.
It begins with a chapter on rice in the Philippines. Brown rice, short grain , sweet, long grain, jasmine, sushi, glutinous and black rice are popular.
Each Asian country features some kind of rice with meals. Filipinos and Thai are masters of jasmine rice. Korea mainly features short grain rice. Japan uses short grain white,and sushi rice, which is short and sticky. Medium grain is popular too. Vietnam favors jasmine rice.
I am starting to think about what to cook. Soy sauce also has many variations. I never realized that I could adjust the flavors in my cooking so quickly and easily. Noodles and wrappers make my spirit soar and make my eyes really focus. I am hungry now.
Maricel helps us select the proper cooking methods (grill, cast iron, barbeque) and prepares us for making our own treasures.
I will make Pork Spring Rolls. The directions are clear, and everything is waiting in cups and bowls. Oriental foods cook quickly. She provides an accurate estimate of how long it takes to serve the dish. There wasn't a lot to chop, so the preparation went quickly, It looked great in the wok. I went with her suggestion of using chicken. I served it with Lo Mein Noodles. No need for take-out, especially with Maricel's help. Another dday, I will make lechon with pork belly. Oh my goodness. My family is loving everything too!
I like Chicken Adobo and will make it soon. I like that the ingredients are easy to find in regular markets. Banana Spring Rolls! Be still my heart!
Tonight, my inspiration is China. We will have fried rice, dumplings, some shrimp and beef in a stir-fry. The clean-up is so easy. I used a soft cloth. This was fabulous and once it hit the pot, it didn't take long to get it to the table, about 15 minutes.
The author is a wonderful teacher.I want to make the complete hot pot soon.
Our friend comes from Thailand, so the next meal is important to me. More chilis and vinegar shift the flavors. Tonight, the menu is Shrimp Pad Thai, Basil Pork Stir-Fry, spicy and sour Shrimp soup, and sticky rice with ripe mango. Surely this dish originated in Heaven and smells so good.
Not only are the dishes diverse. The instructions are clear, the finished dishes looked gorgeous, and our stomachs were delighted.
Don't be afraid to cook the dishes in this cookbook. They are crystal clear, and you will have the experience of Maricel right there with you. You can do this and the clean-up was easy.
Our Korean meal will be soon. I feel like I took a cooking class . This book will not live in the bookcase, but in my special favorite cookbooks shelf so I can access it quickly and often. This wonderful volume taught me so much. I can't get enough of this deliciousness.
Thank you so much, Chef Maricel. You are amazing. I thank you and the publisher for allowing me to read this book. All opinions are my own.

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I’m pleased to share below a link to the video review for this book. It will appear on my Amazon influencer page for the USA, Canada and the UK. Once approved by Amazon it should also appear on the product page if there is space in the video carousel, and one has been authorised for this product.
Thank you for this opportunity, I hope we can work together again soon.

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A huge amount of research into the various ingredients used in these Asian cuisines has gone into this book which is presented at the front of the cookbook. Unfortunately, this means that when you are looking at the actual recipes, you'll need to keep flipping back to the beginning to understand what you should be using.

The quantities are in US measurements and there are some ingredients which are not adequately explained - eg white fish is not any white fish but something particular

I just wish that the author had focussed on food from one country. There are many that are pretty similar in each cuisine.

Lots of effort, but it just doesn't quite work

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Thank you NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the beginning, the introductions and all the pictures of Maricel, the author and her family through time.

Part 1 is intro and fundamentals, part 2 is the recipes, divided by country, part 3 is shopping ingredients.

Clarifications on types of rice and their differences, which country uses which rices, things I’ve always wondered about, but never looked up. The types of cooking oils, the types of noodles, the different soy sauces.

Additionally, the pictures are really nice and appetising, recipes clear and not too complicated, nice variety of staple recipes from all over asia.

All in all really great book.

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I received an ARC of this cookbook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this cookbook a lot. I don't know a lot about Asian cooking and it was filled with very helpful information as well as delicious recipes!

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This is a beautiful book - the writing, photography and recipes, of course. Maricel Gentile takes the reader along as she introduces the reader to the beauty of several Asian countries she has visited, their culture and how their food contributes a dramatic part of daily life. Then she ends each chapter with photographs and recipes from the specific country that the reader will find irresistable and compelled to try.
These recipes are not complicated and feature easily obtainable ingredients. Furthermore, Ms. Gentile includes QR codes on each recipe page so she can be directly contacted with questions or comments if needed.

Clearly Ms. Gentile put much thought and effort in making this a reader as well as user friendly text.
Everyone who loves travel, culture and local cuisine should have this book on their shelf for ready access.

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I absolutely loved this book. The recipes are easy and doable. The photography is gorgeous. Ms. Gentile's stories make the recipes more special because of the memories she has about them. I definitely recommend you buy this book and start creating your own memories.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and am leaving this review voluntarily.

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Delightful, fresh and flavorful...

This is a gorgeous cookbook filled with so many Asian favorite dishes. I especially liked the QR codes. The layout was easy to read and use in our digital age of cooking. So many fresh and flavorful foods, made easy and healthy.
Highly recommend.

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Maricel’s Simply Asian Cookbook by Maricela Gentile is a must have cookbook for all well rounded kitchens to have. Gentile is not only thorough in the step by step instructions for each delicious dish presented to the cook, but also in each ingredient that will be used throughout the cookbook. She gives a list of staple items an Asian cook needs to have on hand to make an impromptu meal, while other items are listed as nice to have but not necessary. Excellent layout of recipes that are easily approachable by the average cook.

I received an ARC of #maricelssimplyasiancookbook from #netgalley in lieu of my honest review of the book.

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A good basic Asian cookbook though focuses more on the Filipino cooking than any other countries cuisine.
The recipes weren’t hard to follow and turned out well.

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This book reminds me of the way that people hate using cooking blogs to find recipes because they have to scroll through so much story in order to get to the food. I think the stories in here are interesting, and the food looks wonderful. The recipes are so diverse and mouth-watering, but there's so much book before you get to the recipes. I think this book will be great for people who collect cookbooks and enjoy reading them. The pictures are fine, but not exciting, so I wouldn't recommend this book for the enthusiast looking for a coffee table display book.

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Fabulous from start to finish. It’s a master class in Asian cooking. The author/chef shares who she is, her experiences and how this book came to be. I learned so much from what to stock my cabinet/pantry with, the different types of noodles and which to use with what, to beautifully written easy to follow recipes. The accompanying illustrations were lovely. It’s from basic to more sophisticated, but nothing too complicated for most to make. I have in some way felt a bit intimidated to make some of these items at home. This book changed that for me. I’ve already made a few different items and have plans for more.
A great book for any collection and also as a gift. I really enjoyed reading this cookbook.

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What a fantastic find! I am an experienced cook, but many Asian dishes still evade me. This cookbook is beautiful, has short personalized stories (but not too much), and fantastic recipes from many areas of Asia. I will probably gift this book as well to several friends. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

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This book is the needed piece in the cookbook shelves - a simple book with Asian recipes and cooking tips.
The variety was awesome.
I must say I generally do not show much interest in the cookbook author's personal story unless there is a strong link with it the cookbook in hand - which was mostly the case here.
The presentation, layout, the selection, the QR codes, the pictures and the instructions were all awesome.

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l really like this book!! This book is very detailed and talks about each step very thorough. l have not gotten around to cooking anything in this book but would like to!!!! This book was definitely worth reading!!!

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There's a thorough introduction in this book before you even get to the recipes, detailing the best rice, oil etc to use to get the most authentic flavours. It's a good starting point for anyone who likes eating Asian food but hasn't cooked much of it. The recipes are well presented and the accompanying pictures are visually appealing.

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As someone who enjoys Asian cuisine but is a little hesitant to try cooking it at home, I enjoyed the variety of recipes, the well thought out instructions and the QR codes the accompanied the recipes. What I really appreciated was the appendix detailing visiting Asian markets and also what you could substitute if you couldn’t find a specific ingredient. I’m fortunate to have several markets close to my home and now look forward to venturing there with my list in hand to try several of these recipes.

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I love this book. The Author has written everything in a good way and easy to understand. She explained in detail every different kind of spices using in each food, either it is Filipino, Cantonese, Japanese, Thai, Korean or Vietnamese. She also shares some of recipes, although I’m not try it yet, however when I read it, as a beginner in cooking, I clearly understand step by step and how to follow the recipe. And some of tips are accessible thru QR codes, it is helpful and easy to access.

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A good overview of a few recipes per country and clarifications about essentials for Asian cooking. I would have preferred a few more vegetarian options and more Korean side dishes.

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This book gives clear cut instructions on cooking Asian food. I tried several recipes including Filipino lumpia, and Korean bibimbap. They were all delicious. If you are a fan of Asian cuisine, like me, do not miss this cookbook.

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