Quick Summary: An instructive guide and culinary education in Asian cuisine

My Review: PlantAsia: Asia's Vegetable Wisdom in Recipes, Stories and Techniques by Pamelia Chia is a "Cooking, Food & Wine" masterpiece. It is scheduled for release on 10/28/25.

About the Book: "PlantAsia is a continent-spanning celebration of Asia’s diverse and evolving food traditions that will transform the way you think about and cook with vegetables. Combining storytelling, technique, and unique flavor pairings, chef and author Pamelia Chia challenges and expands what we imagine when we think of vegetarian cooking."

In My Own Words: PlantAsia is an inspiring resource and guide that is filled with recipes, Q & As, pictures, instructionals, and more.

What I Liked/Loved/Cannot Wait to Try:

- I loved the way the author invited readers into her history. Learning about what led her toward this project and to this lifestyle personalized it. I could easily relate to what she shared.

- I found the notes on recipes to have helpful suggestions that would aid me in going forward.

- I really loved the pictures of the prepared food and assembled dishes. When chefs, cooks, culinary teachers, food writers, and anyone in food creation provides visual aids, it proves to be incredibly helpful. It helps me to know what a meal should look like. I find it moves me toward a targeted goal much better.

- I loved the artwork and Q & A with the featured contributors. I was familiar with a couple, but this added treat allowed me to become familiar with more.

- I liked how the book was sectioned. It was perfect...from A to Z! I particularly appreciated Expanding Your Asian Pantry.

- I loved the simplicity, with regard to the recipes. The instructions, the ingredient lists, and the step-by-step preparation guides were invaluable.

- I super loved all of the eggplant recipes!!! Often, people do not know how to prepare them, but this book showed just how versatile this yummy fruit (masquerading as a vegetable) really is/can be.

- I LOVED the recipes. I cannot wait to try (abbreviated listing, per section):

Raw: Garden Greens Sambol, Naengmyeon with Watermelon Dongchimi

Steamed and Blanched: Chayote and Glass Noodle Dumplings, Mushroom Rice Rolls with Bean Sprout Salad

Simmered: Butternut Squash Kootu with Spiced Chickpeas, Tempered Beans with Tomato Casarecce

Fried: Stir-Fried Glass Noodles with Cilantro and White Pepper, Fig and Brie Hotteok

Deep-Fried: Eggplant Croquettes with Cilantro Mayonnaise, Fried Cauliflower with Gochujang Glaze

Charred and Grilled: Kulawong Talong, Smoky Eggplant Raita with Focaccia

Roasted and Baked: Tumeric Carrots with Dill and Mung Bean Jelly, Pumpkin and Pearl Couscous Salad

Sweetened: Steamed Mochi-Stuffed Dates, Black-Sticky Rice Pudding with Coconut Milk and Mango

*** Honorable Mentions: Hot Butter Mushrooms, Tempeh Satay with Sambal Matah, Kare-Kare-Style Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Chili-Flecked Jalebis with Mango Yogurt, Blackberry and Peach Gum Shortcake

My Final Say: This fantastic work of art is so simple and so beautifully done. I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy for my personal library. Not only is the content easy to follow, but it is also inspiring. I plan to refer to it often.

This book belongs in every kitchen. I highly recommend it.

Other: I could easily see this content being carried over into a cooking show or into a specialized food series. It was such an educational experience. I know others will be drawn to it.

Rating: 5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Keeper: Yes
Favorites Shelf: Yes
Besties Shelf: Yes
Status/Level: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sincere appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher (The Experiment), and to NetGalley. Thank you so very much for granting access to this amazing work in exchange for an honest review. The words I have shared are my own and have been voluntarily submitted. I look forward to reading and learning more from this Singaporean culinary teacher and food writer. Brava!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC. 

I was a little concerned about this book because covering all Asian cooking is quite the ambitious task. I was pleasantly surprised with the execution. We get a nice sampling of vegetarian dishes from all over Asia. 

The recipes I tried are great, and I'm definitely going to try more of them after this. 

The little interviews between recipes were also nice. 

I always love when nonfiction books have a further reading section at the end. 

I think it would have been nice to include some suggested menu options at the end because I feel like people can struggle with putting vegetarian menus together more than they do with finding individual vegetarian recipes.