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Feeling adventurous? Try your hand at chef and restaurateur Bruce Cost's recipe adaptations from the menus of his Asian noodle-centric Big Bowl restaurants. The book begins with a very useful guide to the special ingredients one needs to follow these recipes, including recommended brands. But take heed--there are more than a dozen pages of them. Still, Cost calls his food authentic and accessible, and, believe it or not, a trip to your local Asian grocery store for a handful of such staples as fish sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, and Chinese dark soy sauce should get you on your way. For the beginner, there are dishes with short lists of ingredients, including Steamed Mussels in Coconut Herb Broth, Glazed Sweet and Sour Eggplant with Sesame Sauce, and Red Braised Beef Short Ribs. The instructions are clear, detailed, and remarkably short.
As your pantry grows, so too can your repertoire. Once you've mastered Big Bowl's recipes for homemade red and yellow curry pastes, the book lists a host of mouthwatering recipes with which you can amaze your friends, such as Red Curry Seafood Soup, Thai Yellow Curry Beef Noodles, and Thai Red Curry Rice Noodles with Lamb and Chinese Chives. Cost recommends incorporating his dishes into your own menus, as well as using them to create entire Asian-inspired meals, and his recipes include helpful guides to how many people each dish feeds as a main course or as part of a larger meal. Classics such as Hot and Sour Soup, Indonesian Satays, and Vietnamese Summer Rolls are delectable and familiar enough to encourage kitchen novices to give this book a try, even if the list of ingredients and instructions for some of the recipes run long. For people who feel quite comfortable with a wok, there is plenty more to keep you challenged. Cost knows what his customers like best and has chosen his dishes carefully. Full-flavored, fresh, and interesting, this is a far cry from the brown-sauce-laden Chinese food available at the corner store. --Leora Y. Bloom
Alice Waters
Bruce Cost is one of the greatest cooks I've ever known.
Book Description
When the first Big Bowl restaurant opened in 1997, its founding partners had one mission: to make good, authentic Asian food accessible to American diners. Tired of greasy takeout and soggy egg rolls, they created an entirely different kind of Asian menu-one based on healthy techniques, market-fresh ingredients, and vibrant, traditional flavors. From steaming bowls of handmade noodles to fiery curries and fragrant stir-fries, every dish at Big Bowl became a delicious celebration of homestyle Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai cooking.Now Bruce Cost, the celebrated cook and a culinary partner behind Big Bowl's spectacular food, reveals how to prepare the house favorites in your own kitchen. Beginning with a basic explanation of Asian ingredients and cooking techniques, Cost's beautifully illustrated guide takes home cooks through the simple steps needed to create an Asian meal, whether it's a one-bowl dinner or a multicourse feast for family and friends. From Thai Chicken Noodle Salad to Blazing Big Rice Noodles with Beef to Shanghai Shrimp, all of Cost's recipes are incredibly flavorful yet easy enough for even the beginning cook to master. The instructions are clear, the ingredients are widely available, and the results are dramatic and delicious.So if you think Asian food at home means little white boxes, think again. Big Bowl Noodles and Rice will show you how to bring the fresh, authentic flavors of Asia to your table any night of the week.Hailed by Alice Waters as "one of the greatest cooks I have ever known," Bruce Cost is an award-winning restaurateur and chef, cooking teacher, and former food columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle. He currently serves as the culinary partner in Lettuce Entertain You's immensely popular chain of Big Bowl restaurants. Cost is also the author of Asian Ingredients, a comprehensive guide to Asian foodstuffs now available as a companion to this book.
About the Author
Bruce Cost is widely recognized as one of the nation's leading experts on Asian cooking. An award-winning restaurateur and chef, acclaimed cooking teacher, and former food columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, Cost is now a culinary partner in Big Bowl Restaurants, the Chicago-based chain renowned for its innovative pan-Asian food. He is the author of two other books, Ginger East to West and Big Bowl Noodles and Rice, a new collection of recipes from the restaurant.
Excerpted from Big Bowl Noodles and Rice: Fresh Asian Cooking from the Renowned Restaurant by Bruce Cost, Matt McMillin. Copyright © 2000. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved
Thai Chicken Noodles with Garlic and PeanutsServes 2 to 3 as part of a larger mealThe essence of Thai flavor is in this simple noodle dish. It's almost like a fragrant, flavorful warm noodle salad. In fact this can be cooled to room temperature and served as such.Ingredients6 ounces fresh or dried Chinese egg noodles Peanut or vegetable oil 3 tablespoons fish sauce 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1 tablespoon sugar 6 ounces boneless chicken breast, julienned1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 2 teaspoons cornstarch 1 teaspoon sesame oil 2 tablespoons julienned, seeded fresh red chiles or bell peppers 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion 1/4 cup 1 -inch scallion segments 2 tablespoons julienned ginger 6 garlic cloves, smashed 12 Thai basil leaves, julienned 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves 1/3 cup roasted peanuts, lightly choppedInstructionsBring a large amount of water to boiling and cook the Chinese noodles as you would any pasta, around 5 minutes or until done. Drain, run under cold water to stop the cooking, drain again, and toss with 1 teaspoon of the peanut oil. Set aside.Mix the fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar, and set aside.Mix the chicken with the salt, cornstarch, and sesame oil, and refrigerate until ready to cook.In a wok or skillet, heat 1 cup peanut oil. When hot but not smoking, add the chicken shreds and cook, stirring to separate the shreds. Just when the chicken changes color, remove and drain in a colander. Reserve the oil.Heat a clean wok or skillet. When very hot, add 4 tablespoons of the reserved oil. When hot, add the chiles, onion, and scallion and stir briefly over high heat to coat with the oil. Add the ginger and garlic, and continue to stir. Add the fish sauce mixture and, when it starts to a boil, add the noodles and toss until well heated. Stir in the basil and cilantro, and toss. Sprinkle in half the peanuts and immediately transfer to a serving plate. Sprinkle the rest of the peanuts on top.Shanghai Shrimp with Shiitake and Rice WineServes 2 to 3 as part of of a larger mealThis classic, almost buttery combination typifies the cooking of Eastern China at its most refined. The seasonings include bamboo shoots, ginger, scallion, shiitake, and Shaoxing rice wine. This is an elegant shrimp dish.Ingredients2 large dried mushrooms 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and cut in half lengthwise 2 teaspoons cornstarch1 teaspoon sesame oil plus a few drops for garnishSauce1/4 cup chicken stock1 tablespoon light soy sauce4 teaspoon kosher salt1 teaspoon sugar1 cup peanut oil1/4 cup julienned bamboo shoots 2 tablespoons julienned ginger 2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine 1/4 cup sliced scallion greens 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves 1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepperInstructionsSoak the mushrooms for 30 minutes in hot water to cover. When soft, cut off and discard the stems, and slice the mushrooms thinly. Mix the shrimp with the cornstarch and 1 teaspoon sesame oil.To make the sauce, combine the chicken stock, soy sauce, salt, and sugar; set aside.Heat 1 cup oil in a wok or skillet. When hot but not smoking, add the shrimp. Cook, stirring, to separate the pieces. When the shrimp change color, immediately remove and drain in a colander. Reserve the oil.Heat a clean wok or skillet to hot and add 1/4 cup of the reserved oil. When very hot, add the mushroom slices, bamboo shoots, and ginger, and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute over high heat. Add the chicken stock mixture and bring to a boil. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring to coat the shrimp with the sauce and seasonings. When piping hot, add the wine and scallion. Stir then turn off the heat. Stir in the cilantro leaves and white pepper. Drizzle with the sesame oil. Serve with rice.
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