Hair - Steamy kitchens healthy asian favorites: 100 recipes that are fast, fresh, and simple enough for tonights supper

To my late Gong Gong (Grandpa),
who taught me the joy of dim sum.

I met Jaden Hair on the internet.

I just love saying that. And its true. My first introduction to Jaden was stumbling onto her website, whichall the way back in the dark ages of 2007was just as stunning as she was. I knew Jaden had been on television, and as a fledgling food blogger I was intimidated (and a bit awed) by her crisp, vivid photography and her undeniable gorgeousness. So I put her into the category of People Ill Admire From Afar, Thank You Very Much, never really imagining that wed ever cross paths in real life.

By 2008, Jaden and I had struck up a friendship via email. Food blogging was a smaller community back then and we wound up consulting with each other about this and that. A year or so later, we wound up together at a food conference. Elise Bauer (of simplyrecipes.com), Jaden, and I had crammed ourselves into the back of a small taxi in San Francisco, and somewhere along the way our driver ran a red light and we were almost completely sideswiped by another car. We always (somewhat nervously!) joke about that harrowing experience being the first time we met. But in fact, that night was the beginning of a forever friendship.

Thats how I know Jaden. Now let me tell you what I know about Jaden. Shes ridiculously full of life, with a laugh that can be heard four states away. Shes up for anythingIve never proposed a plan or a get-together that Jaden wasnt excited about. Shes unfathomably creative. And shes an accomplished businesswoman, with ideas and ambition that would wear me out within a week. But most of all, she loves her husband Scott and their two boys, Andrew and Nathan, more than life itself.

And then theres Jadens food, which is not only magazine-worthy and photogenic, but also tremendously delicious. Her attention to detailnot just in how the food looks, but how it tastesmeans every bite you put in your mouth will be a transcendent experience. I remember whipping up Jadens Beef with Broccoli for the first time and being astounded at not only how simple it was to prepare and how yummy it was, but how perfectly thought-out all the quantities of ingredients were. Where I would have sloshed in soy sauce and thrown in other ingredients willy-nilly, Jaden allowed for a precise amount of soy sauce, cornstarch, and other ingredients so that not a single drop went to waste or was unused. This is a bonus of Jadens recipes: You know youll only use what you need.

In Steamy Kitchens Healthy Asian Favorites , Jaden brings down to earth all the irresistible Asian recipes that many of us love ordering in restaurants but could never imagine making at home. Everything from a simple is presented in a straightforward way, using ingredients that most anyone can get at a supermarket. Simple instructions for making luscious stocks, perfect steamed rice, and yummy dumplings ensure that the basics are covered.

As Jadens friend, I loved her first cookbook, which was released a few years ago. But as a home cook and lover of simple Asian recipes, I am absolutely devouring this one. It makes Asian cooking possible for real home cooks like me, and it challenges me to tackle new frontiers in my kitchen.

But most of all, it inspires me.

And knowing Jaden like I do, Im pretty sure that will make her day.

Did you know that we humans have about 10,000 taste buds? No wonder we enjoy eating so much! As a recipe developer and lover of food, I feel like its my job to design dishes that take full advantage of every bite, pinging as many of those 10,000 taste buds as possible.

So push aside the old standby take-out classics, like greasy kung pao and starchy egg rolls. Theres so much more to Asian cuisine than the pedestrian chicken teriyaki. And General Tsos got nothin new up his sleeve, either. I say its time for a little innovationto be creative, and combine Asian spices with American and other ethnic favorites.

Instead of just Korean beef bulgogi grilled and served over rice, Ill show you gets considerably lighter with lots of napa cabbage and just enough ground chicken.

This book is all about learning to cook healthy foods in a modern Asian style. Ill show you how to make recipes that you and your family will look forward to eating, are easy on the pocketbook, and light on the waistline.