Bee Yinn Low - Easy Asian Takeout: Delicious and Healthy Asian Recipes at Home

Easy Asian Takeout

Delicious & Healthy Asian Recipes at Home

Bee Yinn Low

Version 1.0 Copyright 2015 by RasaMalaysia.com . All rights reserved.

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Photography

Bee Yinn Low, Reem Rizvi

Published by

RasaMalaysia.com

Design & Layout

Heidi Larsen

foodiecrush.com

This ebook is for my loyal fans and readers who have been with me all these years. You continue to inspire me to improve myself and become better.

My first cookbook Easy Chinese Recipes: Family Favorites from Dim Sum to Kung Pao (Tuttle Publishing), was released on September 10, 2011. I have been blessed and fortunate that the cookbook continues to do well. More than three years after its release, Easy Chinese Recipes is still the best-selling cookbook in its category and scores hundreds of amazing reviews on Amazon.

Over the years, my fans and readers have inquired about my second cookbook. Many of them sent me touching emails, left sweet comments and encouraging words for me on my social media; they wanted me to write a second cookbook.

I loved the idea of having a second cookbook, but the thought of putting together another cookbook was dauntingsleepless nights, extensive recipe development, endless taste testing, food styling, photography and writing the manuscript. As a full-time food blogger at Rasa Malaysia and a stay-at-home mother to a 4-year-old preschooler, I simply dont have the luxury of time to commit to a full-blown cookbook; however, I wanted to share my work with my fans and readers, and I wanted to write a second book. So, after much consideration, I finally settled on an ebook.

I got in touch with Heidi Larsen of FoodieCrush , whose work I have admired for years. We started corresponding on the topic in August 2012, but serious discussions didnt kick in until July 2013. The plan was to release this ebook during the 2013 holidays. That didnt happen. Life always has a way of taking over a lot of priorities. I told Heidi I had to postpone the book until spring 2014. Then came spring, when I embarked on a two-month vacation to Penang, Malaysiamy hometown. Swaying coconut trees, shimmering blue seasoaking up the sun and fun completely buried the ebook project. It was postponed (again) to December 2014. I was procrastinating to the max and taking my own sweet time.

After repeatedly delaying the project, and at the risk of losing all my credibility to Heidi, I gave myself an ultimatum. The ebook had to be done; it had to take its shape and form and be officially released in January/February 2015. No more excuses, no more delaysinstead, hard work, sweat and sleepless nights. As soon as I set my mind to it, new recipes and ideas started to brew. I was ready. I felt inspired, thrilled and motivated. This time it was for real.

What you see here is a collective effort between Heidi and me. Her keen eyes and artistic direction make this ebook such a delight to look at. I am utterly happy and proud of the end product. Its beautiful, useful and a great resource for everyone who loves Asian cooking.

Special thanks goes to my husband G, who took care of our son little G when I was deeply engaged in this project. Thanks for your immense patience and support. To my beloved son little G, thanks for being such a sweetheart; I am sorry for not spending much time with you the past few months.

This ebook would not have been possible without the help of Jenny Franklin, my test kitchen assistant and recipe tester. Thanks also to my good friend Reem Rizvi for teaching me how to make the ever-popular tandoori chicken and chicken tikka masala, and for taking the gorgeous ingredient shots in this book. A special shout-out goes to my friend Korie Kha for giving me precious food-styling ideas. Thanks to all my family in Malaysia for giving me the courage to pursue my every dream. Last but not least, this ebook is for my loyal fans and readers who have been with me all these years. You continue to inspire me to improve myself and become better. Thank you very much for the supportthis book is for you.

I hope you enjoy reading Easy Asian Takeout as much as I do. Thank you for buying this ebook.

Happy reading and cooking!

Asian takeout can be many things to many people: A guilty indulgence of prepared meals contained in the iconic paper box stamped with a red Chinese pagoda, complete with napkins, disposable wooden chopsticks, fortune cookies and packets of soy sauce; a convenient weeknight dinner in front of the TV; a cheap and tasty cultural immersion of the exotic lands in the Far East. Simply put, Asian takeout is an all-American love affair with Asian food that we have all grown to love so much.

Everyone has their favorite Asian takeout joints that satiate our hunger and craving for Mongolian beef, sweet and sour chicken, pad Thai and fried rice. Our fridge is pinned with too many takeout menus from our neighborhood Asian restaurants. We might even have Dragon King Chinese Restaurant and Golden Thai Caf on speed dial. Asian takeout equals glorious Asian dishes that please and tantalize our hungry palates.

While being cheap and accessible, Asian takeout is not usually the healthiest food to consume. Its often loaded with MSG, grease and sodium-laden seasonings, and made with very low-quality ingredients. Its also a surefire way to put on unwanted weight.

There is a huge misconception that Asian cooking is too difficult and impossible to attempt at home. Most people are not familiar with the ingredients, do not have good recipes to refer to, or simply feel too intimidated by the cooking method. As a result, we continue to patronize our neighborhood takeout joints even though we know while friendly on the budget, the food is often hostile on our health and waistlines.

In Easy Asian Takeout: Delicious & Healthy Asian Recipes at Home , I demystify Asian cooking for you. There is a comprehensive chapter on the basic ingredients, plus picture guides to make shopping a breeze. Most ingredients are easily obtainable and available at your regular local supermarket. For harder to get ingredients, a trek to the closest Asian store will be rewarding as you can find all the ingredients you need and more. If you arent familiar with Asian markets or supermarkets, ask your Asian friends and I am sure they will point you in the right direction. For those who prefer online shopping, I provide a Resource Guide on where to buy the ingredients online.

Easy Asian Takeout features an amazingand mouthwateringcollection of 35 recipes that youll love, from perfect and fluffy steamed rice to Chinese Sesame Chicken; from moist and juicy Indian Tandoori Chicken to Vietnamese Summer Rolls; and from hearty Japanese Udon to spicy Thai Yellow Curry.

This ebook is packed with the most popular Asian takeout recipes and reads like your favorite Asian restaurants menus. All recipes are original, new and updated with friendly ingredients without losing authenticity and great taste. Most of the recipes are alcohol-free so anyone can make them, regardless of race, national origin or religion. All recipes are personally developed, tried and tested by me. They deliver scrumptious results that rival those of the best takeout restaurants youve ever patronized. Every recipe comes with a color photostyled and shot by yours truly. Some complicated recipes come with step-by-step picture guides. Its easy and foolproof, even for novice cooks who are new to Asian cooking.