Cook Your Way Around the World with Exotic Table
Exotic Table P. 300, Hardcover, 100+ Recipes, Fully Illustrated. (Details on book and Aliya LeeKong; purchase via )
Exotic Table – Flavors, Inspiration, and Recipes from Around the World – to Your Kitchen, was introduced to the world in 2013 by the author, Aliya LeeKong. The cookbook received nationwide acclaim for making international flavors as familiar as they are exciting. Exotic Table was named “Best of the Best” by Food & Wine magazine in 2014; the prestigious award selects the top 25 cookbooks in the U.S. each year.
Let’s listen in on this video by Aliya LeeKong and listen to what she as to say about her cooking style:
The Chief Blonde Remarks:
I was sent a copy of the Exotic Table so I could visit culinary delights from around the world from my kitchen. I was mesmerized by the recipes. I wasn’t really sure I would have the ingredients to make anything from the book, but as I paged through, I found I had almost every ingredient for many recipes and I would just have to nip out and buy one or two (mostly the fresh items).
LeeKong gives a brief intro to each recipe which really helps you to define the location of the world that inspired the creation along with get a feel for how the recipe will appeal to your senses. For example, on the recipe I choose to make from page 133, “Chicken Salad with Bacon, Walnuts and Fruit”, Aliya writes
“Here, instead of mayonaise, toasted walnuts are spun in the food processor with pita soaked in milk to form the base. I added bacon and shallot for smoke and crunch, and the fruit adds a sweet, watery bite to the salad. This is fantastic in a sandwich or by itself with some greens.”
Is your mouth watering yet? Check out some of these other creations from the book:
Left to Right: p. 118, Butterflied Za’atar Roast Chicken; p. 72 Massaged Kale Sald with Pear, Fresh Cheese and Pomegranate Vinaigrette; p. 300, Cherry-Yuzu Champagne Floaters
You will love the little tips she sprinkles throughout to ensure you understand why you are preparing a particular ingredient as she suggests. I found each recipe to be quite sexy in it’s presentation and illustration. You will find this book a feast for the eyes as well as the palette in my opinion. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
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UPDATE: This post originally had a $104 4 cookbook giveaway attached. The rafflecopter entry device has been removed and had 2631 entries. See Giveaway Winners.
I luv to read and look through cookbooks.
This one has such a neat array of diversity and exotic ingredients that I think it would be challenging and fun to experiment with them.
My Hubby and I both cook and luv to try new recipes!
Like that she not only has recipes but has the stories behind them — this makes it much more interesting to read than if it were a simple cookbook.
The book has over 100 recipes inspired by both familiar and traditional Western recipes which I would love to make some for my family for dinner they love to try new recipes.
i love to cook from different worlds ,and this would be awesome for the unique recipes.would love to know some of these exciting wonderful recipes and try for my family
I love all the different types of cuisine.
I like that I can get it on Amazon for free with my kindleunlimited, LOL! Just kidding. I like the diversity in the recipes. A lot of fresh ideas that would help me. I’m so tired of the same recipes all the time.
I love that there are recipes from all around the world. We always have a theme night once a week, Italian, Mexican, Greek, Asian and my favorite down home country food 🙂
I love cookbooks with recipes that are from other cultures!
I loved that they contains recipes of meals from faraway lands, which are “inspired by both familiar and traditional Western recipes”. And that she brings these “exotic spices, ingredients, and traditions into American cooking”.
I love that the recipes are from all different exotic cultures and would make cooking like visiting a new country every night
I love the fish and seafood section. The recipes look wonderful and I would love to learn to spice up my food.
I am interested in learning how to cook foods from different countries so this cookbook is fascinating to me!
I love that the recipes are from all over the world. Makes it interesting & fun to try them out.
I like the fact that the recipes are diverse and not all one culture
Love new recipes! The Harissa and cheese stuffed fried olives sounds right up my alley.
The recipes in this book seem accessible! To often ethnic cookbooks are beautifully laid out and full of luscious recipes, but ingredients are many and hard to find and techniques are not time efficient. This doesn’t seen to be the case!
I like a variety of foods and flavors. I think it would be great to have it all in one cookbook instead of having to consult a different one each time I wanted a different cuisine.
The element that appeals to me about this book is recipes from around the world because I love to cook and bake.
I just love to read about international cooking, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a recipe from Tanzania before. 🙂
This book looks lovely. I love cooking and am always on the lookout for new recipes. I love that the author is well-traveled and can bring interesting info and techniques “to the table” :p
Thanks for the giveaway!