Burma Superstar: Addictive Recipes from the Crossroads of Southeast Asia [A Cookbook]
From the beloved San Francisco restaurant, a mouthwatering collection of recipes, including Fiery Tofu, Garlic Noodles, the legendary Tea Leaf Salad, and many more. Never before have the vivid flavors of Burmese cooking been so achievable for home cooks.
Known for its bustling tables, the sizzle of onions and garlic in the wok, and a wait time so legendary that customers start to line up before the doors even open—Burma Superstar is a Bay Area institution, offering diners a taste of the addictively savory and spiced food of Myanmar. With influences from neighboring India and China, as well as Thailand and Laos, Burmese food is a unique blend of flavors, and Burma Superstar includes such stand-out dishes as the iconic Tea Leaf Salad, Chili Lamb, Pork and Pumpkin Stew, Platha (a buttery layered flatbread), Spicy Eggplant, and Mohinga, a fish noodle soup that is arguably Myanmar’s national dish.
Each of these nearly 90 recipes has been streamlined for home cooks of all experience levels, and without the need for special equipment or long lists of hard-to-find ingredients. Stunningly photographed, and peppered with essays about the country and its food, this inside look at the world of Burma Superstar presents a seductive glimpse of this jewel of Southeast Asia.
Reviews (82)
SO SO SO DISAPPOINTED
I’m not one to write reviews in general, but this one hit me hard. Living in San Francisco for over a decade, I ate regularly at Burma superstar. Like every week. If not multiple times per week. I CRAVE their samosa soup like nothing else. Sadly, i moved out of state a couple of years ago. I literally cannot find samosa soup anywhere. Not on the Internet and not in any restaurant. I was completely overjoyed when i found out that they made a cookbook with my beloved samosa soup it it. Do not be fooled by this tantalizing cookbook!! I’ve made this recipe to the letter numerous times, hoping that I had somehow messed up the previous times. I am a well practiced home chef in international cooking so I was pretty sure that I hadn’t done anything wrong. I was just praying that by some fluke that I had messed up. After 3 times, I am certain, without a doubt that this recipe is a fake. It is NOTHING like the recipe that they make in the restaurant. This soup recipe is FLAT, BLAND, completely VOID of that amazing rich flavor that I crave so much. I remember exactly what the soup tastes like in the restaurant. My mouth waters at the the memory of the puckering rich developed layers of flavor. This recipe doesn’t even remotely taste like it. I have zero interest in trying the other recipes with this one being so far from what it’s supposed to taste like. HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT. HUGE.
Disappointing
My family and I made 5 recipes from this cookbook for our New Year's Eve dinner. We are all pretty good in the kitchen and followed the recipes but the results were very disappointing. Three of the recipes -- pea shoots, spicy eggplant, and chili lamb -- were nothing like the dishes we had in the restaurant last week. The photos in the cookbook look exactly like the dishes in the restaurant but nothing like the dishes we made at home. It seemed like some of the recipes were incomplete or completely different from the pictures shown in the cookbook. I would not purchase this book if you are hoping to replicate the restaurant flavors in your home kitchen.
A Visually & Gastronomically Satisfying Cookbook
I was intrigued after hearing an interview with the book author who described fermented tea salad. My local library doesn't have a copy of this (yet). I ordered this in hard-copy. I read through most of the book over two hours while in a waiting room at an auto-glass repair shop. I was taken to a far away place via words and photographs and then the corresponding recipes whetted my appetite. So far, I've prepared two of the recipes (chayote squash, beef &potato curry). Neither was difficult to prepare and both were delicious. The photography and narratives provided a visit with the culture places and people who contributed to the offerings of the book. If you enjoy savory-salty-sour food profiles, there will be a lot of winners in here for you. I am neither near the venue that inspired this book, nor planning a visit to Burma any time soon, and now can create dishes to enliven made-from-scratch meals and experience a culinary adventure. I intend to make more recipes from this book. It was worth the investment for the coveted shelf-space in my personal cookbook library.
Great recipes
I went to Myanmar a few years ago and the food just blew me away. This book is a great way to get those flavors! I do not live close enough to go to the restaurant, so I can't tell if these recipes have the same flavors. But I am in love with the chicken curry and the pork and pumpkin stew. I has to add more fish sauce than listed in the recipes (and I added more Thai chilies only because I like heat), but I think that goes for any recipe book. You need to adjust the seasonings for your palate. I am definitely going to be trying other recipes from this book! And giving it out as gifts!
Magnificent cookbook!
Wish I could give it seven stars! Recipes from my favorite restaurant, which I can now make at home. The book itself is gorgeous: beautifully-bound and printed, and on excellent-quality paper. The numerous photos are luscious. The writing is heart-felt, unpretentious, and crystal-clear. Recipes are very easy to follow. Terrific ingredient glossary. The photos of the staff add extra sweetness. Have purchased several cookbooks in the past year-plus. This one is by far the most beautiful. I will cherish it, and use it very often. THANK YOU Desmond Tan, Kate Leahy and Ten Speed Press for a job phenomenally well-done!!!
All in one COOK BOOK ! Best one I have ever owned !
By far this is the best Asian cookbook I ever read , and I am a cookbook collector . My husband is Burmese and I cook a lot of Burmese food and I saw the recipes for the Mohinga ( fish soup) and the oh no kawshwe (coconut chicken curry noodle soup) and I was so excited to find out that everything written there is exactly what we do at home , but with these recipes I can actually make them more consistently! I already purchased another book for a gift . If you like cooking, reading , travelling , photography, and eating good food , you would enjoy this book a lot. Kudos to Desmond Tan and Burma Superstar !
Amazing pictures! Fun cooking!
A beautiful cookbook. The stunning pictures and cultural history tales alone make it worth buying. Got it for my boyfriend, who visited the Cali chain, and he couldn't wait to try a recipe. We've tried garlic noodles & fried onions so far; both were absolutely amazing. We smudged up the page with grease and notes, which made me feel a bit bad at first, but hey -- cookbooks are meant to be cooked with! Definitely worth the investment for such wonderful cuisine.
Useful 🍳🥚🌶🍠🥗
Easy to follow. Wish the book includes final pics of each recipes instead of just some recipes.
Delicious!!!
So I love this restaurant, and go to the Oakland establishment as often as my budget allows. Getting to make the recipes at home has been fun and oh so tasty! My family and I have enjoyed all of them. One of the few I have yet to make is the tea leaf salad, as that requires a lot of prep time, but am looking forward to it. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is a fan of Burma Superstar or Southeast Asian cuisine.
Not Your Average Cookbook
This book is amazing. Even a coworker borrowed it for awhile. Not only does it give you recipes, it also tells you the history of the country and what the most important ingredients actually are and what they do. This is the first book that "dumbs down" cooking enough to make it actually make sense to inexperienced cook.
Comments
Post a Comment