Lemongrass and Ginger Cookbook Giveaway (Closed)

I got to know Leemei through her blog My Cooking Hut . I was very excited when she told me last year that she will be publishing her very own cookbook. As a fellow Malaysian I am super proud of her. She sent me a copy of her cookbook and I am amazed with all the wonderful recipes she created for the cookbook. In order to support her I purchased another copy from Amazon.com so that I can give it away to one of my lucky readers.

About Lemongrass and Ginger Cookbook: Vibrant Asian Recipes

Asian cooking is one of the fastest-growing cookery trends in the world – and from Chinese to Thai, Indian to Malaysian, the diverse tastes, textures and aromas of Asia can be sampled in this beautiful new cookbook. Rich in aromatic spices, herbs, and flavorings, Asian food explodes deliciously in your mouth. Now, thanks to Leemei Tan, home cooks can easily master the art of preparing this delectable cuisine. She explains how to make perfect sushi, creamy curries, spicy stir-fries, and crisp tempura, and work with noodles, kaffir lime leaves, or wasabi.

From Korean Spicy Seafood Noodle Soup and Japanese Pork Dumplings to Thai Green Papaya Salad and Indian Aubergine Curry, these imaginative recipes will inspire and delight, whether you have in mind a quick weekday meal or a feast for friends and family.

There are 7 chapters in the book that cover more than 100 recipes from all over Asia – Japan and Korea, China, Philippines and Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam and India and Sri Lanka. There are 3 sections in the book that will come in handy. They are ‘Basic Recipes’, ‘Basic Techniques’ and ‘Glossary’. ‘Basic Recipes’ section tells you how to make stock, how to make perfect steamed rice, making spice pastes, and etc that are used in the recipes. ‘Basic Techniques’ section will guide you how to debone chicken, prepare fresh coconut, prawns and etc. ‘Glossary’ section contains a list of ingredients with explanations that you may not be familiar with. Lemongrass and Ginger can now be purchased at all major bookstores and online stores such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Book Depository and etc. Take a sneak preview of the book here: http://www.mycookinghut.com/mycookbook/

About the Author.

Leemei Tan is a freelance recipe writer, food stylist and photographer. Born in Malaysia, she is now based in London and travels extensively. She has been authoring the ever popular and well-known food blog My Cooking Hut since 2007, with the aim of sharing recipes of her childhood and dishes that have inspired her throughout her years of travelling. Her blog has won her an award as one of the best female bloggers around the world. Leemei started her years in the kitchen at a very tender age, learning all the important ingredients and different techniques in the kitchen. Food for her is important and part of her upbringing.

Here is one of the recipes from the cookbook to share it with you.

Photo provided by My Cooking Hut

Thai Green Chicken Curry
Serves 4 Preparation
Time 30 minutes
Cooking Time 40 minutes

500g/1lb 2oz chicken drumsticks or skinless chicken thighs
2 tsp sunflower oil
1 recipe quantity Thai Green paste (recipe below)
3 kaffir lime leaves

200ml/7fl oz/scant 1 cup thick coconut milk

100g/3 ½ oz pea aubergines/eggplants
6 apple aubergines/eggplants cut in half
2 tbsp fish sauce
50g/1¾ oz of Thai basil leaves

Green curry spice paste:

7 green chilies, deseeded and roughly chopped
2 red bird’s eye chilies, deseeded and roughly chopped
5 shallots, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
3cm/1¼ in piece of galangal, peeled and roughly chopped

1 lemongrass stalk, outer leaves and stalk end removed and roughly chopped
3 kaffir lime leaves, roughly chopped
1 tsp roasted shrimp paste
3 coriander roots with stalks and leaves, roughly chopped
5mm/¼ in piece of fresh turmeric, peeled and roughly chopped, or ¼ tsp ground turmeric

1.  Put all the ingredients of the spice paste, except the ground turmeric, if using, in a food processor and blend to a smooth paste. Add the ground turmeric and mix well.
2.   If using chicken drumsticks, rinse them under running cold water and pat dry with kitchen paper. Remove the skin and then, using a sharp cleaver or large chef’s knife, cut each drumstick into 2 pieces through the bone. Remove the knuckles with a pair of kitchen scissors.
3.  Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the spice paste and cook gently, stirring occasionally, for 10–15 minutes, until fragrant and the oil starts to rise to the surface. Add the kaffir lime leaves and chicken pieces and toss the chicken until well coated with the paste, then cook, stirring occasionally, for 5–6 minutes until starting to turn golden brown.
4.  Add the coconut milk to the pan and bring to the boil, then add 
the pea and apple aubergines and fish sauce. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20–25 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken, the chicken is cooked through and the aubergines are soft. Carefully scoop off any oil as it forms on the surface. Stir in the Thai basil and serve warm with boiled rice, if you like.

How to enter:
1. To Enter: Post your comment here and tell me what your most favorite Asian Dish is?
2. For additional entries: Post about this giveaway at your blog, linking back to this post. Come back and leave me a comment with the link to your post.

This giveaway is open to anyone anywhere in the world. Winner will be selected by Random.org. Remember to leave your email address in your comment so that I have some way of contacting you if you win. If the winner does not respond to email request for their address within one week, I reserve the right to choose another winner. Dateline for this Giveaway will be on 6th May 2012 at 6.00 pm (Eastern Time) Good Luck. Giveaway provided by My Kitchen Snippets.