When this book was published in 1978, little had been written in English on Burmese cuisine. So this book revealed a tasty cuisine relatively unknown in the West.

I was thrilled to buy it when it was first published. Besides recipes, Khaing's book includes anecdotes about life in Burma. However, the author had difficulties finding certain ingredients, and took other shortcuts that affected the flavor of the dishes.

Since that time Copeland Marks wrote "The Burmese Kitchen", with more authentic ingredients and fewer shortcuts. And there are some excellent Burmese recipes in Charmaine Solomon's "Complete Asian Cookbook".

If you are interested in Burmese cuisine, i recommend this book, but also highly suggest comparing Khaing's recipes with those in Copeland's and Solomon's books. ( )