Taste Tibet: Family Recipes from the Himalayas

Julie Kleeman, an English scholar of Chinese language, and her husband, Tibetan-born and bred Yeshi Jampa, together own a Tibetan restaurant in Oxford. In this revealing book, they describe the country's food and family culture and offer recipes for many  classic dishes.

In an introduction that spans more than 25 pages, the authors describe Tibetan ways of life, noting the erosion of nomadic culture, and emphasizing the Buddhist mindset that is common.

Recipe headnotes are detailed and frank. Regarding Sha Tsoma, a boiled beef dish which is traditionally made using yak meat: "Tibetans like some bite to their meat...The cooking time reflects this. If you'd like the meat to be more fall-apart tender, by all means cook it for longer."

There are six pages of instructions on making momos, the famed dumplings, and five different fillings. Vegetable and vegetarian recipes are abundant, and so too are soups. There's even something which is heartwarmingly called giant fluffy sharing bread, traditionally baked on a stone amidst a fire, but easily replicated on a conventional stove.

Hardcover. Color photographs throughout.