Laos to Myanmar

Southeast Asian dishes blend such a riot of flavors and special techniques that preparing them is not easy for the uninitiated. Complicating factors are Western impatience in the kitchen and the challenge of locating ingredients that are beyond the scope of supermarkets.

Simplicity, though, is not the point of “Savoring Southeast Asia” by Joyce Jue (Time Life Books; $39.95). The idea is to get the taste right. Cooks who are devoted to Asian food will make the effort to reproduce dishes they’ve enjoyed abroad or in restaurants here. Others can indulge in armchair tasting and traveling. Striking photographs of Asian cities, monuments and inhabitants will interest non-cooks and potential visitors to the region.

The terrain covered is Myanmar down through Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore, over to Indonesia and up to the Philippines. Not all recipes are difficult. The recipe for Malaysian satay may appear dauntingly long, but Cambodian grilled corn brushed with sweetened, flavored oil is beginner-easy.

Jue is not such a purist that she leaves her readers helpless. A special mold is required for Singapore’s kueh pai tee, crisp small shells filled with crab and vegetables. Jue acknowledges this and suggests alternatives for those who can’t obtain the molds. Another Singapore favorite, Hainanese chicken rice, involves chicken too lightly cooked for Western standards, and Jue explains that she has substituted a safer procedure.

Although the recipes may sound wildly exotic to stay-at-homes, travelers who have spent much time in Southeast Asia will know most of them. Quite a few are basic fare at local Vietnamese and Thai restaurants. The Cambodian and Burmese dishes are probably the least familiar.

Jue travels to the region frequently and has written other books on Asian food. This book is part of a new Williams-Sonoma series edited by Chuck Williams, founder of the chain of cookware shops. So far, the series covers Italy, France, Spain and Portugal. Books on Mexico and India are scheduled for 2001.