The recipes included here are traditional and many of them date back for generations. The fact, however, that they are presented in book form is unorthodox, as they have usually been handed down by word of mouth or by observation of one generation by the next. Lie Sek Hiang, 1963 

{HISTORY}

Born in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra in 1912, Lie Sek Hiang (1912-1989) was one of 18 children from a high-ranking political family active during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Despite the large size and the far away location of her childhood, Lie's family situation didn't limit her education to a strictly eastern way of life.  In the aftermath of WWII, after earning her law degree in Jakarta, Lie traveled all over Europe. where she was introduced to new cultures and learned several new languages. A grant to study juvenile delinquency brought her to America, where she earned a Masters degree in library science at Columbia. That degree took her back home to Indonesia to head the Libraries Bureau for the Ministry of Education but New York City eventually called her back again for a permanent position at the Brooklyn Public Library where she remained for the rest of her life. 

A world-wide traveler, a scholar, a librarian, and a government representative in the field of social welfare and education, Lie did not rest on her laurels in any area that came to improving other people's lives. Whether it was delinquent children, Indonesian culture, or literacy, Lie was a spokesperson for a wide variety of educational outreach. That included the kitchen too. There she was interested in teaching home cooks about traditional Indonesian food. Realizing how exiotic Indonesian cuisine seemed to western cultures, Lie was more than happy to share the foods and techniques of her homeland with other interested culinary enthiusiasts through cooking classes, which then in turn, led to writing a cookbook herself.

Published in 1963, Indonesian Cookery, showcased over 400 traditional Indonesian heritage foods  - "a melting pot of many nations" influenced by Chinese, Dutch, Indian and Arabian cuisines. Immediately embraced by the culinary community, Lie highlighted recipes and techniques that brought exotic cooking to the American table.

A definite cure to fight boredom in the kitchen, Lie included recipes for the traditional Rice Table meal (bowls of rice served with a variety of ever-changing vegetable, meat and fish dishes), introduced adventurous eaters to the flavors of seaweed, bamboo shoots, tree funguses, tamarind, bird's nests, bitter melons, shark fins, and dried fish, and encouraged the exploration of a wide variety of spices, both mild and hot. 

Interesting recipes include Noodle Dish Javanese Style, Curry Soup, Chicken Stuffed with Shrimp, Braised Beef with Spices, Sauteed Bamboo Shoots, Hot Peanut Relish, Banana Fritters Potato Balls with Shrimp, Pork with Shining Noodles and Vegetables, Sautéed Shrimp with Ginger, Porridge Menadonese Style, and Fried Chicken with Hot Red Pepper. 

For mention of all the exotic ingredients listed above, only a small portion of the recipes contained in this book call for such delicacies. Most recipes are made using whole foods easily found at any American market or grocery store. That was Lie's mission - to make this book user-friendly for the American cook in an American kitchen. 

1930s portrait of Lie Sek Hiang (top row center) and her family courtesy of geni.com

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

• 1963 Edition by Bonanza Books for the International Cook Book Series
• 254 pages
• Contains over 400 recipes
• Special sections include menu suggestions, an Indonesian cooking term glossary and an a introduction on the Indonesian culinary landscape and food customs

{CONDITION}

In lovely vintage condition, this book is clean and bright throughout. There are a few light cooking spots on a few pages but none that interfere with the text. A protective mylar cover wraps the dust jacket. The jacket itself contains some light fading along the spine, some paper scuff marks and a repaired rip on the front top left corner. The spine is tight and all pages are intact.  

{SIZE}

Measures 8.25" inches (length) x 5.5" inches (width) x .75" inches (thickness) and weighs 14 oz.