A Splash of Soy: Everyday Food from Asia

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The first bite of this banana pudding may well result in an exuberant ‘aaah’ moment, such is the beauty of the golden crumb of this magnificent cake. Soy sauce caramel soaks deep inside the banana sponge, adding moisture and soy’s savoury complexity. It’s a dessert worthy of a celebration, and lasts for several days in the fridge, magically reborn in just a few seconds in the microwave (or a few minutes in the oven, covered in foil). Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan. Lightly grease a 20 × 30cm traybake tin and line it with baking parchment, allowing some overhang on each side so that you can easily lift it out of the tin after cooking.

Make the marinade by mixing the softened butter, miso, 1 tablespoon of the gochujang, garlic, chilli flakes, vinegar and 1 tablespoon honey together in a bowl with a pinch of salt. Replace the pork with 300g firm tofu (patted dry and crumbled), and increase the mushrooms to 300g. Cook the tofu and mushrooms in 2 tablespoons oil on a high heat until lightly browned, and set aside. Add 1 tablespoon oil and cook the shallots, carrots, garlic and ginger on a medium-high heat, stirring, for about 4 minutes. Here you'll find inventive brunch ideas like a Tom Yum Bloody Mary, spicy sides like Sambal Patatas Bravas, easy noodles like Cheesy Kimchi Linguine with Gochujang Butter and many more punchy curries, stir-fries and rice recipes from glazed meat to fragrant veg. Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and warm gently on a low heat. Stir the ingredients together once the butter has melted, and contiune to cook until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and transfer to a serving jug or store in an airtight container in the fridge. Sometimes, summer lunch is a small event but nonetheless special. If this is an intimate lunch I am happy to make something for just two of us to share – a stir-fry, perhaps, (something I will never consider for a large group) that can be cooked while you chat, the kitchen doors wide open to the sunshine.Heat another tablespoon oil in the wok or pan, still over a medium heat. Add the garlic and chillies and cook, stirring continuously, for 3–4 minutes, until the chillies have softened and are starting to wrinkle. Sprinkle with the ginger, if using, and leave for 10 minutes to soak up the sauce. Carefully lift the cake out of the tin and cut it into squares. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream and an extra drizzle of the remaining Soy Sauce Caramel. Add the green beans along with 1 tablespoon water, the kecap manis, sugar and salt. Cook for another 3 minutes or so, stirring regularly, until the green beans are just cooked through with a crunchy bite.

It is the simplicity and usefulness of soy that this book is named after, an ingredient so impressive it can transform a meal with just a splash. There is an excellent list of suggested pantry items which helps when shopping at an Asian grocery store. Many of the recipes, however, call for ingredients that most already have in or fridge, freezer, or on our pantry shelves. The recipes are preceded by a paragraph or two with information, notes and tips, giving readers insight on the culture connected with the recipes. This is not only helpful, but also fascinating. The cookbook is well-written and the recipes are laid out in the traditional manner with the ingredients listed first followed by step-by-step instructions that are easy to follow. Wipe out the pan, then add 1 tablespoon oil on a medium-high heat and add the onion or shallots and mushrooms. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, then add the carrots. Cook for 1 minute and continue to stir, then add the garlic and ginger and cook for a further minute.Fill two bowls with ice-cold water and soak the lettuce leaves and spring onions to crisp them up while you prepare the other ingredients. Drain well before use. For a more intimate summer lunch, I shall stand at the kitchen table and chop lemongrass and garlic, spring onions and soft, green spring cabbage, then toss them with fat, wild prawns in a very hot pan. A splash of soy and fish sauce, this is the sort of special dish that always seems better when cooked just for two. The prawns, fat and sweet, are a rare treat. Put the sugars, mashed bananas, oil, eggs and salt in a large bowl and whisk them together with electric beaters for 2–3 minutes, or until thoroughly combined. Lara Lee is a rising star of the international food scene. This book builds on her breakout debut Indonesian cookbook, Coconut and Sambal, to explore the incredible contrast of sweet, salty, umami, sour and spicy flavours across Asia. I like how you can choose how long the cooking time you have for many of the recipes and that some only require a kettle: that would be perfect for university students in residence trying to save money on a food plan. (I know of big eaters that have gone through their entire food plan’s money in a month and still have a long way to go to December…when it’s a card that you swipe, it doesn’t seem like real money until the account is empty and they show up at our library food bank!)

To serve, scoop 2 large spoonful’s of the mixture into each lettuce cup, top with curly spring onions and serve with lime wedges. What a treat it was to get this book. The picture of the author on the cover, is a breath of fresh air, and the illustrations in the book are mouthwatering invitations to food. Preparing these recipes will be fun, not work! From the first recipe for Tom Yum Bloody Mary to the glossary at the end, the book leaves no stone unturned.

Dessert will be a yoghurt cake, soft like a sponge but with a nod to cheesecake. There will be berries too, cooked with honey to spoon on top. The gooseberries are finally here and to be celebrated with any form of dairy (fool first, crumble and cream next, then as a compote with yoghurt). Lara Lee is a rising star of the international food scene. This book builds on her breakout debut Indonesian cookbook, Coconut and Sambal, to explore the incredible contrast of sweet, salty, umami, sour and spicy flavours across Asia. --------'Simple, beautiful food to electrify the tastebuds' Meera Sodha'Makes me want to head straight into the kitchen' Anna Jones'Every recipe a thrilling adventure for the tastebuds and the imagination' Ixta Belfrage'Eclectic, imaginative and fun - a must-have for every kitchen shelf' Ken Hom Ongoing Covid restrictions, reduced air and freight capacity, high volumes and winter weather conditions are all impacting transportation and local delivery across the globe. This cookbook has the worst structure I have ever encountered. Bizarrely, the ingredients list rarely comes at the beginning of a recipe, but things get worse. For example, this is the sequence for Kimchee Pancakes with Sriracha Bacon: first an introduction (there is one for each recipe), then a list of ingredients for the bacon, then instructions for mixing a dipping sauce, instructions for mixing the pancakes, how to make it vegan (omit bacon and eggs), cooking time, ingredients for the dipping sauce, ingredients for the pancakes, instructions for cooking the pancakes, instructions for cooking the bacon, instructions for cooking eggs (note that the eggs are listed with the pancake ingredients, so it looks like they are part of the batter), assembly instructions. Who has the patience to try to cook from that? Maybe read this book for the descriptions, and then if anything really appeals to you write out the recipe yourself. Written in Lara Lee's signature voice and style, with gorgeous color photographs of her life and her food, A Splash of Soy is the must-have guide to easy, mouthwatering Asian-inspired cooking.

Australia, she says, has always explored playful interpretations of the dishes introduced by the country's immigrant communities. Accordingly, A Splash of Soy is not a homage to authenticity but features recipes that retain traditional flavour combinations with simplified technique and fun twists. In addition, there are a lot of sections at the end of the book including necessary pantry items, kitchen tips, knife skills, types of soy sauce, chilies, rice wine, and sourcing, storing and substituting ingredients. There is also a glossary. The recipe list is followed by lists of vegetarian, gluten-free and dairy-free recipes. There is an Index. A Splash of Soy may not be a bible to culinary tradition but its vibrant, colourful Asian-western mash-ups would offer great inspiration for chefs considering a pop-up or themed day. Author Lara Lee takes influence from her upbringing to a Chinese-Indonesian father and Australian mother, eulogising the contrasts in flavour, temperature and texture offered by the cuisine of her childhood. If there are only a couple of us I will still make cake – it makes a pleasing weekend breakfast bake. Spring cabbage, prawns and lime (pictured above)Add the lemon zest to the yolk mixture. Stop the machine, remove the bowl then stir in the yoghurt, using a large metal spoon. Sieve together the flour and cornflour then mix this into the batter. Wipe out the pan and heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add the prawns in a single layer and cook for 1–2 minutes each side, or until they are just cooked through. Remove and set aside on a plate lined with kitchen paper. Also included in this cookbook are beautiful, professional photographs of most of the recipes, making it difficult to decide which recipe to prepare next. There are so many good, mouthwatering recipes that cooks who have a taste for Asian dishes will stay busy cooking for months. Sift in the flour, ground spices and baking powder and fold them into the mixture with a spatula until just combined. Pour into the prepared baking tin and bake for 25–30 minutes, or until the sponge is just firm and springy to the touch (a skewer should come out clean when inserted into the centre).