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. 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!) 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. To make the salad, peel the cucumber, cut in half lengthways and remove the wet, seedy core. Slice the flesh into pencil-thin pieces and put them in a bowl. Cut the gherkins or cornichons in half lengthwise then add them to the cucumber. Scatter over the bottled green peppercorns. 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.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). 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. Warm the oil in a wok or wide, shallow pan. Add the ginger, garlic, lemongrass, chillies and spring onions and stir-fry for a couple of minutes until the garlic starts to colour. Take care not to let it burn. Keeping the heat high, introduce the prawns. As they turn opaque and colour slightly add the lime juice, nam pla and sugar. When all is sizzling, add the shredded cabbage, turning the leaves over as they start to darken and wilt. 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.

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. She also includes pantry swaps and vegan swaps so these fuss-free recipes can adapt to your own busy home kitchen. Lara Lee is a rising star of the international food scene. To make the caramel, melt the golden syrup and sugar together in a small heavy-based saucepan on a medium-low heat. Swirl the ingredients in the pan together, rather than stirring them. Once the sugar has dissolved and the caramel starts bubbling, continue cooking on a gentle simmer until it begins to bubble and foam, about 3–5 minutes in total.For the gooseberry compote, top and tail the gooseberries, then put them into a stainless-steel saucepan with the honey. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and continue cooking for 10 minutes or until the berries are soft and swollen. 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. 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.

I use a 20 x 30cm traybake tin. If yours is a different size, shorten or lengthen the cooking time slightly (longer for a smaller tin, shorter for a bigger one).Stir in most of the toasted coconut and cashews, reserving a little of each for garnish, and return the prawns to the pan. Toss everything together. Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle with the remaining coconut and cashews. There are few photographs of the food, and they all seem to have been taken from a huge distance. There are lots of pictures of the author. The structure of the book is really a shame because some of the recipes do sound like that would be very flavorful, but there are too many ingredients I can’t possibly find (like kecap manis). Sometimes substitutes are given. 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. Layered with unique flavours, each spoonful invites a new taste; on one chew it’s the gooey ripeness of banana, on the next bite it’s soy and buttery caramel, then it’s the gentle warmth of ginger or the subtle hint of spice.