Long Day? Cook This.: Easy East Asian Recipes with a Twist

The focus is on simplicity and speed in Tsang’s breezy debut collection. Introductory chapters chart the author’s early life in his parents’ Chinese restaurant in London, provide a guide to pantry staples, and expound on his flexible cooking style (“Whatever floats your boat,” he encourages in a brief guide to cooking rice). His penchant for adding “twists” to classic recipes is evident in such brunch fare as peanut butter bacon French toast and a Hong Kong–style breakfast roll of eggs, Spam, and American cheese. A chapter on hangover-friendly fare offers up spicy chile chicken with mozzarella, while a “Quick & Easy” chapter features udon in multiple styles: there’s a five-minute recipe with chile oil, soup with garlic and beef, curry egg udon, and even a “spicier, creamier Asian cousin of the carbonara.” Most recipes serve one or two and purport to take less than 30 minutes, though home cooks might find those prep times ballooning when there’s a lot to be chopped, as with the herby lime steak with pickled onions. A chapter focused on hosting groups of four or more includes dishes with longer oven times, such as cumin and potato braised leg of lamb and kimchi pork belly. Anyone interested in expanding their Asian cooking repertoire without expending too much time will be inspired. (Nov.)