Why buy it?
It’s safe to say that Aussies have a thing for Southeast Asia. Brimming with distinctive sights, sounds, colours and flavours – and sitting on our doorstep – it's no wonder so many of us have ventured to at least one of the continent's exotic countries.
East, by Leanne Kitchen and Antony Suvalko, is a book dedicated to this unending obsession with the region and its intoxicating food. The pair, both food industry veterans (Kitchen cut her teeth at top Australian food and travel mags as a features writer and food editor for almost a decade, and Suvalko is a digital food entrepreneur), are also die-hard fans and explorers. In the follow-on title from The Real Food of China, the two scoured Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia and Vietnam for recipe inspiration and vivid imagery, which bring life to this attractive travelogue-cookbook.
For a concise compilation of such a vast region, East hits the keynotes with a handful of classics, a few off-the-beaten-track numbers and a collection of inspired dishes that reinterpret SEA flavours in Western form (like the delicious soy milk jellies with coffee syrup). It also excels in its info-laden intros, explaining, for example, the influence of French on Vietnamese cuisine and the history of Nyonya Malaysian fare. The book’s lively, evocative prose sweeps you back in time to a stool in Hanoi or wet market in Bangkok, and instantly reminds you why you love this region so.
Sadly, there are a few countries missing from their ‘Southeast Asian’ collection – Myanmar, Philippines and Singapore – perhaps, for their popularity or the writers’ own culinary preferences, but likely for space. “This book is hardly exhaustive. Entire tomes could be dedicated to the curries, noodle dishes and salads alone,” they pen in the intro as acknowledgement of the arduous task of distilling the region into one 270-page book.
Cookability “This book was born from our need to ‘cook’ ourselves back there, when the holiday was over and withdrawal symptoms set in,” the duo writes. True to form, East is a very cookable book, with authentic flavours, but realistic (read: succinct) ingredient lists. It's one for both the apprentice wanting to learn the classics, and the accomplished cook looking for inspiration.
Must-cook recipe A sticky caramel galangal salmon is indicative of the region’s unspoken mantra of simple, fresh ingredients and maximum flavour. Kitchen and Suvlako also give a variation for chicken, but the idea of the oily fish and crisp skin against the sweet, spiced sauce is too hard to resist. Wait until you see the drool-worthy pic.
Most surprising dish It seems the motherland doesn’t always have the best rendition. For a Thai prawn curry served with wedges of an intriguing acacia-leaf omelette, the pair was inspired by a version they tried, of all places, in West Hollywood, Los Angeles.
Kitchen wisdom “Frozen grated or shredded coconut is hands-down the best convenience product on the planet, according to us,” write Kitchen and Suvlako, who always have a few store-bought packets from the Asian supermarket in their freezer to use in coconut cream and milk, coconut fish cakes and a host of dishes from across the SEA belt. We couldn’t agree more.
Ideal for Anyone who’s visited Southeast Asia; Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Indonesian and/or Cambodian food lovers; cooks with a penchant for Asian flavours; and, of course, armchair travellers.
Cook the book
Source: Leanne Kitchen and Antony Suvalko
Source: Leanne Kitchen and Antony Suvalko
Source: Leanne Kitchen and Antony Suvalko
Source: Leanne Kitchen and Antony Suvalko
