Two Asian Kitchens MasterChef Style

Intimidated by celebrity cookbooks? Julie our Tasmania blogger proves that delicious home cooked meals (and a hearty dose of praise from your taste testers) is easier to achieve than you think!

Having been a big fan of Australian MasterChef, I was eager to spend the afternoon with a cuppa, flipping through Adam Liaw’s new cookbook Two Asian Kitchens.

However this doesn’t mean that I am any good at cooking. I was more than a little scared of jumping out of

Not a bad copy if I don’t say so myself. Julie’s Gong bao Chicken

my comfort zone of family roasts, rissoles and just about anything with mash potatoes, to try a whole different cuisine.

But what I found in Adam’s cookbook was how perfectly it illustrated his own attitude towards cooking; keep it simple, keep it tasty. No longer did I feel out of my depth or frightened to experiment with new recipes when catering for guests. The mouth-watering photographs provide the perfect encouragement to dust off my wok and locate the nearest Asian supermarket.

Adam Liaw was born in Penang, grew up in South Australia and then moved to Japan. With his rich and diverse cultural blood Two Asian Kitchens seems like the natural choice for his cookbook debut. Having chosen to represent two very distinct chapters in his life, Adam uses ‘The Old Kitchen’ to represent more traditional dishes in his family history , while ‘The New Kitchen’ combines Adam’s creativity and expression with Asian flavor.

Now comes the tricky part-where to start! I decide Gong Bao chicken seems particularly straightforward and alert the family they are on taste test standby. The recipe really is so simple to follow, I feel as if Adam himself is in the kitchen with me. Having prepared the ingredients, the dish takes less than 15 minutes to whip up and it smells incredible. Success! The family loved it and served with Liaw’s Hainanese chicken rice the meal fast became the new favourite.

Tomorrow night lamb ribs with green chilli and herb relish – yum!

I love Two Asian Kitchens not only for its fantastic recipes but for making Asian cooking so accessible. The book serves as a beautiful reminder of our culturally diverse nation and of the importance of food and family. Liaw believes: “The food we make is an expression of who we are and how we live our lives.” I highly recommend Two Asian Kitchens and am looking forward to surprising and delighting dinner guests for weeks to come.

Are you a masterchef in the kitchen or is toast the extent of your culinary skills?