food books
SHARING PLATES
by Luke Mangan ( Murdoch Books, $ 45) Luke Mangan is more than just a pretty Aussie telly face. His restaurant brands ( including Salt, in its various guises), as a spokesman for Tourism Australia, his championing of local ingredients, and a bunch of cookbooks are all part of today’s breed of chef- slashentrepreneur-slash- activist. But he can cook too. Sharing plates aren’t new but Mangan’s recipes are well set out, beautifully shot and often look more complicated than they are. The 100- some recipes range from fancy to fast ( cheese toasties, for brunch! Japanese- style chicken katsu sandwiches).
SRI LANKA THE COOKBOOK
by Prakash Sivanathan and Niranjala Ellwalla ( Quarto Group, $ 45) I’ve yet to hear from anyone who has gone to Sri Lanka and not come home raving about the food. London- based expat couple Prakash Sivanathan and Niranjala Ellwalla — he’s Tamil, she’s Sinhalese, from a tea plantation — wooed London with their Elephant Walk restaurant until they retired in 2013. It’s clear they are skilled cookery school teachers, as the glossary, notes and instructions with each dish are meticulous. The dishes are light on meat, celebrating coconut and the spices for which the nation is famed but, frustratingly, the book is not broken into chapters ( thank goodness for a thorough index)
ONE PAN ROASTS
by Molly Shuster ( Murdoch Books, $ 40) All at once last year, it seemed every food blog had landed on the old- fashioned idea of banging ingredients into one roasting pan and calling it dinner. US food stylist Molly Shuster ( she counts the New York Times in her credits), has nailed this zeitgeist perfectly. The recipes have clever twists — you could do a different chicken every night of the week — but not so fancy pants that you can’t throw dinner on in a few minutes post- work, then sit down for a breather. The sea food and vegetarian recipes are inventive, nobody will get bored with her gorgeous roast desserts and the sides are a fresh twist on the usual carbs we all resort to when we’re tired and uninspired.
OKLAVA
by Selin Kiazim ( Hachette, $ 35) All you need to know about Kiazim is that this Turkish- Cypriot chef worked for New Zealander Peter Gordon’s The Providores then held the top gig at his Kopapa before opening her Shoreditch Oklava at the end of 2015. Her grandmother’s rolling pin was the inspiration for book and restaurant name. Cyprus’ crossover of Turkish and Greek cooking is based on what’s grown on the island ( with lamb for the Muslim Turks, pork for the Greeks). Recipes veer from complicated restaurant- standard to simple family dishes while Kiazim handily offers alternatives to hard- to- find ingredients. Her breakfasts will wean you off your usual eggs bene forever but then you get to the meats, the seafood, and the incredible vegetables. Peter Gordon is right; this is a stunning, beautiful book.
THE GOOD CARBS COOKBOOK
by Alan Barclay, Kate McGhie, Philippa Sandall ( Murdoch Books, $ 45) As a rule, I loathe any book that labels some foods as good, others as bad. Usually the labelling is done by bloggers whose research is mainly other bloggers. But with this book I take it all back. Written by a peer- reviewed scientist, an experienced chef- food writer and the founding editor of GI News, with an intro by world authority on the glycaemic index, Jennie Brand- Miller, this is a soundly researched and cheerful paean to all foods plant- based ( with sensible advice on good fats and lean proteins at the side of the plate). It’s organised around helpful notes on each ingredient, pointing to hero recipes, seasonal ideas and has a ton of scientific stuff to counter the mumbo jumbo out there.