The Indian Family Kitchen: Classic Dishes for a New Generation
By Anjali Pathak
With her second book, Anjali Pathak, a scion of the famous Patak's curry-paste producers, aims to make Indian food simpler, lighter and more modern. Classic dishes like black dhal, spinach bhajias and smoked eggplant masala appear alongside Westernized recipes: chili-dressed burgers, naan pizza and spiced latte meringues. Pathak includes a list of useful kitchen tools, and suggests pantry items and shortcuts to speed meals along.
Vegetarian and vegetable-focused recipes dominate: There are some great options for chutneys and relishes (adding roasted peanuts to raita is a brilliant move) and an especially appealing section on sweets. Most recipes include a note on ways to reuse or enhance the dish in question making the book as valuable to people well-versed in Indian cooking as those coming to the cuisine for the first time.
Click here: Try the Slow Roast Spiced Lamb from The Indian Family Kitchen
Tokyo Cult Recipes
By Maori Murota
For a cuisine so ubiquitous and beloved in North America, on this side of the Pacific Japanese food is still mostly relegated to restaurants. Maori Murota, a Tokyo-born, Paris-based chef and former fashion stylist, aims to change that by introducing Japanese cooking into Western homes.
Her book is a primer on the kinds of foods she grew up eating both at home and at favourite restaurants. The recipes are organized by time of day moving from breakfast through to late-night Izakayastyle snacks. She provides a useful primer on the proper cooking of rice, preparation of dashi and the different styles of miso, all fundamental to the Japanese kitchen.
There's also an excellent guide book to some of Tokyo's best neighbourhood restaurants and markets that will be extremely valuable to anyone planning to visit the Japanese capital.
The lack of explanatory notes before each recipe means the ingredients and instructions are beautifully laid out, but it leaves the reader guessing as to the cultural reasoning for including dishes like spaghetti Napolitan, macaroni salad and a teriyaki chicken burger.
Click here: Try the Nizakana Fish Poached in Soy Sauce and Sake from Tokyo Cult Recipes
Koreatown: A Cookbook
By Deuki Hong and Matt Rodbard
Chef Deuki Hong and writer Matt Rodbard spent two years travelling to Korean neighbourhoods across America looking for the soul of Korean-American cooking.
What they found suggests that the most exciting Korean food in the world is happening not in Seoul or Daegu but in Los Angeles, New York and Atlanta where vibrant Koreatowns support a thriving and dynamic culinary scene.
The authors provide handy ingredient lists so readers know their makgeolli from their ddukbaegi, introduce readers to the wonders of the yogurt-based cocktail and generally demystify Korean food for a Western audience.
Scattered throughout are profiles of Korean chefs, farmers and famous Korean food obsessives, including everyone from Joe Hahn, Linkin Park's DJ, to chef David Chang.
There's plenty for purists: naengmyeon, doenjang jjigae, kimchi jjigae, but also a decidedly Americanized chapter in which guest chefs throw down some unorthodox mash ups including stuffed kimchi lasagna, cornmeal and shrimp apjeon, and a Korean sloppy joe.
Click here: Try the Andong Jjimdak: Sweet Soy-Braised Chicken from Koreatown: A Cookbook
Cuban Cocktails: Over 50 Mojitos, Daiquiris and Other Refreshers from Havana
By Katherine Bebo
While it's generally agreed that cocktails were invented in England and popularized in the U.S., there's a strong case to be made that they were perfected in Cuba.
After all, the county gave us the daiquiri, Cuba libre and mojito.
With the island nation opening up to U.S. visitors, now is a good time to take another look at Cuban cocktails. Considering that the country was once the world's leading supplier of rum, it's no surprise that the majority of drinks in this book are rum based.
Readers should invest in some orgeat (almond) syrup and keep plenty of limes on hand as those ingredients make regular appearances.
In addition to the 50-plus cocktail recipes, there are a few bar snacks – spicy mixed nuts, sweet-potato fries, chili-salt squid – that expand the book's scope beyond the purely potable, and a recipe for an interesting cola cordial. Because of the U.S. trade embargo most Cubans have never tried coke, so when drinking a Cuba libre it's probably mixed with a syrup like the one detailed here.
Click here: Try the Air Mail cocktail from Cuban Cocktails
Spritz: Italy's Most Iconic Aperitivo Cocktail, with Recipes
By Talia Baiocchi and Leslie Pariseau
A spritz is to cocktails what rosé is to wine: refreshing, best enjoyed beneath the shade of a patio umbrella and, once again, fashionable.
At its most basic, a spritz is a simple combination of bitter Italian liqueur and sparkling wine – a drink that's relatively low in alcohol and meant to stimulate the appetite. The authors of this fun look at the history and cultural significance of the drink – both editors at the respected online drinks journal Punch – aim to restore the noble drink to its rightful place in the culinary canon.
Art-deco illustrations and action-packed photographs illustrate the 50 classic and modern spritz recipes, including some contributions from renowned bartenders. A handful of recipes for ideal snacking dishes are also included along with a brief guide to Italy's best spritz-friendly bars.
Click here: Try the Spritz Rosé All Day cocktail from Spritz
