Love this book! Recipes are approachable and categorized so that it’s very easy to use, not to mention delicious. With vegetarians in our family, there was something for everyone.

I'm a fan of Asian cuisine and as a vegetarian, I appreciated the options to adapt to these recipes. The artwork is so inviting. Unlike many other Asian cookbooks I have, the recipes here don't all call for a tonne of obscure ingredients. The authors personal stories and their connection with food was really warming. I also liked the little details: advice on how you might want the butcher to prepare meat, and the notes and tips boxes which make the recipes less daunting.
The Mapo Tofu recipe went down a storm this week! Thank you!!

What a great overview of recipes from different Asian cultures! This book was a bit heavy on East Asian recipes, and I don’t think I’d reach for it for South Asian food, but I would probably recommend this to beginner cooks or cooks with less experience with Asian food who want to delve into unfamiliar cuisines. I can’t really see myself using it all that much just because I prefer to delve deeper into one culture’s cuisine within a book, but I’ll probably end up keeping some of these recipes handy.

A beautiful book. Lots of pictures of finished dishes, as well as ingredients and equipment, which a lot of cookbooks don't do. There's a wide range of dishes with rice and noodles getting their own chapters entirely.

Good clear ingredient lists with a lot of optional extras or potential changes which is really nice touch. There's a little personal story under each picture and tips/notes dotted throughout the book denoting allergen alternatives or 'if this isn't coming together the way you'd expect, try this' etc.

My only complaint is that not all of the specialist ingredients are easily obtainable and there isn't always easily available alternatives.

5/5 stars! Thank you, NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Harvard Common Press for this eARC of Modern Asian Kitchen cookbook by Kat Lieu in exchange for an honest review.

This is my kind of cookbook! (And the type of cookbook I would have in my kitchen!) I love that there is a photo for each listed recipe and clear details on the instructions on how to execute the dish. I love how some of the listed recipes just provide me with priceless feelings because it bring back memories of how my mom would cook these fresh hot meals every day when my sisters and I would get home. My favorites so far have been the recipes that are cooked in a clay pot. I'm currently exploring how that cooling tool can be used in the kitchen (cooking rice, chicken, pork belly, fish, etc - pretty much all of the above haha). I'm going back to my roots and a majority of these recipes are similar to how my mom cooks food, but I'm sure that other cultural moms - my mom never writes down the recipes, it's all in her head and she goes based on a "dash of this and a taste of that". Modern Asian Kitchen helps me replicate the home comfort foods and I love that I can share it with my husband and kids. A huge plus is when my kids eat everything off their bowl/plate!

I also love the sauces and am so glad that this cookbook offers that towards the end of the entree section. Oh, and importantly, list the fundamentals/suggestions of what tools to have in the kitchen before starting! My parents always poke fun at my husband and me because of how much we sauces and spices we have in our fridge and spice rack. Anyway, love how easy this cookbook is to follow instructions the list of ingredients needed, and the time it takes to cook and prep. Highly recommend this wonderful book to everyone.

Absolutely loved getting to try some of these recipes. The sushi bake was a definite highlight! I really liked how the book gave recipes for basic sauces that are commonly used and told us about little things like spices, condiments, and etc that are common in Asian culture and recipes. That was really helpful.

I really liked the recipes in Modern Asian Kitchen, and have tried quite a few. They are very well written and easy to follow

A lovely cookbook with lots of different recipes. My boys love Asian food and this book had lots of recipes that are easy to follow. I loved that the recipes were on one page, no having to turn pages mid cooking especially when your hands are already messy. I also loved that there wasn’t too much writing in the instructions so it was easy to see what I was doing in each step.

We really enjoyed the garlic greens beans, pop chicken and Hong Kong bubble waffles. We’re also looking forward to trying the melty cheesecake

This is a very informative book, not only has it got many recipes, but throughout, the photographs are really good. The food certainly has an Asian bent but with a little twist of fresh ideas and a mixture.of various Asian cuisine..
The book starts of with tools, equipment and ingredients, which gives a very good explanation of uses and how to use. There is a section on vegan,gluten free and vegetarian food, with a mention how some of the recipes can be made to fit these criteria by changing ingredient. There are chapters on noodles, rice, essential sauces, street food,, one pot wonders, sweets and much more.
I very much like this book, it is down to earth, easy to follow instructions, with the fundamentals well explained. . Thanks you NetGalley and the publishers for the DR

What a yummy cookbook, with recipes that look quite doable, even for a non-chef like me. A winner!

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Opinions are mine.

This book made me hungrier than any cookbook has made me in a long time. Goodness, I want to cook these things. They all look so good and the instructions are so easy to follow.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity for this ARC!

I have Kat Lieu's other book, Modern Asian Baking at Home, and it's chock full of a bunch of delicious recipes, many of which I've grown up with and loved + always wanted to learn how to make, so Modern Asian Kitchen has been up there on my want list + this definitely didn't disappoint!

The book is split into 9 different chapters:
-"The Fundamentals" covers basic recipes, e.g. making rice, onigiri, naan, + techniques on blanching veggies + making stir-fries.
-"Garden Party" = all things veggie=related! This includes things like cucumber salad, braised mushrooms, green papaya salad, spinach goma-ae (spinach salad with sesame dressing/sauce).
-"Dim Sum" - if you've ever been out for dim sum, you'll recognize a bunch of popular favorites here, from char siu bao + har gow/siu mai to steamed spare ribs + lotus-leaf wrapped sticky rice.
-"One-Pan Wonders" = where it's at for me (the less to clean up, the better...) - tandoori chicken, tonkatsu, sweet + soy salmon, sushi bake, saucy egg/beef/gai lan stir fry...everything looks amazing!
-"The Sharing Table" is aptly named, with different recipes that are great for sharing "family style" - Taiwanese three-cup chicken to soondooboo chigae (Korean spicy tofu stew), barley tea + cocoa-smoked chicken, chicken tinola...
-"The Rice is Right" - lots of tasty rice dishes included in this chapter, including bibimbap, kimchi fried rice, Hong Kong cafe-style baked pork chop and rice, congee...
-"Life is Noodiful" - yay for more carbs! Tteokbooki (stir-fried Korean spicy rice cakes), chili crisp butter garlic pasta, curried vermicelli (Singapore chow mei fun), pho ga (Vietnamese chicken soup), laksa noodle soup, miso ramen...
-"Essential Sauces" - lots of different types of sauces, including nước chấm (Vietnamese fish sauce), peanut dipping sauce, tonkatsu sauce, chili crisp oil...
-"Not-Too-Sweet Treats" = In my experience, "not too sweet" is the best compliment an east Asian parent can give to a dessert. You can learn to make milk bread, sesame balls, mochi cake, Hong Kong bubble waffles (gai daan jai), Pandan Tres Leches with Kaya drizzle + a bunch more in this chapter!

Each recipe includes a short intro, an ingredient list, prep time, cook time, inactive time, serving size, instructions, and little notes/pieces of advice (e.g. how to add flavor, make it vegan, sauce substitutes, etc.).

I love that most of the recipes don't require a whole ton of ingredients + am looking forward to getting a physical copy of this book when it comes out!

I really enjoyed this cookbook and found a lot of recipes to be beginner friendly and very delicious!

I would like to thank Netgalley for sending me this arc in exchange for an honest review. This was a good cook book to look through and I can't wait to give some of the recipes a try.

Well, the introduction to this made me fear the worst – implying chat after chat about where the dishes came from, what they mean, when the author's grandma last ate them and everything else I despair of when opening a cookbook. This is nowhere near as bad as that, in the finish. We start with a pantry guide to the specific Asian ingredients, and techniques, and before long we're through some of the most basic steps needed as a grounding, and then we're off.

The pattern is immediately set up by the chapter on veggie sides we hit first – large picture, with the author's context below, and the full ingredient list and recipe facing. Sometimes we leak over on to a third page – the dim sum have specific step-by-step visuals for their creation – but that's soon back in balance. And the dishes are from a broad church indeed – we have a contributor's tandoori chicken and raita, right before tonkatsu pork, Filipino sisig and Korean pancakes – all on consecutive spreads. This is Chinese, Vietnamese, and much else besides – and even though the heart dropped at the notice early on the author was never trained and has zero kitchen experience, this doesn't seem to be a shoddy approximation of anything, rather a sensible, globally-friendly fusion, or at least reasonable fakeaway.

But it's not all on-point quick, familiar delights – here is a stir-fry Shanghai yellow eel, for those who might be able to get it. This isn't just for the insta crowd, nor fully trying to drag grandma's cuisine into the 21st century, but rather aims for a strong balance of just good cooking and fine eating, and I think it gets it. The par-boiled Hainanese chicken, and the ants climbing their tree, are cross-generational, after all. In the desserts, sweet bao buns with cheesecake filling are certainly less traditional.

Written well enough for a simpleton to follow, the recipes are just what is called for. The technique level is low to middling, and while the ingredients list as a whole won't be the easiest (first, catch your chayote) it very rarely is for such a book. And who's to say it won't be worth it...

As beautiful as it is useful, this recipe book is a treasure trove of insight and delicious recipes! I can’t wait to work through more of them!

Wow this recipes are incredible. I’ve never made dumplings at home but I can now. There are so many recipes I absolutely cannot wait to try so many that I never would have attempted before this book!

This one grew on me. On a quick flick through there was nothing that really caught my eye. I am glad that I decided to go back to it and give it more time.

Hadn’t heard of “velveting” proteins and thought it was a typo when I first read it. Then I read the description and it made sense (marinade protein, then blanch for 40-60 seconds, dry off and the stir fry - it makes a difference).

Most of the recipes have a long list of ingredients. Now to try and source some Three Crabs fish sauce. I usually go for Squid Brand but will try the crabs.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I don't cook. However, I could use this book to make it look like I can. This book is about a modern Asian kitchen, and there are multiple kinds of cuisines, such as Chinese and Vietnamese dishes.
The author starts with the basics, telling you the best way to cook rice, which is a staple. Then there is a list of what kinds of spices you need to keep in your kitchen to recreate these tastes.
There are several different recipes, with beautiful photos of every finished product. The cooking itself is simple, even for someone like me.
While I don't eat much meat,I still feel I could enjoy these dishes if I made vegetarian versions. There was a wide variety, and everything looked amazing.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

My husband and I love eating Asian food. Since he is vegan, it's difficult for him to eat many of his favorite dishes. While not a vegan cookbook, Modern Asian Kitchen recognizes that many people limit the amount of meat in their diet and offers many vegan and vegetarian recipes (gluten-free too!). The cookbook has a plant-forward approach, meaning that their are more plant-based recipes than meat-based. It's a perfect cookbook for those who wish do add more plan-based eating to their diets. The recipes are yummy, the photos are delectable and ingredients are very accessible. The cookbook is a must for anyone who loves eating healthy Asian dishes!!