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Tatler Asia
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Tatler Asia
From viral videos to page turners: 8 food influencers whipping up bestselling cookbooks
2. Sarah Ahn (@ahnestkitchen): 'Umma: A Korean Mom's Kitchen Wisdom and 100 Family Recipes' Sarah Ahn didn't set out to write a cookbook. She just filmed what her mum (or umma in Korean) was cooking. What does her mum pack for her dad, an exterior painter who works up to 12 hours a day outdoors? Why is her umma's multigrain rice not just a more protein-packed alternative, but a testament to her family's resilience? And what homemade food does she pack for their dog when they go out of town? The warmth and intimacy of their kitchen struck a chord with followers, and that connection turned into Umma , her New York Times bestselling cookbook. It's part story, part instruction manual, with banchan, kimchi and stews passed down over generations. Think Crying in H Mart , but blended with the everyday practicality of home cooking. Read more: What makes Korean food a social media sensation 3. Zaynab Issa (@zaynab_issa): 'Third Culture Cooking: Classic Recipes for a New Generation' Zaynab Issa's Third Culture Cooking is exactly what it sounds like: a recipe book shaped by the in-between. Raised with East African and South Asian roots in suburban America, Issa creates recipes that make space for all of it—tandoori tacos, samosas two ways and chocolate cake with chai buttercream. She started with a college recipe zine, moved through food media brands BuzzFeed and Bon Appétit and built a following with TikTok recipes like her cheddar and white bean dip (55 million views on TikTok alone). Her cookbook reflects that journey: part nostalgia, part experimentation and entirely personal. Book sections include tips on cooking by mood, setting yourself up for success in the kitchen and entertaining without crashing out. Read more: 5 tips from food influencers on how to film better Foodstagram reels 4. George Lee (@ 'A-Gong's Table: Vegan Recipes from a Taiwanese Home' George Lee's cooking journey began not in culinary school, but in the quiet rituals of grief. When his grandfather (or a-gong in Taiwanese) passed away, Lee and his family followed Buddhist funeral customs and abstained from meat for 100 days. During that time, he received a masterclass in cooking from monastery nuns. What started as a spiritual observance grew into a popular blog, a social media following and a cookbook. A-Gong's Table is filled with plant-based Taiwanese recipes that taste like home: sweet potato breakfast congee, meatless braised 'pork' rice and umami-rich sauces from scratch. Photographed across Taiwan, the recipe book reads like a love letter to heritage and a more compassionate way to cook. Read more: 5 vegan-friendly resorts in Southeast Asia that deliver on luxury 5. Tue Nguyen (@twaydabae): 'Di An: The Salty, Sour, Sweet and Spicy Flavors of Vietnamese Cooking' From culinary school to mukbang videos to sold-out pop-ups, Tue Nguyen has had an unconventional rise—one that now includes her restaurant DiDi and a cookbook named one of the best of 2024 by The New York Times. Nguyen first captured audiences with joyful, flavour-packed dishes like fish sauce eggs, seared scallops and weeknight pho that prove you don't need hours to cook with soul. That same energy animates her cookbook Di An, a celebration of her heritage at full volume, grounded in accessible techniques. If you want a recipe book that balances tradition with practicality, this one earns its shelf space. Expect recipes like shaking beef, braised catfish and bo kho 'birria' tacos that feel both nostalgic and entirely new. Read more: What is it about Vietnamese cuisine that drives the whole world crazy? 6. Carolina Gelen (@carolinagelen): 'Pass the Plate: 100 Delicious, Highly Shareable, Everyday Recipes' Carolina Gelen's cooking is as inventive as her thrift-store hauls during her early days online. Born in Transylvania and now based in the US, she rose to viral fame with cosy recipes like butter beans alla vodka and orange cardamom olive oil cake—dishes that feel special without requiring anything fancy. That approach powers Pass the Plate , her debut cookbook and a 2025 James Beard Award nominee. What sets Gelen apart is her ability to make humble ingredients feel exciting. Think chicken schnitzel with caramelised lemon gremolata, upside-down pineapple coconut cake and pantry-friendly riffs on her Romanian and Hungarian culinary roots. For home cooks looking to maximise flavour and cook with joy, Pass the Plate will have you asking for seconds. 7. Nisha Vora (@rainbowplantlife): 'Big Vegan Flavor: Techniques and 150 Recipes to Master Vegan Cooking' A former lawyer turned food content creator, Nisha Vora is a go-to source for plant-based meals that don't feel like a sacrifice. Her detailed how-to videos and bold flavour profiles—rooted in her Indian heritage and global inspirations—bring vibrancy to vegan cooking. A New York Times bestseller and James Beard Award nominee, her cookbook Big Vegan Flavor lives up to the name. It's a masterclass in seasoning and technique, featuring internationally inspired recipes, flavour bombs to make everyday meals pop and smart swaps that cater to your cravings and pantry. Designed for both new and seasoned plant-based eaters, Vora's cookbook doesn't just replace meat with tofu—it reimagines vegan food as something deeply craveable. Read more: 12 Instagram accounts to follow for the best vegan recipes 8. Owen Han (@ 'Stacked: The Art of the Perfect Sandwich' Dubbed as TikTok's Sandwich King, Owen Han built his following one ASMR cooking video at a time. Drawing from childhood summers spent cooking with his Italian grandmother and Chinese father, Han brings a cross-cultural lens to handheld meals. His viral 2021 shrimp toast with gochujang mayo—a mashup of Cantonese and Korean flavours—cemented his reputation for bold, unexpected pairings. His cookbook Stacked makes good on that reputation. It's not just about bread—anything you can hold in your hands can be a canvas for flavour. Think Peking duck wrap, hoisin pork burnt ends bao and butter chicken burrito. Easy to follow, full of flavour and anything but basic. Read more: Beyond McDonald's McGriddle: 9 breakfast sandwiches in Hong Kong for which you don't have to queue up from 4am
Forbes
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Add These Cookbooks To Your Beach Bag This Summer
Cookbooks and the like for the summer; at the beach and in the kitchen. Summer is technically still a few weeks away but mentally the picnic baskets and beach bags have been packed since early Spring. The perfect beach bag usually has all the essentials for a long day of sunshine and relaxation, like sunscreen and sunglasses and water and snacks, but surely, a good book or two. Though cookbooks may not be the first on a list of good reads for the beach, each of the books here are good for an experience well-beyond cooking a great recipe. There are characters and curiosities, narratives and plot, life lessons and aha's, all packaged in artfully designed pages that are simply too beautiful to keep on a shelf. Most of these books focus on traditions and are steeped in personal reflection. All of these books will enrich your cultural and culinary chops. All of these books deserve to have a life inside and outside the kitchen. None of them will be a waste of your time. Umma by mother and daughter duo, Sarah Ahn and Nam Soon Ahn. I'm not crying you're crying. Not that Sarah Ahn of Ahnest Kitchen meant to jerk the tears from our ducts, but readers are let in to this beautiful mother-daughter collection and their love of tradition and culture in a way that feels so intimate. The privilege of being let in is poignant and ever present. There are over 100 family recipes and stories that take us back to their history and lives in Korea to their lives today in the United States. The duo has given readers and Korean food enthusiasts a counter seat to a Masterclass in Korean cooking from Sarah's mom, a former restauranteur. Everything is revealed from pantry necessities or knife skills, to how to choose produce, what she likes from Costco, to her deep dive into rice, and Sarah's childhood tales behind one purple lunch pail. Can't Wait to Try: The Korean BBQ Short Ribs (p.162); Spinach Fried Rice (p.277); Kimchi Pancakes (p.316); and the Iced Corn Latte (p. 356) A one-of-a-kind introspective look a Pakistan, its history, its geography, its people, and its ... More extraordinary food. Rounds and rounds of applause for this beautiful, weighty, tribute. In a book that is the first of its kind and one that is deeply personal, Maryam Jillani the reporter meets Maryam Jillani the Pakistani writer who proclaims her discoveries with a groundswell of pride. Pakistan gifts readers with a studied view of the country's rich culture, one to be 'seen' and understood well beyond its politics. Interspersed with essays that illuminate Pakistan's geography and culture and the people who make up its complex global story, the book contains numerous recipes that further connect all the dots. Can't Wait to Try: Borani Banjan (p. 89); Pata Gobi (p.99); Kadhi Pakora (p.103); and the Seviyan for dessert (p. 242). Dinner by Meera Sodha Once a cook, not always a cook. After a dark spell blanketing an unknown course, Meera Sodha had to do some soul searching before she could reclaimed her mojo in the kitchen again. Once she did, there was no turning back. It took a shift in perspective from cooking for work to cooking for pleasure and for her family. Whenever joy was sparked in the kitchen again from a new recipe, said recipe went into an 'orange book', which, over time and all dressed up a became what we now hold in our hands. When flipping through Dinner, it feels like a chatting with a good friend who's just been lit up from her insides out. It's underscored by a rejuvenated cook, and you can't help but want to be part of that. 'The ability to put a good dinner on the table has become my superpower,' she notes. 'And I want it to be yours too.' Can't Wait to Try: Rojak Salad with Avocado, tofu and tamarind (p. 76); Marbled Egg Omelet with Nam Pla (p.104); Lentil Soup with Harissa and Preserved Lemon (p.159); and Matcha Mochi Cakes with Sesame Brittle (p. 301). There's Always Room at the Table by Kaleb Wyse Midwest in the house! Kaleb Wyse of Wyse Guide has brought us into his world one bucolic scene at a time. It feels a little bit like heaven; but nope, it's just Iowa. He introduces us to friends and family as a cast of characters and reminds us how important it can be to turn to our own 'cast' for a rich sense of place and inspiration. Before even getting to the many delicious recipes inside the book, Wyse tells us three of his rules for gathering it all together: The recipes had to remind him of his mom, grandmas or great-grandmas; they had to be available nearby--he not only lives across from his childhood home but in the home of one of his grandparents'; and the dishes had to be delicious--duh--and no nonsense. Anyone could take one skip-to-the-loo through the pages and see it is as approachable as it is wholesome as it is enticing. Can't Wait to Try: Chicken & Biscuits (p. 74); Cinnamon Rolls with Brown Butter Frosting (p.4); Roasted Zucchini, Dill & Feta Dip (p. 155); and Peach Shortcake Bars (p. 232). The Italian Summer Kitchen by Cathy Whims This a book built not on a family tradition entrenched in generations of nonnas and their passed-down recipes. Instead it is built on one Pacific Northwest chef's pure passion for and allegiance to Italian cuisine. Chef Cathy Whims, of Nostrana in Portland--which turns 20 later this year--is like many of us who fall in love with all things Italian. Unlike many of us, however, she followed her passion directly to the doorstep of legend Marcella Hazan's kitchen and with the experience she gained therein, was forever changed. Every recipe in the book is made all the more enticing by artist Kate Lewis's lively illustrations; together, La Dolce Vita feels achievable, Italian or not. Can't Wait to Try: Insalata Nostrana (p. 30); Ligurian Seafood Stew (p. 61) Potato Gnocchi--a la Marcella Hazan-- (p.87); and Almond Granita (p. 148). Baking for Two by America's Test Kitchen I am overjoyed by this book, and I've dog-eared more recipes than not. But wait a minute! Where has this book been all my life? Or the last five years, at least? I've empty-nested and remarried and have had to learn how to cook all over again. Cooking for less than a houseful takes training. So here we go. The pros of pros at America's Test Kitchen have not only made cooking smaller doable, they've done so by including mouth-watering recipes presented with endless tips on tools, recipe variations, or equipment. The calories don't shrink, however, but learning to cook smaller can reap big dividends of joy. Can't Wait to Try: Cherry Cobbler with Spiced Wine (p. 66); Whole-Wheat Carrot Snack Cake (p. 108); Bean and Cheese Pupusas (p. 209); Pineapple, Ginger, and Lime Tarts (p. 175) You won't lose this book at the beach. With bright, vibrant illustrations from Danny Miller and ... More photographs by Ren Fuller, tinned fish is loud and proud. Tinned fish is one of life's culinary treasures and something that has come back to the forefront in a big, beautiful way, thanks to the badassery of our resident Fishwives, Becca Millstein and Caroline Goldfarb. Because of them, tinned fish no longer hides in the cupboards as a second thought; it can be up, front, and first. As a matter of fact, I have a stinky, fishy breakfast quite regularly; the stinkier the better, in my book. Throw in a serving of stinky kimchi and I'm very very happy. So, when a book shows up that regals tinned fish with such esteem, I'm an instant fan. Along with recipe developer Vilda Gonzalez, we get to make tinned fish a meal, a snack, a soirée, or a full-fledged, fishy celebration. Can't Wait to Try: Chili Crisp Salmon Lettuce Wrap (p. 79); Risotto with Tinned Octopus and Smoked Paprika (p. 114); Anchovy Bagna Càuda (p. 157); Latkes with Sour Cream and Chives, and Smoked Mackerel (p. 199) Cover to So Easy So Good, a perfect book for light dishes; made for summer or no fuss cooking ... More anytime. How lucky are we that we have a book here so rooted in nutrition, not just deliciousness. That said, it took a dark time and place for Kylie Sakaida to come out the other side in health, healing, and cooking with joy and confidence. Not only does she walk us through a trying time in her youth when food was the enemy but shares the details of her recovery. And, not only did she regain a love for food, but she became a dietician who now helps millions of people everyday across her social platforms to find balance in their relationship to food. Full of delicious recipes and lessons on finding balance, everyone who strives for it in any form could take a lesson from So Easy So Good. Can't Wait to Try: Chinese Steamed Eggs (p. 79); Sesame Garlic Tofu (p. 139); Kimchi Beef & Tofu Stew (p. 157); Onigiri Rice Balls (p. 243); Creamy Peach Pops (p, 254) The following two books here are not about cooking or food per se, but sit happily in the world of hospitality. One party of a book on wine, Rebel School of Wine by Tyler Balliet. I have a sign near my dining room table that says 'this kitchen is for dancing'; this book by the originator of Wine Riot and Rosé Mansion comes with the similar jubilant plea. Wine is about enjoyment; drinking it shouldn't feel like anything but the pursuit of pleasure. Within five pages of Rebel School of Wine you will very quickly discover a world you want to live in. The intimidation factor surrounding the libation's history or enthusiast's landscape falls away and you are walked though every element of the wine world in a very straight forward, dare I say, fun way. No matter how much other books on wine try to be less of an affront to your intelligence, it is rare to see a text that is so inviting on the subject. To how wine is made and regional highlights to the economics behind the industry and tools of the trade, there's nothing left out. Covered in bright, bold illustrations by Amber Day, Balliet and Creative Director Morgan First give us a wine book with back-to-school-colorful-doodles-energy, and the step-by-step insider's guide you wish you wrote yourself. Last but certainly not least, lessons from a legend… The latest book from José Andrés, Change the Recipe, was released on April 22. To many, José Andrés is a larger-than-life figure who has gone from sprinkling a bit of his beloved Spain and its beautiful cuisine across the globe to someone with a Herculean capacity to give and to feed those in need. In Change the Recipe, however, he draws us in with his signature voice--full of kindness and passion--while peeling back the curtain on some of the major lessons he's learned from the early days of the military and professional cooking to becoming a U.S. citizen and navigating the high stakes that comes with his work for the World Central Kitchen. All in all, readers catch wind of one person finding purpose and that in itself makes for a hearty, enriching read.
Los Angeles Times
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
All the chefs and cookbook authors you want to see at the L.A. Times Festival of Books
We've got an exciting lineup of cookbook authors, memoirists and food personalities appearing at this year's Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on the campus of the University of Southern California April 26 and 27. Join us for live interviews, cooking demos and guest appearances at the L.A. Times Food x Now Serving booth. Here's what we have cooking: Saturday, April 26 3 p.m. The Terroir Memoir: Cooking, Culture and Place: Sarah Ahn ('Umma: A Korean Mom's Kitchen Wisdom'); Michelle T. King ('Chop Fry Watch Learn: Fu Pei-mei and the Making of Modern Chinese Food') and Steve Hoffman ('A Season for That: Lost and Found in Southern France') in conversation with L.A. Times senior food editor Danielle Dorsey. Albert and Dana Broccoli Theatre. Ticket required. 4:30 p.m. Food Fight: 'Top Chef' and the Reality Cooking Show Phenomenon. Tom Colicchio and Kristen Kish in conversation with L.A. Times general manager Laurie Ochoa. Bovard Auditorium. Ticket required. 12:45 p.m. Comida & Community. A discussion with chef Wes Avila, author Jocelyn Ramirez, author Karla Tatiana Vasquez and L.A. Food Policy Council's Alba Velasquez. De Los Stage. Saturday, April 26 11 a.m. Chef Brooke Williamson, author of 'Sun-Kissed Cooking.' 12:30 p.m. Chef Roy Choi, author of 'The Choi of Cooking.' 2 p.m. Chef Christina Tosi, author of 'Bake Club.' 3:30 p.m. Creator Alix Traeger, author of 'Scratch That.' Sunday, April 27 11 a.m. Comedian and podcaster Mamrie Hart, author of 'All l Think About Is Food.' 12:30 p.m. Daughter and mother Sarah Ahn and Nam Soon Ahn, authors of 'UMMA: A Korean Mom's Kitchen Wisdom and 100 Family Recipes.' 2 p.m. Chef Nicole Rucker, author of 'Fat + Flour.' 3:30 p.m. Producer and video host Kiano Moju, author of 'AfriCali.' Saturday, April 26 10 a.m. Author Laurie Woolever ('Care and Feeding: A Memoir'). 11 a.m. Found Oyster chef Ari Kolender ('How to Cook the Finest Things in the Sea'). Noon. Authors Sarah Ahn and Nam Soon Ahn ('Umma: A Korean Mom's Kitchen Wisdom'). 2 p.m. Author Zaynab Issa ('Third Culture Cooking: Classic Recipes for a New Generation'). 3 p.m. Cocktail writer Caroline Pardilla ('Margarita Time'). Sunday, April 27 10 a.m. Author Eden Grinshpan ('Tahini Baby'). 11 a.m. Author Nisha Vora ('Big Vegan Flavor'). Noon. Author Benjamin Delwiche ('Dessert Course: Lessons in the Whys and Hows of Baking'). 2 p.m. Author Vanessa Lavorato ('How to Eat Weed and Have a Good Time: A Cannabis Cookbook'). 3 p.m. Author Becca Millstein ('The Fishwife Cookbook: Delightful Tinned Fish Recipes for Every Occasion').
