Staff Pick
You know those cookbooks where upon first look through you start flagging recipes with sticky notes? The Art of Escapism Cooking is one of those. And you know how sometimes there is one recipe that draws you in so much that you know it’s the first recipe you are going to make? In this case, Lamb and Cheese Slab Pie (rubbed with cumin-chili oil) knocked it out of the park for me. This recipe is a perfect example of the book at large: a mixture of different cultures and styles of cooking. Or as the author states for this recipe: “It’s an incredible collaboration between different worlds of funk.” Recommended By Tracey T., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
"Lee, who vents about living abroad in her Lady and Pups blog, fuels this stunning cookbook with the ferocity of Sichuan peppercorns and chili oil. . . . An energetic confessional, for Lee is as gifted a writer as she is a cook. . . . Innovative. . . . A] unique and deeply felt debut." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)
In this inventive and intensely personal cookbook, the blogger behind the award-winning ladyandpups.com reveals how she cooked her way out of an untenable living situation, with more than eighty delicious Asian-inspired dishes with influences from around the world.
For Mandy Lee, moving from New York to Beijing for her husband's work wasn't an exotic adventure--it was an ordeal. Growing increasingly exasperated with China's stifling political climate, its infuriating bureaucracy, and its choking pollution, she began "an unapologetically angry food blog," LadyandPups.com, to keep herself from going mad.
Mandy cooked because it channeled her focus, helping her cope with the difficult circumstances of her new life. She filled her kitchen with warming spices and sticky sauces while she shared recipes and observations about life, food, and cooking in her blog posts. Born in Taiwan and raised in Vancouver, she came of age food-wise in New York City and now lives in Hong Kong; her food reflects the many places she's lived. This entertaining and unusual cookbook is the story of how "escapism cooking"--using the kitchen as a refuge and ultimately creating delicious and satisfying meals--helped her crawl out of her expat limbo.
Illustrated with her own gorgeous photography, The Art of Escapism Cooking provides that comforting feeling a good meal provides. Here are dozens of innovative and often Asian-influenced recipes, divided into categories by mood and occasion, such as:
For Getting Out of Bed
Poached Eggs with Miso Burnt Butter Hollandaise
Crackling Pancake with Caramel-Clustered Blueberries and Balsamic Honey
For Slurping
Buffalo Fried Chicken Ramen
Crab Bisque Tsukemen
For a Crowd
Cumin Lamb Rib Burger
Italian Meatballs in Taiwanese Rouzao Sauce
For Snacking
Wontons with Shrimp Chili Coconut Oil and Herbed Yogurt
Spicy Chickpea Poppers
For Sweets
Mochi with Peanut Brown Sugar and Ice Cream
Recycled Nuts and Caramel Apple Cake
Every dish is sublimely delicious and worth the time and attention required. Mandy also demystifies unfamiliar ingredients and where to find them, shares her favorite tools, and provides instructions for essential condiments for the pantry and fridge, such as Ramen Seasoning, Fried Chili Verde Sauce, Caramelized Onion Powder Paste, and her Ultimate Sichuan Chile Oil.