By Leigh O’Connor.
From novice cooks to busy families, Adam Liaw takes the grind out of nightly cooking with his latest cookbook ‘7 Days of Dinner’.
Even Adam finds the most confounding part of cooking is deciding what to actually make in the first place – don’t we all! In my household, we decide on a weekly menu on Sundays before grocery shopping and try to stick to it to avoid the nightly question of ‘what’s for dinner?’
With a theme for every day of the week from Meat-free Monday to Wok Wednesday and Saturday Stews, his latest guide to cooking for the whole family is full of inspiration featuring more than 80 easy recipes taken from the set of his SBS series ‘The Cook Up’.
Adam’s recipes capture how Australians cook and eat in the modern day – there are creative weekend projects, time savers for midweek marvels and how to up your cooking game with ‘how to’ guides for making the best roast potatoes, salads, stir-fries, pasta and stews.
Each chapter separates the nights of the week into particular types of dishes – something most of us are already familiar with. We do it because it helps cut through the noise and makes the process of keeping everything on track slightly less daunting.
Slowly but surely, the great meat-eating nation of Australia is starting to realise vegetables really are wonderful. We all want to eat less meat, so why not try Meat-free Monday or stick to Fish on Friday. We eat an excitingly multicultural menu in Australia with influences from around the world – think Taco Tuesday or Wok Wednesday – Adam takes this concept to the next level.
As a busy father of three, he understands the importance of practical, healthy eating; his approachable and family-friendly recipes are enjoyed by all of us. Here are three you need to try:
Mulligatawny soup is a South Indian dish from the British Raj originally served as a starter before a British-style main course, but it makes a delicious meal in itself. Tadka – spices fried in oil added before serving – is a common technique for curries but is used here to add complexity to the soup.
Fish tacos have a long history in Mexico, but the popular modern fish taco of crisp fish, cabbage, a creamy dressing and lime rocketed out of Baja, California, in just the past 50 years or so. This version uses frozen fish fingers, but you could also use pieces of fish fried in a homemade beer batter if you feel more energetic.
Coriander and pepper are a classic combination in Thai cooking for good reason - consider this fast and fragrant recipe edible proof of the winning pairing along with chicken. This dish would also be delicious made a little soupier with the addition of coconut – try a variation adding about 200mL of coconut milk along with the sauces.
This is a definitive family cookbook – the recipe names are alliterative and cutesy, but they are also there for a reason – to help us think and simplify a part of our lives that happens every night.
Whether you go meat-free or taco it up, 7 Days of Dinner makes sure you’re never stuck for something to cook tonight!
7 Days of Dinner by Adam Liaw, Hardie Grant Books, RRP $45.
