COOK & FEAST
AUDRA MORRICE
LANDMARK BOOKS, H/B, $39.99

Audra Morrice was born in Singapore to a Chinese mother of Hock Chew descent and an Indian father and is now based in Australia; this book reflects all these cultural influences and then some. It’s a collection of tasty achievable dishes from Sri Lanka, Japan, Korea, China, Bali, India and the rest, that sing of spices, heat and freshness and give a non-threatening introduction to some dishes I’m not familiar with. I love the lip-pursing but caramelly tamarind chilli sauce served with crispy-skinned salmon, the earthy black pepper pork curry and the smoky flavours of spiced aubergine with coconut. The baking and desserts section leans more to Western cakes and biscuits, though the vibrant green coconut pandan crêpes are stand-out. TRACY WHITMEY.