Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil until smoking and pour it over the salad instead of the chilli oil, along with the dressing. There were slightly too many ingredients I don't usually have at home and the cooking instructions were slightly too long and complex (lazy cook - one pan, less than 30mins style).

The daughter of Chinese–Australian parents, she eschewed a career in law for something she was truly passionate about: learning to taste and being surrounded by creative geniuses. Hu's watercolor illustrations play so nicely with the vivid photography throughout and the recipes are remarkably accessible. Wasn’t sure what to expected but loved the life stories, the hand painted illustrations and was pleasantly surprised by the recipes!I wasn’t sure if it had anything new to add to the Chinese / Asian cookbooks we already have in existence but I did want to try a lot of the dishes - regional noodles dishes rarely seen in an English language cookbook, interesting condiments made home made friendly as well as staples like fried rice and congee. This unique and beautifully illustrated cookbook offers a combination of cuisines spanning Southeast Asia that reflect the authors' immigrant heritage .

And now I have it in my collection, in pride of place, where it belongs, I feel it is a book you might need to have, too. The common Chinese name for chilli oil – hong you, or "red oil" – is a reference to its astonishingly vibrant colour.

Against my better judgement I tried it anyway in case this level of salt unlocked amazing wontons flavours I didn't know about.

There are Chinese snacks (sort of) such as Crispy prawn balls and Beijing hot chicken, as well as dishes for a crowd (‘Big plate’ chicken with hand-pulled noodles). To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. It was interesting to read and explains well some principles I can put into practice to get close to a restaurant style stir-fry. And I’m desperate to try the Microwave Cheong Fun, those wonderful rice flour noodle rolls, which are especial favourites of mine. I can’t tell you how incredible it was to have such easy to follow instructions for techniques I had believed were beyond my skill.Smacking the cucumber with the back of a knife or cleaver, or even a hammer, creates lovely nooks and crevices for the dressing to find its way into, resulting in a punchy, refreshing dish for those swelteringly hot days. As I was writing this review, what also struck me, is how pertinent the arrival of this book is now, with many people (myself included) seriously impacted by the UK cost of living crisis…my favourite Chinese takeaway treats, are just a memory but this book has brought me hope, I can now cost effectively still indulge in some of my favourite food.