FIVE OF MY FAVOURITE BOOKS
Sharing 5 of my favourite cookbooks, these are books over the years I’ve come back to time and time again.
I’ve put together a list of my top five cookbooks. Now, this wasn’t an easy choice, but these are five that I’ve come back to time and time again. While I don’t really follow recipes as such (unless I’m baking), I take a lot of inspiration and really enjoy reading them; most cookbooks are more than just the recipes.
I adore Moro’s approach to food and cooking, and this book in particular; I love the story behind it. Recipes written throughout the year at Sam and Sam Clark’s allotment in East London. The people growing in the allotment were from had a mix of cultures and food backgrounds - Turkish, and Cypriot in particular. Harvesting together, cooking together, sharing recipes and stories.
The recipes are approachable, totally delicious and punchy, highlighting beautiful seasonal produce. At the time I discovered this book, it showed me a different flavour profile from what I knew already, and so I loved getting stuck into trying new combinations.
When I started private cheffing in holiday villas in Europe, I’d bring this book with me, and it always inspired me if I was feeling stuck for ideas. My first villa client, only ate potatoes as a carb, and I’m not a potato person at all.. This book saved me, the coriander and salt wrinkled potatoes in particular were winners for me.
Amy Chaplin has taught me so much through her writing and cooking. I love this style - using wholefoods, being really conscious of sourcing beautiful, unrefined ingredients and turning them into something fabulous and delicious. Making refined desserts but fully plant-based and thoughtful.
I began to learn this way of cooking and eating at the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York; it wasn’t something I was seeing much of in London. The baking and sweet elements in particular taught me a lot. I love her passion and care for grains, pulses and unrefined, vibrant but refined plant-based desserts. It gave me great hope that she has built such a successful career cooking vegetarian and plant-based food using some of these ‘alternative’ ingredients, at a time when I felt like an outsider in the chef world.
It’s no secret that I love Mexican cuisine. Eating at Pujol many years ago was one of my first fine dining experiences, and probably my best to date (although I don’t tend to go fine dining so much these days). I’d read about it in an inflight magazine on the way to cook in Europe and knew I had to go, so I persuaded my brother to come to Mexico City with me for an eating adventure.
This is a book I’ve come back to time and time again for inspiration and cooking techniques. Since then, Mexico has become one of my most frequented destinations. It’s beautiful and elevated, and I’ve spent so much time just browsing and reading the book.. The salsa recipes in particular are the ones I love to refer to.
The Food of Sichuan & Every Grain of Rice
During one of the COVID lockdowns, we had Sichuan Sundays ( my only day off). I’d never really cooked Sichuan before, but I became a little obsessed, and I loved cooking from both this and The Food of Sichuan. Her depth of knowledge of Sichuanese cuisine is astounding, and the flavours are highly addictive!
With a well-stocked pantry, it’s amazing how you can make something so deliciously moreish from just a few ingredients. The noodle recipes in particular, I now just freestyle a little when I want something quick - Salt water fresh noodles were exceptional and not as hard as you might think to prepare..
Once again, it’s no secret I love vegetables - in fact, healthily obsessed. This book is just stunning and has given me so much inspiration, making vegetables the star of the show. Reading it takes me back to the gorgeous produce in California farmers’ markets. Even the pantry staples are game changers - but it shows you how to elevate produce and show off the wonder of plants. The corn custard was a total revelation to me.
That’s the top five, but by no means exhaustive; bonus entry: the newly released Drizzle by Sarah Vachon, Citizens of Soil. A love letter to olive oil, making it the star of a dish, and of course, my favourite recipe in here is my own chickpea broth. A take on the famous Deporte’s chickpea broth - melt in the mouth chickpeas in a flavoursome broth. Just gorgeous.
Of course, over the years, Ottolenghi has been a huge influence, giving me the confidence to cook outside the box.
Both Phil Khoury’s books on pastry and baking are brilliant, innovative ways of making plant-based desserts, cakes, and pastries using natural everyday ingredients with exceptional results.
David Thompson on Thai Food is a great one if you want to learn more about Thai cooking.
Noma’s book on Fermentation is a very interesting read, and breaks down fermentation beyond just kimchi and sauerkraut.
Sri Lanka, The Cookbook, Prakesh Sivanthan, Niranjala Ellawala - on Sri Lankan cooking.
Love Kali x
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