“…simple and easy to follow but the results look and taste spectacular.”
Dave Parry is Dad/Step Dad to Ben (18), Alice (17), Rosie (13) and Hannah (12). He is an Associate Professor at AUT, and an avid reader and lover of the great outdoors - especially mountains. Dave does all of the cooking at home and sees creating in the kitchen as a great way to relax.
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Book review - Chop Chop by Brett McGregor
I hate washing up and I like eating - I do all of the family cooking at home. In our house we have a blended family of six, including four teenagers, one vegetarian and one with a seafood allergy, so it isn’t always easy to please everyone.
Everyone at home likes Asian – especially Thai and Vietnamese – so these recipes are great. I’m a bit of an experimental cook (translation - I tend to start before I’ve read the recipe). However, these can be easily adapted by substituting ingredients to suit our vegetarian and seafood-free requirements, and serendipitous substitutions of whatever else is in the fridge.
I especially like the short preparation times for most of the recipes. People go from happy to hangry very quickly so food has to appear quickly.
The recipes are simple and easy to follow but the results look and taste spectacular. The coriander, Thai basil and parsley beef fillet (page 73) looked like it should have been a lot more difficult to prepare than it really was. The Koh Chang pad Thai with tamarind and chilli sauce (page 109) got a big tick from all, including the tofu lover who helped with the making. The barbecue pork (page 95) was another winner for our family.
The book itself is attractive but also practical. The photos of the finished product offer a helpful guide, and often my attempts matched them. The format of one recipe per double page spread is great as it is simple to place hold – the cover flaps make this really easy.
I can highly recommend this book and its recipes for both every-day meals and special occasions. A great encouragement for an expedition to the Asian supermarket!
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