Asian staples congee, noodles and rice explored in TV chef Mrs Fong’s cookbook

The contents of this 1990 book, one of a series of publications that fall under the umbrella banner of being a “Lisa Yam’s Cook Book”, are as straight­forward as its title.

Lisa Yam, who is better known to fans of her books and television cooking shows as Mrs Fong, writes a foreword that is just as brief and matter-of-fact.

“What we are looking for in cookery, I believe, are dishes which are nutritious, delicious, and at the same time, give us new tastes [...] Congee, noodles and rice [...] can be easily prepared and have many varieties. The 60 recipes in this book provide you with traditional Chinese dishes as well as exotic varieties in Thai, Indonesian and Vietnamese styles. With fresh ingredients and varied cooking methods, you would be able to prepare congee, noodle and rice recipes that can stimulate your appetite.”

A couple of the recipes here could be more precise (the one for baby oyster congee in Chaozhou style calls for “some fine stock” and “some fine rice”). But most of them, while being to the point, provide all the information required to do the job, so long as you have some knowledge of cooking and use common sense.