The recipes are upbeat and contemporary - mozzarella and tuna quesadilla, miso soup with ramen noodles and stir-fried vegetables, or pea and parmesan risotto.
The instructions are clear; symbols indicate the number of serves, whether it is extra quick or vegetarian; and there is a lot of general information about cooking, hygiene, equipment and kitchen wisdom.
The British food writer offers a selection of easy but enticing recipes for breakfast, lunches, everyday meals for two or for larger family gatherings, and some luscious puddings.
Some dishes can be made quickly out of nothing much - pasta with cabbage and crispy bacon, or cheesy bean hash, but others are more serious - lemon chicken with sweet potato mash, or thick-crusted beef and stout pie.
Although fish species have to be substituted - always the case with foreign cookbooks - this book is a useful, and affordable, addition to kitchen favourites.
The recipes are for wholesome, somewhat old-fashioned, family comfort food that doesn't cost the earth, such as shepherd's pie, spaghetti and meatballs, corn fritters, casseroles and stews and a few favourite desserts such as bread-and-butter pudding and ginger sticky date pudding.
Not all are quick, but times to prepare and cook each dish are given.
On this culinary exploration, he visits Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Bali, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, exploring markets, street stalls, restaurants and homes, enthusing about the food and the people. A book full of aromatic, exotic recipes.
