Spices & Lime: Recipes from a Modern South East Asian Kitchen

Singaporean Malay cook Ani debuts with a colorful if scattered offering of her “family’s favourite recipes from around the world.” While the same cheery nature displayed during her stint on MasterChef Singapore lends a charming effect—such as when she pokes gentle fun at herself for being a “chubby child” who joined a fitness club—the execution and hashtagged chapters feel unfocused. Traditional dishes like the author’s mother’s beef rendang (gussied up with beef cheek in place of inexpensive chuck) and fried rice with dried anchovies stand out with robust flavors. Tips such as preparing a week’s worth of spices in advance are terrific, and a handful of true fusion recipes—like a mee goreng that uses elbow macaroni in place of noodles—holds some intrigue. But a standard Caprese salad seems out of place, as does a plain Sunday roast chicken. Especially with selections this slim (the #weekendwarriors chapter contains only three recipes), the featured fare can feel haphazard. The order within sections also confounds: roti stuffed with potato, for instance, is sandwiched between doughnuts and cinnamon rolls with cream cheese glaze, while desserts follow in a separate chapter. In making the leap from the small screen to the page, the author lost her footing. (Mar.)