Wok for Less: Budget-Friendly Asian Meals in 30 Minutes or Less

These 109 recipes from food writer and TV chef Ching (Asian Green) offer quick, economical takes on a wide range of Asian dishes in a breezy style that assumes a basic familiarity with wok cooking. Ching seeks to simplify recipes with a “pared down Asian pantry,” minimal equipment, and the frequent use of leftovers. For those without a wok, “a pan will do,” though there are no adaptations offered. Many recipes come well under the goal of “30 minutes or less” by making use of already cooked rice (Three Cup Tofu) or noodles (Hoisin cauliflower noodles). Serving sizes are small: many recipes serve only one or two, and even in the chapter on “Entertaining, Sharing & Leftovers,” the math is disappointing: chili beef brisket, “a total crowd pleaser,” only serves two or four and is not really designed, despite Ching’s claims, to yield the leftovers for the chili beef brisket bao. The “Easy Freezy” chapter is less about meals one can pull out from the freezer than extensive dishes to be made in advance and frozen for later, among them Beef Ball Udon Noodle Soup. Still, the wide range of dishes and cuisines is impressive and the photographs appeal. Those familiar with Asian cooking and looking for simple, fast variations will find this useful. (Feb.)