We’ll be exploring big flavours in May, with Everything is Indian – and the June cookbook selection might surprise you!
Get ready, my darling cookbook addicts, because we are in for some big flavours with our May Lambs Ears Cookbook Club selection, Everything is Indian by Justin Narayan.
Of Fijian-Indian heritage, Justin takes us on a fantastically flavoursome journey through many of his family recipes, and opens them up wide. He wants us to do what we like with them – there are no rules, it’s just all about the flavours. The winner of Masterchef 2021, Justin is passionate about sharing the food he grew up with, most of it learned from his mum and his grandparents. However, he’s totally not afraid to marry these big flavours and traditional tastes with modern cooking methods, thus making his family food super-accessible to all of us.
Think caramel slice (now there’s a controversial topic this week – see here) with a massive cardamom hit, chicken curry tacos, masala roast potatoes and heaps more. I hope you’ve sourced this book somehow – it’s definitely curry weather, and this is definitely a wonderful new take on Indian food in Australia.
But what did we cook in April?
Doing exactly what it said on the cover, Donna Hay’s Too Easy made family cooking in April quite a doddle. As ever, her dishes always feature big flavours, without taking half the day, all of the kitchen, and a supermarket aisle’s worth of ingredients to prepare. You generally can’t go wrong with her food, so she’s always a popular selection in the Cookbook Clubs. Here’s just a few dishes from last month.
Plum and vanilla tarte satin from Carolyn Miles
Risoni and chili honey halloumi salad from Caroline Button
Vicki Taylor’s Creamy Parmesan Chicken Meatball Pasta Bake
My own zucchini and leek tart – very tasty indeed!
A heads up – two cookbooks for June!
I struggled to pick between two excellent baking titles for the June monthly cookbook club – so I picked both!
Some of My Best Friends Are Cookies, by Emelia Jackson, and The Baker’s Book, a community project compiled by Ruby Goss, are both absolute must-haves for my cookbook club baking fans – and I know there’s quite a few of you.
The former was published late last year and is the second successful cookbook by this popular 202 Masterchef Australian Back to Win series. It’s quite a love letter to cookies (or biscuits as we STILL call them in Australia), and these beautifully photographed recipes will make a baker out of anyone. She covers everything from the basic classics through to fancy treats, of course including gluten free bakes.
The Baker’s Book is a collection of cake, biscuits and slice recipes from more than 30 of Australia’s best bakers. This volume is chock full of a wealth of baking craft, techniques and know-how. Baking is more than a skill, it’s an expression of love and with this cookbook you’ll be sharing love with anyone lucky enough to be in or near your kitchen.
But this month it’s time to warm our kitchens and our bellies with the big flavours of Indian food from Justin Narayan. Don’t forget – check your library for this title, or grab it on ebook, and get cooking!
IF YOU HAVEN’T JOINED THE LAMBS EARS COOKBOOK CLUB YET, YOU WILL FIND ALL THE DETAILS HERE.
SO, 2025 IS LOOKING LIKE THIS SO FAR
Your whole-year cookbook will be any ONE cookbook from your own collection
May – Everything Is Indian by Justin Narayan
April – Too Easy by Donna Hay
March – What’s for Dessert by Claire Saffitz
February – RecipeTin Eats Tonight by Nagi Maehashi
January – Salad for Days by Alice Zaslavsky
I just got the May book out from the library and I already own the Emelia Jackson so this will be an opportunity to cook from it!
Fantastic – you’re poised to cook up a storm!