Asian Pies

Asian Pies, by Evonne Lyn Lee & Sarah FC Lee (22 June, 2016)
© Timothy Tye using this photo

Asian Pies

Author: Evonne Lyn Lee & Sarah FC Lee
ISBN: 978-981-47-5155-1
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
Year of First Publication: 2016

Asian Pies is a book I have been eagerly awaiting. Ever since my friend Evonne told me she is writing a cookbook with a cooking partner, Sarah, I was really looking forward to geting my hands on a copy. It was quite a long wait for the book, and finally it arrived to much anticipation.

The name of Evonne and Sarah's book is Asian Pies. It celebrates the fusion of local and Western food, by blanketing Asian fillings - like sambal tumis satay chicken or rendang - with pie crusts or underlaying them with tart shells. The result, we get to indulge in the best of two worlds within a single bite!

Asian Pies is a well-presented book. It is written not just with seasoned home bakers in mind, but also for first timers who rarely enter the kitchen. The non-recipe section introduces the home-baker to useful information like basic ingredients, baking terms, 10 hot tips and baking techniques to turn out successful pies.

A gorgeous pot pie with Thai roast duck red curry filling, in Asian Pies (22 June, 2016)
© Timothy Tye using this photo

It's not all baking, of course. As you also need to prepare the filling, there's some cooking involved, but Evonne and Sarah have sequenced the steps to make them easy to follow. While you can rely on store-bought pastry, those who want to do things from scratch will appreciate the basic recipes, where the steps for making the various shortcrusts and pastries are clearly explained. Once you've mastered the techniques, you are ready to fly with Evonne and Sarah!

Recipe section comprises authentic curries, stews and desserts which have been adapted as fillings for pies e.g. Beef Rendang, Indonesian Opor Ayam, Ayam Masak Merah and tarts. You could say - Pies and tarts with an Asian twist!

Asian Pies is not a book for dieters, and even I myself, who try to stay on the no carb side of food on week days, will gladly park my diet when my wife starts trying out the recipes. I will update this review whenever she whips something from its pages! One thing for sure, our pie adventure will go hand in hand with Asian Pies!

Asian Pies is available now in most bookshops in Singapore and Malaysia including Popular, Borders, MPH, Kinokuniya and Times, and is priced at S$34.55 inc GST and RM89.90 inc GST.

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