Thank you NetGalley, Bloomsbury USA, and Bloomsbury Publishing for this delicious arc!

5/5 stars!

This cookbook is just fantastic! I want to make so many of these recipes!!! The photographs are stunning as well, I love it when looking at the cookbook is inspiring, not just to want to make these recipes but I just get so hungry looking at them hahaha!

I think I bookmarked like half the recipes in here! So many delicious sounding/looking dishes and I'm lucky to live in an area with ample access to some of the more unique ingredients. I really appreciated that most recipes included vegetarian or vegan swaps. Will definitely be cooking from here quite a bit!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the advanced copy.

Synopsis (from Netgalley, the provider of the book for me to review.)
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From the internationally celebrated author of Coconut & Sambal, a cookbook on Asian home cooking, done quickly with ease and minimal mess.

Named after the simplicity and usefulness of soy, Lara Lee's new cookbook introduces 80 game-changing recipes that close the gap between classic Asian dishes and quick-to-table family meals. There are recipes that only require a little chopping and a boiled kettle, as well as 15, 30, and 45-minute meals fit for weeknight dinners or no-fuss dinner parties. Lara explores the vibrant array of sweet, salty, umami, sour and spicy Asian flavours, with inventive brunch ideas like a Tom Yum Bloody Mary, zesty sides like Sambal Patatas Bravas, simple noodles like Cheesy Kimchi Linguine with Gochujang Butter and many more punchy curries, stir-fries and rice recipes from glazed meat to fragrant veggies. She also includes pantry swaps and vegan substitutes so these fuss-free recipes can adapt to your own busy kitchen.

With tales of heritage and culture woven into every recipe, A Splash of Soy transports readers to different parts of Asia, sprinkled with the Australian influence of Lara's upbringing. It is a book for foodies and beginner home cooks everywhere, showing you can make a memorable, delicious meal with steps as simple as adding just a splash of soy.

My step-stepson (oh, figure that out) is always raving on and on about REAL CHINESE FOOD (his stepdad loves Americanized sweet and sour chicken balls) so this book kind of made me giggle as it is authentic food that he would eat between servings of his body weight in poutine which is apparently REAL CANADIAN FOOD. I loved Coconut & Sambal and this book was wonderful as well: it is simple foods easily made and one can easily use the pantry swaps to add in proteins or make them vegetarian vs. vegan.

I like how you can choose how long the cooking time you have for many of the recipes and that some only require a kettle: that would be perfect for university students in residence trying to save money on a food plan. (I know of big eaters that have gone through their entire food plan’s money in a month and still have a long way to go to December…when it’s a card that you swipe, it doesn’t seem like real money until the account is empty and they show up at our library food bank!)

There are a lot of recipes to choose from in here that you can adapt to your taste and ability to handle the heat of chillies, Gochujang and kimchi so it is very versatile. What a great Asian cookbook! #shortbutsweetreviews

If you’re looking for a cookbook with unique Asian recipes, you’ll want to immediately pick up a copy of A Splash of Soy: Everyday Food from Asia, by Lara Lee. This excellent cookbook includes recipes from all over Asia, and, while many of the recipes are popular and well-known, there are dozens of new and unique recipes that most of us haven’t heard of. And the recipes are mouthwatering.

There is an excellent list of suggested pantry items which helps when shopping at an Asian grocery store. Many of the recipes, however, call for ingredients that most already have in or fridge, freezer, or on our pantry shelves. The recipes are preceded by a paragraph or two with information, notes and tips, giving readers insight on the culture connected with the recipes. This is not only helpful, but also fascinating. The cookbook is well-written and the recipes are laid out in the traditional manner with the ingredients listed first followed by step-by-step instructions that are easy to follow.

Also included in this cookbook are beautiful, professional photographs of most of the recipes, making it difficult to decide which recipe to prepare next. There are so many good, mouthwatering recipes that cooks who have a taste for Asian dishes will stay busy cooking for months.

All told, this excellent cookbook belongs on every cookbook shelf; it will become a favorite with everyone who loves Asian food. Highly recommended.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

The pictures in this book made my mouth water! It all looks so delicious. The recipes take a combination of staple ingredients from different cultures and combines them in fresh and interesting ways! I look forward to trying some of them out.

A gorgeous cookbook with so many yummy sounding recipes I can’t wait to try.This is such a lovely welcoming cookbook I know I will be dipping in and out of it.#netgalley #bloomsbury

This cookbook is full of wonderful meals to enjoy at home with the family. The colorful vibrant photographs make it a beautiful addition to a cookbook shelf, and I can’t wait to make the smacked cucumbers.

This cookbook has adaptations of traditional Asian dishes for the home cook. The author tried to make the recipes quick, easy to clean up, and made with obtainable ingredients. There are vegetarian and vegan options. The recipes are organized as follows:

Salads/Light Bites
Broths/Curries
Sucky/Grilled/Glazed
Rice/Stir Fried
Noodles
Veggies
Sweets
Pickles/Sauces

In addition, there are a lot of sections at the end of the book including necessary pantry items, kitchen tips, knife skills, types of soy sauce, chilies, rice wine, and sourcing, storing and substituting ingredients. There is also a glossary. The recipe list is followed by lists of vegetarian, gluten-free and dairy-free recipes. There is an Index.

This cookbook has the worst structure I have ever encountered. Bizarrely, the ingredients list rarely comes at the beginning of a recipe, but things get worse. For example, this is the sequence for Kimchee Pancakes with Sriracha Bacon: first an introduction (there is one for each recipe), then a list of ingredients for the bacon, then instructions for mixing a dipping sauce, instructions for mixing the pancakes, how to make it vegan (omit bacon and eggs), cooking time, ingredients for the dipping sauce, ingredients for the pancakes, instructions for cooking the pancakes, instructions for cooking the bacon, instructions for cooking eggs (note that the eggs are listed with the pancake ingredients, so it looks like they are part of the batter), assembly instructions. Who has the patience to try to cook from that? Maybe read this book for the descriptions, and then if anything really appeals to you write out the recipe yourself.

There are few photographs of the food, and they all seem to have been taken from a huge distance. There are lots of pictures of the author. The structure of the book is really a shame because some of the recipes do sound like that would be very flavorful, but there are too many ingredients I can’t possibly find (like kecap manis). Sometimes substitutes are given.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of A Splash of Soy.

The title is derived from the popular and incredibly useful and necessary condiment of soy.

The author's cookbook introduces modern and playful twists of classic Asian recipes and her stories about her Australian and Asian heritage made A Splash of Soy read almost like a memoir with delicious recipes included!

Her stories about Australia and its Asian food culture was fascinating. Australia is on my list of destinations to visit and now having read about the Asian influences on its cuisine makes me want to go even more.

if only it weren't so far away!

I also always appreciate pantry swaps and vegan subs (though I'm not a vegan) I sometimes try to shake up my food routine and eat healthier or lighter, depending on my mood.

The recipes aren't complicated or messy and contain easy to follow instructions.

My only caveat is I wished the photos were larger, the better for my eyes to absorb and revel in the colors and textures of the dishes.

I found myself in love within mere minutes of opening up "A Splash of Soy" and leafing through. There's an abundance of recipes here covering flavors and tastes from all across southeast and east Asia, all of which can be made with relative ease in most anyone's kitchen with ingredients that are mostly readily available at the average supermarket. I even like how Lara Lee went a little above and beyond in many places, providing helpful ingredient swap options for some recipes, and thoughtful vegan alternatives to many others. Also, the sheer creativity on display many of these dishes really piqued my interest as an amateur home chef. This is very much a recipe book I've like to have in my cookbook library, and I am confident that this will be the case for plenty of others.