Award-winning food writer and cook Mark Diacono recommends the best of the latest cookbooks, from reflections on Korean home cooking to a celebration of Friday night suppers
Mother Tongue
I smiled so much reading British Indian food writer Gurdeep Loyal’s debut; it’s the work of a real talent. Feeling like an immigrant in both Britain and India, Loyal uses that licence to reinvent the familiar and create striking combinations. Ingredients such as sour kokum (a dried fruit) get a welcome inclusion. Recipes are often wow-out-loud thrilling: I couldn’t decide between sticky treacle and kokum chicken lollipops or coconut crab crumpets with railway crispy eggs – so I made both! A terrific book of fresh design by an author with a confident voice.
Recipe I can’t wait to make: Pear and panjiri trifle – panjiri is a Punjabi dessert made with ghee, sugar, spices and nuts.
I didn’t know that... Who knew red leicester cheese would go so well with spice and sweet potatoes? 4th Estate £26
RICE TABLE
Su Scott’s intimate book shares the food and experience of a Korean mother living in Britain, and the relationship between her, her daughter and food. The design is beautiful and the recipes are a delight. Expect everything from innovative ferments to bold mains.
Recipe I can’t wait to make: Spicy squid salad.
I didn’t know that… Many Koreans believe the touch of the fingertips can influence the harmony of flavour in a dish. Quadrille £27, out 30 March (look out for recipes from Su’s book in next month’s issue)
SALT OF THE EARTH
Carolina Doriti’s rich celebration of Greek food is written with the affection and authenticity of someone who’s lived most of her life in Athens. As inviting as the recipes are, there’s equal pleasure in the supporting pages, which are soaked in the history of Greece and its food culture. The food and landscape photography combine with a vibrant and clean design to cr
