A Splash of Soy: Everyday Food from Asia by Lara Lee

  • Tom yum Bloody Mary
    • Categories: Cocktails / drinks (with alcohol); Cooking for 1 or 2; American; Asian
    • Ingredients: tomato juice; vodka; tom yum paste; tamarind paste; limes; lemongrass; English cucumber
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Notes about this book

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Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Perfect kimchi, spring onion and Sriracha grilled cheese

    • anyapeach on January 25, 2026

      Amazing! The steaming at the end really makes it.

    • Potawatomus on March 29, 2026

      This was so good and comes together so easily in less than 10 minutes!

  • Cheesy tofu triple stack on an English muffin

    • jenmacgregor18 on January 14, 2024

      Gooey, satisfying, and very flavorful. A triple stack makes for a fantastic slightly messy sandwich. A double stack might be more reasonable, but the triple is a beautiful thing. :) I made the patties the day before and just reheated and assembled them when I was ready. I imagine these would be good to make a double or triple batch of patties and freeze for future too.

  • Ginger, mirin and tomato tofu scramble

    • jenmacgregor18 on January 17, 2024

      Great as is, superb with sriracha. And still fantastic as reheated leftovers. I used diced canned tomatoes that were drained. It worked well.

  • Choose-your-own-adventure banh mi

    • katmagdunn on October 19, 2023

      This was so good!! It's not crazily different from other banh mi recipes, but i've made both the mushroom filling and the prawns (also for the bibimbap) and it was so addictive, absolutely loved it.

    • NicoleBrown on April 01, 2025

      Delicious! But when is a banh mi not delicious.

  • Lemongrass chicken noodle salad of dreams

    • grace_xe2lnk on May 19, 2026

      Absolutely delicious! Make it with the garlic ginger shrimp

  • Golden tofu and corn larb

    • eclairea on January 30, 2025

      MY FAVE SUMMER DISH! I make this all the time, and wouldn’t change a thing. The toasted rice powder is an absolute must.

  • Almost instant chicken katsu curry

    • eclairea on November 12, 2025

      What a great way to use up chicken fingers! I needed to make more space in my freezer and this was so tasty and came together in a flash.

  • Tom khing gai

    • stepharama1 on December 08, 2023

      This is a sensational soup! It's extra flavorful and perfect to cure a cold.

    • tarae1204 on January 19, 2024

      Loved this hot and sour soup. I doubled the recipe for four and served with brown rice on the side. I used lemongrass paste from a tube, half the cilantro, double the basil - as that’s what I had on hand. I went light on the lime and fish sauce. A handful of something crunchy would be nice - some bean sprouts, snow peas, etc.

  • Charred leek gulai sayur

    • katmagdunn on January 20, 2025

      This is so good -- a real winner when you have leeks in the house and aren't totally sure what to do with them (a recurring experience for me...) It is a very, very punchy, tangy and fresh tasting curry so a big crowd pleaser as well, and quite different than what people are often used to.

  • Steak with Asian chimichurri

    • DFarnham on August 02, 2024

      Our family agrees that this is the best chimichurri we've ever had. Exceptional.

    • celesteprevost on February 12, 2025

      Really great chimichurri!

    • Deja1 on April 21, 2025

      Lovely flavors! I’m going to make this chimichurri often!

  • Crying tiger

    • Happykikkers on November 21, 2024

      3.5* This was good, though next time I'll add less of the glutinous rice powder to the dip as it tasted a little too 'powdery' for me (my husband didn't notice).

  • Lucky beef

    • tarae1204 on July 06, 2023

      This recipe is an easy riff on a soy sauce-based steak marinade, with the fun addition of Chinese five-spice powder. The recipe calls for flank steak but lists other recommended substitute cuts. The recipe worked well as written. I was generous with my 3/4 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder and found the flavor quite strong; next time I'll keep it more exact.

    • DFarnham on August 08, 2024

      Even though the steak had a solid 24 hour marination, the end result wasn't as flavorful as one would expect. I have other recipes that have a similar profile that we like better so probably won't repeat this one.

  • Sticky-glazed tempeh and chilli stir-fry

    • DFarnham on August 02, 2024

      This dish was exceptional! Never had tempeh before so had no idea what to expect, but WOW! We love heat so would probably add an extra fresno chile.

    • hbakke on October 10, 2024

      I loved this simple stir-fry. The tempeh, peanuts, and lime were a delicious combination. Will repeat.

  • Maple-glazed miso aubergine

    • Potawatomus on March 30, 2026

      This was a lot like the soloist from the Art of Escapism Cooking, except it’s 5% of the work. This is so good!

  • Miso and gochujang butter roast chicken

    • lizbot2000 on July 05, 2023

      Extremely easy and quick and extremely tasty. Was devoured by kids. Going in the regular rotation for sure.

    • Lepa on August 21, 2023

      This is really good and easy. I left out the chili pepper flakes because we were eating with kids and it was not spicy at all.

    • jenmacgregor18 on August 31, 2023

      Excellent. A lot of flavor with no marinade required. And no one flavor was predominant. It's just very good and simple to prepare. Great for a weeknight.

    • Idril on June 25, 2024

      Great bold flavours but I did find this very rich. Would probably use less butter if made again.

    • DFarnham on August 02, 2024

      Very easy and delicious! In the future I would probably run the "sauce" through a fat separator. The goodness is at the bottom of the sauce and there is plenty of it. Definitely a repeat.

    • alinutzamica on December 03, 2025

      As others said, very easy and delicious!

    • katmagdunn on December 20, 2025

      Easy, delicious, crowd pleasing!

    • Potawatomus on March 15, 2026

      This was delicious and easy!

    • hashi on April 20, 2026

      Super easy and delicious. I added a side cucumber salad to cut the richness.

    • dmdmdmmm on April 27, 2026

      So easy to come together and tasty! Just make sure to keep a careful eye on the chicken once under the broiler. This got really charred in under 2mns!

  • Tom yum roast chicken

  • Tabasco- and gochujang-cured salmon poké bowl

    • sosayi on June 14, 2024

      This was delicious and pretty quick/easy to make! The salmon was spicy, yes, but when all mixed together it was perfect. I sautéed the spinach with garlic instead of pouring boiling water over it, for added flavor, but otherwise followed the recipe pretty precisely. I'd definitely make it again!

    • sosayi on June 17, 2024

      https://www.purewow.com/recipes/tabasco-gochujang-cured-salmon-poke-bowl

  • 15-minute katsudon

    • tarae1204 on July 13, 2023

      I made the 15-minute katsudon with the homemade chicken katsu from the book and gluten-free Japanese barbecue sauce. Everyone really enjoyed it, and the additions of lemon, pickled ginger, toasted sesame seeds, Kewpie mayo and Dijon mustard all rounded out the simple chicken and rice dish. My family loved it. Not necessarily a 15-minute dish.

  • Pad krapow

    • grace_xe2lnk on April 15, 2026

      Easy, most favorite meal. No notes! Make it almost weekly.

  • Bibimbap, many ways

    • tarae1204 on July 11, 2023

      This is a dish I love to eat, but have never made. And I can't say that I followed *this* recipe closely, as I did not make the mushroom or spinach components. I sliced up the matchstick carrots the night before. Day of, I prepared the rice, then the garlic and ginger shrimp (from this book), then the bibimbap sauce, and set all those aside while I sliced radishes. (Then, I focused my attention on preparing the amazing strawberry lychee ginger beer concoction from this book). Before serving, we fried eggs and sliced an avocado. Everything was arranged on plates before serving, and it was great.

    • djnielsen64 on November 07, 2024

      I loved this. Took a little time, but not difficult at all to prepare.

    • Potawatomus on March 31, 2026

      I made with the stir fried garlic bean sprouts (p.148), maple glazed miso eggplant (p. 95), sesame and soy lacquered chicken (p. 200 ), five spice and soy mushrooms (201) and the smacked cucumbers (154). This many dependencies isn’t necessary. It came together really well.

    • meggan on April 13, 2026

      Made with the easiest protein - the marinated tofu. It was pretty good.

  • Vermicelli tofu salad with peanut sauce

    • NicoleBrown on April 01, 2025

      Very tasty! We subbed sriracha & lime juice. Will repeat!

  • Pickled ginger soba noodle salad

    • lean1 on June 07, 2024

      I thought that I would use a tiny piece of Jalapeno. Even that was too much heat for me. I didn't have any pickled ginger so I added a couple of Radishes at the end. I may try it again without the onion as well.

  • Cheesy kimchi linguine with gochujang butter

    • Babycarrot on February 08, 2024

      Very good, liked this a lot. I doubled the recipe wanting leftovers for lunch the next day. A really simple recipe that packs a punch of umami flavor. I subbed bucatini for linguini as that is what I had on hand.

    • katmagdunn on July 27, 2024

      I love this recipe, it has big noodle energy while also being something i usually make on a friday night when nothing is in the fridge, because kimchi and gochujang tend to be in the back there somewhere. Huge flavours, very punchy -- not for the faint of heart! And tbh, if you could arrange to eat this while very drunk... it would be perfect

    • NicoleBrown on March 24, 2025

      Absolutely delicious. I wanted to eat my weight in this.

    • Potawatomus on March 29, 2026

      This was amazing! Super flavorful and super low effort!

    • eclairea on April 04, 2026

      Delicious! Came together quickly, great, punchy flavours. My gochujang is spicier than the last brand I bought so I’d add a touch less next time. Otherwise, would definitely repeat.

    • dmdmdmmm on April 05, 2026

      This was SOOOOOO good and it comes together sooo easily!!! Its a great way to use up some kimchi.

  • Char kway teow

    • eclairea on February 22, 2026

      Good! Only had thin rice noodles on hand, though, would try again with the wider noodles that the recipe calls for. Definitely serve with the suggested sambal oelek or chili crisp, it really elevates the flavour.

  • Spicy soy pork and peanut (almost) instant noodles

    • jenmacgregor18 on February 09, 2024

      I subbed ground pork for belly and swiss chard for cavolo nero. This was a fairly quick weeknight meal and a definite upgrade from pre-packaged versions.

    • eclairea on December 30, 2025

      Happened to have everything on hand and made it - quick, easy, full of flavour.

  • Peanut butter, sesame and maple slaw

    • tarae1204 on July 13, 2023

      This is great. The dressing sweet and peanutty but overall well-balanced.

    • jenburkholder on May 25, 2025

      This was good though with all the PB it's a bit on the heavier side as slaws go. Held up well enough to eat the leftovers the next day.

  • Stir-fried garlic bean sprouts

    • Potawatomus on March 31, 2026

      These were good, but there’s only so much you can do with bean sprouts.

    • shep0012 on May 23, 2026

      Yum. Easy and delicious.

  • Lemongrass charred Brussels sprouts

    • DFarnham on August 02, 2024

      These were excellent! Great way to enjoy brussels. Ours didn't get quite as tender as we would have liked, so might steam/precook first.

    • Potawatomus on March 30, 2026

      These were only ok.

  • Smacked cucumbers OG

    • Potawatomus on March 30, 2026

      These were good but the yoghurt variation is great. Unless there’s an allergy, I would go ahead and make the garlicky yogurt.

  • Smacked cucumbers with garlicky yogurt

    • Potawatomus on March 30, 2026

      These are great! Better than the OG and only 1 minute more work!

  • Miso tahini carrots

    • DFarnham on August 02, 2024

      Absolutely worth every step! Next time I will double carrots--so much sauce! Excellent recipe!

  • Sambal patatas bravas

    • tarae1204 on July 06, 2023

      This side dish of potatoes served over a spicy tomato sauce, topped with Kewpie mayo and sliced chives, really stole the show next to the Lucky Beef and cucumber salad recipes from this book. The sambal was easy to make, as I used ginger and garlic pastes to speed it up, and gochujang paste instead of hot red peppers. The roast potatoes stuck to the pain, regrettably. I just followed the recipe without checking how to avoid that (like by following the tips outlined here: https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/cooking-tips-techniques/perfect-roasted-potatoes#:~:text=Wait%20approximately%2020%20minutes%20so,the%20pieces%20on%20the%20pan.). Still, it was delicious and could be a meal on its own.

    • DFarnham on August 02, 2024

      Easy and very flavorful potatoes! The Sambal is sooooo good! Definitely a repeat.

  • Tom yum sweet potato wedges

    • lizbot2000 on July 05, 2023

      It is crazy how delicious this was for how much work I put into it. Tom yum paste is magic. Definitely recommend doing the full salad version with pistachios, feta, and cilantro.

    • tarae1204 on July 13, 2023

      The instructions for cutting the sweet potatoes into wedges are vague. I had the most success with rectangular wedges, about an inch wide, and 3/4 inch thick. This was a too spicy for my kids, and all of our wedges were burnt rather than caramelized.

    • Babycarrot on January 16, 2024

      A speedy and really delicious veg meal. Not sure why I’ve never thought of rubbing curry paste on sweet potatoes but it’s pretty genius. I made the variation with the cilantro and feta but had to sub almonds for pistachios as that’s what was in the pantry. I did cut down on the baking time as the sweet potatoes were cooked through and were starting to burn a bit so just keep an eye on that.

    • Potawatomus on March 15, 2026

      I did these with the cilantro, pistachios and feta. I turned the sweet potatoes over at 20 minutes, and that really helped them crisp up and not stick to the baking sheet.

    • shep0012 on May 23, 2026

      I love this recipe. They only thing I haven’t been able to do is successfully cook the garlic alongside; it away burns. I think you just need to keep an eye on it and remove it before the sweet potatoes if necessary.

  • Tom yum sweet potatoes with feta, pistachios and coriander

  • Lychee, strawberry and ginger fizz

    • tarae1204 on July 11, 2023

      Delicious, and customizable. Short on strawberries, I added a sliced white peach with the lychees, lime and mint. I prepped these 45 min ahead with the layers of fruit, ice cubes, and lychee syrup. At serving time, I filled the glasses with ginger beer, bitters and garnish. It's good to have a long handled spoon on hand in case the fruit creates empty spaces. The angostura bitters add a depth that I wouldn't skip. We added 2 oz vodka to the adults' drinks, and its flavor was dangerously imperceptible. A great accompaniment to spicy recipes in the book, and could also be a dessert or brunch cocktail.

  • Milo Godzilla no-churn ice cream

    • mimisingh on November 22, 2025

      Whipped my double cream at too fast a speed and it got overbeat and grainy...fail... had to whisk the cream in and just put it in the freezer to hope for the best. The flavor of the milo mixture was nice and the proportion of the coffee is a good level to deepen the flavor without having too much of a coffee flavor. Will re-attempt for redemption because I'm confident this is good when made properly

  • Pandan, raspberry and white chocolate blondies

    • Potawatomus on April 05, 2026

      These are a great vehicle for pandan!

  • Kue lapis Basque cheesecake

    • katmagdunn on December 20, 2025

      This was a huge hit. The spices add a little something extra to a standard basque cheesecake. We had after Sri Lankan and it was sliced away at until there was nothing left!

  • Instant peanut sauce

    • lean1 on June 08, 2024

      I love the taste of this mix. I did use dark soy/brown sugar instead of tamarind and a bit more than the half of a lime. and chili oil for spice. It's so good I could drink it. Needs alot of water to become pourable.

    • Babycarrot on June 23, 2024

      Made this sauce as part of the vermicelli noodle bowl recipe with tofu. This peanut sauce is so good. I used Teddy brand PB and would agree that it does require a good amount of water for it to become pourable. That being said I would definitely make again and again.

  • Fragrant lemongrass and lime dressing

    • Potawatomus on March 30, 2026

      I had these on the lemongrass brussel sprouts. It was only ok.

  • Homemade chicken katsu

    • tarae1204 on July 13, 2023

      I adapted this recipe to be gluten-free using a GF flour blend and GF panko, and when incorporated into the 15-minute katsudon recipe in this book, differences from standard chicken katsu weren't discernible. Purchasing nicely butchered breasts (that can be horizontally sliced more easily) or chicken cutlets would be a smart move here. Another tip not mentioned in the recipe would be to dry the breasts before sprinkling on the delicious spices so they don't adhere in a splotchy fashion. The frying instructions were great. I needed to bake the cutlets for 8 minutes to get to 165 degree internal temperature.

  • Sesame- and soy-lacquered chicken

    • jenmacgregor18 on January 14, 2024

      Requires a 30-minute marinade, but otherwise very quick to put together and cook. And like everything else I've tried from this book, very flavorful.

    • Potawatomus on March 30, 2026

      This was so good!

  • Garlic and ginger prawns

    • tarae1204 on July 11, 2023

      Extremely easy and flavorful - just a few ingredients and simple, practical instructions produce delicious shrimp which could stand alone as a main, or be incorporated into various recipes featured in this book. A keeper, for being both so easy and good.

    • shep0012 on August 11, 2025

      I second tarae1204! I don’t cook shrimp often so I’m not super confident cooking them, but these came out great. The ginger/garlic/fish sauce marinade is very adaptable. I served them over some cold fresh ramen noodles and veg with a vinaigrette and it was pretty awesome.

    • grace_xe2lnk on May 19, 2026

      Best shrimp I’ve ever cooked!

  • Five-spice sesame and soy mushrooms

  • Soy and vinegar cucumber pickles

    • tarae1204 on July 06, 2023

      Easy and reliable cucumber recipe, takes about five minutes. It calls for sesame seeds, toasted if possible. I skipped that step but I think it would really add to the deliciousness.

    • jenburkholder on May 25, 2025

      Eh, this was fine but that's it. Prefer the Thai style salad without soy.

  • How to make glutinous rice powder

    • eclairea on December 30, 2025

      A must-have condiment for many dishes in this book, including my face, the corn and tofu larb!

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  • ISBN 10 1526654660
  • ISBN 13 9781526654663
  • Linked ISBNs
  • Published Apr 27 2023
  • Format Hardcover
  • Page Count 288
  • Language English
  • Edition 1
  • Countries United Kingdom
  • Publisher Bloomsbury

Publishers Text

From the beloved author of Coconut & Sambal, a cookbook on how to create authentic east and southeast Asian flavors at home using common ingredients, quickly and with minimal effort.

Lara Lee used to spend her afternoons wandering slowly through Asian markets, gathering ingredients for an impressive banquet meal she would make later for friends and family. Then her son Jonah came into the world, and everything changed. Time for shopping, cooking, and washing dishes drastically decreased. But Lara wouldn't allow her food to become lackluster or uninspired. In A Splash of Soy, she shares 100 recipes created to honor tradition but respect our time: every meal takes less than 45 minutes to prepare, cook, and serve.

Convenient as they are, the recipes in A Splash of Soy capture all the exquisite elements of Asian cooking: from the striking balance of sweet, sour, salty, umami, bitter and spicy, to the soft, slippery chew of thick udon noodles coiled in a heady, savory broth; from the contrasting textures of boiled eggs that have been deep-fried Indonesian-style-all smothered in caramelized sambal-to the delightful combination of hot and cold-as in Lara's Thai-inspired seared ginger and garlicky prawns accompanied by a hot and sour herb salad. Throughout the book, Lara offers shortcuts, tips, and tricks to help home cooks make these recipes mid-week.

Written in Lara Lee's signature voice and style, with gorgeous color photographs of her life and her food, A Splash of Soy is the must-have guide to easy, mouthwatering Asian-inspired cooking.

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