• shala_4qswpd on November 26, 2025

  This is one of my favorite cookbooks of all time . The uniqueness brings me back all the time because its totally my cooking style.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Makrut lime leaf oil

  • Potawatomus on March 07, 2026

    I love makrut lime leaves, but this was not good. A squeeze of actual lime juice would outperform this oil in all situations.

  • dmdmdmmm on March 27, 2026

    I’m not sure where I can use this because I feel like this is just something that you’d wanna use to make your dish more fragrant and have a hint of makrut lime leaf flavor. It was OK.

• Fried chile verde sauce

  • carson_spwuce on January 03, 2026

    The fish sauce is VERY prominent. I would recommend only using 1 tablespoon of it. It is punchy in a good way once the fish flavor subsides.

  • pensky on May 27, 2026

    Fantastic. Made with Turkish hot peppers from Lidl. Perfect for the job. Goes with all bbq meats.

• Fried shallots, dry or in blended fat

  • Potawatomus on February 23, 2026

    Honestly, mine turned out greasy and would probably just buy from a specialty store in the future.

• Orange chile sambal

  • hanachocho on June 18, 2020

    Used Fresno chiles. Spicy with a lovely orange back note. This sauce has replaced sriracha on my shelf.

  • eclairea on February 12, 2026

    Chickened out and only used half the Thai bird chilis, though I did do the full amount of red chilis. Spicier than I usually like my hot sauce, but not unbearable! This will go well with a bunch of dishes, can’t wait to try it on Mandy’s recipes!

• My ultimate chile oil

  • Dannausc on January 17, 2021

    Really good! I like it a lot and am already planning to make more once I’ve used up this batch!

  • dmdmdmmm on February 13, 2026

    My first try at making chilli oil. I like it! I used gochugaru and it was pretty mild, as what she stated in the book. I love how fragrant it is too!

  • eclairea on February 16, 2026

    Easy to make, lots of flavour. Would be great to give away as little homemade gifts too!

  • Potawatomus on February 27, 2026

    This turned out great! It makes a lot of chili oil, and you will put it to good use if you cook multiple recipes from this book. It has a lot of depth of flavor.

• Sweet soy sauce

  • dmdmdmmm on March 27, 2026

    it has a very pronounced molasses flavor, this was ok. I think it was trying to achieve like a Kecap Manis kind of vibe but I would prefer the latter tbh

• Fried garlic powder

  • dmdmdmmm on April 18, 2026

    I tried to keep a very close eye on the garlic, made sure it turned out rhe same color as what Mandy described in the book, let it try out in my counter overnight but it came out clumpy and bitter-ish :(

• Chinese southern almond (apricot kernel) milk

  • ShayLRoss on March 06, 2026

    While the process of making this was needed for the cake, the milk itself is watery and pretty bland. It'll be good to use within other dishes but not on its own.

• Crusty loaves

  • PatriciaW on January 23, 2020

    I upgraded my initial rating from 3 to 5. My original note: The barley tea adds a nice note and some colour. (I made the crusty bread variation.) It has a moist, tender crumb. To me it's not quite as nice a texture as Jim Lahey's no-knead bread but that's just a matter of taste. I'm curious to try it as pita or pizza dough. 3 days later: This bread ages beautifully! It stayed moist and the flavour seemed to get better. I usually eat fresh bread the day I bake and then find myself making toast after that, or using the bread in other dishes. I was slicing this bread and slathering it with butter to the very end of the loaf. It was great as toast but it wasn't required. It also seemed to get tastier. Amazing stuff! Still want to try the pizza and pita variations.

• Mochi challah bread stuffed with prosciutto and dates

  • PatriciaW on January 15, 2020

    This is an amazing recipe! The dough is like nothing I've made before. I don't know if I could have identified the filling if I didn't know it was prosciutto and dates - it's sweet and salty and umami. It could be rolled with any number of fillings, or made without as well. My bread turned out exactly like the picture too. I'm a klutz when it comes to presentation so that was thrilling. :D

• Poached eggs with miso-browned butter Hollandaise

  • Potawatomus on February 21, 2026

    This was amazing! I used the poached eggs from the Food Lab!

• Pandora's box

  • d.giginyc on February 16, 2026

    This tastes like an elevated Cinnamon French toast! The bread tastes really good. I used Mandy’s recipe from her blog (Hokkaido Milk Toast). The custard has a really nice vanilla flavor as well. I thought it wouldn’t stand out but it did. I’d made this again because I totally forgot to keep my custard in the fridge ??

  • dmdmdmmm on March 02, 2026

    I LOVE IT. I Honestly thought it was gonna be overly sweet but the bitter burnt-ish caramel sides coat on the toast def complimented the sweet custard. The custard itself is a banger!!! I would totally make this again if I were feeling fancy!

• Rice chowder with sausage cornflakes

  • dmdmdmmm on February 10, 2026

    This was pretty simple to make and has reminded me of rice porridges I grew up eating. It’s also a great way for us to use up some leftover old rice. Would recommend!

• Spelt jianbing with kettle-cooked potato chips

  • dmdmdmmm on February 21, 2026

    This was very good! Kinda tricky at first but patience is key. The trick is to make sure the crepe is thin so you get that nice crisp along with the potato chips. The doubanjiang sauce was also very tasty!

• Crackling pancake with caramel-clustered blueberries

  • d.giginyc on February 07, 2026

    Will make this again with the berries as I didn’t have any but otherwise, the flavor combo is insaneeee.

  • dmdmdmmm on February 10, 2026

    This was absolutely perfect!!! Cant pick a fave component bc they’re all amazinggg. The frozen berry clusters were genius and it pairs very well with the balsamic honey syrup. 1000000000/10.

  • eclairea on March 11, 2026

    Not posting my photo because it’s terrible, but agree with my fellow commenters - this is delicious. Made it for post-dinner dessert and we were happy campers!

• Buffalo fried chicken ramen

  • spicesiren on January 25, 2026

    Surprisingly delicious—don’t sleep on it!

• Vegan burned miso ramen

  • Tranna on January 24, 2024

    This is absolutely a passion project but it’s some of the best ramen I’ve ever had. Double or triple the base components and freeze leftovers

• Semi-instant laksa mix

  • stepharama1 on December 01, 2022

    I love this recipe! Once you collect the ingredients (which may take some online ordering) it isn't difficult to make and you can store it in your freezer for when you want to add a Southeast Asian flavor to anything - not just noodles. I've used it to make chicken and coconut milk curries and it also pairs well with salmon and shrimp. The flavors are delightful!

• The soloist

  • Nkrieda78 on May 06, 2021

    These are incredible. Lovely pasta, luscious sauce and fun to eat.

  • nick_4rr8uj on January 30, 2026

    The sauce is fire put it on anything

  • d.giginyc on February 08, 2026

    I couldn’t find the exact eggplants Mandy listed so I omitted it. However, I wish I had some because I think the smokiness would have balanced out how sweet the miso paste made the sauce. If you have a large kitchen and someone who will clean up after you then this could be a weeknight dish but if not, it’s definitely a weekend dish. It’s not a complex dish in the sense that it’s extremely fussy but it does get messy with all the oil you’ll need for stretching out the noodles. The green onions added the perfect crunch to this dish.

  • eclairea on February 16, 2026

    This was not as difficult to make as I expected, but it was definitely a process and a weekend project for sure. I made the noodle dough and sauce the day before, and the next day, I stretched out the the noodles and warmed up the sauce. Charring the eggplants took the longest since I didn’t have a grilling rack for my gas stove. I also probably didn’t stretch out my dough thin enough, but when it all came together, WOW, was that a flavour bomb! Loved it.

  • Potawatomus on March 01, 2026

    This was fantastic! The noodles are very forgiving and taste great even if you mess up a little bit, they’ll taste great! The sauce is out of this world. I put the eggplants directly on the burner on a gas stove.

  • ShayLRoss on March 05, 2026

    I really enjoyed making this and loved the flavors. The eggplant and making of the sauce does take some time and is much fussier than the noodles. But you can't deny that the flavor is strong. The noodles were straightforward in making, and my dough came together well to stretch easily and nicely. Next time, I will try to decrease the amount of oil and salt content a bit.

• Crackling pork belly

  • Bessp on March 09, 2026

    This recipe, like many in this book, involves a significant time investment. I found the results I achieved were not worth the time. I have tried other crackling pork belly recipes, and this was the faffiest by far, with the most mediocre results. Despite being pressed overnight and on a very low heat, the crackling still developed unevenly in the pan, so after 45 minutes parts were still chewy, gluey, and pale while others were overdone and had a bitter flavor. My slab was one the thicker side, so when I eventually gave up on crisping, the non-skin side was still quite cool from being in the fridge. Even the parts of the skin that had a lovely color had a texture like overdone bread crust, all hard and tough with none of the blissful shattering of a proper crispy crackling. I will stick to the oven method of crisping up the skin, which is more reliable and less messy.

  • dmdmdmmm on April 17, 2026

    I sadly did not achieve the crackling skin however, the pork was so juicy and it had good flavor. Took a lot of time but I’ve tried crackling pork recipes like this before with better results for less time

• Cumin lamb rib burgers

  • pockems on October 14, 2024

    Messy spicy and so fun to make (love an excuse to break out a blowtorch)

• Sichuan hot chicken

  • dmdmdmmm on March 04, 2026

    This one’s HOTTTT. I wish I had better spice tolerance bc after a while, my mouth is just numb from the spice loool ?? once you take a bite tho, you just wanna keep eating. The chicken itself was flavorful and really crispy!!

• Lamb and cheese slab pie rubbed with cumin-chile oil

  • eclairea on February 17, 2026

    Since my oven doesn’t fit a half sheet pan, I prepped the full recipe, but only baked half of it in a quarter sheet pan, and will make the rest tomorrow. This was time-consuming, but not difficult. Flavours were on point, and it was exciting to pull it out of the oven! Also my oven only went as high as 480F, but that seemed to work out fine. Don’t skip the fresh mint, it is a perfect fresh pairing for lamb. Lastly, go easy on the oil before it goes into the oven as it felt oily when it came out and that was before brushing it with the cumin-chile oil!

  • ShayLRoss on February 23, 2026

    Excellent flavor and results, I thoroughly enjoyed the process of making this. Do keep an eye on the pie while under the broiler, I found that it did not need as long as the crust was darkening very quickly.

• Italian meatballs in Taiwanese rouzao sauce

  • Potawatomus on February 23, 2026

    I would substitute 2 eggs for the corn/potato starch as a binder. These were great and had great flavor.

  • eclairea on March 02, 2026

    This was a total flavour bomb, a big hit! Instead of using two different pans, I seared the meatballs in my Dutch oven and then put that oven. Made the tea-soaked prunes a few days ago so all I needed to do was cook rice while the oven did its thing. It is delicious, but definitely on the rich side - three meatballs for my serving was plenty for me!

  • dmdmdmmm on March 14, 2026

    At first I was a skeptic. Cheesy meatballs?? In a soy based sauce?? Prunes?!?!?!? As soon as I tasted it, I was proven wrong. These were REALLY good. And dont skip on the prunes!!!

  • als102 on May 19, 2026

    These are AMAZING but are soooooo fatty it's instant heartburn and hard to eat leftovers!

• Bastardized Hainan chicken rice

  • dmdmdmmm on March 28, 2026

    for all that effort, this was one solid meal. However, i’m not sure if it’s much better than any really good Chicken Rice i’ve had in the past. The basic condiments I made for it really makes the dish so dont skip. Idk if i’ll make this again bc I feel like regular chicken rice is easier and just as good tbh.

• Ginger sauce

  • dmdmdmmm on March 27, 2026

    standard ginger sauce. the makrut lime leaf oil really makes it fragrant and you can taste a hint of it.

• Chile sambal with fried shallots

  • dmdmdmmm on March 27, 2026

    On the book, she says 1/4 cup or 56 g of the dried fried shallots, I weighed it. I can already tell there was just way too much shallot, but I still went with it and now I got this dry shallot mixture. It was still pretty good. I like it, has a nice kick to it, but I am pretty sure it’s not how Mandy wanted it to be.

• Kori-Mex bibimbap with minced beef mole

  • shelbstirr on May 22, 2025

    This is fun and good! Took a little bit to cook everything down according to the cues she gives, but actually pretty simple to make. I only made the beef mole, not the salsa (I had some salsa ranchera on hand). I used a little less than the 1/2 c gochujang called for and it was on the edge of too spicy for me. It’s good on its own with rice or with the suggested toppings.

  • ShayLRoss on February 14, 2026

    This was a fantastic meal, it was so flavorful and spicy. I loved including the banchan and toppings to balance it out more. While I didn't have it at the time, I do recommend getting sour cream and/avocado for sure to help with the spice. I will absolutely make this again

  • Potawatomus on March 02, 2026

    This is amazing! I made all of her suggested banchan and the salsa. I added fresh cilantro, fresh scallions, pickled red onions and pickled jalapeños.

• Crispy whole-fried sandstorm chicken

  • dmdmdmmm on March 04, 2026

    I struggled with this recipe :( tried my best to cook the bird but after I took this photo, I carved the chicken and found out it was VERY raw????had to scrape off the dust, cut up the chickens and cooked them again. The skin is good but i found the sandstorm dust pretty salty.

• Saliva chicken meatballs

  • dmdmdmmm on February 19, 2026

    The meatballs itself were goooooood. I didnt have tahini on hand, so I used sesame paste. It was a bit too rich for me, I was looking for some more acid or something to cut the richness. Not the recipe’s fault tho since I did make a sub but this one was pretty good and super filling too!

  • Potawatomus on February 28, 2026

    This is incredible! My meatballs spread a little bit, but they tasted great!

• Korean-style beef tartare

  • Potawatomus on March 07, 2026

    This was a very good tartare recipe. It makes a lot of food. So, it’s for at least two people.

• Spicy chickpea poppers

  • tekobo on April 02, 2024

    Fabulous snack to go with drinks. Used air fryer on max crisp in place of deep frying and worked out really well.

  • eclairea on February 21, 2026

    Y U M. I had leftover chickpeas from the black hummus and this was an absolutely perfect way to use it. I went easy on the Sichuan peppercorns since I’m not the biggest fan, but there was still plenty of spice and flavour. I didn’t have Thai basil, but would definitely try that next time. And I followed the former commenter’s approach of blasting this in the air fryer (475C for 10 mins with a toss halfway through) and it was perfect.

• Opa rice ball

  • ShayLRoss on February 25, 2026

    Loved this! The process is not too complicated as long as you prepare everything and you can certainly make the rice balls with the fillings a few hours in advance, and then add the toppings later or when you'll be eating it individually.

• Black hummus

  • eclairea on February 16, 2026

    Delicious! Went heavy on the garlic because why not. Made it for an RPG session and it was a big hit!

  • Potawatomus on March 15, 2026

    This was stunning, and it came together so well.

• Mapo tofummus

  • mikestarke on February 07, 2025

    Really flavorful dip, and if you prepare the meat in advance it will come together really quickly when needed.

• Crepe X with black mustard seeds

  • mcvl on May 19, 2022

    Made only the pancakes, liked them very much. Tapioca flour to make them chewy, great tip (if you like chewy things) (which I do).

• Huan Fei Hong spicy cold peanut noodles

  • Dannausc on January 17, 2021

    Quick and easy. Good but not as good as I’d hoped.

  • annettle on February 18, 2023

    Ridiculously delicious. You need these specific peanuts (I have made it with other brands in a pinch, which is also tasty but not the same!) but if you have access to them, don't hesitate.

• Kare risotto

  • eclairea on April 03, 2026

    Dead simple and fast to make! Was a good way to use up some pantry ingredients and leftover rice, but ultimately it was just okay. I had high expectations, though, since everything else I’ve made from this book has been a banger. (added the seaweed after I took the pic and after I mixed in the yolk, oops)

  • Potawatomus on April 17, 2026

    This wasn’t a hit for me. The sauce was thin, and it didn’t feel like a complete dish to me.

• Fast and furious carbonara

  • Potawatomus on February 27, 2026

    For me, this was a miss. It lacks the inventiveness and complexity of a lot of her other recipes. For me, there was not a balance. It was VERY spicy. It was VERY salty. And, it seemed very one note. I tempered the eggs even though it wasn’t in the instructions.

• Freezer dumpling ravioli

  • tacoquokka on February 12, 2026

    Easy to make and came out great. Used a can of tomato sauce instead of blending a can of peeled tomatoes. Would use slightly less fish sauce next time.

• Cat food

  • mikestarke on March 05, 2026

    I made this with Nuri Spiced Sardines and it cane out incredibly.

  • Potawatomus on March 07, 2026

    I love tinned fish, and I’m always looking for inventive and easy ways to serve it.

• Spamacado toast

  • eclairea on February 20, 2026

    Simple and TASTY! Would definitely make again for a fast lunch

  • Potawatomus on February 27, 2026

    This was a yummy quick lunch. A little bit of acid (I used a squeeze of fresh lemon) goes a long way with this dish.

• Chongqing melted cheese

  • Potawatomus on February 26, 2026

    For the amount of effort involved, truly a one pot meal, this was great. I used her chili oil in it, but I’m sure you could substitute a premade one.

• Recycled nuts and caramel apple cake

  • ShayLRoss on March 06, 2026

    This was a really fun and fascinating take on a cake using the recycled nut meat leftover from the Chinese almond milk (another recipe). It definitely needs the apples for the sweetness balance.

• Milk tea swamp cake with sago pearls

  • eclairea on February 16, 2026

    I loved this! I was a bit skeptical with the lack of clarity around the baking pan, but I didn’t overthink it and found two mini baking dishes (my posted pic shows them on a quarter sheet pan). I had to bake it a bit longer than the recipe called for, just over 30 mins, but it came out perfectly. The most annoying part was making the sago/tapioca, so if you can - make the tapioca and milk tea well in advance, unless you have a long stretch of time ahead of you. Would absolutely make this again, it was so delicious!

  • dmdmdmmm on March 02, 2026

    This is such a unique cake! If you’re a huge fan of boba milk tea then this is a must try. I added bobba pearls bc I have them available. It makes a good amount of cake so there were leftovers. Those were good but eating them fresh outta the oven is when it’s best!!!

• Bombay jerky [for dogs]

  • Potawatomus on February 21, 2026

    This was super easy. I used beef that had a little bit of freezer burn. The dogs LOVED it.

• Cheese cookies [for dogs]

  • bwhip on November 15, 2020

    Our dogs gave these five stars :)

• All Roads Lead to the Kitchen

  ...is not for the weak. It's thick and meaty; it dares you to spend time getting to know yourself, your kitchen, and some ingredients and methods that you may not be familiar with.

  Full review