Cookbook FAQ: Effortless Asian Cooking

1. What was the inspiration behind Effortless Asian Cooking?

I love cooking, but my one pain point (and yours!) is deciding what to make every day. After a long day at work I just have no time and no energy to cook, but I also don’t want to be spending on take out everyday. On top of that, these meals aren’t always the healthiest… or the tastiest. Plus, eating out everyday can get boring and repetitive.

In the new cookbook, my goal is for you to:

COOK LESS, EAT WELL, save money throughout your busy week – and maybe ENJOY MORE OF LIFE along the way!

Every recipe is designed to be quick-fixes, but bursting with flavour and most definitely not bland! I wanted to make sure there is a spectrum of Asian flavours represented, and that it could be recreated in a snap. No more boring dinners! This is why the book has a strong focus on effortless meals that take just 30 minutes to whip up! They’re lifesavers for busy days without compromising on taste. 

2. What makes Effortless Asian Cooking different from your blog? I.e. why do I need your cookbook?

This was one of the concerns I had initially – why would anyone buy my cookbook, when I basically give recipes away for free here and on every corner of the internet?

They both have their merits, but the experience of flipping through a cookbook is totally different from searching for recipes on the website! With a cookbook, you can have absolutely no idea what to make for dinner, and flip through for instant inspiration (this is also why having yummy photos are my non-negotiable, more on that here).

It’s designed to give you everything in one place, so you don’t need to search for ideas online. The book includes exclusive content, organized chapters, and beautiful photos to help you plan and cook with ease.

Plus, the cookbook is a curated collection of my best 30-minute quick and easy Asian recipes – some you won’t find on the blog.

3. Able to share the list of 70+ recipes?

Yes, now I can! It’s packed with delicious options for any occasion, every day of the week!

Check out the full list of recipes in the Table of Contents here:

A bit more detail on the chapters:

1. Noodle Lover: This is the LARGEST chapter of the book because I love noodles, and YOU do too!

2. Rice Bowl: One pot rice cooker meals and fried rice!

The rest of the chapters are dishes, meant to be served with rice or even noodles – is it truly an Asian cookbook if the meals are not served with carbs of some sort? I say no! That said, some of the dishes presented can be served as meals in itself.

3. Clucking Good Time: your favourite chicken and egg dishes.

4. Meaty Marvels: I show you my favourite beef and lamb dishes and tips to getting the best tender bites effortlessly.

5. All Surf, No Turf: Seafood cooks QUICK, so of course we have to feature seafood dishes in a quick meal cookbook.

6. Cozy Comfort: Curries, soups and stews – yes, these can be accomplished in 30 minutes too!

7. Veggie Delights: I have to include a range of vegetable-based dishes in the cookbook. These dishes are primarily meant as veggie side dishes with the rest of the recipes, but some can easily be main meals too.

4. When is it out? When is it available internationally?

The cookbook will be available on 24 September, and it is now available for pre-order!

Stay tuned for details on international availability, or better yet, join my mailing list!

The book is already available on Amazon internationally (Amazon UK, Amazon AU, etc.) as well as Blackwells. Blackwells ships to most international locations and includes the shipping cost in the book price.

5. Why should I pre-order? What’s in the Preorder Bonus Pack?

Pre-ordering Effortless Asian Cooking comes with some awesome perks! Not only will you be among the first to get your hands on the cookbook, but you’ll also receive an exclusive Preorder Bonus Pack.

If you preorder before 24 September, you will receive an EXCLUSIVE PREORDER BONUS PACK!

Here’s what’s in the Bonus Pack:

• ✨ 5 Early Access Recipes from the cookbook!
• ✨ Rice Cooker Kitchen Recipe E-Book – Creative, delicious meals you can make in your rice cooker!
• ✨ Effortless Cooking Companion – The ultimate guide to Asian ingredients, tools, and a complete how-to for meal planning and prepping.
• ✨ Printable Meal Planner + Grocery List to stay organized.

To redeem, simply email or forward your receipts to book@nomadette.com.

For more info on the bonus pack, see here.

Plus, pre-ordering helps support the book’s release, ensuring it reaches more people who want to cook quick and flavorful meals just like you! It also really helps new authors like me since it signals to merchants that you actually want this book.

6. Will there be Malay/Malaysian recipes?

Of course! I snuck in quite a few. Here are some recipes that you might enjoy:

• Ayam Masak Merah
• Quick Chicken Rendang
• Ayam Telur Masak Kecap
• Air Fryer Ayam Goreng
• Nasi Goreng Pattaya
• Sambal Udang
• Ayam Lemak Cili Padi
• Macaroni Goreng (that you can easily turn into Mee Goreng!)

I’ll be honest – there are a lot of spicy recipes. But most of them are easily customisable to be spice free! As much as I love spicy food, I can’t eat them everyday either, so I made sure there’s a decently good mix of easily customisable dishes throughout the book.

I say most recipes, because how do you un-chilli a dish called ‘Chilli Oil Noodles’?

9. Are meal prep tips included?

We had a whole chapter dedicated to meal prepping (or ingredient prepping) that we decided to cut, because 1) we didn’t have room for them and 2) the Pagestreet team told me that typically people skip the first few chapters and go straight to the recipes – and I agreed! I also rather give you more recipes.

However, meal prep is still a big part of my cooking approach. For tips, you can check out all of these for my top tricks:

• How to Meal Plan Like a PRO!
• Ultimate Guide to Vegetable Meal Prep: Save Time and Eat Healthier

10. Are storing and freezing tips included?

They are not included in the cookbook, because… we didn’t have room in it! There are other important tips attached to every recipe (such as ingredient swaps, wherever possible).

11. Is nutrition information available for each recipe?

I decided not to include nutrition info in the cookbook because… we didn’t have room in it (is this beginning to sound like deja vu?)! With US cup and metric measurements already included, I didn’t want to overwhelm and overshadow the recipes with too many numbers in one recipe.

That said, I’ve focused on well-balanced meals throughout the book. Many of the one-pot/one-pan recipes feature a great balance of proteins, carbs, and veggies!

12. What’s your favorite recipe from the book?

You can’t make me choose! But if I had to:

• My favourite chapter would definitely have to be the Noodle Lover chapter. Char Kway Teow, Macaroni Goreng (childhood fave!), Pad Kee Mao, Chicken Laksa, Dan Dan Noodles and Pad Thai are my all-time faves.

• My quick Chicken Rendang and Ayam Masak Merah are traditional recipes that take hours, but ready in just 30 minutes – might ruffle some feathers! But I absolutely love these cheat recipes; the Rendang may not be traditional, but it’s the one recipe I learnt from my Mom!

• Honourable mention: Mille Fieulle Nabe – a Japanese hotpot that looks SO PRETTY and looks like you spent HOURS on it, but it is ridiculously easy to assemble. My Palak Paneer is a recipe that holds a special place in my heart! There was a phase in my life where I was vegetarian, and my first resources were always Indian recipes – this was a dish I kept making over and over again! Ticks all the boxes in terms of taste, nutrition and richness!

I’m going to stop here, or I risk basically naming the whole book – but you get it!

13. What measurements are used in the book?

The cookbook includes both US cup and metric measurements, so no matter where you’re cooking from, you can confidently follow the recipes.

Most of the recipes are very easy and straightforward, designed for quick weeknight cooking.

The hardest part of the recipes would probably be scrounging up the ingredients, but I try as much as possible to have ingredients that can work across cuisines.

For example:

• Cinnamon and star anise are great pantry staples since they can be used in Da Pan Ji (Big Plate Chicken Noodles), Ayam Masak Merah, and Rice Cooker Biryani!

16. Does the book include desserts or snacks?

Unfortunately not – the focus of this cookbook is to give you meals. I’m not really a dessert person, but if you catch me eating something sweet, it’s probably bubble tea or ice cream!

Umm, well everything, LOL, but anything is when it’s a first time! Above all I’m super grateful for this opportunity, so ‘hard’ is worth it!

But if there’s one thing that I did not realise, the amount of marketing work that needs to be involved. I thought the work would be done once the cookbook is done and dusted, but nope, what comes after is the grunt work to do marketing. I actually have a bit of marketing background, but the marketing work for the cookbook is TOTALLY different.

From the blog posts, newsletter marketing, instagram posts, IG stories – it’s A LOT that I did not anticipate. And I’ll be the first to admit that I definitely missed out a lot of points on the marketing aspect. It has been humbling to say the least, to realise how… little I know.

Managing time and energy was also another challenge. This cookbook was not the only thing I had going on – juggling a full-time job, maintaining this blog and other content creation work, and general life things. My time and energy was fully planned out, and on top of having to play catch-up, things just start to pile up!

I’m glad to get any help I can from everywhere – the Pagestreet marketing team has been especially helpful in giving me practical tips, but also NEVER ever pressured me to do any more than I could handle. They are truly amazing!

To get your hands on a copy of Effortless Asian Cooking, order at any of your favourite retailers here!