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A conversation with Adam Liaw re his latest cookbook Adam's Big Pot 

20/1/2015

27 Comments

 
Cook, author, MasterChef Australia Adam Liaw
Adam Liaw: television host, cook, author, UNICEF Australia's National Ambassador for Nutrition
 'I’m probably the laziest cookbook writer going around, in that I just put the food I eat normally into my cookbooks, and cook from them as well,' says former lawyer, Adam Liaw. The popular television presenter, bestselling cookbook author, MasterChef Australia winner, Wall Street Journal columnist, and UNICEF Australia's National Ambassador for Nutrition has remained ever so humble despite his huge success. To my mind, it's that quality, as well as his inspired cooking, that makes him so very likeable!

Adam's third cookbook, Adam's Big Pot, was published late last year. Once again, he demonstrates a practical yet creative approach to family cooking. The recipes in Adam's Big Pot are simple enough for the novice cook, affordable enough to feed the whole family, and can be made from basic supermarket ingredients. Among the recipes are classics such as shaking beef, mee goreng and lamb vindaloo. There are also some brilliant new dishes, such as tiger-skin chicken, snapper rice and Japanese soufflé cheesecake. I had the opportunity to catch up with Adam recently. Our conversation follows below:

Hello Adam, thanks for taking the time to catch up with me. Seeing you on television, in the print media and now with another brilliant cookbook, I can imagine how busy you must be.

Thanks, Liz. It’s certainly been a busy year.

Congratulations on your achievements!...  and may I add that they are well deserved. You have such a charming, humble and gracious way about you.
Aw, shucks.

What has been the most exciting part of this post MasterChef journey for you?
I love the variety in what I do, which is not to say that I didn’t enjoy what I did before MasterChef, but I think with most office jobs things can get a bit same-y. With what I do now, I might be testing for a cookbook one month and making a TV series the next, then writing columns for newspapers after that. I can’t really get bored when my work each day is so different.

Tell me a little about your work with UNICEF please.
I work with UNICEF as their National Ambassador for Nutrition. I try to help them communicate and explain the work they do to help children around the world. Recently I visited a number of UNICEF facilities in Myanmar to see the effect of UNICEF fundraising initiatives like the Change For Good program, run in conjunction with Qantas. It was a life-changing trip. If you like, you can read a little about it here.

In Two Asian Kitchens you wrote about eating your way around the world: the Hainanese chicken rice from your father (which I know from previous discussions is your all-time favourite), your grandmother’s Chinese and Malaysian classics, and dishes from your mother’s Singaporean childhood. Tell me, what is your earliest food memory?
I think it was probably making gulab jamun (an Indian sweet of fried milk balls in syrup) with my mum when I was 5 or 6. It has always been one of my favourite desserts and I just remember being completely fascinated by the process of making it. It seems silly now but at the time it was as amazing to me as going to Disneyland or landing a rocket on the moon.

There is a touching dedication to your son, Christopher, (and your grandmother) in the book. Is Christopher as fond of food as his dad?
Absolutely. He’s got a huge appetite and he definitely likes good food. I cook for him three times a day.

Does your heart or your appetite lean towards a particular Asian cuisine?
Both. I cook all kinds of cuisines but I would say that most of the time my preference is for Asian food. It didn’t always used to be the case. I’ve cooked Asian food all my life but when I was in my late teens and early twenties I cooked pretty much exclusively Western food. I guess I just wanted to try something different. Now that I’m older, however, I think I’ve come back to the food I’ve always loved – both in terms of what I love to eat and also what I love to cook.

There are some delicious recipes in the book and I’m keen to cook many of them. Recently I made your Mongolian Lamb and it’s a keeper! Tell me what inspired this book?
I think Asian food is incredibly practical, but in Australia we tend to approach it as special occasion food. Maybe it’s because many of us grow up only eating it when we go out to restaurants. This book is really just showing people that to me Asian food is practical, family food.

Is there a recipe you’d like to share with my readers?
I think now that the weather is getting warmer, one of the best light family meals you can make is a big Thai chicken larb. The version from Adam’s Big Pot is a great one, and very simple to make. The home economist that worked on the book said it was the best larb she’d ever had. (Recipe appears below).

What’s on the agenda for you in 2015, if you are allowed to share?
There’s a lot of really exciting things in the pipeline for 2015 and I’ve been rushed off my feet trying to prepare for it all. I have another book on the way and we’re now working on another series of Destination Flavour. This time we’re heading to Scandinavia and it’s going to be amazing. There’s a couple more things that I would love to tell you about but I can’t really let on yet. I’ll announce them soon, though, so stay tuned.

And finally, what’s for dinner tonight?
There was some big Christmas feasting in December and since then we’ve been eating quite light meals. Tonight, it’s Vietnamese chicken salad from Asian After Work. I’m probably the laziest cookbook writer going around, in that I just put the food I eat normally into my cookbooks, and cook from them as well!

Many thanks, Adam!
My pleasure, Liz.

Take a moment to meet Adam Liaw...


Adam's Liaw's Adam's Big Pot cookbook
Adam's Big Pot by Adam Liaw (cover image courtesy Hachette Australia)

CHICKEN LARB
(Recipe appears courtesy Adam Liaw and Hachette Australia)
2 tablespoons uncooked white or brown rice
1 teaspoon chilli powder, or to taste
1 teaspoon chilli flakes, or to taste
1kg chicken mince
1/2 cup fish sauce
2 teaspoons caster sugar
1/2 cup lime juice
1 red onion, peeled, halved and very thinly sliced
3 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
1 cup mint, loosely packed
2 cups coriander, loosely packed
leaves of 1 baby cos lettuce, to serve
2 Lebanese cucumbers, peeled in intervals and thinly sliced, to serve
2 cups green beans, trimmed, to serve
sliced bird's eye chillies, to serve

Place the uncooked rice in a dry frypan and heat over medium heat, tossing occasionally for about two minutes until white rice begins to turn chalky white and light brown around the edges. If using brown rice, it will begin to brown and smell nutty and toasted. Add the chilli powder and flakes and toss in the pan for a further 30 seconds until the chilli is fragrant. Transfer the rice and chilli to a mortar and pestle and grind to a coarse powder.

Place the chicken in a large frypan over high heat, together with 1/2 cup water and cook, breaking up and stirring regularly, for about 8 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the liquid has evaporated. Transfer to a large bowl and pour over the fish sauce and caster sugar, and stir through. Allow the chicken to cool until it stops steaming, and add the lime juice, red onion, spring onion, mint, coriander, and the rice and chilli powder mixture. Toss to coat well and serve with the raw vegetables on the side. Serves 4-6.

Adam's Big Pot by Adam Liaw, $39.99, is published by Hachette Australia. An E-Book is also available for $19.99. Thank you kindly to Hachette Australia and again to Adam for giving me the opportunity for this catch up and preview. 
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Tell me dear readers and fellow cooks, are you a huge fan of Adam Liaw too?  Or for those who are not familiar with Adam's work, what are your thoughts now I've introduced him to you?
27 Comments
Toni link
20/1/2015 06:22:11 pm

Adam was my all time favourite Masterchef contestant, I loved his way with Asian flavours but not being bound by national borders, fusion at it's best. So good to see that he's been able to make food his career in the years since the show.

Reply
Lizzy
26/1/2015 01:56:56 pm

Toni, mine too! Thanks for stopping by...

Reply
Sam link
20/1/2015 07:56:38 pm

Love his recipes! And his tweets.. Which are as funny, as his recipes are good.. Which is very good. Am about to buy the big pot one.. Love the after work one.

Reply
Lizzy
26/1/2015 02:00:16 pm

Isn't Adam the best, Sam! Enjoy the book!

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John link
21/1/2015 02:15:48 am

Adam is new to me, so thanks for the introduction. Really interesting interview -- he sounds like a terrific cook. Certainly his Chicken Larb recipe sounds exceptional.But then I like spicy! Thanks for this.

Reply
Lizzy
26/1/2015 02:00:45 pm

John, thanks ever so much... I do hope you have enjoyed this introduction to one of Australia's fab chefs!

Reply
Francesca link
21/1/2015 06:58:48 am

Adam is such a nice guy. It spills into his shows- he is a natural. You feel is if you know him.

Reply
Lizzy
26/1/2015 02:00:58 pm

So true, Francesca!

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Alice link
21/1/2015 07:38:43 am

Looks like a great interview Liz! I've always been a fan of Adam's work from back to his Masterchef days, to The Serpent's Table and of course Destination Flavour too. Looking forward to checking the book out and defintiely can't wait for Destination Scandinavia!

Reply
Lizzy
26/1/2015 02:01:15 pm

Thanks so much, Alice. Me too!

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kate link
21/1/2015 08:44:51 am

Such a great interview, Liz! I really enjoyed reading this.

Reply
Lizzy
26/1/2015 02:01:28 pm

Kate, many thanks!

Reply
Eha
21/1/2015 12:39:54 pm

I do not normally rant and rave, but will do so for Adam Liaw any day of the week! What a great interview!! Followed him from 'Masterchef' [how could one not!!] and am so, so happy he has found a vocation he loves and which is appreciated! Oh, do wish I had been a smiling birdie on your shoulder!!!!!!!

Reply
Lizzy
26/1/2015 02:01:39 pm

Oh Eha, I am with you!

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Hotly Spiced link
21/1/2015 02:22:51 pm

Congrats to Adam on producing another cookbook. I'd love to try his mongolian lamb recipe and that larb looks very good too xx

Reply
Lizzy
26/1/2015 02:01:55 pm

Thanks Charlie... I hope you try the larb xo

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Tandy | Lavender and Lime link
21/1/2015 05:25:46 pm

What an amazing person! I loved watching him on MC Australia and only wish we got his TV programs here :)

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Lizzy
26/1/2015 02:02:11 pm

Tandy, he is just fabulous!

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@ChristineSalins (FoodWineTravel) link
21/1/2015 11:36:25 pm

I've met Adam a couple of times now, most recently at the opening of Kiyomi on the Gold Coast, and he is one of the nicest television personalities you could meet. I also love the style of food he cooks - it's exactly how I like to eat.

Reply
Lizzy
26/1/2015 02:02:31 pm

How wonderful, Christine! I love his food too!

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Kyrstie @ A Fresh Legacy link
22/1/2015 09:55:37 am

I added this new book to my cookbook collection just prior to Christmas. I love it, as I do each of his other books. Adam's recipes always work perfectly and are fabulously tasty with fresh vibrant flavors. Yum!

Reply
Lizzy
26/1/2015 02:02:43 pm

So true, Kyrstie!

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Maureen | Orgasmic Chef link
22/1/2015 12:11:36 pm

His smile. His smile is as big as all outdoors and it makes him appear approachable. Maybe he isn't but he certainly gives that impression. Got to give him props for cooking for a child 3 times a day. Bet even he gets "That's not what I want" from time to time. :) Great interview, Liz!

Reply
Lizzy
26/1/2015 02:03:13 pm

Maureen, I hear you... and I think Adam is absolutely wonderful! Thanks for your kind words!

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Anna @ shenANNAgans link
25/1/2015 03:14:56 pm

Dang Lady.... You have all the fun. Great interview! Love his happy face, makes me wanna try his food. :)

Reply
Lizzy
26/1/2015 02:03:29 pm

Thanks Anna... isn't he just awesome!

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Nancy | Plus Ate Six link
25/1/2015 10:32:45 pm

I have Adam's Asian After Work book and it's been very well used - there's nothing fancy in there and everything works. I'll definitely keep an eye out for his new book. He comes across as a genuinely nice guy doesn't he?

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    Photo of Liz Posmyk, Food Writer, Cook and Traveller

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