Christine Manfield’s Indian Cooking Class by Christine Manfield

Christine Manfield is one of Australia’s most highly regarded chefs, authors, food writers, food manufacturers, presenters, teachers, gastronomic travellers, the list goes on. Herlatest book is filled with easy-to-follow recipes that will allow you to make curry pastes and blend flavours with absolute confidence. Included are impressive Indian classics, be it a simple dal or an intricate biryani.

Christine Manfield’s Indian Cooking Class is a handbook that encourages creativity. By sharing her infinite knowledge of flavour, this book is a must-have for anyone who relishes having their home filled to the brim with delicious aromas.

Beggars Belief: Stories from Gerald’s Bar by Gerald Diffey & Max Allen

Some cookbooks are to be relished as a portrait of time and place. Beggars Belief is that type of book. It encapsulates everything that is fine and well in our lives: good food, company and a fitting drink is surely the trifecta of wellbeing. Gerald Diffey has spent four decades immersed in the world of food, wine and hospitality, and is the owner of one of the best places in the world to drink and eat: the award-winning Gerald’s Bar in North Carlton.

Beggars Belief is a collection of poignant, insightful and just plain ludicrous stories from Gerald’s life in kitchens and behind bars – his formative years in the UK, memories of food and family; tales and tips from 40 years of service. ‘Romance,’ writes Gerald in the introduction. ‘That’s what I sell. Sensual pleasures. Sights, sounds, smells, touch, taste.’ And my goodness, he does it so well. This is the type of book you could gift to anyone who enjoys brandishing around a kitchen knife. That and a booking to his excellent northside bar.

Home Made edited by Broadsheet Media

This wonderful ode to Melbourne’s restaurants and bars is a gift for anyone who has wandered the empty streets of Melbourne over the last 20 months, peered into emptyrestaurants and lamented these times. What do chefs cook at home?

Home Made is a collection of diverse recipes from Melbourne’s best cooks, chefs and restaurants, each selected to answer that question. Most of the book’s recipes are easy to make (such as Andrew McConnell’s prawn pasta) although some will require spending a day in the kitchen (Hugh Allen’s lamingtons), but all these fine recipes and thoughts will impart a little of the spirit of Melbourne into your own home. The recipes will inspire you to share meals with friends and family; in some ways this wonderful book is a result of what we have shared together, but apart, and a reminder that soon you will be able to rejoice in the hustle and the bustle of a city we all love so dearly.

Tonight’s Dinner: Home Cooking for Every Day by Adam Liaw

It is difficult to remember a time before we met Adam Liaw and grew to adore his affable cooking style. Did you know that his victory on MasterChef in 2010 is still the mostwith Chris Gordon watched non-sporting television event in Australian history? His latest collection of recipes, Tonight’s Dinner, brings us everyday food inspired by the expanding spread of dishes on Australian tables today. Here he acknowledges that the best way for us to cook – instead of reaching for our UberEATS app – is to make sure all the recipes are super easy, accessible and healthy. Adam covers all bases including weeknight dinners; wok wonders; and my personal favourites, snacks.

This book also allows me the grace to eat well even while binging on Netflix – for example, the ricotta toast with braised onions and thyme is delicious and illustrates Adam’s innovative and thoughtful attitude to eating well all the time. This book is perfect for any home chef.

Also out this month:

I just know you will be out and about this month, but I do also want you to consider ending this year with a new mantra. Simply: living well means cooking well. Paul West’s cookbook, Homegrown (18 November), will give you the confidence to also make some important environmental decisions around your own home, as it is filled not only with recipes but also tips on composting and growing food. Nat’s What I Reckon: Death to Jar Sauce (16 November) is filled with Nat’s trademark humour, and some genuinely handy culinary tips to boot. And chef David Chang’s Cooking at Home (16 November) makes tremendous sense on all levels.

Chris Gordon is the programming and events manager for Readings. She also writes on the topics of gardening and cooking for Readings.