Where to Start with Lara Lee
Lara Lee is an Australian chef and food writer of Chinese-Indonesian heritage who traveled across the Indonesian archipelago to trace her family roots and document the recipes she found along the way. Her cooking bridges the personal and the professional: she trained in professional kitchens in London and New York, but her books are built on the home cooking traditions passed down through generations of Indonesian families. She is a regular contributor to the New York Times, Bon Appetit, and the Guardian, and her debut cookbook was named one of the best of 2020 by multiple major publications.
Start here
Coconut & Sambal
Lara Lee · 288 pages · 2020 · Easy
Themes: Indonesian cuisine, sambal, home cooking, spice pastes, regional dishes
Lee’s debut cookbook and the one to start with. Born from years of traveling across Indonesia, it collects more than 80 recipes that span the archipelago, from the sambals of Bali to the rendang of West Sumatra. The book works both as a practical cookbook and as a travel narrative, with Lee weaving personal stories and vibrant photography throughout.
Why Start Here
This is Lee’s most accessible and complete work. She covers the full range of Indonesian home cooking: rice dishes, noodles, soups, satays, vegetables, snacks, and an exceptional chapter on sambals. The recipes are clearly written, well-tested, and designed for Western home kitchens. Lee provides guidance on sourcing Indonesian pantry staples and suggests substitutions where appropriate. The spice paste (bumbu) instructions are particularly well done, teaching the foundational technique that underpins most Indonesian cooking.
What to Expect
A beautifully photographed 288-page cookbook. Most recipes are weeknight-friendly, though some braises and slow-cooked dishes require more time. You will need a few specialty ingredients like shrimp paste, kecap manis, and palm sugar, but nothing that requires a specialty trip if you have access to an Asian grocery store.