Long Day? Cook This: Easy East Asian Recipes with a Twist, written by Justin Tsang, features an exciting collection of 100 recipes for the home cook inspired by flavors from across East and Southeast Asia. A few highlights include Peanut Butter Bacon French Toast, Chicken Thigh and Honey Gochujang Instant Noodles, Spicy Miso Grilled Cabbage, Braised Ground Beef with Crispy Fried Leeks and Eggs, and Five-Spice Salt and Pepper Squid Baguette. I will also be sharing his recipe for Garlic Butter Crispy Chicken Rice following the review.
Disclosure: I received this book from Interlink Publishing in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and statements are my own.
This recipe uses raw egg yolks. Use only pasteurized or an egg source you trust. Consuming raw eggs may increase your risk of food-borne illness.
Justin Tsang
Justin Tsang was born and raised in North London to Hong Kong immigrant parents.
Inspired by his upbringing around his parents’ Chinese restaurants, he is now a cook specializing “in indulgent, home-cooked Asian food with a twist.” This is his debut cookbook.
Long Day? Cook This.
Justin begins Long Day? Cook This. with an introduction before going over a few pantry staples to help get started. He also shares tips on cooking different types of rice, conversion charts, and a few other cooking notes.
Chapters are divided according to the following: Just Woke Up? Breakfast & Brunch, Need to Eat Now? Quick & Easy, Forgot to Grocery Shop? Pantry Staples, Keeping It Light? Fresh & Healthy(ish), Feeding a Crowd? Dishes to Share, Feeling Hungover? Simple & Comforting, and Want to Treat Yourself? Something Special.
The photography is provided by Sam A Harris. Most of the recipes are paired with at least one full-page, vibrant photo of the finished dish.
Measurements are listed in US Customary and Metric. Titles are written in English. Each recipe has a headnote with background information, personal memories, serving tips, yield, and prep/cooking time.
Garlic Butter Crispy Chicken Rice
To pair with this review, I made Justin’s Garlic Butter Crispy Chicken Rice! This rice bowl is packed with garlic butter-coated fried chicken pieces, sauce, and an egg yolk for a delicious blend of Japanese and Korean flavors.
Bite-sized chicken pieces are lightly coated in seasonings and cornstarch, then fried until golden before coating in an herb garlic butter.
To finish, the coated chicken pieces are arranged over a bed of rice with chives and an egg yolk in the center along with a sweet soy sauce drizzled over the top.
This Garlic Butter Crispy Chicken Rice is best immediately after assembling.
A Few Garlic Butter Crispy Chicken Rice Tips
Add enough oil to the pan to reach about 1/2-3/4 inch (1-2 centimeters) high.
After adding the chicken to the oil, stir briefly to keep the pieces from sticking to the pan or each other.
Justin recommends dipping the chicken pieces into the egg yolk for an extra level of indulgence.
If avoiding raw eggs, simply omit the egg yolk or poach/fry it first.
More Dishes
I also made the Scallion Pancakes with Curry Sauce, Sausages and Tomato Rice, Anti-Hanger Peanut Butter Chile Oil Noodles, and Carbonara Instant Noodles.
The Scallions Pancakes with Curry Sauce is the very first recipe in the book. A fun blend of Malaysian and Chinese breakfasts, these homemade flaky pancakes are packed with scallions and chives before pan-frying until golden and covering with a fried egg. The pancake is cut into wedges and served with an easy coconut, red curry dipping sauce.
The Sausages and Tomato Rice is such a flavorful one-pot meal. Inspired by English breakfast and Cantonese street food, golden pork sausage meatballs are served over a bed of sriracha and tomato-seasoned rice along with chives, chili oil, and a sweet and salty soy sauce to finish.
There are so many udon-based recipes to choose from and I started with the Anti-Hanger Peanut Butter Chile Oil Noodles. These thick and chewy noodles are coated in a quick spicy peanut butter sauce and served with a fried egg and sprinkling of fried shallots.
The Carbonara Instant Noodles dress up instant noodle packets with crispy pieces of bacon and a creamy egg parmesan coating. To finish, the noodles are topped with shredded nori, sesame seeds, and a drizzle of chili sauce. Overall, it comes together in about 15 minutes for an easy, comforting lunch.
Long Day? Cook This. is a fantastic pick for those wanting to end their day on a flavorful note with minimal effort. Recipes range from last minute ideas using leftovers and pantry staples to refreshing vegetable dishes and more hearty, comforting meals. Most come together within 30 minutes (and some in as little as 10-15).
Many of the ingredients are becoming more readily available in larger American grocery stores. Having a market with East Asian ingredients nearby will be helpful in locating items such as Thai basil, fish sauce, dark soy sauce, Sichuan peppercorns, gochujang, dashi powder, lemongrass, pork belly, and Chinese sausage.
Garlic Butter Crispy Chicken Rice Recipe
Excerpt from Long Day? Cook This.
Garlic Butter Crispy Chicken Rice
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons light soy sauce divided
- 8 tablespoons mirin divided
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 cloves garlic very finely chopped, divided
- 1 tablespoon chile powder
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 large bunch chives sliced, divided
- 4 skinless and boneless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger grated
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3/4 cup (200 milliliters) oil or as needed
- 2 medium egg yolks
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- cooked short-grain rice to serve
Instructions
- Put 6 tablespoons of the light soy sauce, 6 tablespoons of the mirin and the brown sugar into a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until reduced by a third.
- Transfer to a small jug and set aside. Clean out the pan.
- Melt the butter in the small saucepan over medium heat, then add a third of the garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add another third and stir for a further 30 seconds, then repeat with the remaining garlic.
- Put the chile powder, a pinch of salt, the lemon zest and three quarters of the chives into a large bowl and pour over the garlic butter. Stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl, combine the chicken with the ginger, the remaining 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and mirin, a big pinch of salt and pepper, and mix thoroughly.
- Add the cornstarch and toss until the chicken is coated.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes. It should be 1/2-3/4 inches (1-2 centimeters) deep, so add more if you need to.
- Carefully place the chicken in the pan and gently push the pieces apart to prevent them from sticking.
- Cook for 5 minutes, then flip the pieces and cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and toss in the garlic butter.
- Put the rice into bowls and top with the fried chicken.
- Push the chicken towards the edge to make a small well in the center and add an egg yolk.
- Sprinkle with the remaining chives. Pour the sauce over the chicken and enjoy.
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