Kooking with a Koori by Nathan Lyons

Wiradjuri man Nathan Lyon began cooking meals for his family from a young age. He grew up in a family where he watched his parents and extended family members cook wonderful meals on very tight budgets. As a family of eight now, he prepares all the family meals and has become a TikTok sensation when in September 2020 he began sharing meal tips online under the name Kooking with a Koori. This very readable and easy to follow recipe book is not large and glossy with photographs of beautifully presented meals. It is an over-sized novel with a no-nonsense approach to cooking aimed at those who may be doing it tough and their experience of cooking has been limited or they are just starting out on their cooking journey. In the introduction the author shares his journey with frankness and humour. The book has a contents page with sixteen chapters that includes headings such as beef, pork, lamb, fish, pasta dishes as well as Indigenous Favourites and After School snacks. There is a Basics chapter that has recipes on such things as perfect scrambled eggs, classic garlic bread and creating a white sauce. Throughout the book are highlighted tips and cheap eats stars. The appeal of this book is that the recipes are what many people have grown up with, simple home cooked food. The recipes are not always the most nutritious but use ingredients readily available and accessible for all especially those on lower incomes. There is a very handy detailed index at the end of the book.

This book is a surprise package and would be worthy of a place in the cooking section of any library.

Themes: Recipes, Cooking, Budgets, Cheap Meals.

Kathryn Beilby