Description
Praise
About the Author

Transform the way you cook and think about vegetables with Plantasia by Pamelia Chia, which showcases Asia’s diversity through the eyes of 25 cooks and 88 vegetarian recipes.

Born in the ‘90s, Pamelia Chia grew up in Singapore eating meat and seafood in abundance. When a move to Australia highlighted the impact of climate change, she resolved to lower her meat consumption. Unsatisfied with leafy salads and grain bowls, she turned her gaze to Asia.

Plantasia is the distillation of Chia’s journey in Asia’s vegetable wisdom. Whether you are a vegetarian, vegan, or omnivore, Plantasia is your guide to a better relationship with your greens, and equips you with the skills and techniques that you need to up your vegetable-cooking game. The range of vegetarian recipes in the book, such as Hot Butter Mushrooms, Split Pea Tofu Salad with Chilli Crisp, Podi-Rubbed Roasted Cauliflower and Thunder Tea Kimbap, exemplify the dynamic and satisfying creations that can result when we open our minds and kitchens to the diversity of Asian cooking.

Plantasia includes 24 interviews with cooks who have connections to different parts of Asia ranging from Tibet to Japan. Their stories will share how their food cultures celebrate vegetables, and inspire you to look at vegetables and see abundance and potential, rather than lack.

The contributors to Plantasia are:
Andrea Quynhgiao Nguyen, James Beard-winning author of Ever-Green Vietnamese
Bryan Koh, author of Milk Pigs & Violet Gold
Cameron Stauch, author of Vegetarian Viet Nam
Cathie Carpio, hospitality consultant and researcher of Mindanaoan food culture
Cathy Erway, James Beard Award and IACP Award-winning writer and author of The Food of Taiwan
C-Y Chia and Shane Stanbridge, owners of Lion Dance Cafe
Gayan Pieris, executive chef of Many Little Bar & Dining and Polperro Wines
Hairil Sukaime, a descendant of one of Singapore’s early tempeh artisans
Ivy Chen, co-author of Made in Taiwan
Jenny Lau, founder of Celestial Peach
Jihee Shin, founder of Sarap Catering and Ji Kimchi
John Chantarasak, chef and co-founder of AngloThai and author of Kin Thai
Julie Kleeman and Yeshi Jampa, restaurateurs and authors of Taste Tibet
Kimberly Mendoza Camara, founder of Kora
Maori Murota, author of Tokyo Cult Recipes and Japanese Home Cooking
Minal Patel, executive chef of Prashad
O Tama Carey, author of Lanka Food and restauranteur of Lankan Filling Station
Petty Pandean-Elliott, author of The Indonesian Table
RG Enriquez-Diez, founder of Astig Vegan
Sonoko Sakai, author of Japanese Home Cooking
Sunny Lee, chef and founder of Banchan by Sunny Lee
Vasunthara, private dining chef and founder of Cutlery Optional
Wayan Kresna Yasa, chef and co-author of Paon
Zoey Xinyi Gong, Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner and co-founder of The Red Pavilion

Plantasia demonstrates that to eat plants is not to be deprived, but a celebration of all that nature has to offer, and is essential reading for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.
“This authoritative guide through Asian techniques and flavours will revolutionise your cooking. Brilliant, innovative and incredibly inspiring!”
—Mandy Yin, restaurateur and author of Sambal Shiok: The Malaysian Cookbook

“Pamelia has written a vibrant and scrumptious ode to the vegetables of Asia. Her cookbook both honours tradition and pushes the boundaries on what a plant-based feast can look like.”
—Clarissa Wei, journalist and author of Made in Taiwan

“I love everything about Plantasia, from the vibrant imagery, refreshing design, stories, sketches and most of all the beautifully written selection of glorious recipes. I want to cook it all and will happily turn vegetarian for months to do so!”
—Karan Gokani, author of Hoppers: The Cookbook

“Plantasia provides a beautiful and practical cornucopia of diverse delights. It is an excellent guide for what you might wish to eat, and provides the means for understanding how technique can be used to produce complex, balanced deliciousness. While reading it, I was compelled to stop, search my pantry and cook. I may never leave the kitchen!”
—Holly Davis, author of Ferment: A Guide to the Ancient Art of Culturing Foods

“Plantasia is an absolute joy to read. Pamelia's gift for tasty prose and captivating visuals, along with a liberal seasoning of helpful cooking tips and Asian cultural anecdotes, make this a real gem of a cookbook. From tofu to chaat, thunder tea to peach gum — flavours and ingredients of our Asian upbringing that I adored — it's truly gratifying to see all these plant-based Asian ingredients shine!”
—Yi Jun Loh, writer and founder of Jun & Tonic

“Pamelia’s newest book takes us on an exhilarating journey to Asian vegetable heaven. With a total of 25 cooks sharing stories and flavour-building techniques, this cookbook is a must-have for vegetable lovers and Asian food lovers alike.”
—Maureen Tan, culinary teacher and author of Java

“A thrilling collection of recipes from all over Asia. The flavours and colours of Pamelia Chia's recipes leap off the page.”
—Fuchsia Dunlop, author of Every Grain of Rice: Simple Chinese Home Cooking

“This is a stunningly original book, rooted in a deep respect for Asian traditions, philosophies and ingredients and at the same time genuinely progressive in its approach. Pamelia’s extensive knowledge of cuisine has enabled her to contextualise her stories and vegetable-starring recipes in a way which demystifies and excites. The focus is on the pleasure-giving and nourishing value of plants rather than substitution or deprivation. Plantasia tantalises with gorgeous vegetables and innovative cooking methods, and I cannot wait to cook my way through the entire book.”
—Helen Goh, co-author of Ottolenghi Sweet and columnist for Sydney Morning Herald/The Age
Pamelia Chia is a cook and writer born and raised in Singapore. Though a graduate with an honours degree in Food Science and Technology, she decided to trade in her lab coat for chef whites. To encourage Singaporeans to return to the wet markets and be excited by regional produce, she published her first cookbook Wet Market to Table: A Modern Approach to Fruit & Vegetables (Epigram Books, 2019), which became a national bestseller. She also writes Singapore Noodles, a newsletter with the mission of keeping Singapore’s food heritage alive. She currently lives with her husband, Wex, in the Netherlands.

Publishers

Plantasia: A Vegetarian Cookbook Through Asia