My debut cookbook is here! Incredibly, it was just awarded Australian Book of the Year and made the New York Times Best Sellers list. Yes, a cookbook with a dog on the cover!
Other INTERNATIONAL – Stay tuned! See FAQ below.
According to people in the know, Dinner is:
a record-breaking, number 1 best selling cookbook ;
the highest selling title ever by a debut author in its first week;
the 2022 highest selling non-fiction book in Australia;
a New York Times Best Seller; and
and on 25 May 2023, I was honoured to be awarded Book of the Year at the annual Australian Book Industry Awards.
I’m still pinching myself – is this really happening??
About the book
After talking about it for months, after all the blood, sweat and tears (literally!), my debut cookbook has arrived!
“The food you want to cook, eat and share, night after night”, aptly named “Dinner” (no exclamation mark, much to my dismay), this cookbook contains over 130 recipes plus 44 sides, sauces and other extras. It’s pretty hefty and bigger than typical cookbooks!
“……in her first cookbook, Nagi brings us the ultimate curation of new and favourite RecipeTin Eats recipes – from comfort food (yes, cheese galore), to fast and easy food for weeknights, Mexican favourites, hearty salads, Asian noodles, and treats for festive occasions.”
With a focus on quick and easy food for weeknights plus a sprinkle of special treats for festive occasions, the recipes use easy-to-find ingredients and naturally include what my publisher calls “Nagi’s famously helpful notes”. 😂
And of course a good dose of Dozer, who has been crowned Australia’s best-loved food tester!!!
Here’s a little look at the crown-jewel of the book: Beef Wellington. With this highly anticipated recipe I’ve cracked the code for the perfect Beef Wellington – medium-rare from edge-to-edge with a perfect crispy base. See proof in the recipe video!
Extensively tested by yours truly (over 35 times!), my team and independent recipe testers, this is a recipe I’m really, really proud of. By far the most (well, only!) technically-challenging recipe in my cookbook!
Recipe index
Click the images below to view full size pages to browse the full recipe index. There’s 130 recipes plus 44 extras – sides, sauces, salad dressings, rice, breads!
FAQ – “Dinner” cookbook
How many recipes are inside? Over 150! 130 mains plus 44 essential extras – sides, sauces, breads. It’s a pretty big cookbook!
What type of recipes are they?
Everyday recipes – The vast majority (say, 85%) are what I’d call “everyday recipes”. Straightforward but mouthwatering food made with easily accessible ingredients.
Cuisines covered – 20% of the recipes are Asian / Asian-influenced. Then there’s a whole chapter on Mexican (I adore Mexican food!), a sprinkle of French and Mediterranean, plus a dusting of Middle Eastern dishes. The balance are other good ol’ traditional Western favourites.
Gluten-free – Approximately 1/3 of the recipes are gluten-free, including those made GF with very simple, common substitutes.
Meat-free recipes – Approximately 25%. (Are you shocked?? 😂 I was. It wasn’t intentional!)
Calorie-conscious – Most of my recipes are well-balanced sensible meals. I was not raised cooking with vast amounts of cream or butter!
How many with cheese? – I decline to answer …
Special occasion recipes – A sprinkle of true showstopper dishes for festive occasions and leisurely Sunday suppers!
Are they all new recipes?? Most are brand new recipes created especially for the cookbook! By popular demand, I’ve also included some reader favourites from my website.
Photos! Does every recipe have one? YES! Well, all the full recipes do. I couldn’t fit in a photo for all the little extras!
Did you do all the photos yourself? All but 2 of the recipe photos were photographed by me, in my home, in a makeshift studio shown below. The garbage bags to block the light are stylish, aren’t they??? I might even remove them one day and upgrade to blinds!
What about the videos?? You filmed them all yourself? YES! One of the (additional) downsides of having such chubby little hands is that it is IMPOSSIBLE to find a hand double. 😩 Which means I can’t outsource my recipe videos. It’s all me!
When will your cookbook be available overseas?? It’s available right now in the US, Canada, UK and Ireland! To buy, see the links at the top and bottom of this page. Stay tuned for announcements as it becomes available in more countries …
Are the recipes in imperial or metric? It depends on the region.
The Australian, New Zealand, UK and Ireland editions are in metric measurements (millilitres, kilograms and centimetres) as well as cups (where relevant).
The US and Canadian edition are in imperial cups, ounces (weight and fluid), pounds and inches. I know this will not suit all Canadian readers and I am sorry. However, including both imperial and metric would make the ingredients lists very cluttered, to the point that I felt it compromised readability. So I made the tough decision to include only imperial measurements. The result is a more streamlined design which I really love!
However, it is worth noting that most measurements in the US/Canadian edition are in cups and teaspoons, and a conversion chart has been included in the book.
In addition to measurements, ingredients have been renamed as appropriate. For example,cilantrorather thancoriander, bell peppersinstead ofcapsicum.Also, ingredient accessibility has been considered.
Signings!? Book tour!!? Book signing events are being organised in Australia! I will announce them when dates and locations are locked in.
How much did you cook for this cookbook? I cooked over 1,600 dishes. SO MUCH COOKING! Every recipe in the cookbook was made a minimum of 7 times. Here is a typical workflow:
Recipe creation, then made again at least twice more. Some recipes (such as Beef Wellington) took more than 30 iterations to finalise!
Passed on to team members to test and taste – made at least once, but usually twice or more (to refine)
Tested by at least one other independent recipe tester (most recipes were tested by two testers)
Made again for the photos. At least once. Some recipes took 4+ reshoots!😭
Then again to film the recipe video!
A big thank you!
Making “Dinner” was a wonderful experience but also the hardest project I have undertaken in my working life. To say that I underestimated the work involved and the pressure I would put on myself to do the very best I can would be an understatement!
I’m so proud of my cookbook, and I know that I have given it my all.
But there is no doubt in my mind Dinner would not be what it is if it weren’t for the wonderful messages of support I received from readers as I shared my experience throughout the making of Dinner. You made me strive to do the very best I could.
So thank you. From the bottom of my heart, it truly meant the world to me.
– Nagi (& Dozer) xx
Where to get your copy of “Dinner”
🇬🇧 UK/🇮🇪 IRE
🇳🇿 NEW ZEALAND
Other INTERNATIONAL
Stay tuned! Announcements coming soon…
