Paul Gayler is a chef to be revered. A self-professed culinary tart unable to tie the knot with any one style of cooking, he refuses to be influenced by gastronomic fashion or protocol and is thus not afraid to cross culinary boundaries: adding the odd bit of South-east Asia to an Italian dish here or a dash of Japan to a Southern American feast there or, in some cases, eradicating the boundaries entirely.
Having spent many years travelling the globe and educating himself in the ways of the chilli as well as many other edible sources of heat, such as ginger and wasabi, fine-tuning his skills in the kitchen and generally having a good time, Gayler has republished Hot Hot Hot! in paperback form.
Despite, or quite possibly because of, the fact that he is one of the condemned (ie, a chef who does "fusion"), Gayler has produced what I think is an inspirational and eclectic collection of delicious and conceptually challenging recipes. OK, I admit, I've a vested interest in fusion, and I bristle at being labelled as one of those irritating chefs responsible for corrupting the purity of any given nation's cuisine; one of those chefs who ought never to be taken seriously and who will hopefully be cast into the crocodile pit at the earliest opportunity. So it's good to see someone writing a book with unashamed global influences.
Gayler's book is littered with useful educational "hot tips", with preambles to most of the recipes explaining the origins of any unusual ingredients. Unfortunately, however, the book lets him down here on more than one occasion. For example, I am at a loss as to why the fajita and escabŠche are worthy of an explanation yet the bhaji is not. I realise that no self-respecting Brit would ever admit to not knowing what a bhaji is, but Brits account for only a small fraction of the international cookbook-buying population.
There are one or two other niggles. Wasabi tobiko is described as being "the orangey-red roe of a type of flying fish" when it is, in fact, green. Later, when I wanted to check that I had copied his description correctly, I was unable to locate the recipe in the index under wasabi or tobiko, which seemed odd, considering it rated explanation and is a relatively unknown ingredient.
Also, the recipe for labneh results in a wet, virtually pourable end product, which to my mind means it is still yogurt as opposed to the soft, malleable cheese that it ought to be. And in which of America's best-loved Mexican restaurants did Gayler have that arepa soup?
These niggling observations aside, the recipes are easy to read and very clearly set out, usually consisting of no more than five steps. The book is broken down into the usual sections - fish, meat, salads, vegetables, etc - with Gus Filgate's gorgeous photography complementing Gayler's unusual combination of cooking styles and ingredients perfectly. A visually stimulating and interesting read, I'd recommend this as a great buy for the trainee chef as well as the enthusiastic home cook. n
Anna Hansen, joint chef-proprietor, the Providores, London
CAPTION: "A visually stimulating and interesting read, I'd recommend this as a great buy for the trainee chef as well as the enthusiastic home cook"