Before I was an author I ...  did lots of things, including being an ice cream seller, a waiter, a service station attendant, a dishwasher and most recently a corporate lawyer in Japan for the best part of a decade. 

The Zen Kitchen was inspired by ... the way we cook at home. I think Japanese cuisine is one of the easiest, tastiest and most sensible cuisines going around. You can create delicious meals very quickly and from very few ingredients, it’s good for you, and it still has culture and soul. It’s the cuisine that my family cooks and eats the most at home, not just because we love it (which we do) but because it just fits the best with our lifestyle.

In three words The Zen Kitchen is ... good and simple. 

When I’m not writing I ... am usually travelling, and even then I’m still writing. As well as books I also write and present a food and travel series for SBS called Destination Flavour. It takes me all around the world which is a great life, but every night when I get back to my hotel I’m still writing.

My favourite place to curl up with a book is ... my reading chair. In my office I have a nice armchair next to my bookshelf that I love to slouch down in while going through a book from cover to cover. Reading is a bit of an indulgence for me and when the kids are asleep and the house is quiet, there’s nothing more relaxing.

You should follow Adam on Twitter. Trust us: @adamliaw