At first, it doesn’t seem the two would go together. After tasting some of the magic chef Marc Grika has produced in the kitchen, well, maybe it’s time to wonder why this hasn’t happened earlier.

Consider these two recently released books for summer reading and cooking. Modern Asian Kitchen—Essential and Easy Recipes for Ramen, Dumplings, Dim Sum, Stir-Fries, Rice Bowls, Pho, Bibimbaps, and ...