I Wrote Another Cookbook!
Chinese Enough is available for pre-order and will be released on September 24th!
I’m so excited and relieved to finally share with you my second cookbook, Chinese Enough! That’s the title! This is cover! And it would be so amazing and helpful if you pre-ordered it!
I’ve been working on this cookbook since before Mooncakes and Milk Bread came out, which is crazy to think about. I was inspired to write this book after a particularly memorable meal I had at my parents house during the winter of 2020. I had just submitted the manuscript to Mooncakes and Milk Bread and felt burnt out, but the simple act of my parents preparing a comforting meal that tasted exactly like home gave me a little spark. The idea of writing more books felt so out of reach at the time. I wasn’t even sure if anyone would even like Mooncakes and Milk Bread. I had nightmares about warehouses and bookstores with boxes of the book just sitting there collecting dust. Is anyone actually interested in what I have to say about food?
Then the book came out and everything changed.
A whole book launch, 2 James Beard Awards, a wedding, a few moves, and a home renovation later… we’re here! Since I’ve been working on this book for over 3 years, the book grew and changed along the way. I always planned for this to be a book about home cooking. The original title was “Have You Eaten Yet?”, which is now the title of this newsletter. Then too many other cookbooks were coming out with similar titles so then it changed temporarily to “There’s Food at Home”. I still love that sentiment and the subtle humor behind it. One of the editors I was speaking to when I was pitching the book said it sounded like “tell me you’re from the Midwest without telling me you’re from the Midwest” and I loved it.
I didn’t come up with “Chinese Enough” until I was nearly done with the manuscript. All the recipes were written and well-tested and I had just finished my first pass at the essays. I wanted this cookbook to represent a modern and unique style of home cooking, in my case, an approach that is rooted in Chinese and Cantonese traditions, but with a Midwestern sensibility toward family and community, and sunny Californian approach to ingredients. I realized that my food was Chinese enough and so am I.
Chinese Enough is a collection of very cookable, inspiring, and comforting recipes. This is food you’ll want to make for your family and friends on a weekly basis. The flavors, headnotes, and essays in the book explore my journey finding confidence with my own identity being a first generation Chinese American and how food and feeding the people in my life was the key to doing so. Through the recipes in this book I was able to learn so much more about myself and connect with my family and past in ways I never thought I could. Writing this book was an unbelievably healing experience.
I think whether you are Chinese or not, you might be able to relate to the fact there are moments in our lives where we might not feel like enough of one thing or another. I want you to know that you are more than enough and that you have the ability to define your own culture.
I know it’s only April and the book doesn’t come out until September 24th but it would mean so much to me if you pre-ordered and told a friend or two about the book! Pre-orders are one of the most important details for a successful book launch. It allows for retailers and bookstores to accurately gauge how many books to order, and more books the better! Mooncakes and Milk Bread sold out within a matter of weeks so we don’t want that to happen again! Please hold on to your pre-order receipt too so you can some perks and freebies this summer!
If you got this far, thank you so much for reading and your support! If you have any questions about the book (do you want to know about the chapter organization? Or how many vegetarian recipes there are?) or want me to stop by your city for book tour just let me know in the comments!
Thank you!!!!
Absolutely love Mooncakes & Milkbread and I look forward to cooking recipes from your new book as well. My daughter is Chinese (I am not), and I love to fill her belly with authentic Chinese food. Thank you for sharing the most delicious recipes. Maybe a trip to Canada is in order for the book tour, Ottawa perhaps?!?
How much of the book are recipes with seafood? And are there many vegetarian recipes?