Brandon Jew
Executive Chef and Owner of Mister Jiu’s
Book Recommendations:
Recommended by Brandon Jew
“The path toward modernizing or contemporizing ideas is through understanding the past. To grasp the philosophy of Chinese cuisine, one must begin with the intermingling of nourishment and medicine with food. Zoey gifts us with her deep knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine and how it can be utilized, even cross-culturally, in her recipes in The Five Elements Cookbook. I have found myself becoming more interested in TCM, and I am thankful to have this book now as a resource. The graphs and charts make the subject matter much easier to absorb, and the photos are a really useful reference for how to find these ingredients if you are shopping in Chinatown. When food is delicious and gives you health benefits, meals become more purposeful.” (from Amazon)
Zoey Xinyi Gong, Cassie Zhang(you?)
Zoey Xinyi Gong, Cassie Zhang(you?)
A stunning and accessible guide to cooking with Traditional Chinese Medicine, featuring over 50 nourishing recipes to eat for healing every day by TCM chef and registered dietitian Zoey Xinyi Gong. Chef and registered dietitian Zoey Xinyi Gong offers an incredibly fresh, elegant, and authentic approach to food therapy and a truly accessible guide to cooking with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), a thousands-year-old practice for holistic wellness. Named after a foundational theory of what balance and optimal health looks like, The Five Elements Cookbook is a stunning introduction to the beginner concepts of TCM and offers a photographic guide to the most commonly used medicinal ingredients (American ginseng, turmeric, reishi, and more), their healing properties, and how to use them seamlessly in your cooking—whether in a warm tea, restorative bone broth, a sweet smoothie, or your favorite dinner. Each of the over 50 delicious recipes ingeniously incorporates a food-as-medicine ingredient, with consideration for seasonality, digestion, and body constitution, and specific concerns, like menstrual pains, nausea, anxiety, blood circulation, respiratory health, and more. For those with dietary restrictions, each recipe also includes a key for vegan, nut free, dairy free, gluten free, plus the TCM energetics and uses. Recipes span all day and every meal, plus beverages and desserts: Sesame Goji GranolaPumpkin and Lotus Seed Hummus with CruditéReishi Mushroom Miso Soup Steamed Whole Fish with Herbal Soy SauceWarming Lamb Noodle Soup Saffron Mulled WineWith beautiful photographs throughout, this soothing, practical guide is perfect for those looking to eat for healing, nourishment, and joy.
Recommended by Brandon Jew
“As a chef, father and scientist, Kenji teaches from multiple perspectives, always prioritizing the pursuit of deliciousness. The Wok showcases the techniques of wok cooking and Kenji sprinkles in his contemporary ingenuities throughout the recipes. Do yourself a favor, get this book, get a great wok and start adding wok cooking to your repertoire.” (from Amazon)
J. Kenji López-Alt(you?)
J. Kenji López-Alt(you?)
#1 New York Times Bestseller • #1 Washington Post Bestseller • Winner of the 2023 James Beard Award for Single Subject Cookbooks • One of Time's 10 Most Anticipated Cookbooks of 2022 One of NPR's Books We Love in 2022 • A Bon Appétit, Tasting Table, Vice, Here & Now, Publishers Weekly, and Inside Hook Best Cookbook of 2022 From J. Kenji López-Alt, the author of the best-selling cookbook The Food Lab: the definitive guide to the science and technique of cooking in a wok. J. Kenji López-Alt’s debut cookbook, The Food Lab, revolutionized home cooking, selling more than half a million copies with its science-based approach to everyday foods. And for fast, fresh cooking for his family, there’s one pan López-Alt reaches for more than any other: the wok. Whether stir-frying, deep frying, steaming, simmering, or braising, the wok is the most versatile pan in the kitchen. Once you master the basics―the mechanics of a stir-fry, and how to get smoky wok hei at home―you’re ready to cook home-style and restaurant-style dishes from across Asia and the United States, including Kung Pao Chicken, Pad Thai, and San Francisco–Style Garlic Noodles. López-Alt also breaks down the science behind beloved Beef Chow Fun, fried rice, dumplings, tempura vegetables or seafood, and dashi-simmered dishes. Featuring more than 200 recipes―including simple no-cook sides―explanations of knife skills and how to stock a pantry, and more than 1,000 color photographs, The Wok provides endless ideas for brightening up dinner. Full color photographs throughout