Betty LiuMy Shanghai: Recipes and Stories from a City on the Water

A book of Shangai and Suzhou style food from the Yangtze Central Coast region. Having visited China about 20 years ago, I got a chance to see both Beijing (the north) and the very different Shanghai region. Of the two, I really preferred Shanghai. The cooking was less greasy, fresh and the vegetable dishes in particular were really good (my favorite is a simple garlic fried bok choi. That recipe is in the book here under "basic stir fried winter greens" cabbage being available even in cold weather. A lot of the recipes are simmered, that and "red cooking" or simmering in soy sauce-wine-sugar laced gravy being a feature of this region.A lot of the recipes will require a trip to the Asian grocery if you live in our area: we don't have a lot of "ethnic" food and the grocery stores don't even carry pork belly, favorite of Chinese (and Korean) simmered dishes.Both Shanghai and Suzhou recipes are mild, not spicy and full of "umami". More fish than you'll find in Northern Chinese cuisine, too.There are recipes for basics included, like congee (simmered rice porridge), chili oil, a staple for noodle dishes and soy milk. Yes, you can buy this in tetrapaks. No it tastes different. We had some made by a local guy from that region who had a restaurant (all too briefly.) The warm soy milk was served as an appetizer with the youtai (deep fried savory crullers) probably just to see if we'd like it--it's normally a breakfast dish. It was outstanding. Worth grinding up those soybeans for a bowl of slightly sweet, soothing non dairy milk and dipped with those fried crullers. Seriously good.

Yes, this book is beautiful, the recipes are well-written, the diversity of recipes is amazing, ... but most importantly, this book reminds me of all the foods that my parents and grandparents made for me. Most Chinese cookbooks simply do not reflect what I ate growing up. My husband asks me why don't I cook Chinese more often... it's because most cookbooks don't have recipes of what i grew up eating. Every Grain of Rice by Fuschia Dunlop is the closest that I've found to Chinese home cooking, but of course I am partial to Betty's cookbook because I am Shanghainese. Now I have real recipes with real instructions and proportions for the most basic red cooked pork belly, steamed egg, wontons, stir-fried veggies, pickling my own snow vegetables!Because of the way that Betty has included Chinese characters, pinyin and English, I know exactly which dish she is talking about. As a Chinese-American, this cookbook speaks deeply to me. If I were to write a cookbook, this is what I would have written, but thankfully the amazingly talented Betty Liu has done it first so I am forever grateful that she took the time to do this. I have attached pictures of the list of recipes for each season because I find that this is super useful when I am deciding whether to buy a cookbook. But seriously, just buy it!

This is a beautiful cookbook with many great articles. I would caution beginners in Chinese cooking, those without access to an authentic oriental market, or those who are looking for a simple/easy to make cookbook to look elsewhere. I have been cooking Chinese food for over 35 years and am not put off by the recipes--I can make or alter them to suit my taste. If, however, you are willing to make the effort, you will not be sorry you bought this book.

Pro: I bought this book based on the review in the New York Times by Gordon Diggs on December 15, 2021. It arrived yesterday. I have been leafing through it today and believe that all that made me buy it is true: an excellent guide to Chinese cooking with great photos for somebody who is a pretty good cook in general.Con: Now I am trying to decide whether or not to keep this book because of its appearance and handling. Its 287 pages weigh 2 lbs 11 3/8 oz (1.23 kg). Very heavy to handle. The spine is a cardboard spine that feels as if it were falling apart any minute with the weight of the book. But the print is the worst. The ingredients are printed in a small, faint print. I'd like them to stand out. Any notes are even smaller and fainter. Instructions are in a tiny bit larger print but equally faint. Why make it hard to read? Cookbooks are used in kitchens and they should be easy to handle and easy to read. This one does not meet my expectations in this regard.

This book contains a slew of beautifully photographed recipes and techniques for my favorite dishes growing up in an ABC household/eating at Chinese restaurants in the Bay Area. The recipes are straight-up delicious -- the red-braised fish is literally the best thing I've ever made, and I'm a pretty good home cook. But besides being a collection of recipes, the book comes with many wonderful additions, including beautiful photographs, explanations about technique, as well as Chinese names and pinyin for dishes and ingredients.

This book is so beautiful. It has all the dishes my mother and grandmother cooked and I learned by watching them, but so wonderful to see it all in one place. Some of these dishes you can’t find in a restaurant and some may seem simple but are oh so soothing. I think this may be the first time I have seen won tons folded as the rectangle not the triangle. It is how I learned growing up! And I never knew the fava beans and scallions were an actual recipe. Still my favorite way to eat fava beans.

I enjoyed reading the book but I can't use it for cooking. Why would anyone print a cookbook in 8 pt grey type on paper that reflects the light? I've now had it for 9 months and have still not made a single recipe. I set the book on the counter and start getting the ingredients and then give up because it's so hard to read and so hard to track where you are. Am so sad and frustrated.

J’ai cuisiné plusieurs recettes dans le livre jusqu’à maintenant et toutes les recettes étaient délicieuses, simples et parfaitement balancées. Les photos culinaires sont magnifiques et nous donnent envie de tout essayer! Je le recommande fortement pour recevoir parents et amis avec une tablée remplie de plats débordants de saveurs!

really like the book. thx

I am always looking for a book that describes the cuisine from Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, but so far only found this one and Land of Fish and Rice written by Fuchsia Dunlop. Preordered this book long time ago and just received recently. A bit disappointed if I’m honest, the book is good but lots of ingredients are impossible to find in U.K. even you visit Chinese supermarket and China Town regularly. Not practical for daily cook unless you have plenty of time at home searching all the ingredients online (e.g. fresh mugwort, tatsoi, Kao Fu, etc). You need to be strongly related to Chinese culture otherwise you will have no idea about these ingredients. I highly recommend Land of Fish and Rice from Fuchsia Dunlop if you like Shanghainese cuisine. It is my favourite at the moment.

And am so excited to know she got a book out, would prefer to have a Chinese language book for Chinese recipes but accepted the 2nd or 3rd generation might not write or speak Chinese as well. Yet, this book beyond amazing for me, not only can I explore Shanghai cuisine further but just loves the way she has written it and the photographs on there are really pretty! And so looking forward to try the mooncake coming mid autumn festival !

Un libro fantastico ricco di immagini e spiegazioni.Le fotografie sono stupende in grado di trasportarti in quei luoghi ricchi di storia culinaria.Ricette ben descritte, consigliato per gli amanti della cucina Cinese.P.S. Libro in lingua Inglese