Books

House of Nanking

Author: Kathy and Peter Fang

From a beloved San Francisco culinary landmark, a showstopper cookbook that honors a family legacy and celebrates ingredient-driven, multi-regional Chinese cooking in America

The 100-plus recipes in this beautiful book include all the greatest hits from three generations of Fang family cooking from Canton to Shanghai, and readers will learn how to pan-fry, steam, cook in a wok, shop for ingredients, and prep vegetables the Chinese way.

With accessible recipes that are adaptable to any type of home kitchen, anyone will be able to make these dishes, wherever they are.

Since it opened in 1988, House of Nanking has been a popular spot for countless tourists, honeymooners, celebrities, and everyday San Franciscans who have lined up for their legendary Shanghai and Chinese American dishes.

This book marks the first time their recipes have appeared in print and have been adapted for the home kitchen. But it’ll be the stories behind them, which few have heard—of Peter Fang’s ingenuity and his early adventures in the kitchen, how he imported and adapted his favorite Shanghai dishes for America, and Kathy’s experience growing up with parents who bet it all on the restaurant, under the tutelage of all these rich Chinese culinary traditions—that will capture the heart.

 

Hardcover | Harry N. Abrams  | 304 pages

 

Hardcover | Harper Collins  | 322 pages

 

Hardcover | Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed | 512 pages

 

 

Hardcover | Sasquatch | 288 pages

 

From home cook and author Lucinda Scala Quinn, a cookbook containing 100 iconic and beloved Italian-American recipes from the last century. 

In America today, everyone loves nonna's cooking—think spaghetti, lasagna, and pizza. Italian families arrived in the U.S at the beginning of the twentieth century, and mammas brought with them the skills and ingredient know-how to fashion a whole new cuisine in spite of living in poverty and ostracization from their new country. Their fathers, husbands, and sons then monetized these dishes outside the home in the form of Red sauce joints. Rarely are these women actually credited as the true founders of the Italian-American cuisine. 

In her latest book, Lucinda Scala Quinn cooks classic Italian-American recipes, and along the way shares their origin and gives credit to the incredible women who developed our cherished Italian dishes. Home cooks and food lovers alike will delight in this masterful collection of America’s favorite comfort foods, from Baked Ziti and Sausage and Pepper Hoagies to Chicken Marsala and Cannolis. With gorgeous recipe shots, archival photos, ingredient sidebars, and cultural essays, Mother Sauce brings nonna’s cooking to kitchens everywhere.

 

Hardcover | Workman | 320 pages

 

A joyous celebration of Ethiopian Jewish cuisine: more than one hundred accessible and healthy recipes, stories, and traditions from the intersection of the African and Jewish diasporas.

In Gursha, which loosely translates to “the act of feeding one another,” the acclaimed chef and restaurateur Beejhy Barhany shares the food of the Beta Israel, Ethiopian Jews. She explores the rich culinary history of her native Ethiopia while showcasing the resilience and generosity of her Beta Israel family.

Born in Ethiopia, Barhany fled to Sudan with her family when she was just four, en route to Israel. Eventually, she made her way to Harlem, where she became the chef and owner of the celebrated Tsion Café. In Gursha, she tells her story through food, bringing together more than one hundred dishes from her restaurant, her family, and her travels. Her recipes span the traditional (doro wot; shakshuka; legamat, or Sudanese doughnuts) to her own unique creations that reflect her journey (Berbere Fried Fish; Injera Fish Tacos; Queen of Sheba Chocolate Cake).In addition, in these pages readers will meet the author’s friends and family members and learn about ancient Ethiopian Jewish rituals, holidays, and important milestones.

While smaller in number and not as widely known as many other groups of Jews, the Beta Israel boast one of the world’s great culinary cultures. Gursha is the first major cookbook to share it with home cooks everywhere.

 

Hardcover | Knopf | 304 pages

 

A beautifully photographed cookbook that celebrates the vibrant culture and community of El Salvador through 80 recipes and stories from twenty-five Salvadoran women.

In search of the recipes and traditions that made her feel at home, food historian and Salvadoran Karla Tatiana Vasquez took to the internet to find the dishes her mom made throughout her childhood. But when she couldn't find any, she decided to take matters into her own hands. What started as a desire to document recipes turned into sharing the joys, histories, and tribulations of the women in her life.

In this collection of eighty recipes, Karla shares her conversations with moms, aunts, grandmothers, and friends to preserve their histories so that they do not go unheard. Here are recipes for Rellenos de Papa from Patricia, who remembers the Los Angeles earthquakes of the 1980s for more reasons than just fear; Flor de Izote con Huevos Revueltos, a favorite of Karla's father; as well as variations on the beloved Salvadoran Pupusa, a thick masa tortilla stuffed with different combinations of pork, cheese, and beans. Though their stories vary, the women have a shared experience of what it was like in El Salvador before the war, and what life was like as Salvadoran women surviving in their new home in the United States.

 

Hardcover | Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed | 288 pages

 

A rendering of food through the memories of family and of home: over ninety plant-based recipes from George Lee, the creator of Chez Jorge, with Laurent Hsia's images of Taiwan.

George Lee grew up with his A-Gong (grandfather) in the quiet refuge of Tamsui, Taiwan. He took part in the myriad Taiwanese food traditions his A-Gong nurtured, until he was seventeen, when his A-Gong passed. In observation of the death, he and his family undertook a set of Buddhist funeral customs and abstained from eating meat. For a hundred days, they ate at the monastery and the nuns there taught him to cook.

Years later, he revisits the lessons and pieces them into the story of his family’s cooking. Some recipes he shares here are directly from childhood: Han-tsî-bê, an everyday breakfast congee floating with fist-sized chunks of golden sweet potatoes, or the quintessential preserve Tshài-póo, crunchy strips of sun-dried daikon radish that salt the air for a few days in January. Others tread the boundaries between old and new: such as Sòo-lóo-pn̄g, a meatless rendition of the hand-cut pork bits his mom braised in soy sauce and ladled over rice.

While writing this book, George wandered all over Taiwan with his friend Laurent Hsia, who took photos along the way. Together, they sought out the foods and places tied to their memories growing up. Like the grandpa who slung a bag of apples along the zebra crossing to exit the morning market, or the old couple on the bus in black and white, sitting side by side and peering forward, the two found themselves . . . always afoot, traveling. A-Gong’s Table follows the rhythm of their footsteps: a pulse that takes you quietly through the book and through Taiwan, from morning to night.

 

Paperback | Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed | 272 pages

 

With honesty and curiosity, British-born Omani-Zanzibari chef Dina Macki explores the unique foodscape of Oman, in the first Omani cookbook to be written by an Omani chef.

Bahari, meaning "ocean" in Swahili, is a culinary exploration of the rich flavors and history of Omani cuisine, a food culture shaped by boundless coastlines and complex maritime history, with origins and influences spanning Pakistan, Iran, India, the Swahili coast, and Portugal.

In this distinctive cookbook, Dina Macki travels across Oman and Zanzibar, unearthing regional delicacies and recreating the food of her heritage. With more than 100 recipes for meat, fish, vegetables, homemade breads and dips, desserts, and drinks, Macki invites us into her kitchen, showing us how to create exquisite Omani dishes at home. Tapping into the stories behind the recipes and ingredients, Macki brings a fresh perspective in nuanced essays on migration and identity, exploring how food connects us to our past and our communities.

Combining personal essays and contemporary twists on traditional recipes, Bahari takes us on a journey through the flavors of Oman, in a tale that is as fascinating as it is delicious.

 

Hardcover | DK | 256 pages

 

Quick, easy, flavorful, and filling—these recipes will become the go-to for Suhoor, Iftar, and other special, festive meals.

In this cookbook, readers will find all the recipes they need to make Ramadan meals family-friendly and fuss-free. For Anisa Karolia—who is known for sharing her family’s traditional Indian and Malawi recipes—Ramadan, the month of fasting to celebrate the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, is about self-reflection, becoming closer to her religion, and sharing the holiday with loved ones. Of course, at Suhoor and Iftar, the pre-dawn and fast-breaking meals of Ramadan respectively, this sharing means dining together.

From comforting classics like Masala Roast Chicken to fusion favorites like Cauliflower Manchurian, the recipes in The Ramadan Cookbook make it possible for readers to share simple, delicious recipes with family and friends. Beautifully photographed and featuring recipes for sides, chutneys, flatbreads, refreshments, and sweets, this book ensures that readers will eat well before and after fasting, as well as throughout the year.

Hardcover | Countryman Press | 192 pages

Take control of type 2 diabetes with this innovative, easy-to-follow guide, which includes a 4-week meal plan and over 100 delicious, high-fiber, plant-based recipes.
If you have prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, this approach can help you achieve non-diabetic blood sugar within weeks. Developed by a registered dietitian and exercise physiologist, The Type 2 Diabetes Revolution uses a revolutionary, science-based program to provide:

• Daily meal plans for 4 weeks, designed to minimize your time in the kitchen
• Simple grocery shopping lists for every week of the meal plan and tips for meal prep
• 100+ high-fiber, plant-based recipes that keep your blood sugar balanced
• Advice on how to create a balanced diet that includes whole, plant-based foods and meat, if desired
• Tips for grocery shopping and how to read nutritional labels
• Guidance on stocking your pantry and knowing which foods to always have on hand
• Useful lessons and tips on how nutrition, exercise, sleep, and stress impact your diabetes health

 

Hardcover | Blue Star Press | 262 pages

 

 

An intimate celebration of New Orleans food and its Black culture from a born-and-raised local chef.

Toya Boudy’s father grew up in the Magnolia projects of New Orleans; her mother shared a tight space with five siblings uptown. They worked hard, rotated shifts, and found time to make meals from scratch for the family. In Cooking for the Culture, Boudy shares these recipes, many of which are deeply rooted in the proud Black traditions that shaped her hometown. Driving the cookbook are her personal stories: from struggling in school to having a baby at sixteen, from her growing confidence in the kitchen to her appearances on Food Network. The cookbook opens with Sweet Cream Farina, prepared at the crack of dawn for girls in freshly ironed clothes—being neat and pressed was important. Boudy recounts making cookies from her commodity box peanut butter; explains the know-how behind Smothered Chicken, Jambalaya, and Red Gravy; and shares her original television competition recipes. The result is a deeply personal and unique cookbook.

 

Hardcover | W.W. Nortan & Company | 240 pages

 

As a small country on the west coast of Africa, throughout its history Sierra Leone has always embraced diversity – and this willingness to discover and grow has shaped Sierra Leone's rich food culture. Forged by history, people and place, the cuisine is completely unique. Maria Bradford's recipes, inspired by her grandmother's cooking, have at their heart the traditional meals of Maria's childhood, introducing delicious Afro-fusion dishes and flavors. Characterized by key ingredients including tamarind, beans, sesame seeds, mango, chili and pineapple, in Maria's hands these ingredients become something truly special. Moreover, she tells the story of the cuisine and the people, shedding light on everyday life through exclusive location photography.

Through her evocative writing and innovative dishes that draw on tradition while melding contemporary influences, Maria's Sweet Salone is a stunning culinary dive into recipes and a culture unmatched anywhere in the world.

 

Hardcover | Hardie Grant | 256 pages

 

Yolele!

Recipes From the Heart of Senegal

Author: Pierre Thiam


Restaurateur and Senegalese native Pierre Thiam introduces the cuisine of West Africa to a western audience in this pioneering collection of authentic Senegalese recipes that are at once familiar and suprising, down-home and elegant. Yolele! introduces readers to new taste sensations, exotic spins on rice and other familiar ingredients, and foods indigenous to Senegal, such as fonio. From appetizers and street food like Shrimp and Sweet Potato Fritters to seafood dishes like Fish Stew (Caldou) or Black-Eyed Pea Salad (Salatu Niebe), Yolele! brings the tastes of Senegal to the world.

Hardcover | Lake Isle Press | 192 pages

 

Hardcover | Heyday Books | 288 pages

 

Tekebash and Saba

Recipes and Stories from an East African Kitchen

Author: Saba Alemayoh

Mother-daughter duo, Tekebash and Saba, tell their story and the story of their homeland, Ethiopia, through cherished recipes and family memories. A touching, personal cookbook that tells a larger story of family, history, and the refugee experience.

Mother–daughter duo Tekebash and Saba tell their story, and the story of their homeland, Ethiopia, through the lens of food, demonstrating how sharing food from another culture can offer us all a path forward, towards empathy and understanding, and a world that is more cohesive and connected.

Born in Tigray, Tekebash escaped the civil war at the age of 17 to join other refugees in Sudan. She has been on a migration journey ever since. Despite having spent more time abroad than she has at home, she is unequivocally Tigre and has worked with food all her life. Her restaurant, Saba’s Ethiopia, brings Ethiopian food and culture to Melbourne.

Tekebash not only worked with food but loved her daughter Saba through food. The recipes in this book are its backbone and the structure around which personal and cultural stories are woven.

 

 

Hardcover | Interlink | 208 pages

From acclaimed food writer and world traveler Eleanor Ford comes a vibrant collection of 100 mouthwatering recipes for Indonesian cuisine--from the refined cooking of Java to the spicy heart of Sumatra and the festival foods of Bali.

Indonesian food is the hidden treasure of South East Asian cookery, waiting to be uncovered, and this wondrous cookbook opens an unexplored culinary region to food lovers and travellers. It is an unprecedented culinary celebration of Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago--a land rich with tropical rainforests, smoking volcanoes, and silver sand beaches that was also the beating heart of the spice trade. Today its unforgettable dishes are a celebration of rice and spice--homegrown clove and nutmeg, ginger and chilly, coconut, turmeric, peanuts, and more.

Through delightful, easy-to-follow text and instructions, Fire Islands reveals how to set up an Indonesian kitchen and how to create one hundred authentic Indonesian recipes--everything from crunchy snacks and street food to sweet and sticky rice dishes, spicy noodles, fragrant sauces, tangy broths, rich drinks, and much more. This bright, beautifully designed package has mouthwatering photographs of the dishes throughout coupled with original images from the lush, food paradise.

 

Hardcover | Apollo Publishers | 240 pages

 

Award-winning food writer Sumayya Usmani's stunning memoir conjures a story of what it was like growing up in Pakistan and how the women in her life inspired her to trust her instincts in the kitchen.

From a young age, food was Sumayya's portal to nurturing, love and self-expression. She spent the first eight years of her life at sea, with a father who captained merchant ships and a mother who preferred to cook for the family herself on a tiny electric stove in their cabin rather than eat in the officer's mess.

When the family moved to Karachi, Sumayya grew up torn between the social expectations of life as a young girl in Pakistan, and the inspiration she felt in the kitchen, watching her mother, and her Nani Mummy (maternal grandmother) and Dadi's (paternal grandmother) confidence, intuition and effortless ability to build complex, layered flavours in their cooking.

This evocative and moving food memoir – which includes the most meaningful recipes of Sumayya's childhood – tells the story of how Sumayya's self-belief grew throughout her young life, allowing her to trust her instincts and find her own path between the expectations of following in her father's footsteps as a lawyer and the pressures of a Pakistani woman's presumed place in the household. Gradually, through the warmth of her family life, the meaning of 'andaza' comes to her: that the flavour and meaning of a recipe is not a list of measured ingredients, but a feeling in your hands, as you let the elements of a meal come together through instinct and experience.

Recipes include:

• Nani Mummy's prawn karahi
• Potatoes with curry leaves and turmeric
• Chicken boti tikka, Bundoo Khan style
• Mummy's wedding-style chicken korma
• Bitter lemon, mustard seed and garlic pullao
• Dadi's banana and fennel seed gulgulay doughnut

 

Hardcover | Quarto | 312 pages

 

Influenced by its neighbours and the countries closest to it, Burmese food draws techniques and ingredients from Thailand, India and China but uses flavours of its own to make something subtle, delicious and unique.

The food of Burma is little known, but MiMi seeks to change that within these pages, revealing its secrets and providing context to each recipe with stories from her time in Burma and her family's heritage.

Beginning with a look at the ingredients that make Burmese food unique – as well as suitable alternatives – MiMi goes on to discuss the special techniques and equipment needed before delving into chapters such as fritters, rice and noodles, salads, meat and fish and sweet snacks. Within these pages you'll find 100 incredible recipes, enabling you to create a taste of Burma in your own kitchen.

 

Hardcover | Bloomsbury | 272 pages

 

Author: Vishwesh Bhatt

One of the South’s best chefs invites you to grill, stew, and fry your own way to a more expansive and delicious dinner.

A Vishwesh Bhatt dish conjures an evolving American South. Peanut Masala–Stuffed Baby Eggplant alongside fried okra, tossed in tangy chaat masala. Collard-Wrapped Catfish with a spicy Peanut Pesto. These much-loved dishes are stars on the menu at Snackbar in Oxford, Mississippi, where Bhatt has been the executive chef since 2009, earning him Best Chef: South (2019 James Beard Awards) and induction into the Fellowship of Southern Farmers, Artisans, and Chefs in 2022. His food draws from his Indian heritage and is unpretentious, inventive, and incredibly delicious.

I Am From Here organizes 130 recipes by ingredient, emphasizing staples, spices, and vegetables that are as beloved on the Indian subcontinent as they are in the American South. Summer means okra, tomatoes, corn, and peas. Winter brings sweet potatoes and greens: mustards, collards, kale, and spinach. Rice is a constant throughout.

Bhatt vividly recounts the special meals cooked by his mother and grandmothers—vegetarian comfort food such as Khichadi, custardy rice pudding, and Stewed Gujarati-Style Black-Eyed Peas—and presents them alongside dishes he’s shared with friends, colleagues, and family across the decades. Recipes run the gamut from uncomplicated roast chicken and Citrus-Herb Rice Salad to dinner party–worthy Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Tandoori Spices.

Writing for the home cook, Bhatt includes recipes for making your own spice mixes, including a versatile chaat masala. A mix-and-match meal-planning guide will help you pair dishes for different occasions. And every ingredient is within reach even if you’re cooking far away from the warmth of Mississippi. This cookbook thoughtfully, and persuasively, expands notions of what it means to be, and cook like, a Southerner today.
 

Hardcover | WW Nortan | 320 pages