Category Archives: Books

Free access to The Hakka Cookbook

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Our world changed with the COVID-19 crisis. We are hunkered down at home with no where to go–no classes, no work, no parties. Take advantage of this time at home and cook through it. Learn a new skill, try new recipes, cook and eat together.

Two online subscription sites that I am associated with have generously offered free access to recipes from The Hakka Cookbook as well as recipes from other cooking experts and authors.

Grokker cooking video

Want a cooking class or a yoga practice? Check grokker.com , an subscription online site that offers videos from cooking, yoga, and fitness experts. I demonstrate a few recipes from The Hakka Cookbook, as well as other mainstream Chinese recipes. You’ll also find teachers from all cuisines. Grokker is offering free access until the end of April with this link.

Cover of The Hakka Cookbook

Looking for some new recipes to try? Our your libraries closed? Browse through a curated collection of cookbooks at the online subscription site ckbk.com . View the contents and recipes of The Hakka Cookbook as well as many other classic cookbooks. They are offering free access to hundreds of cookbooks for 30 days with this link.

We can get through this. Food will make it better. Stay healthy and well!

Story behind The Hakka Cookbook

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Popo, my inspiration for The Hakka Cookbook

For the story behind The Hakka Cookbook, check out my guest post at ckbk.com , a online curated cookbook collection subscription site. My inspiration came from Popo, my grandmother, who nagged us about being better Chinese children. Popo would say, “You should be proud to be Hakka.” This quote fell on deaf ears. As the only Chinese children in Paradise, a small retirement town in northern California, my brother and I were much more interested in fitting in rather than learning how to be more unique. Decades later, Popo’s words haunted my memory and eventually inspired me to find my Hakka history and identity through food.

Gift for the Chinese cook

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Best Chinese Cuisine Cookbook of the World 2012 -Gourmand World Cookbook Awards

Looking for a gift for a Hakka relative or friend eager to learn more about their Hakka history? Is there a cook on your holiday gift list who is interested in Chinese history and cuisine?  Give them The Hakka Cookbook, Chinese Soul Food from around the World. The book was recognized as the Best Chinese Cookbook in the World in 2012 by the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.

Through recipes and stories told by Hakka from all over the world, discover the unique Hakka history, culture, and cuisine. Find 140 recipes, including Hakka classics such as stuffed tofu, lei cha, and salt-baked chicken as well as easy Chinese comfort food. The beginner cook will find sections on cooking techniques, equipment, and ingredients. Paintings created by artist Alan Lau gracefully illustrates the book.

Check this link for sources on where to buy The Hakka Cookbook. It is widely available online. Some of the major sellers are Amazon.com, Books Kinokuniya, and University of California Press. Or ask your local book store to order The Hakka Cookbook for you.

Access The Hakka Cookbook online

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Want The Hakka Cookbook but simply have no shelf space for more books? Consider buying the ebook version from ucpress.com or kindle version from amazon.com or many other online vendors.

Or if you simply want to access The Hakka Cookbook online plus a curated collection of many more cookbooks, consider getting a subscription to ckbk.com On this digital subscription service for cooks, you have access to the complete content of a curated collection of classic cookbooks. Digital access allows you to easily and quickly search for recipes.

You can find recipes for World Cuisines, Baking, Vegan and Vegetarian, Health and Fitness. I especially like the Chinese classics from esteemed authors such as Irene Kuo, Eileen Yin-Fei Lo, and Ken Hom. Other popular authors include Alice Waters, Nigella Lawson, and many more. Build a digital library of your personal favorite recipes and cookbook collections. You can even print out the recipes.

Use this link to get 30% off or a 14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Disclosure:
Since The Hakka Cookbook is included on ckbk.com they have offered me a free subscription and a small commission on subscribers that use my invite link for a free trial.

A Village with My Name

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A village with my Name by Scott TongI recently read A Village with My Name, A Family History of China’s Opening to the World (2017, University of Chicago Press). The author Scott Tong is a public radio journalist. In this book, he tells the story of China’s turbulent history and view of the West through five generations of his own family. While stationed in Shanghai to open the first China bureau for the business show Marketplace, he connects with family members who had stayed in China, while his parents fled to the United States.

Through his investigative reporting skills, he traces the history of China through his own family history. As his relatives share (often reluctantly) untold stories and painful memories Tong tells a story from their different perspectives of those who had lived through events such as the toppling of Qing monarchy, Japan’s occupation during WWII, and the Great Leap forward. It’s a story of survival, resilience, opportunity, and exploration.

With his personal narrative following real people, this is an engaging read for anyone interested in understanding China’s history and how it shaped modern China today.

Click here for an interview with Tong.