I’m so excited ! The Hakka Cookbook, Chinese Soul Food from around the World is now available in Chinese. This Chinese translation greatly expands the audience for the book. If you’re interested in ordering this Chinese translation of The Hakka Cookbook, it is available from Taiwan publisher SMC Books. They also publish and sell other books on Hakka studies.
The Hakka Cookbook was originally published in 2012 by the University of California Press. I had long hoped that the book would be translated to Chinese. Finally, a couple of years ago, SMC Books in Taiwan purchased the translation rights to my cookbook. Last week I received a press release announcing the publication of the Chinese translation of The Hakka Cookbook in Taiwan. Another new book about Hakka food research around the world was also released at the same time.
This documentary tells the multi-faceted story about my brother, Alan Lau. Alan created the art for The Hakka Cookbook. His art for the book was a mere sketch of his artistic talent as seen in this film. Alan is an artist, poet, produce worker, community leader, and arts editor.
Paintings by Alan Lau for The Hakka Cookbook. Some are in the film, alan@work
The film, alan@work was recently shown at the Seattle International Film Festival. If you missed the theater showings, you can stream it for a short time until the festival ends May 28, 2023. You can buy streaming tickets here.
Alan worked as a produce worker at Uwajimaya in Seattle for many years. The produce inspired him to create art and poems that resulted in the book blues and greens: a produce worker’s journal. The publisher University of Hawaii Press is selling the remaining books at a bargain price of $1. at this site.
About two years ago I contributed a recipe and story to this project that focused on the cultural table. I shared my mom’s recipe for Steamed Black Bean Spareribs. I sent it with my story of growing up as the first Hakka Chinese family in Paradise, a small all-white town in Northern California.
With the museum closed due to covid and renovation, the exhibit transformed into an innovative online exhibit. It featured images and videos of women artists in their own kitchens. Paired with recipes and stories from the public, the exhibit brought different cultures and generations together. You feel the power of food connecting us through this exhibit.
Have you noticed that everywhere you go around the world, you will find a Chinese restaurant? Cheuk Kwan, a Canadian film-maker and now author, explores this global phenomenon in his new book, Have you Eaten Yet? The book follows Kwan’s exploration of family-run Chinese restaurants from the Arctic to South Africa, from Trinidad to India. The restaurants symbolize the Chinese migration. Kwan tells the stories of these immigrants and how they adapted to their new homes while maintaining their Chinese culture.
Last weekend, Kwan was in the Bay Area to promote his new book. The best way to discuss a book about Chinese restaurants is over a good Chinese meal. So we shared lunch at the Hakka Restaurant in San Francisco. The book records his journey he took over two decades ago when he produced the documentary series Chinese Restaurants. He goes behind the scenes and reveals the feelings, emotions, and soul of these Chinese migrants.
I first met Kwan, shortly after his film series was released in 2004. My daughter had seen one of his episodes at a film festival and suggested I see his series for my book research. I ordered his 15 episode DVD set. Many of his restaurateurs were Hakka, like my father, immigrants looking for a way to make a living.
I contacted Kwan and asked him about his Hakka chefs. He suggested we meet because he would be in the Bay Area for a film festival next week. Our projects shared a similar focus on the global Chinese diaspora.
I was still in the early days of research for my Hakka cookbook. Kwan told me I needed to go to Toronto. He said he could set me up with a Hakka friend who could gather many contacts for me. Within a few weeks, I was in Scarborough, a suburb of Toronto, sharing a meal with a dozen new Hakka friends. They came from all over the world. I interviewed them, asking about their stories and their food. Many of their stories and recipes found their way into The Hakka Cookbook. I’m so grateful to have met Cheuk Kwan.
I asked him about his documentary series, Chinese Restaurants. He said he has posted the episodes on YouTube so everyone can see it. Read “Have you eaten yet?” then view his series to see their faces. It’s an insightful view of the Chinese diaspora. Click this link to see.
The next day at a book signing event at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center, Kwan shared some of his experiences writing the book. Martin Yan also interviewed him about the Chinese diaspora. Read the book and enjoy the historical and revealing journey of Chinese migrants who dared to open a restaurant across the world.
“Best Chinese Cuisine Cookbook of the World”With Alan Lau, artist and my brotherPhoto by Dabin LoWith Martin Yan and his wife, Susan Cooking with Mark Bittman, NY Times writer.
Happy Birthday to The Hakka Cookbook! The month marks the 10th anniversary of The Hakka Cookbook. I’m so happy that the book is still in print. It has never been a best seller, but has gained fans among the Hakka population and continues to sell consistently. It has been reprinted at least four times.
Timeline
On this significant anniversary, let’s look back on the journey of the creation and life of The Hakka Cookbook.
2004: I began developing the concept and plan for this book. Interviewed Hakka in Malaysia, Singapore, and Hawaii.
2005: Went on a Hakka scouting trip to China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
2006: Worked on the book proposal. Interviewed Hakka in Peru and Toronto, Canada. In March, I found a cookbook agent.
2007: Worked on the book, researched, and tested recipes. After 1 ½ years, ended my contract with the agent. Decided to sell the manuscript myself.
2008: Went to my first Toronto Hakka Conference. Found a publisher!
2009: Publisher canceled contract due to economic downturn. Continued working on the book and looked for a new publisher.
2010: University of California Press accepted my proposal!
2011: Edited the book. Forwarded my brother’s art to publisher.
July 2012: First copy of The Hakka Cookbook landed on my doorstep on my birthday.
September 2012 : Books arrived from printer in China. The Hakka Cookbook officially debuted at the Asian Art Museum on September 29.
October to November 2012: Book parties and events. Interviews and articles appeared in local press. Book tour in the Northwest; many with my brother and artist, Alan Lau.
November to December 2012: National press: Wall Street Journal. The Hakka Cookbook included on “Favorite or Best of 2012 Cookbook lists”: Saveur, Martha Stewart, Associated Press, The Globe and Mail.
March 3, 2014: Asia Society Northern California sponsored an event: Chinese Soul Food: Hakka Cuisine at M.Y. China in San Francisco, featuring Martin Yan.
2014 to 2018: Various presentations, classes, and talks. The Hakka Cookbook appeared in numerous publications:
2021: Taiwan publisher SMC Publishing Inc. bought foreign rights to publish The Hakka Cookbook. Look for the Chinese version of The Hakka Cookbook in 2023.
Chinese Bacon with Preserved Greens from Zhong Shan Restaurant
Last year, the owners of Ton Kiang, a Hakka restaurant with a long history in San Francisco, retired. Today Zhong Shan Hakka Restaurant closes. Chef/owner Jin Hua Li, who I featured in The Hakka Cookbook, has been one of my favorite Hakka chefs. I first met him in 2011 just a few months before I submitted my cookbook manuscript. I knew very few restaurants that served Hakka food. This one proudly announced it in their name, Hakka Restaurant. The menu offered many of the popular dishes served at most Chinese restaurants, but under “Chef’s Special” many Hakka dishes were listed.
Hakka Restaurant became our go-to restaurant in San Francisco for banquets and meals with family and friends. Over the years some of our favorite Hakka dishes were the Chinese Bacon with Preserved Greens and the House Special Pan Fried Tofu. The restaurant drew local neighborhood customers as well as outliers as their reputation grew.
A couple of years ago, I heard that Chef Li had retired but now was opening a new restaurant. Apparently retirement grew boring. Chef Li and his wife, Bonnie returned to the business with Zhong Shan Restaurant on Taraval. Our favorites remained on the menu but there were new dishes to try. We had eaten several banquets there and was looking forward to returning once the pandemic ended.
But just last week Serena Dai, the San Francisco Chronicle food editor called to ask about the restaurant and its impending closure. Apparently they sold the restaurant. We went last Friday to order my husband’s favorite Chinese Bacon with Preserved Greens, Salt-Baked Chicken and some extra dishes for my daughter. Hopefully, Chef Li will come out of retirement once again.
Fortunately, we still have access to good Hakka food when eating out. A San Francisco friend who has eaten at both Zhong Shan and Li’s first location said that the original Hakka Restaurant continues to serve good food. Chef Li had sold the restaurant to his sous chef so the food maintains much of the quality of the original chef. Hope to be back to Hakka Restaurant at Cabrillo and 45th Avenue soon.
“Your cherished family recipes could be featured in a museum exhibition,” read the Facebook post. I thought this might be a great opportunity to share our Hakka recipes and story. I signed on immediately.
I submitted a Hakka recipe that I previously shared on this blog, my mother’s Steamed Black Bean Spareribs. I loved the pungent savory goodness of the fermented black beans, garlic, and the pork as they cooked together in a steam bath. This dish bears resemblance to the Cantonese version, although my mother’s version reaches deeper, darker flavor levels. Because many Hakka and Cantonese lived side-by-side in southern China, they often borrowed and adapted flavors and techniques from each other. Perhaps that’s why Hakka food is often considered a branch of Cantonese cuisine.
I hope you enjoy the exhibit and the many recipes and stories.
Page from “Eat Bitter” Credits: DESIGN- ROO WILLIAMS, PHOTOGRAPHY – LYDIA PANG, WORDS – LYDIA PANG
Recently I got a flurry of alerts from my blog to let me know The Hakka Cookbook had been mentioned in several posts online. Checking them I read a story introducing a new zine called “Eat Bitter” about a Hakka family and their food.
I was thrilled to learn that Lydia Pang, the creator of the new publication was a young Hakka woman. Pang, whose father is Hakka, grew up in Wales, a country without much cultural diversity. She had worked in more ethnically diverse London and New York and began to feel she didn’t know enough about her Chinese heritage. It was time to learn more. She decided to write about her family’s favorite foods and stories shared at the dinner table. The result, “Eat Bitter,” allowed her to explore her identity and preserve the culture and recipes of her Hakka family.
Page from “Eat Bitter” Credits: DESIGN- ROO WILLIAMS, PHOTOGRAPHY – LYDIA PANG, WORDS – LYDIA PANG
The title of her publication, “Eat Bitter,” reflects the Hakka history. The Hakka have long endured multiple migrations, hardship, and persecution. Called “guest people” because they often arrived to settled lands last, the Hakka got the meager leftovers. Through their hard work, they survived and flourished. Working through obstacles, whether in life or in the kitchen, makes the reward taste so much sweeter.
Page about Pang’s father’s Sunday sik fan from “Eat Bitter” Credits: DESIGN- ROO WILLIAMS, PHOTOGRAPHY – LYDIA PANG, WORDS – LYDIA PANG
The zine’s bold design and creative layout vibrate on the red and black saturated pages (sample pages shown above). With help from her family, Pang records recipes such as Ears &Thighs (steamed chicken thighs and wood ear mushrooms), Fatty Pork (simmered pork belly with garlic and black beans), and Paw Paw’s Sponge (steamed sponge cake.) Photos and sketches reveal the cooking process.
To pre-order her magazine visit eatbitter.co Pang will donate a portion of the sales to Welcome to Chinatown, a grassroots organization that provides resources to hard-hit businesses in Manhattan’s Chinatown.
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.
Last year I read an article about a new start-up magazine called Dill. The mission of this handsome publication was to journey deep into the cuisines of Asia in a detailed and nerdy way.
Surprisingly,19-year old Shayne Chammavanijakul, a college sophomore from Chicago started this quarterly with little publishing experience aside from working on the high school paper. The founder often spent summers in Thailand visiting family. A few years ago she devoted time learning from her Hakka Thai grandmother. As she cooked and talked with her, she realized that there were many untold stories about food, culture, and immigrant experiences.
Chammavanijakul, with the help of family, friends, and publishing professionals such as Editorial Coordinator Tippy Jeng designed this magazine for people who wanted to read in-depth stories on authentic Asian food and recipes that were not watered down for the masses.
With my Hakka roots, a career in publishing, and a Thai husband, I sensed we shared a connection and sent Chammavanijakul a copy of The Hakka Cookbook. As a result, in the recently published second issue of Dill, look for recipes from The Hakka Cookbook for Salt-Baked Chicken and three sauces: red chile-bean sauce (new recipe from Fah Liong), fresh ginger-onion sauce, and sand ginger sauce. The article runs from page 118 to 121.
With heavyweight paper, beautiful photos, and professional writing the magazine compares to a soft cover book and is priced accordingly. If you love Asian food, this is the magazine for you. To buy a copy of Dill, click here.
