Category Archives: Writing a cookbook

Chinese translation of The Hakka Cookbook

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The Hakka Cookbook, Chinese Soul Food from around the World (Chinese translation, SMC Publishing, Inc. 2024

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.

SMC Books and Taiwan Hakka Culture Development Center, Hakka Affairs Council jointly published the book. Dr. Shiun-wey Huang was the Project investigator and Dr. Chen-Wei Tao was the Co-Project Investigator for this translation project. Translators were Wanling Huang and Jung-Kuei Liu.

The Hakka Cookbook tenth anniversary

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“Best Chinese Cuisine Cookbook of the World”
With Alan Lau, artist and my brother
Photo by Dabin Lo
With 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.
  • February 23, 2013 The Hakka Cookbook tied for the Best Chinese Cuisine Cookbook in World at Gourmand World Cookbook Awards
  • May 19, 2013 The Hakka Cookbook appeared in the New York Times in The Nomad’s Kitchen by Mark Bittman.
  • 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.

Best Chinese Cookbook in the World

Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2012


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.

Salt-baked chicken in Dill Magazine

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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.

The Illustrated Wok

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Last spring, the editors of The Cleaver Quarterly invited me to contribute a recipe to their new project,The Illustrated Wok, a cookbook with hand-drawn Chinese recipes from around the world. I was honored to be included in this collection of 40 celebrity chefs, authors, and food writers. Each recipe would be paired with an illustrator. I suggested my brother, Alan Lau, who painted the art for The Hakka Cookbook, illustrate my recipe for Sweet Tangy Bitter Melon Pickles.

I was amazed at the speed this book was put together. By the November, the book had been funded by kickstarter backers, produced, and printed. I received my copy in December and I am delighted with the results.

Each recipe offers a new voice, a surprise, and a different presentation. Some recipes are illustrated with spare elegant black brush painting, others exude color and humor with comic book graphics. Some introduce fantasy and whimsy to the recipes.

Recipes are categorized in headings based on ingredients, technique, type of dish, or geographic origin. Chefs bring fresh perspectives and often global flavors to traditional Chinese dishes. Recipes do not follow a set consistent style. Each is written in the voice of the contributor. Just reading the stories and savoring the art is almost as satisfying as actually cooking and eating the recipes. Buy the book here.

 

 

 

New Chinese cookbook

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An exciting new kind of Chinese cookbook is at the press. About 6 months ago, The Cleaver Quarterly, a magazine devoted to Chinese food and its diversity, invited me to contribute a recipe to their new project, The Illustrated Wok. Forty chefs paired with forty artists would produce a picture cookbook, illustrated with hand drawn art. Each recipe would be brought to life with colorful unique illustrations.

Alan Lau, my brother and artist for The Hakka Cookbook, created the art for my recipe. At left is a sample of Alan’s art that illustrated an article in The Cleaver Quarterly in 2015. He has created a new painting (a surprise) for this new cookbook.

After a short Kickstarter campaign the cookbook, The Illustrated Wok, will soon be a reality. Pre-orders available here. I can hardly wait.

 

Hakka Cookbook for holiday gifts

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The Hakka Cookbook (med)Looking for a gift for someone who loves to explore new cuisines and enjoys culinary history? Do they like to cook and eat Chinese food? If so, consider giving them The Hakka Cookbook, Chinese Soul Food from around the World. My book contains more than recipes. It also holds history, art, and personal stories.

My book uncovers the “soul food” of the Chinese migrants known as the Hakka. It is the result of my exploration to find my own Hakka identity and culinary history. As I traveled and interviewed Hakka around the world, I realized that the keepers of the Hakka recipes were the older generation. I wrote the book to preserve the recipes and stories of these relatively unknown Chinese migrants who live in scattered communities all over the world. If you have Hakka friends, relatives, or grandchildren, this would be a meaningful book to help them understand their history and food.

The Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2012 recognized The Hakka Cookbook as the “Best Chinese Cuisine Cookbook in the World.”

Order the book from your local bookstore or explore online bookstores such as Amazon or Kinokuniya. Click here for more options on where to buy The Hakka Cookbook, by Linda Lau Anusasananan, published by University of California Press. Read the reviews and articles written about the book to help you decide.

The story behind the art

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Alan Lau and his wife Kazuko Nakane in China.

Alan Lau and his wife Kazuko Nakane in China.

Some people voice disappointment over the lack of color photos illustrating every dish in The Hakka Cookbook. I love food photos, too. However, color photos cost a fortune to produce. I knew as a first time author, it would be hard to find a publisher willing to front a rather obscure book with a huge photo budget attached.

Steamed fish painting by Alan Lau

Steamed fish painting by Alan Lau

I had worked with food styling and photographing for decades and knew the time, cost, and frustration involved. I also knew like fashion, food photographs look dated quickly. So I envisioned the book with art instead of photos. I felt paintings would provide a more timeless elegance to the book. Also I have an artist in the family who could provide the art at a good price.

Painting by Alan Lau

Pomelo painting by Alan Lau

My brother Alan Lau, a Seattle artist, toured China with me on my scouting trip and constantly captured scenes and inspirations along the way. The large pockets sewn onto the front of his shirt were big enough to hold notebooks and pens for a quick sketch or to record words for a poem. He has several painting styles. Some of his paintings possess a free, playful quality that I love. Often he paints with abstract abandon. For the book, he painted with a bit more control since the book’s budget limited him to one tint color. His art weaves a lovely visual trail throughout the pages. Many of his original paintings and color versions did not make it into the book but you can view some here.

 

Red chile painting by Alan Lau

Red chile painting by Alan Lau

Alan studied sumi-e  (East-Asian brush painting) with Nirakushi Toriumi (Nanga School) in  Kyoto, Japan from 1972 to 1974 and later received a B.A. in Art from the University of California in Santa Cruz in 1976. In the book, you will find many samples of his art. You will find his pea and pumpkin painting in the header of this blog.  View this slide show to see how he creates his paintings in his tiny studio.

Thanks Alan for making The Hakka Cookbook look so beautiful!

The Hakka Cookbook, a year in review

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With book artist and brother, Alan Lau, at Book Larder in Seattle

With book artist and brother, Alan Lau, at Book Larder in Seattle

 

Just one year ago on September 29, 2012, I officially launched The Hakka Cookbook, Chinese Soul Food from around the World at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. It was a bit like giving birth in public after a seemingly endless pregnancy, more than seven years. The long labor was worth it.

What a great year! The press has been good to the book, gaining attention even at some of the big names such as New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, and Martha Stewart Living.

Cooking with Mark Bittman, NY Times writer.

Cooking with Mark Bittman, NY Times writer.

The Hakka Cookbook was recognized as “Best Chinese Cuisine Cookbook in the World” in Paris, I’ve talked about the book on the radio and cable television and many book signing events. Bloggers wrote very thoughtful and appreciate reviews. Best of all, I have connected and met with Hakkas from all over the world. Just shy of its first birthday, the book is in its second printing.

Here’s a quick summary of year one for The Hakka Cookbook. For details on this list, visit this page.

"Best Chinese Cuisine Cookbook of the World"

“Best Chinese Cuisine Cookbook of the World”

  • 21 Printed articles and reviews
  • 24 Digital and blog articles
  • 5 Best or Favorite Cookbook Lists
  • 3 Radio interviews
  • 1 Television/youtube interview
  • 1 Cookbook Award
  • 26 Book signing events

Thanks for all your support. Hope to meet you at a  future event.

 

Dedicated to the Hakka around the world

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I dedicated this book to Hakka all around the world. That’s why I was so touched to read a post on Maya in the Morning by Maya Leland, a fellow Hakka who received The Hakka Cookbook as a gift.

In Roots uncovered, she writes about our shared history and most importantly she relays her own family story of migration from China to British Guyana to Jamaica. Her daughter-in-law even cooked one of the more exotic dishes in the book, Spiced Goat Stew with Preserved Lime Sauce, a recipe from a Hakka Jamaican who now lives in Toronto.

Reading blogs and reviews like this fulfills one of my goals for writing The Hakka Cookbook. Hopefully the book makes Hakkas as well as the world to be more aware of who we are, our unique history of migration, our strong character, and our food.

Thanks Maya.