The Chinese Way

Classic Techniques, Fresh Flavors (A Cookbook)

Contributors

By Betty Liu

Formats and Prices

Price

$40.00

Price

$50.00 CAD

Format

Format:

  1. Hardcover $40.00 $50.00 CAD
  2. ebook $18.99 $24.99 CAD

A NEW YORK TIMES BEST COOKBOOK OF THE YEAR • A BON APPÉTIT BEST COOKBOOK OF THE YEAR • A WASHINGTON POST BEST COOKBOOK OF THE YEAR • A NATIONAL POST BEST COOKBOOK OF THE YEAR • A SAVEUR BEST COOKBOOK OF THE YEAR • A SERIOUS EATS BEST COOKBOOK OF THE YEAR • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS TO GIFT BY THE STRATEGIST 

Master the eight techniques that unlock modern Chinese cooking with this “genius” collection of inspired recipes (Salon), from the award-winning author of My Shanghai

Betty Liu cooks Chinese all the time—but this doesn’t mean she makes the same food her great-grandparents did. In her kitchen, the wok sits next to a Dutch oven, and the soy sauce in her pantry lives alongside tomato paste and harissa.

The key to great Chinese cooking lies not in strict “authentic” recipes and ingredients, but in adaptable techniques. The Chinese Way teaches eight key methods that anyone can use to unlock their cooking: first, how to master heat (Steam, Fry, Boil, and Braise) and then, how to create irresistible flavor combinations (Sauce, Infuse, Pickle, and Wrap).

In each chapter, Betty boils down the basics in classic dishes like Mapo Tofu and White-Cut Pork Belly. Then, she brings those techniques to the modern kitchen, with local produce and global flavors. The result? Dishes such as Scallion Oil Smashed Potatoes, Harissa Glazed Torn Tofu, Braised Cabbage and Chorizo, Dashi Steamed Mushrooms, and Tomato-Bacon Sticky Rice.

One core technique at a time, Betty shows how to become a better cook—whether you’re stir-frying cauliflower or adding preserved lemon to broccoli for extra zing.

Betty’s food is not traditional—but it is Chinese. And you can cook that way, too.

  • “The book is full of useful graphics, helpful shopping and substitution notes and precious illustrations (how to fold bao!)"
    The New York Times (Best Cookbooks of 2024)
  • “Her recipes range from the foundational (e.g., mapo tofu and steamed whole fish) to the surprising (Harissa-Glazed Torn Tofu; Yóu Pō Orzo with Fried Halloumi).” 
    Bon Appétit (Best Cookbooks of 2024)
  • “Sometimes you need a cookbook that won’t just tell you what to make for dinner, but explains how to make it better, too…. This is that rare book. And it has a lot more to teach you about cooking than how to use a wok (although it will do that, too).” 
    Washington Post (Best Cookbooks of 2024)
  • "Liu has a magical way of making Chinese techniques, ingredients, and recipes feel approachable for the everyday home cook. She seamlessly marries Chinese and Western cooking techniques and ingredients to come up with delectable meals."
    Serious Eats
  • “Betty Liu… [is] an inspired home cook with a particular talent for communicating big ideas about meal planning, recipe riffing, and applying traditional techniques to nontraditional recipes.”
    Food & Wine
  • “If you’ve been looking for a crash course in the fundamentals of Chinese cooking, Betty Liu is the one to guide you.” 
    Saveur
  • "Liu empowers readers to embrace the adaptability of Chinese home cooking—their way."
    National Post (Best Cookbooks of 2024)
  • “With a breezy, approachable style, The Chinese Way makes it easy for beginners or experienced cooks to elevate their kitchen game…. [Liu’s] mission is clear: demystify Chinese cooking and empower readers.”
    Boston Globe
  • The Chinese Way is an important cookbook—it demystifies Chinese cooking, debunking long-held myths that the cuisine is foreign or difficult to cook. Betty Liu puts classic Chinese techniques on a pedestal and makes them available to everyone, all while presenting us with a set of highly craveable recipes that I’ll want to cook again and again.”
    Hetty Lui McKinnon, food writer and cookbook author
  • “I keep thinking about recipes that I’ve read in the book that I must make, because it’s exclamation point cooking. Everything is like, ‘Wow, I must try that.’”
    Ali Slagle, author of I Dream of Dinner (So You Don’t Have To)
  • “Like Betty Liu’s first cookbook, the remarkable My Shanghai, this book is a treasure. The photographs are beautiful, the recipes are seductive, Betty’s instructions are crystalline, and there’s something to love, learn and savor on each page. The Chinese Way teaches us traditional methods of cooking, gives us enticing recipes both classic and new, and then sets us free to use each lesson in our own kitchens in our own way. It’s a brilliant way to teach and a delicious way to learn.”
    Dorie Greenspan, New York Times bestselling author of Baking with Dorie
  • “In The Chinese Way, Betty Liu showcases a familiar mode of cooking in our family—applying Chinese techniques and a search for vibrantly varied textures and flavors to both traditional and non-traditional ingredients. Her inventive recipes show us that ‘cooking Chinese’ is an ethos that any home cook can learn. This book is a joy to read and cook from!”
    Kaitlin, Sarah, Bill, and Judy Leung, New York Times bestselling authors of The Woks of Life
  • “Betty Liu’s clever new cookbook is Chinese cooking gone wild! She first teaches the traditional recipes and then shows the fun and delicious variations you can create when you understand the basics. Once you cook recipes like Sriracha Shrimp Toast, Sesame Cumin Fried Chicken, or Garlicky Radicchio and Pork Stir-Fry, this way of thinking about Chinese culinary techniques will inspire your own creativity!”
    Grace Young, author of Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge
  • The Chinese Way is such a gorgeous and exciting ode to Chinese cooking. Betty’s style is so awesome because it’s firmly rooted in the fundamentals (which she thoroughly breaks down for you) and then she applies them in really delicious and sometimes unexpected ways that feel like the most real representation of what it means to cook Chinese food in America today.” 
    Molly Yeh, New York Times bestselling author and Food Network host
  • The Chinese Way is destined to be one of my most used cookbooks—I cannot stop cooking from it! Betty takes Chinese cooking fundamentals and effortlessly applies them into everyday dishes that are approachable, familiar, and inspired. Stunning photography and whimsically informative illustrations make every page of this book worthy of exploration. It’s a joyful homage to everyday Chinese cooking.”
    Alana Kysar, author of the bestselling cookbook Aloha Kitchen
  • “At last—a book that covers the fundamentals of Chinese cookery in an approachable and modern way. This will make you a better cook and is a must for anyone looking to master the basics.”
    Clarissa Wei, author of Made in Taiwan

On Sale
Sep 24, 2024
Page Count
288 pages
Publisher
Voracious
ISBN-13
9780316485432

Betty Liu

About the Author

Betty Liu is an acclaimed cookbook author, photographer, and doctor completing her surgical residency. An avid home cook who writes about Chinese home cooking on her award-winning blog, she published her debut book, My Shanghai, in 2021, and it was named one of the best cookbooks of the year. Her writing, photography, and recipes have been featured by Bon Appétit, Epicurious, and The New York Times. She lives in Boston with her husband, son, and dog.

Learn more about this author