Salt Sugar MSG Recipes and Stories from a Cantonese American Home

<b>The chef behind the groundbreaking Brooklyn restaurant <b>Bonnie’s shares over 85 recipes that showcase his unique style of Chinese home cooking, a mash-up of Americana and Cantonese classics inspired by the flavors of his childhood.</b></b><br><br>As an American-born Cantonese kid, chef Calvin Eng grew up watching his mother, Bonnie, in the kitchen. Though he shied away from his culture as a kid, he later grew to love and embrace his upbringing, eventually opening Bonnie’s, which was praised as a top restaurant of the year by the <i>New York Times </i>and <i>Bon Appétit.<br></i><br><i>Salt Sugar MSG</i> is an introduction to Cantonese cooking through an American lens, full of easy flavor boosts and practical tricks, drawing a thread from his mother’s cooking to what Calvin cooks for his own family today. Some recipes stick closer to tradition, like <b>Sizzling Steamed Fish with Seasoned Soy Sauce, Ham Yue Yook Beng (Steamed Pork Patty with Salted Fish),</b> and <b>Ginger Congee,</b> while others upend expectations, like <b>Salt & Pepper Pork Schnitzel with Chinese Ranch, Fuyu Cacio e Pepe Mein,</b> and <b>BLT Fried Rice.</b> While these dishes may not look especially Cantonese at first glance, they certainly taste like it. <br><br>Written with his fiancée, Phoebe Melnick, <i>Salt Sugar MSG</i> is full of personal stories and practical tips and tricks as a loving ode to what it means to cook together as a Cantonese American family today.