The Woks of Life

YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY . PUBLISHERS WEEKLY . STARRED REVIEW .

ONE OF THE TEN BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR- San Francisco Chronicle, Simply Recipes
ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR- The New York Times, Food & Wine , NPR, Smithsonian Magazine, Delish, Epicurious

This is the story of a family as told through food. Judy, the mom, speaks to traditional Chinese dishes and cultural backstory. Bill, the dad, worked in his family's Chinese restaurants and will walk you through how to make a glorious Cantonese Roast Duck. Daughters Sarah and Kaitlin have your vegetable-forward and one-dish recipes covered-put them all together and you have the first cookbook from the funny and poignant family behind the popular blog The Woks of Life.

In addition to recipes for Mini Char Siu Bao, Spicy Beef Biang Biang Noodles, Cantonese Pork Belly Fried Rice, and Salt-and-Pepper Fried Oyster Mushrooms, there are also helpful tips and tricks throughout, including an elaborate rundown of the Chinese pantry, explanations of essential tools (including the all-important wok), and insight on game-changing Chinese cooking secrets like how to "velvet" meat to make it extra tender and juicy.

Whether you're new to Chinese cooking or if your pantry is always stocked with bean paste and chili oil, you'll find lots of inspiration and trustworthy recipes that will become a part of your family story, too.

About the Author

Bill Leung is a founder, recipe and content developer, and dad of The Woks of Life.

Founded in 2013, The Woks of Life began as a quest to document one family’s history through food and has become the most popular online resource for Chinese cooking in English, recording generations of recipes for millions of home cooks. Bill and Judy, and daughters Sarah and Kaitlin have been featured on PBS, the Food Network (digital), Magnolia Network, and Good Morning America (digital), as well as The New York Times, Eater, and many other publications.

Bill grew up in upstate New York, working through high school and college in restaurants with his father, a chef. He rose from modest beginnings as a Burger King sandwich assembler to Holiday Inn busboy and line cook, to cooking at the family’s Chinese restaurant, while also learning the finer points of Cantonese cooking from his immigrant parents. He specializes in all things Cantonese and American Chinese takeout.

The family lives in New Jersey, where they cook, write, and photograph recipes together and continue their eternal debate over what’s for dinner.