Salt Sugar MSG

From the chef behind the groundbreaking Brooklyn restaurant Bonnies comes a cookbook featuring over 85 recipes that showcase his unique style of Chinese home cooking, a mashup of Americana and Cantonese classics, inspired by the flavors of his childhood.

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 unique upbringing as a primary source of inspiration in his cooking. He would go on to define his lauded culinary style through dishes that frequently defy tradition but are rooted in the Cantonese flavors of his childhood, a third-culture perspective now reflected in his debut cookbook.

Salt Sugar MSGis an introduction to Cantonese cooking through an American lens, drawing a thread from his mothers cooking to what he cooks for his own family today. Some recipes stick closer to tradition, likeSizzling Steamed Fish with Seasoned Soy Sauce,Ham Yue Yook Beng (Steamed Pork Patty with Salted Fish), andGinger Congee, while others upend expectations, likeSalt & Pepper Pork Schnitzel with Chinese Ranch,Fuyu Cacio e Pepe Mein, andBLT Fried Rice. While these dishes may not look especially Cantonese at first glance, they certainly taste like it.

Written with his fiance, Phoebe Melnick,Salt Sugar MSGis 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.