Back to Articles

Chinese Food Is Not a Monolith

Some light debunking, knowledge dropping, and recipes, with Betty Liu.

Published November 7, 2024

Comment

Justine Wong

Buttery Corn-Braised Tofu. Miso-Cured Smashed Cucumbers. Black Pepper Beef and Shishito Rice Cakes. Look through photographer and cook (and general surgery resident!) ​Betty Liu​‘s new cookbook, ​The Chinese Way: Classic Techniques, Fresh Flavors​, and I dare you to tell me there aren’t at least ten things you want to make. My mouth literally watered the first time I looked through it — and every time I looked through it after that.

Aside from the beautiful recipes in Betty’s book, she shares helpful tips and techniques that every home cook will appreciate — how to set up your steamer, common chopping methods that are particularly useful when making Chinese food (like loose mincing for cilantro and scallions, and “rolled-knife” oblique cutting for cylindrical vegetables), approximate steaming times for some of the most popular vegetables.

Log in, or become a member today.

Join in: enjoy 7 days free, plus 40% off your first year with access to 1,000+ highly vetted recipes from the How To Cook Everything series and beyond, essays from Mark, and original pieces from our contributors.

Join annually and save 40%
Log in to your account

GetBetterFasterHealthierSmarterTastier

in the Kitchen

Through our (more than a thousand, and growing) highly vetted recipes from the How to Cook Everything series, original food essays and reporting, thoughtful podcast conversations and introductions to new and responsible food products, we aim to showcase what’s possible, from farm to fork, and power a growing movement that encourages people to think about food not as a commodity, but as central to our health and happiness.

Start your free trial

We hope you join us on this journey. We’d love to have you as a part of the Bittman community. As a member, you'll have access to:

  • New recipes every week
  • 1000s of recipes from How to Cook Everything and beyond
  • First access to in-person events with Mark and Kate
  • Exclusive discounts from our favorite brands
  • Q&As with Mark and the team

 

Subscribe to our free newsletter

Join over 105,000 passionate individuals who receive our weekly emails. It’s 100% free and you can unsubscribe anytime. Plus, we’ll email you a sampling of what premium members receive on a weekly basis.