An impressive collection of Shanghainese recipes...This handsome work is perfect for lovers of Chinese cuisine and for home cooks of all stripes. — Publishers Weekly
As a port city, Shanghai has had centuries of influence from a host of foreign cultures as well as from the rest of China.Liu, whose popular food blog has done much to promote Shanghai’s cooking, offers her take on the city’s food by categorizing its many dishes into the year’s seasons...Bright color photographs of finished dishes and step-by-step illustrations of techniques for complex forming of dumplings make recipes even more attractive. — Booklist
Photography of both the food and region is gorgeous and another way to travel without leaving home...the clear recipes in this rich collection will delight home cooks looking to explore flavors and cooking styles. — Library Journal
My Shanghai is a tour de force. — Boston Globe
My Shanghai contains everything I look for in a cookbook: personal storytelling, trustworthy information, new-to-me recipes that teach as much as they entice, and stunning photography that's instantly transportive. Betty Liu has raised the bar. — Julia Turschen, author of Simply Julia and founder of Equity at the Table (EATT)
My Shanghai is a soulful homage...This book is a multi-sensory delight—the fresh, vibrantly seasonal flavors of her native Jiangnan cuisine are interlaced with heartfelt personal stories of growing up with her mother’s cooking, stunningly brought to life by Betty’s rich, immersive photography. It'sa timely reminder of how much we still have to learn about the cuisines of China and deftly illustrates the power of culinary storytelling to transport us. A book to sit with, ruminate over, learn from, share with friends, and of course, cook a memorable meal from. This one is going straight on my "favorite cookbooks" shelf. — Hetty McKinnon, award-winning cookbook author, food writer, and editor of Peddler Journal
My Shanghai is a well-written cookbook about the home cooking of a family who stuck to its native cuisine notwithstanding immigration to the United States. Author and photographer Betty Liu eloquently tells the story of her family's food culture and that of their native Shanghai as she has experienced it.Through her prose and recipes, she makes the reader feel like a guest in herfamily kitchen learning to shop and cook with her and her elders, and then sharing the meal together. Betty's food styling and photography complete the package. We need many more cookbooks like My Shanghai. — Kristina Gill,co-author and photographer ofTasting Rome
So much more than a cookbook, My Shanghaiis the book I’ve been waiting for. It’s filled with beautiful, personal stories and recipes that bring the vibrant, fresh, and seasonal dishes of the Jiangnan region to life. Paired with Betty’s captivating photography, I was instantly transported. A cover-to-cover read that allows readers to cook their way through the seasons, this is a book that’s sure to have the telltale food stains, notes, and wear of a well-loved companion. — Alana Kysar, author ofAloha Kitchen
See Also7 vegan recipes from Ottolenghi FLAVOUR100 Christmas Baking Recipes: Our Best Holiday Cookies, Bars, and BitesEasy Bouillabaisse Recipe - Authentic and Bold!16 Figgy Pudding Recipes You Should Make This ChristmasThrough family recipes and stories of the glittering city,My Shanghaiwillbegin tofill a vacuum for cookbooks about China's vastly different regional cuisines, written by people who grew up cooking and eating them—like Liu. And the photographs are gorgeous. — Esquire
The best cookbooks, many would argue, are not just recipes—they're trips, stories,experiences. Betty Liu accomplishes all of those things, bringing the reader along on a year-long ride through Shanghai and its food. — Delish.com
As an international metropolis, Shanghai cooking has, more so than most Chinese cuisine, been influenced by traders from around the world. This is one of the few cookbooks that is dedicated to Shanghainese cooking, which includes regional dishes like Nanjing Salted Duck and Lion’s Head from the neighboring Yangtze river delta. — Reviewed.com
Taste, smell and experience the eccentric flavors of one of the oldest kitchens in the world: Shanghai’s. This retro-looking book guides you through the thrilling streets of the Chinese city based on 100 recipes. A feast for the eyes and taste buds. — Delicious Magazine
Organized by season,My Shanghaiexplores the dynamic, destination-worthy fare of one of the world's largest cities. Author Betty Liu transports readers to Shanghai through homestyleeats, many of which have been passed down through generations and reexamined with a modern lens. — Time Out
My Shanghai: Recipes and Stories from a City on the Wateris a deeply personal title inspired by Betty’s parents and the food that she grew up eating. It highlights the seasonality of Shanghainese food, something ubiquitous in Chinese cooking but often not recognized in the Western world. — Cherry Bombe
Frankly, I haven’t been able to stop cooking fromMy Shanghaisince I got it...I imagine I’ll keep coming back every season. — Eater
My Shanghai is a tour de force.
Through family recipes and stories of the glittering city,My Shanghaiwillbegin tofill a vacuum for cookbooks about China's vastly different regional cuisines, written by people who grew up cooking and eating them—like Liu. And the photographs are gorgeous.
My Shanghai is a soulful homage...This book is a multi-sensory delight—the fresh, vibrantly seasonal flavors of her native Jiangnan cuisine are interlaced with heartfelt personal stories of growing up with her mother’s cooking, stunningly brought to life by Betty’s rich, immersive photography. It'sa timely reminder of how much we still have to learn about the cuisines of China and deftly illustrates the power of culinary storytelling to transport us. A book to sit with, ruminate over, learn from, share with friends, and of course, cook a memorable meal from. This one is going straight on my "favorite cookbooks" shelf.
As a port city, Shanghai has had centuries of influence from a host of foreign cultures as well as from the rest of China.Liu, whose popular food blog has done much to promote Shanghai’s cooking, offers her take on the city’s food by categorizing its many dishes into the year’s seasons...Bright color photographs of finished dishes and step-by-step illustrations of techniques for complex forming of dumplings make recipes even more attractive.
My Shanghai contains everything I look for in a cookbook: personal storytelling, trustworthy information, new-to-me recipes that teach as much as they entice, and stunning photography that's instantly transportive. Betty Liu has raised the bar.
The best cookbooks, many would argue, are not just recipes—they're trips, stories,experiences. Betty Liu accomplishes all of those things, bringing the reader along on a year-long ride through Shanghai and its food.
My Shanghai is a well-written cookbook about the home cooking of a family who stuck to its native cuisine notwithstanding immigration to the United States. Author and photographer Betty Liu eloquently tells the story of her family's food culture and that of their native Shanghai as she has experienced it.Through her prose and recipes, she makes the reader feel like a guest in herfamily kitchen learning to shop and cook with her and her elders, and then sharing the meal together. Betty's food styling and photography complete the package. We need many more cookbooks like My Shanghai.
So much more than a cookbook, My Shanghaiis the book I’ve been waiting for. It’s filled with beautiful, personal stories and recipes that bring the vibrant, fresh, and seasonal dishes of the Jiangnan region to life. Paired with Betty’s captivating photography, I was instantly transported. A cover-to-cover read that allows readers to cook their way through the seasons, this is a book that’s sure to have the telltale food stains, notes, and wear of a well-loved companion.
As a port city, Shanghai has had centuries of influence from a host of foreign cultures as well as from the rest of China.Liu, whose popular food blog has done much to promote Shanghai’s cooking, offers her take on the city’s food by categorizing its many dishes into the year’s seasons...Bright color photographs of finished dishes and step-by-step illustrations of techniques for complex forming of dumplings make recipes even more attractive.
Organized by season,My Shanghaiexplores the dynamic, destination-worthy fare of one of the world's largest cities. Author Betty Liu transports readers to Shanghai through homestyleeats, many of which have been passed down through generations and reexamined with a modern lens.
My Shanghai: Recipes and Stories from a City on the Wateris a deeply personal title inspired by Betty’s parents and the food that she grew up eating. It highlights the seasonality of Shanghainese food, something ubiquitous in Chinese cooking but often not recognized in the Western world.
Frankly, I haven’t been able to stop cooking fromMy Shanghaisince I got it...I imagine I’ll keep coming back every season.
As an international metropolis, Shanghai cooking has, more so than most Chinese cuisine, been influenced by traders from around the world. This is one of the few cookbooks that is dedicated to Shanghainese cooking, which includes regional dishes like Nanjing Salted Duck and Lion’s Head from the neighboring Yangtze river delta.
Taste, smell and experience the eccentric flavors of one of the oldest kitchens in the world: Shanghai’s. This retro-looking book guides you through the thrilling streets of the Chinese city based on 100 recipes. A feast for the eyes and taste buds.
My Shanghaicontains everything I look for in a cookbook: personal storytelling, trustworthy information, new-to-me recipes that teach as much as they entice, and stunning photography that's instantly transportive. Betty Liu has raised the bar.
03/01/2021
While the spicy foods of Szechuan and Xi'an have received attention recently, there is a broad range of Chinese cooking, including the more subtle flavors of Jiangnan cuisine, which focuses on the natural flavors of ingredients, with the emphasis on fish, rice, and vegetables as well as flavors such as soy and vinegar. My Shanghai is an homage to Liu's family's cooking and the culinary history of the Shanghai region. This is Liu's first book, which sprang from her blog,
bettysliu.com , which explores her interests in recipes and photography. Arranged by season, as befits Jiangnan cuisine, this collection includes recipes for all kinds of meals and snacks, including stir-fries, dumplings, noodles, and soups. In addition, there is a good explanation of the Shanghainese pantry. Many recipes call for ingredients, such as winter bamboo and celtuce, that will require a trip to an Asian market, but that is a part of the fun. VERDICT Photography of both the food and region is gorgeous and another way to travel without leaving home, and the clear recipes in this rich collection will delight home cooks looking to explore flavors and cooking styles.—Devon Thomas, Chelsea, MI