Chinese-Ish : Home Cooking Not Quite Authentic, 100% Delicious

A cookbook celebrating the blending of cultures and identity through food, with a bounty of Chinese-influenced dishes from all over South-East Asia

As immigrants with Chinese heritage, Rosheen Kaul and Joanna Hu spent their formative years living between (at least) two cultures and wondering how they fitted in. Food was a huge part of this journey; should they cling to the traditional comfort of their parents’ varied culinary heritage, attempt to assimilate wholly by learning to love mashed potatoes, or forge a new path where flavor and the freedom to choose trumped authenticity? They went with option three.

Chinese-ish celebrates the confident blending of culture and identity through food—take what you love and reject what doesn't work for you. You’ll find a bounty of inauthentic Chinese-influenced dishes from all over South-East Asia, including all the best rice and noodle dishes, wontons, and dumplings. There are also plenty of tips and shortcuts to demystify any tricky-sounding techniques, and a reassuring list of pantry staples and where to find them.

Rosheen Kaul was born in Singapore to parents of mixed Asian heritage (Kashmiri, Peranakan Chinese, Filipino). She grew up between Australia, Malaysia, China, and Indonesia. To her parents’ horror she pursued a career in cooking, working at new-style Chinese diner Lee ho Fook and Smith & Daughter, followed by Dinner by Heston Blumenthal.

Joanna Hu is an illustrator and ex front-of-house at Vue de Monde, Saint Crispin, and Fat Duck. The daughter of Chinese–Australian parents, she eschewed a career in law for something she was truly passionate about: learning to taste and being surrounded by creative geniuses.