A modern, brashly flavorful guide to cooking Taiwanese-American food, from Brooklyn’s lauded Win Son, Win Son Bakery, and Cathy Erway, celebrated writer and expert on the cuisine

Josh Ku, born in Queens to parents from southern Taiwan, and Trigg Brown, a native Virginian whose mentor was a Taiwanese-American chef, forged a friendship over food—specifically, excellent tsang ying tou, or “flies’ head,” a dish of chopped budding chives kissed with pork fat. Their obsession with Taiwanese food and culture propelled them to open Win Son together in 2016. The East Williamsburg restaurant quickly established itself as a destination and often incurs long waits for their vibrant and flavorful Taiwanese-American cuisine.

Ku and Brown have teamed up with Cathy Erway, Taiwanese food expert and celebrated writer, to create this book which explores and celebrates the cuisine of Taiwan and its ever-simmering pot of creative influences. Told through the eyes, taste buds, travels, and busy lives of Ku, Brown, and Erway, this book brings the cuisine of this misunderstood island nation into the spotlight. With 100 creative, yet accessible recipes, this book will unravel the history of this diaspora cuisine. While featuring classic dishes and well-known favorites, this cookbook also stretches this cuisine’s definition, introducing new dishes with brazen twists that are fun, flavorful, and decidedly American-born in style.

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My Thoughts

The one thing that I really enjoy about being a part of the Abrams Dinner Party is being exposed to new cuisines. While I am somewhat of an adventurous eater, there are some areas that I have never tried. Taiwanese food is one of those. I guess you could say that I was intimidated by the potentially crazy ingredients (well, for this southern gal anyway), and would my family be open to trying new things?

I picked up this cookbook and started reading. Usually, I don’t read much outside of the recipes and notes for those dishes. However, I read the Prologue this time, drawing me into the cuisine and what might be possible. I enjoyed the information from the chefs, how they created their restaurant and the various dishes they serve.

With a more open mind, I started flipping through the different sections and perusing the recipes. The photos are gorgeous and showcase the various dishes quite well.

The recipes cover a wide variety of palates and range from vegetarian to those for the meat lover. I like how there is a blend of Taiwanese and American, sort of a fusion but not quite.

I have earmarked a few recipes I want to try once I figure out where to get some of the specialty items. There is a large Asian community in my town, and I will have to venture over to one of their markets to see what they have to offer. I think these will have to be dishes I prepare when I can set aside a fair amount of time since it is not something I am used to preparing. It’s a learning curve!

Peppered throughout the book are also conversations with the chefs about the food and how it has impacted their lives. It makes for fascinating reading.

If you are a Taiwanese food fan or want to learn how to make some, check out this cookbook. Please note that the cookie recipe is slightly off, so don’t start with that one!