First Generation: Recipes from My Taiwanese-American Home

Gaw, author of the award-winning cooking blog Little Fat Boy, shares recipes that pay homage to his Taiwanese American heritage in this debut cookbook. Growing up in Ohio, Gaw enjoyed the food from American restaurant chains such as Olive Garden and Applebee’s. He started cooking while in college and soon discovered the food from his native homeland through his two grandmothers, who taught him to cook the dishes. Here, Gaw’s family recipes are arranged in sections like “Small Eats” (cold marinated pickles; lap cheong corn dogs); “Noodles and Rice” (Taiwanese beef noodle soup; fried rice); “Dumplings and Bao Doughs” (with a helpful chart on making various dumplings and a guide for coloring dough); “Family Style” (cola-and soy-glazed baby back ribs; whole steamed fish); and “Baked Goods” (black-sesame caramel chocolate-chip cookies; maple toast). The book includes line drawings as well as detailed photos showing step-by-step instructions for tasks like folding dumplings and making scallion pancakes. The mouth-watering recipes are accompanied by personal stories about the author’s family and identity and his reminiscences about food.