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The Chinese Kitchen Garden: Growing Techniques and Family Recipes from a Classic Cuisine
“A delightful and approachable guide to Chinese kitchen gardening.”—Fuchsia Dunlop, author of Land of Plenty and Land of Fish and Rice The Chinese Kitchen Garden artfully blends the story of Wendy Kiang Spray’s cultural heritage with growing information for 38 Chinese vegetables and 25 traditional recipes. Organized by season, you’ll learn what to grow in spring, what to cook in winter, and everything in between. You’ll find complete growing information for vegetables you may not have considered growing, including lotus root, bamboo shoots, tatsoi, and luffa gourd. The 25 simple, yet delicious recipes—for congee, dumplings, stir fry, and more—beautifully highlight the flavors of the vegetables.
241 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 8, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 3, 2019
What a generous and three-dimensional gardening book! Not only was it full of practical tips for young or learning gardeners organized by season (very user friendly, I thought), each vegetable came with a brief description of its use in the kitchen for those unfamiliar with Chinese vegetables, and it even included many of the author's family recipes, as well as her family's immigrant stories and the role gardening played in their lives both as a means of sustenance and of staying connected to their homeland. It is clear that for the author, gardening brings joy, connects her to her culture, and also helps her have conversations with her parents about their difficult past.
This is a familiar sentiment to the children of immigrants, and I found the author's voice very relatable in this way. It was also refreshing to read about a mix of ingredients that were familiar to my family's (Japanese) cuisine, as well as others that were surprising, such as daylily blossoms, which I've long grown ornamentally, but never knew you could eat.
Reading this really motivated me to get into the garden, 10/10 would recommend!
"Surely my father would think it was silly that I was stripping mulberry twigs instead of purchasing twine from the store. But learning and then practicing these old methods feels like a connection to my culture and to people and a world I never got to know."
This is a familiar sentiment to the children of immigrants, and I found the author's voice very relatable in this way. It was also refreshing to read about a mix of ingredients that were familiar to my family's (Japanese) cuisine, as well as others that were surprising, such as daylily blossoms, which I've long grown ornamentally, but never knew you could eat.
Reading this really motivated me to get into the garden, 10/10 would recommend!
April 10, 2023
I haven't been able to read for a couple of months. Just been really sick most of the time, or really busy with Kafkaesque levels of bullshit paperwork. I'd cast a glance at a pile of really serious looking books and just think, yeah right. I'm going to rewatch an episode of TV from the 90s and fall asleep, not read all y'all.
So what's the remedy for that? Whenever I fall off from reading, I go to the library and pick up a blitz of easy, delectable reads. In the past, that meant bang bang shoot em up thrillers. Now? Always a garden book. Always.
This one didn't disappoint. It could have benefited from a lot more detail about the specifics of her dad's Chinese cultivation techniques - which I would really like to know more about! - but the basic growing details of a few dozen Asian vegetables, many of which only grow in water, was a real treat. Some recipes, especially her mom's, inspired me to grow the aforementioned veg. But my lasting affection for this book will come from its many images of her dad's life in Shandong after the Cultural Revolution, and what Arcadia looks like to him: flocks of white geese, wooden bridges, ponds, lotus flowering and going to seed with those showerhead looking seedpods, rows of garlic chives irrigated with furrows of pond water, long beans and bitter melon. As I embark on this 35 year old part of my life, these are articulations of what success looks like to me. All the more to aim at.
So what's the remedy for that? Whenever I fall off from reading, I go to the library and pick up a blitz of easy, delectable reads. In the past, that meant bang bang shoot em up thrillers. Now? Always a garden book. Always.
This one didn't disappoint. It could have benefited from a lot more detail about the specifics of her dad's Chinese cultivation techniques - which I would really like to know more about! - but the basic growing details of a few dozen Asian vegetables, many of which only grow in water, was a real treat. Some recipes, especially her mom's, inspired me to grow the aforementioned veg. But my lasting affection for this book will come from its many images of her dad's life in Shandong after the Cultural Revolution, and what Arcadia looks like to him: flocks of white geese, wooden bridges, ponds, lotus flowering and going to seed with those showerhead looking seedpods, rows of garlic chives irrigated with furrows of pond water, long beans and bitter melon. As I embark on this 35 year old part of my life, these are articulations of what success looks like to me. All the more to aim at.
November 9, 2016
The Chinese Kitchen Garden is full of history, knowledge, and love. Kiang-Spray serves up recipes along side the skills and stories she learned from her parents growing up a first generation Chinese American. The book goes season by season with everything needed to grow classic Chinese vegetables. The photos are gorgeous and the recipes look delicious.
October 6, 2016
Free Netgalley ARC for an honest review.
As someone who lived a year and half in Asia after finishing my undergraduate work, getting my feet muddy in the world of business, food, travel and teaching in that gorgeous continent, the moment I saw this book I knew it was going to be something special.
The books start the way a meal should, with the soft sizzle of things being turned, slowly toward warm. The author tells the story of her father, then her mother, then herself, and then the story of their family. I deeply love the inclusion of these first three things as separate, holy, and noble to themselves, just as the last is to itself and all of them in it, as well.
The books itself is broken into the four season of the year, and each chapter starts with a piece writing about the season, the seasonal vegetables of the garden for that season, the importance of what should be done in the gardening (both finishing the end of the season before it, and prepping for the one beyond it, while still relishing in the fruits of the present).
I was moved by so many of the clean, crispy, well-detailed pictures. I nearly laugh, beside myself when I found a dish I'd long forgotten and how to make it in my own kitchen, here and now in America (Lotus with Garlic!). I love the importance of the garden, gardening, and the care of the workers is as important in this book as the plants themselves, and the meals/recipes that followed from them.
I think that this will be well kept in the hearts of all whom read it.
As someone who lived a year and half in Asia after finishing my undergraduate work, getting my feet muddy in the world of business, food, travel and teaching in that gorgeous continent, the moment I saw this book I knew it was going to be something special.
The books start the way a meal should, with the soft sizzle of things being turned, slowly toward warm. The author tells the story of her father, then her mother, then herself, and then the story of their family. I deeply love the inclusion of these first three things as separate, holy, and noble to themselves, just as the last is to itself and all of them in it, as well.
The books itself is broken into the four season of the year, and each chapter starts with a piece writing about the season, the seasonal vegetables of the garden for that season, the importance of what should be done in the gardening (both finishing the end of the season before it, and prepping for the one beyond it, while still relishing in the fruits of the present).
I was moved by so many of the clean, crispy, well-detailed pictures. I nearly laugh, beside myself when I found a dish I'd long forgotten and how to make it in my own kitchen, here and now in America (Lotus with Garlic!). I love the importance of the garden, gardening, and the care of the workers is as important in this book as the plants themselves, and the meals/recipes that followed from them.
I think that this will be well kept in the hearts of all whom read it.
July 25, 2020
This book is a beautiful story of the author's family, told through a discussion of Chinese gardening practices. In it, the author tells the story of her father's complicated relationship to gardening under the CCP, and his more sanguine gardening practices in exile. She also talks about her concerns as a mother of mixed race children in terms of their connection to their Chinese ancestry. Gardening traditional Chinese vegetables in the traditional intensive gardening style is a way that she maintains a connection to her ancestry and hopes to pass down an appreciation for her family's culture to her children and her children's children.
In addition to the family story, there are useful introductions to a number of Chinese vegetables that are uncommon in the US, along with a few recipes for how to prepare them. I don't know that I would eat enough bitter melon to justify growing a plant, but I am still glad to have read this book because of the personal stories she shared.
In addition to the family story, there are useful introductions to a number of Chinese vegetables that are uncommon in the US, along with a few recipes for how to prepare them. I don't know that I would eat enough bitter melon to justify growing a plant, but I am still glad to have read this book because of the personal stories she shared.
May 27, 2018
I really enjoyed this vegetable gardening book mostly because I thought Wendy's story about her family's immigration to America and their lives beforehand were fascinating. All of this story was woven around her kitchen garden and the expansive garden of her father. I loved how she was able to get to know her father better through both of their gardens and the different types of vegetables grown in each. It was a great read and has good gardening information within. It was also fun to see the next generation of gardeners in Wendy's children.
August 15, 2018
Really interesting reading
Gardening is a passion many of us share. Vegetables and fruits are oftentimes the focus of the gardening bug. Wendy Kiang-Spray shared her passion, family history, gardening tips, recipes for each vegetable, and covers many vegetables one normally equates with Chinese food but also the oh I haven't heard how to use grow, or handle that vegetable in the garden, kitchen, or even let's try this before I plant it ideas.
Gardening is a passion many of us share. Vegetables and fruits are oftentimes the focus of the gardening bug. Wendy Kiang-Spray shared her passion, family history, gardening tips, recipes for each vegetable, and covers many vegetables one normally equates with Chinese food but also the oh I haven't heard how to use grow, or handle that vegetable in the garden, kitchen, or even let's try this before I plant it ideas.
August 10, 2018
5 Stars
A loving look at ethnic vegetable gardening from a knowledgeable gardener. The small glimpses gifted at the star of each description of the plants gives you insight into growing these fantastic plants. The authors willingness to share family recipes is very much appreciated.
A loving look at ethnic vegetable gardening from a knowledgeable gardener. The small glimpses gifted at the star of each description of the plants gives you insight into growing these fantastic plants. The authors willingness to share family recipes is very much appreciated.
August 3, 2018
Excellent book from the perspective of both a gardener and a cook. I have already added many of these vegetables to our menu and to my garden. Found a good source of Asian foods nearby. Excited about this healthy eating style. This book will probably be in the kitchen.
March 3, 2018
I purchased this book and think it is absolutely the best Chinese cookbook for any level of cooking. I loved the photographs and the recipes.
September 15, 2018
This got me excited to grow about fifteen new crops!
September 19, 2018
Many new to me ideas in this book. I had no idea bottle gourds are edible!
March 19, 2017
I would like to thank Timber Press for providing me with a free ARC of this book, via Netgalley, in exchange for an open and honest review.
What a gorgeous book and so well constructed too. You not only get the history and justified passion of Ms Kiang-Spray for cooking and gardening, but you get a bounty of helpful information on how to grow and use these products for yourself.
I loved the mixture of ‘Old World’ and ‘New World’ within the pages too. Generations of a family passing on their gardening and cooking passions showing how key they can be to raising happy, healthy people. Wonderful.
I grew up in the city of Darwin, where the Chinese culture had played a strong role in its history and creation (well, that’s how I remembered it) and so I grew up with mostly Cantonese style foods as a common thing. So to learn how easy to grow, cultivate, harvest, use and cook some of those ingredients of my childhood – talk about a comfort food cook book!
As to the formatting side of things – which I always talk about – the layout of this book is perfect. Well-constructed, easy to read from cover to cover as well as to spot reference as needed. It includes clear and precise instructions on both gardening and cooking.
Would I recommend this cook to others?
I would and I wouldn’t. I mean, I do feel you need to have a passion or connection to authentic Chinese/ Asian foods to get the most out of this book. Please don’t get me wrong, there are many “common” foods also explored within this book, but the overall theme is what the title says it is.
So, yes I would recommend it… but only to those who I know would appreciate it for what it is. A book on growing and cooking your own food and a family keeping in touch with all aspects of the cultures that created it through food.
Would I buy this book for myself?
I’m honestly not too sure. I mean, I loved reading it and found quite a few tips, tricks and recipes in it I would love to refer back to again and again… but this is the type of book I would want in paper format and I just don’t think I loved it enough to give up any of my precious physical bookshelf space for it. Oh I am a horrible person, we all know that! I loved this book and feel it has just so much goodness to give and share… but I am being stingy with my shelf space. Sorry.
In summary: It is not just a book on family, or on how to grow things or even how to cook. What makes it special is it is a lot of all three. Loved it.
What a gorgeous book and so well constructed too. You not only get the history and justified passion of Ms Kiang-Spray for cooking and gardening, but you get a bounty of helpful information on how to grow and use these products for yourself.
I loved the mixture of ‘Old World’ and ‘New World’ within the pages too. Generations of a family passing on their gardening and cooking passions showing how key they can be to raising happy, healthy people. Wonderful.
I grew up in the city of Darwin, where the Chinese culture had played a strong role in its history and creation (well, that’s how I remembered it) and so I grew up with mostly Cantonese style foods as a common thing. So to learn how easy to grow, cultivate, harvest, use and cook some of those ingredients of my childhood – talk about a comfort food cook book!
As to the formatting side of things – which I always talk about – the layout of this book is perfect. Well-constructed, easy to read from cover to cover as well as to spot reference as needed. It includes clear and precise instructions on both gardening and cooking.
Would I recommend this cook to others?
I would and I wouldn’t. I mean, I do feel you need to have a passion or connection to authentic Chinese/ Asian foods to get the most out of this book. Please don’t get me wrong, there are many “common” foods also explored within this book, but the overall theme is what the title says it is.
So, yes I would recommend it… but only to those who I know would appreciate it for what it is. A book on growing and cooking your own food and a family keeping in touch with all aspects of the cultures that created it through food.
Would I buy this book for myself?
I’m honestly not too sure. I mean, I loved reading it and found quite a few tips, tricks and recipes in it I would love to refer back to again and again… but this is the type of book I would want in paper format and I just don’t think I loved it enough to give up any of my precious physical bookshelf space for it. Oh I am a horrible person, we all know that! I loved this book and feel it has just so much goodness to give and share… but I am being stingy with my shelf space. Sorry.
In summary: It is not just a book on family, or on how to grow things or even how to cook. What makes it special is it is a lot of all three. Loved it.
June 18, 2018
4 stars because this was so personal to the author and so meticulously written. However, since I'm not actually interested in, or have the space for, gardening at this stage of my life, I had a hard time reading and taking in all of the details.
November 1, 2021
A lovely gardening/cookbook focusing on growing some vegetables popular at asain markets. I love the idea of the intensive gardening beds. Maintaining a small kitchen garden is a future wish list but requires a property better suited to it than the one we currently have.
February 6, 2023
I do not know of any way to criticize this book.
I do want to grow everything inside of it.
And, I do want to know if there is any $ to be made if I do. This final desire, however, is not for this book to answer.
Go find some seeds and have an interesting Spring/Summer/Fall this year.
I do want to grow everything inside of it.
And, I do want to know if there is any $ to be made if I do. This final desire, however, is not for this book to answer.
Go find some seeds and have an interesting Spring/Summer/Fall this year.
January 30, 2019
very worthwhile exposition on chinese vegetables and how to grow and use them. Not really a cookbook however.
April 13, 2018
Was very very excited to receive this book in the mail, and immediately started reading. After going from cover to cover, I have a few takeaways:
—it’s a great introduction to Chinese vegetables and how to grow them, which is lovely and exactly what I wanted
—the recipes look pretty delish
—maybe a little more editing would have been in order (the construction of certain sentences was odd. The author says she thinks in Cantonese so perhaps this is a reflection of that mental process?)
—makes me sad I don’t have a water garden for growing endless lotus root
—if anyone knows a good source for Asian seed, LEMME KNO
—makes me want to (next year, of course, since this year’s veggie garden is well under way) have a Chinese veg plot (and maybe an Italian one?)
Overall, nice book. Not the most amazing thing ever, but fun!
—it’s a great introduction to Chinese vegetables and how to grow them, which is lovely and exactly what I wanted
—the recipes look pretty delish
—maybe a little more editing would have been in order (the construction of certain sentences was odd. The author says she thinks in Cantonese so perhaps this is a reflection of that mental process?)
—makes me sad I don’t have a water garden for growing endless lotus root
—if anyone knows a good source for Asian seed, LEMME KNO
—makes me want to (next year, of course, since this year’s veggie garden is well under way) have a Chinese veg plot (and maybe an Italian one?)
Overall, nice book. Not the most amazing thing ever, but fun!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews