First Generation: Recipes from My Taiwanese-American Home

Gaw, a first-generation Taiwanese American and Little Fat Boy blogger, debuts with a heartfelt exploration of his identity in this innovative recipe collection that draws on his Ohio fast-food upbringing and the Taiwanese cuisine of his grandparents. A selection of small plates features flavorful vegetable options, such as a warm sweet potato and zucchini shredded salad. By contrast, a section on family-style dinners goes big with a whole steamed fish and Gaw’s mom’s tomato seafood stew. Bing (flatbreads) has a chapter of its own, serving up scallion pancakes topped with red pepper paste or paired with ancho hoisin pork shoulder. There are step-by-step instructions for dumplings and bao along with tips on coloring the dough using extractions from vegetables such as beets, spinach, and red cabbage. And home cooks would be remiss in not trying their hand at the lion’s head Big Mac made from ground pork and flavored with scallion and ginger. For dessert, there is cereal, albeit in the form of Cinnamon Toast Crunch butter mochi or Cap’n Crunch and pecan shortbread cookies. This cross-cultural collection is sure to entice those who crave new takes on familiar childhood favorites. (Oct.)