Hi everyone—we wrote a book! And it has a cover!!
We are SO excited to announce that our cookbook is finally available for pre-order.
After almost 9 years of blogging, approximately 6 years of telling readers that no, we don’t have a cookbook, but might write one someday, and 2 years of writing, recipe-testing, food styling, photographing, and editing, SOMEDAY. Is. HERE!
Our book is finally going off to print, which means that you can pre-order it right now, to make sure you receive it on our publication date, November 1, 2022!
How to PRE-ORDER:
If you’re in the U.S., pre-order from any of the retailers below!
If you live outside of the U.S., pre-order at the Book Depository (link below), which ships FREE internationally, or check Amazon in your home country!
Having poured much of our family’s collective energy over the past two years into this project, we are so excited to finally share it with you all.
The Woks of Life cookbook includes 100 recipes: some of our all-time best and reader favorites, as well as 80 brand new heavy hitters! 80 new recipes! You’ll also find family photos, personal stories that we’ve never shared on the blog, and lots of tips to guide you along the way.
Why Pre-order?
Ok, so we’ll level with you. November 1st is a ways away, and it might seem pointless to pre-order the book now, but if you know that you’ll want a copy later this year, pre-ordering is a good idea for a few reasons:
- It will help give our book a strong start! A strong start can make or break a cookbook. The more pre-orders we get, the more copies online vendors and bookstores will order, and the more they will promote it to their customers, placing it in more visible locations in stores. Pre-orders also count towards the book’s first week of sales, which typically determine whether a book winds up on Bestseller Lists, which can mean the difference between struggling to get publicity and getting lots of media coverage! There’s a real snowball effect, and it starts with pre-orders.
- Avoiding supply chain issues: The publishing industry, like many industries today, are struggling with supply chain issues—paper shortages, problems sourcing the cartons the books come in, and getting containers to ship the books. Our publisher has said that if we get to a certain number of pre-orders by the end of May (in about 4 weeks), they will order more books to meet demand. If we don’t get those orders in soon, there may be delays in re-stocking the book if demand outpaces supply this fall and during the holiday season. That’s why we’re announcing our pre-orders earlier than normal, so that the publisher can ensure they have enough copies to go around.
- You’ll be guaranteed a copy when it comes out: If you pre-order, you will definitely be one of the first people to get our cookbook. Pre-ordering now makes sense if you want to make 100% sure that you get a copy (or copies, if you’re grabbing them as gifts!) by our publication date.
Long story short, if you know you’re going to want a copy of The Woks of Life cookbook, we’d be so grateful if you’d head over to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, Bookshop.org, Indiebound, Penguin Random House, or Book Depository (for readers outside of the U.S.) to pre-order it today!
Admittedly, it’s a little scary to work on such a huge project for two years, and then put it out into the world, unsure of how it’s going to be received.
But it has been so rewarding to work on it as a family, and we think it encompasses everything you all love about The Woks of Life. We hope that it’s taken off the shelf often, gets chili oil splattered on it, and that the recipes and stories unlock memories, introduce you to new (or old) flavors, and inspire you to get in the kitchen.
More About the Book
(i.e. our fancy marketing copy!)
The family behind the acclaimed blog The Woks of Life shares 100 of their favorite home-cooked and restaurant-style Chinese recipes.
This is the story of a family as told through food. Judy, the family matriarch, speaks to preserving the traditions she grew up with in China and regional Chinese food ways. Dad Bill worked in his family’s Chinese restaurant during his formative years, and will walk you through how to make a glorious Cantonese Roast Duck. Daughters Sarah and Kaitlin have your vegetable-forward and easy weeknight recipes covered. Put them all together, and you have the first cookbook from the funny and poignant family behind the hugely popular multi-generational blog, The Woks of Life.
You’ll find a compendium of go-to, accessible, and essential Chinese recipes, from Pork & Shrimp Siu Mai and Spicy Beef Biang Biang Noodles to Cantonese Pork Belly Fried Rice and Salt-and-Pepper Fried Oyster Mushrooms. There are also helpful tips and tricks throughout, including an elaborate rundown of the Chinese pantry, explanations on essential tools (including the all-important wok), and game-changing Chinese cooking secrets like how to “velvet” meat to make it extra tender and juicy.
Whether you’re new to Chinese cooking or you already dabble in bean paste and chili oil, you’ll find inspiration from this chorus of voices, and trustworthy recipes that will become a part of your family story, too.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
“For years, Bill, Judy, Sarah, and Kaitlin have been my go-to source for recipes and techniques that have roots firmly planted in Chinese tradition, but with a uniquely American experience and voice. Their intergenerational approach makes The Woks of Life unique in its ability to inspire and educate, with an eye towards practicality and usefulness. This is a very special book.”––J. Kenji López-Alt, author of The Food Lab and The Wok
“For years I was a fan, cooking many of the Leung family favorites for my loved ones. Then I became a friend when the whole gang generously agreed to come on one of my shows. We cooked all day and shared a meal I will never forget. This book allows everyone to get in the kitchen and effortlessly start cooking well researched and delicious recipes while enjoying the personalities and tastes of Judy, Bill, Sarah, and Kaitlin. The Woks of Life cookbook is a must for any food lover.”––Andrew Zimmern
“The Woks of Life became a staple resource for our family when we moved away from home and embarked on recreating the flavorful memories of our childhood. Complete with takeout favorites, quick weeknight dinners, approachable recipes for dim sum specialties, and sweet treats, in their cookbook the Leungs share their expertise at weaving tradition with modern techniques that speak to the Chinese American experience. Even more, they equip you with all you need to outfit your pantry with every sauce, spice, and kitchen tool to create authentic flavors (and wok hei!) that are sure to impress.”––Lina and Mei Lum of Wing on Wo & Co
“Like so many of my friends that cook, The Woks of Life is one of the first places I go when I need a recipe that I know will be as knowledgeable as it is usable. Having a whole printed book of recipes to cook through at last is such a gift — I cannot find a single recipe in this book that doesn’t entice me to cancel all of my plans and spend my evening cooking instead.”––Deb Perelman, author of Smitten Kitchen Keepers
“The Woks of Life blog has been one of my absolute favorites for years — I am so excited to have their book in my kitchen! These recipes are not only delicious, but they make me excited to try new dishes and bring my family together to experience new flavors. The Leung family goes above and beyond in this book to help home cooks by explaining everything from cooking tools to pantry staples, and even providing QR codes to reference certain techniques you may not be familiar with. I cannot wait to cook through this book with my family!”––Alex Snodgrass, NYT Bestselling Author of The Defined Dish and The Comfortable Kitchen
“The Leung family, creators of The Woks of Life blog, have been my go-to source when I want to make everything from fried rice and scallion pancakes, to spicy chili wontons and sesame-slicked Shanghai Noodles. With clear instructions and step-by-step photos, anyone, anywhere can make authentic and delicious Chinese food at home. I’m thrilled to have all their best recipes in one beautiful book!”––David Lebovitz, Author, My Paris Kitchen & Drinking French
Pre-Order Now!
Questions? Comments? As always, leave them below!
-Bill, Judy, Sarah, and Kaitlin
Want to Pre-order for sure.I just got to this amazing site not long ago. I was actually captured with the piece of resources you have got here. Big thumbs up for making such wonderful blog page!
cool stuff you have and you keep overhaul every one of us
Thank you so much for your kind words :-)
OH MY GOODNESS! I have been a faithful follower of your blog for almost three years now and I will definitely PRE-ORDER!!! Every recipe is a winner.
Thank you so much for your support.
I, too, have just pre-ordered my copy of what I already know will be a sensational and much-used and loved resource in my kitchen. I love, love, love what you do. I credit your recipes’ clear, sensible instructions for teaching me how to cook Chinese dishes that both my husband and I enjoy so much. Wishing you all much success with this amazing project. As others have said, hope a holiday reward is in the wings and well done for still speaking to each other :-)
Thank you so much for your kind words, Liz, we are also glad that we’re still speaking to each other :-)
Yeah you guys!! What an incredible collaboration, and you’re still speaking. Preordered today and can hardly wait. Hope you’re rewarding yourselves with a vaycay
Thank you so much for your support, Julie. A vaycay sounds awesome :-)
Will the ingredient lists in the book be given in metric units?
Not all, Felix, but we did include some metric units when precision is required :-)
I’ve been following your website for years and it’s my #1 source for delicious, clear, authentic Chinese recipes. I’ve never been disappointed by following your recipes, anything from chicken soups, to portuguese egg tarts, braised pork belly, dumplings, vegetables… all outstanding. Thanks for all your great work!! I’m prepurchasing my copy today. :)
Thank you for your kind comment, Amy, and thank you so much for your love and support :-)
Love you guys and your recipes. I trust them to come out great every time! Congrats on this huge achievement – I know it’s going to be a massive achievement.
Success…massive success. It’s already an achievement.
Thank you so, so much, Liz. It means a lot to us :-)
I just placed my pre-order. I have been cooking your recipes for some years now and I am excited to see the book! Congratulations!
Thank you so much, Michael :-)
I am usually very hesitant to pre-order anything and I had decide in the past few years that I didn’t need the clutter-but I’ve just jumped in and did it! Mainly because I somehow wanted a hard copy of something that reminds me of my parents who have passed and also I wish you great success. Simply because I have been on your website since forever-I’m pretty sure it was shortly after you started the blog Over the years, every time I went to visit my parents in Toronto, I had been trying to learn the recipes from my mom. I learned a lot but it wasn’t until I found your website that I actually realized that I actually had been eating foods of a typical Chinese family. Dishes like Tomato and Egg, which was one my staples when I moved away from home—even then I was just winging it and it was different every time I made it! –and Wu Tau Kau Yuk (for years my mom made this every time I went home because it was one of my most favourite dishes-I was the only child who loved eating the fatty pork – the fattier the better! ) –wasn’t something my mom just made up. I still haven’t made it and I haven’t had Kau Yuk since my mom passed a couple of years ago. But I might some day for my kids or-maybe a vegan version since we are eating less and less meat now.
Anyhow, there are now so many more websites and Instagram accounts sharing this traditional recipes -but you were the first ones. Please continue to share the names of things in Cantonese -you are one of the few websites that have both Mandarin and Cantonese names. Although my Cantonese is terrible, many of the familiar dishes and ingredients I know- I only learned in Cantonese. It’s crazy but although there are more Chinese ingredients available here in Vancouver, BC, many of the shops are increasingly in Mandarin so it is getting more difficult to find ingredients without the Mandarin name or a picture of the packaging. Thank you so much for all the efforts your family has put into the blog–I am truly grateful and happy for your continued success. –Sorry for this horribly long comment.
What an honor to read your comment of heartfelt words, Shirley. Also it’s an honor to know that this book and the blog help keep your parents alive in your heart. That’s the power of food, a taste from childhood, a familiar dish from the past, even holding a bottle of sauce that elders have been using for years all bring us close to our loved ones :-)
How exciting!!! Congrats– your family deserves this big moment! I’m a librarian and while I’ll definitely be ordering my own copy, I’ll also make sure our library system orders a few as well! I cook from your recipes several times a week and it will be such a huge delight to have your book out on my counter to cook from instead of my phone :)
That’s absolutely a delight, Elyse, thank you so much for your support. Visiting the local library was our weekly event when the girls were growing up—borrowing books and movies were some of the best highlights of Sarah and Kaitlin’s childhood. Thank you for all you librarians do :-)
Just placed my order! I’ve tried so many of your recipes from this website for years now. Your recipes are so easy to follow and beautifully detailed without being complicated. Every time I make the dishes, it just reminds me of home. Thank you for all that you do! Excited to receive my copy!
Thank you for your sweet words, Kinny! Glad we can bring you closer to home :-)