#ChineseFoodiesofIG: Maggie Zhu of Omnivore's Cookbook

 

This is part of an ongoing series of interviews I’m doing with my favourite Chinese foodies that I follow on Instagram. Come and follow the #ChineseFoodiesofIG hashtag on Instagram and leave a comment showing your support for these talented folk!

Where are you from? Where are you really from?

I'm living in New York right now. I'm from Beijing, China and came to the US five years ago. Depending on who I'm talking to, I might tell them I'm from New York or Beijing.

What does home taste like?

You tiao (salty fried donut), dou fu nao (northern-style savory bean curd with a savory gravy made with lily flowers and wood ear mushrooms), century egg congee with pork, and my mom's braised pork feet.

Rice or noodles?

Rice, always.

Share a food memory:

There was a time I held a small catering event that included a cooking demo for a family in Austin, Texas. The host's husband had Chinese heritage but most of the guests were Americans. I demonstrated how to make hand-pulled noodles and my family's noodle gravy recipe (it's a Northern style da lu mian that uses a brown gravy made with tomato, dried shiitake mushrooms, lily flowers and wood ear mushrooms, but it's made fancier with more pork and shrimp, a trick of my grandma's). When I showed the guests the rehydrated lily flowers, one of them frowned and said it smelled like mud. Prior to dinner, the host discreetly whispered to me "Please don't take offense if my 5-year old son doesn't eat the noodles; he's just a picky eater." And she prepared him some beef and asparagus "just in case". The dinner was a huge success and everybody raved about the noodle sauce that they had never heard of. And the 5-year old son finished two bowls of the noodles and didn't touch the food his mom prepared. It made my day when I saw the happy and surprised face of the host. I secretly told myself, "This is the power of Chinese food".

What’s in your fridge at home?

Lots of produce from the local farmer's market, including some beautiful yellow cucumbers, summer squash, and edible flowers. Ingredients for making my morning green smoothie — kale, celery, parsley, ginger, and pear. My current favorite is young coconut water from Whole Foods. Also, a huge pack of fresh noodles.

Who's your Chinese food legend?

Carolyn Phillips, the author of All Under Heaven - Recipes from the 35 Cuisines of China. She spent numerous years in China doing the food research and produced this beautiful book that highlighted many lesser known regional cuisines and the recipes are spot-on. I've heard people criticize that white people shouldn't write about Chinese food. I disagree. I don't care who writes about it as long as it's well-researched and sings true to the spirit of Chinese food. They help spread the message about the food and that's all I care about.

What’s a Chinese recipe everyone should learn?

My mom's fried cabbage - You infuse some oil with dried chili pepper and Sichuan peppercorns, then stir fry the cabbage with a pinch of salt until just tender, then finish it up with a tiny drizzle of soy sauce. It takes five minutes to make but the cabbage comes out buttery, crisp, and lightly charred on the edges, with a rich aroma.

I think everyone should learn to make proper stir fried veggies because you can use the skill daily to enjoy fresh produce, which is the heart of home-style Chinese food.

Dream dinner party guests:

Andy Warhol, Alphonse Mucha, Johann Sebastian Bach, Miyazaki Hayao.

Know any good Chinese restaurants?

Birds of a Feather in Brooklyn - a hip spot serving real good Sichuan food. I love their minimal design. Good vibes with affordable and high-quality food. I've taken many friends (Chinese, non-Chinese who've been to China, and those who've never been) to the spot, they all loved the food.

Hunan Slurp in East Village — authentic Hunan food. Beautiful design of the dining space. The food is a bit elevated in presentation but the flavor is down to earth. I love the fact that they manage to serve lesser-known (and sometimes weird) ingredients and still appeal to a wide audience. They do a great job on their menu, with just enough information to keep people interested without scaring them away. You will find salted duck egg, century egg, bean curd, all that good stuff.

I hope to see more Chinese restaurants like them — modern with good ambience and solid food that would attract non-Chinese audiences and help them get to know real Chinese food

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What would you like to tell the world about Chinese food?

It's highly diverse and universal and personal.

It's regional — I grew up in Beijing in the 80s and I had my first KFC chicken burger before I had my first beef chow fun. I didn't get to know Cantonese food until high school. And then I fell in love with Yunnan food when it got popular in Beijing, after I had graduated from college. And there are still many Chinese foods I've never tried, despite the fact I spent 30+ years in China and traveled around a bit.

It's universal because if you do it right, everyone, no matter which culture they come from, will love it.

It's personal — I like certain dishes cooked my way, although my Chinese friends would disagree. I once chatted about Chinese New Year traditions with my coworkers (they were from different parts of China), and I was shocked to hear that no one does the same thing. I thought boiled dumplings were the only thing you served on New Year's Eve.

 
#ChineseFoodiesofIGJenny Lauchinese identity, blogger, beijing, new york, food writer3 Comments