Grace Young - Stir-Frying to the Skys Edge: The Ultimate Guide to Mastery, with Authentic Recipes and Stories

ALSO BY GRACE YOUNG

The Breath of a Wok (with Alan Richardson)

The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen

Let the meats and vegetables be combined and married, instead of meeting each other for the first time when served on the table in their respective confirmed bachelorhood and unspoiled virginity, and you will find that each has a fuller personality than you ever dreamed of.

LIN YUTANG

TO THE SKYS EDGE

GRACE YOUNG

Photographs by STEVEN MARK NEEDHAM

Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com

Copyright 2010 by Grace Young

Food photography copyright 2010 by Steven Mark Needham

Photographs copyright 2010 by Grace Young on pages: 62, 76, 93, 103, 109, 133, 141, 144, 152, 165, 177, 178, 181, 224, 229, 235, 254, 277, and 282

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Simon & Schuster Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

First Simon & Schuster hardcover edition May 2010

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Frontispiece photograph: Stir-Fried Chili Scallops with Baby Bok Choy

LaChoy ad used with permission from ConAgra Foods, Inc., Omaha, Nebraska.

Designed by Diane Hobbing of Snap-Haus Graphics

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Young, Grace.
Stir-frying to the skys edge : the ultimate guide to mastery, with authentic recipes and stories / Grace Young with photographs by Steven Mark Needham.
p. cm.
1. Stir frying. 2. Wok cookery. I. Title.
TX689.5.Y69 2010
641.774dc22
2009045195

ISBN 978-1-4165-8057-7
ISBN 978-1-4165-8073-7 (ebook)

In memory of my father
Delwyn Wah Yan Young
and my friend
Sunny Dolores Taylor
With love

This book was an incredible adventure traveling to great destinations, forging new friendships, and learning from the best. It is also a powerful reminder of how blessed I am to have extraordinary friends and family.

I have had the good fortune of Evie Righters wise editorial counsel for all my cookbooks. For this project her initial consultation transformed the manuscript into a coherent book. My gratitude to Evie for her devotion to editorial precision, which gave this project its heart and soul.

I am eternally grateful to Laura Cerwinske, my friend and writing guru, who edited all my first drafts and helped me craft the original book proposal, thus making everything possible. I cant begin to thank Laura for her love and generosity. Scott Hunt gave me the idea of taking this project to the skys edge by suggesting that I write about the cooking of the Chinese diaspora. With his impeccable taste and good humor I relied on him for advice on the art, design, and text.

The indescribable beauty of a stir-fry glistening from the heat of an iron wok is captured in Steven Mark Needhams stunning photography. Steve has a genius for creating gorgeous photographs effort-lessly. I am grateful too for the generosity of my friends Ulrike Carpus and Stephanie Browner: Ulrike flew from Germany to assist with the food styling for the first photo sessions and Stephanie volunteered for the second half. Everyones good humor and hard work made for some of the most enjoyable workdays.

At Simon & Schuster, my thanks to publisher David Rosenthal for his faith in this project. My heartfelt thanks go to Jackie Seow for the beautiful cover; Nancy Singer for overseeing the books interior design; Mara Lurie for orchestrating the manuscript through production; Julia Prosser and Katie Kurtzman for their support in publicity; and Michelle Rorke for her expert management of the manuscript in its final stages. I am grateful for the impeccable proofreading of Marla Jea and Suzanne Fass. Many thanks to Ruth Fecych, for adopting this project in its eleventh hour. Most of all, thanks to my exceptional editor, Sydny Miner, who allowed me the freedom to create the text and the photography I envisioned and who skillfully shepherded this book through all its stages. It has been an honor and privilege working with you and I miss you already...

The moment I saw Diane Hobbings design for the book I smiled. I never imagined the text, photographs, and artwork could be integrated so elegantly. Many thanks to my literary agent, Martha Kaplan, for her belief in this project and her enthusiasm for Chinese food, especially stir-fries.

I am grateful to Aaron Rezny for opening his prop closet to me and to Sara Abalan whose exceptional taste elevates everything. My thanks to Jennifer Baumann who gave me a mini-tutorial on how to shoot the portraits of the home cooks.

Anyone writing about Chinese cooking owes much to Florence Lin. Thank you, Florence, for sharing your culinary remembrances of China and for the wonderful stir-fry cooking session. I am indebted to all the home cooks who welcomed me into their kitchens and shared their favorite stir-fry recipes and stories. Each has taught me a different nuance of the Chinese experience through the simple act of stir-frying. Many thanks to Amy Yip, Mei Chau, Fah Liong, Peipei Chang, Lejen Chen, Maejeane Chang, Chef Danny Chan, Potsam Loo, Ken Lo, Wai Ching Wong, Justin Guo, Mei Ibach, Luis Li, Beverly Low, Kian Lam Kho, Raymond Leong, Irene Khin Wong, Jackie Yok Lin Chong, Rose Wong, and Joyce Jue. Special thanks to George Chew who gave me a tour de force cooking interview, and for the many memorable meals that followed. And thanks to Marilynn K. Yee, who shot the wonderful photo of George.

I also extend a special note of appreciation to all the individuals who shared their stir-fry and diaspora stories with me: Ernest Wing King, Frieda Quon, Sen Pu, Hsiao-Ching Chou, Ellen Chou, Terry Huey, Peter Lee, Terry Chung Schulze, Pang-Mei Natasha Chang, Yu-Li Pan, Curan Loh, Alejandro Lee, Maria Benavides, Renee Wan, Rita Szeto, Raquel Wong, Regina Lai, Norma Chin, John Chan, and John Kuok. Thanks to Mimi Chan, May and Joe Chan, Julio Li, Steven Picker, Vik Lulla, Anna and Richard Chu, Melissa Guerra, Jennifer Lew, Mario Chang, Angel Chan, and Darren Wan, who helped make many of the interviews possible.