The layout of this cookbook is part of its charm! I can feel the nostalgia of watching my popo cook for various holidays and festivals. The forward at the beginning does a great job of briefly explaining the Chinese calendar and the connections to various foods. It was a fun read.

There is also a clear ingredients index at the beginning with a brief description of each ingredient used throughout (alphabetically for ease) and how to prep those ingredients. This is especially helpful for those who aren’t used to cooking with some of the specific items. The book also goes over basic cookware referenced in the recipes and a reference for the cooking techniques used: steaming, deep frying, wok care, etc. Very helpful for those new to cooking Asian cuisine!

The recipes are organized by holiday/festival, and the history and personal anecdotes of the authors bring those to life at the beginning of each section. It’s like a memoir combined with a cookbook!

The recipes themselves are easy to follow. The ingredients are clearly listed and were available at my local Asian market. My husband helped me to make the following recipes as a trial so that I could write this review, and we had a blast. I also LOVE the “Mom says” tips scattered in for ways to make the recipes less expensive or time consuming if you need to cut some corners.

We made the pork and cabbage dumplings, the vegetarian potstickers, and the scallion pancakes (always a favorite). I let my husband take the lead so that the recipes were followed more precisely, as I have my own preferences when I make dumplings. I had to step in for folding, but other than that they turned out amazing just as the recipe calls for.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book to review. I can’t wait to have a physical copy to keep in my kitchen and share with my own kids. It was a wonderful idea executed beautifully!