Chinese-Japanese Cook Book

25 recipes resurrected from Chinese-Japanese Cook Book — each published with its full origin story, era, and historical context.

LAI YUT (Beautiful Moon Tarts)

LAI YUT (Beautiful Moon Tarts)

A traditional Chinese pastry from the 1914 Chinese-Japanese Cook Book, these snow-white moon tarts feature a delicate rice flour shell layered with egg white and filled with eit…

Meat Chow Main

Meat Chow Main

A hearty early 20th-century Chinese-American noodle dish featuring crispy deep-fried noodles topped with a savoury mixture of pork, veal, mushrooms, celery, and water chestnuts,…

MUSHI KIJI (Roast Pheasant)

MUSHI KIJI (Roast Pheasant)

A Japanese-inspired roast pheasant marinated overnight in sweet mirin sauce, then stuffed with a fragrant almond and rice paste mixture before being basted and roasted to tender…

Chicken Chow Main

Chicken Chow Main

A classic early 20th-century Chinese-American dish featuring crispy fried noodles layered with seasoned pork and chicken, topped with sautéed vegetables and garnished with crumb…

Duck Chop Suey

Duck Chop Suey

A classic Chinese-American chop suey made with tender boneless duck, mushrooms, celery, lotus seeds, bamboo shoots, and bean sprouts, all stir-fried together in a savoury soy-ba…

DUCK WITH HERBS

DUCK WITH HERBS

A slow-simmered whole duck braised with pork fat, aromatics, soy sauce, and mushrooms until tender, finished with a rich, herb-flecked gravy. Adapted from a 1914 Chinese-Japanes…

Lobster Chow Main

Lobster Chow Main

A classic Chinese-American stir-fried noodle dish featuring tender lobster meat tossed with crisp vegetables and savoury seasonings. Adapted from Sara Bosse and Onoto Watanna's…

Pigeons (recipe name not given)

Pigeons (recipe name not given)

A richly braised pigeon dish from a 1914 Chinese-Japanese cookbook, simmered in soy sauce, mirin, and sugar with water chestnuts and bamboo shoots. The sauce is finished with ku…

Lobster with Crisp Noodles

Lobster with Crisp Noodles

A classic Chinese-American dish featuring tender cooked lobster meat and stir-fried vegetables piled atop a bed of golden, deep-fried crispy noodles, finished with a garnish of…

Mushi Tamana and Buta (Cabbage and Pork)

Mushi Tamana and Buta (Cabbage and Pork)

A hearty Japanese-inspired dish of whole stuffed cabbage filled with chopped salt pork, onion, and sesame seeds, slowly boiled until tender and finished with a pour of boiled so…

MO KU GAI T'ONG

MO KU GAI T'ONG

A richly flavoured Chinese spring chicken soup with mushrooms, slow-simmered over three hours to develop a deep, savoury broth. Tender pieces of chicken, pork, dried mushrooms,…

Kuwai-Kinton (Water Chestnut Cream)

Kuwai-Kinton (Water Chestnut Cream)

A traditional Japanese sweet dish of thinly sliced water chestnuts and sweet potatoes cooked together with sugar, mirin, and a touch of vinegar until thick and creamy. Best serv…

Char Quä (Chinese Artichokes)

Char Quä (Chinese Artichokes)

A delicate and visually stunning dish of Chinese artichokes boiled until tender and arranged to resemble water lilies, filled with silky egg yolk and topped with a light water c…

Extra White Chop Suey

Extra White Chop Suey

A classic Chinese-American chop suey featuring tender browned chicken breast cooked with fresh mushrooms, celery, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and bean sprouts in a light, sa…

RINGO-KAN (Apple Jelly, Japanese Style)

RINGO-KAN (Apple Jelly, Japanese Style)

A delicate Japanese-style apple jelly made with seaweed jelly (kanten/agar), tart grated apple, and kudzu starch, set into a firm, sliceable confection. This elegant 1914 recipe…

MUSHI AHIRU (Baked Duck)

MUSHI AHIRU (Baked Duck)

A Japanese-style baked duck from 1914 where pieces are coated in a kudzu starch and egg batter, slowly baked until well browned, and served with a savoury soy-based giblet gravy…

MUSHI KUJIRA (Boiled Whale or Bass)

MUSHI KUJIRA (Boiled Whale or Bass)

A Japanized Chinese dish originating from Nagasaki, featuring tender fish simmered in a tangy soy and vinegar broth with radish strips and finished with freshly grated citrus ze…

Curry Shrimps

Curry Shrimps

A quick and flavourful shrimp curry from the 1914 Chinese-Japanese Cook Book, featuring a fragrant curry sauce thickened with rice flour and seasoned with soy sauce. Ready in mi…

Boiled and Deviled Cucumbers

Boiled and Deviled Cucumbers

A simple yet flavourful early 20th-century dish of peeled cucumbers cooked until tender and translucent, then dressed with a tangy, spiced sauce of olive oil, vinegar, cayenne,…

BÄK TOY GUN

BÄK TOY GUN

A light and delicate Chinese soup of white vegetables, featuring mushrooms, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, and celery, seasoned with soy sauce and finished with beaten eggs. Thi…

Kidney Stew

Kidney Stew

A rich and savoury beef kidney stew slow-cooked with dried mushrooms, onion, and soy sauce, drawing on early 20th-century Chinese-Japanese cooking traditions. The kidney is firs…

Orange-Jelly Candy (Dai-Käm)

Orange-Jelly Candy (Dai-Käm)

A traditional Japanese confection made from seaweed jelly set with kudzu starch and brightened with fresh orange juice. The result is a delicate, translucent candy with a subtle…

Nasubi Yaki (Fried Eggplant)

Nasubi Yaki (Fried Eggplant)

A traditional Japanese preparation of eggplant slices pressed to remove bitterness, dipped in egg, fried in sesame oil, and finished with a savoury cooking sauce and sesame seed…

ROAST CHICKEN (Japanese Style)

ROAST CHICKEN (Japanese Style)

A Japanese-style roast chicken stuffed with rice cooked in chicken gravy and seasoned with onion, spices, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Served with roasted sweet potatoes and a ric…

Fried Rice with Herbs

Fried Rice with Herbs

A simple and tasty fried rice dish from the 1914 Chinese-Japanese Cook Book, combining fluffy boiled rice with celery, onion, and water chestnuts, seasoned with salt, cayenne, a…