Breath of a Wok by Grace Young

This is part cookbook and part history, both of the wok and of Chinese cooking in general, and an introduction to the regional differences in China in terms of not just food, but also the equipment used. Grace Young has been on a vocal quest to save America's Chinatowns since the pandemic began. She has called out the racism that was employed in the beginning that further marginalized Asian Americans, and made them even more vulnerable to physical and verbal attacks. The Breath of a Wok is a cookbook to keep not just because of the recipes, but for the how to instructions for buying, using and maintaining a wok, the quintessential tool for making stir fried food. Read about the workings of a traditional Chinese kitchen, techniques passed down from masters (and favorite uncles), and feast your eyes on the sumptuous photography. Learn about wok hay, the magic that happens in your wok when you learn how to stir-fry properly, as will hopefully happen after reading this book and also being able to recognize it. Then following the chapters about the care and feeding of your wok, there are chapters filled with recipes for how to season your wok, with oil, or in the oven, and how to clean a wok properly. Then dive into the food recipes and try your hand at it.