Salt Sugar MSG: Recipes and Stories from a Cantonese American Home by Calvin Eng

  • Black bean garlic sauce (page 28)

    from Salt Sugar MSG: Recipes and Stories from a Cantonese American Home Salt Sugar MSG by Calvin Eng

    • Categories: Sauces, general; Cooking ahead; Chinese
    • Ingredients: scallions; garlic; fresh ginger; fermented black soybeans; Shaoxing rice wine; low-sodium chicken broth; dark soy sauce; cornstarch; toasted sesame oil; grapeseed oil
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Notes about this book

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Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Chinese hot mustard

    • leighwhit25 on March 16, 2026

      The proportions in this recipe are very wrong

  • Seasoned soy sauce

    • dmdmdmmm on May 10, 2026

      I used this for the steamed fish recipe and it was delicious. However, I didn’t follow the recipe instructions because the sides scorched too fast that I was afraid that the sugars would burn if I continue to let it boil in high heat. So what I did was, I cooked it on medium heat, waited for it to simmer and then turned off the heat and let the spices steep before straining it.

  • Malted chocolate waffles

    • PeriwinkleBrain on January 15, 2026

      Easy and straight-forward recipe, used about 3/4 cup of batter to obtain a Belgian waffle.

    • aubdog on April 26, 2026

      So delicious! Amazing severed with whipped cream and strawberries

    • dmdmdmmm on May 10, 2026

      This was really good! I thought the condensed milk would be a bit too much but I thought it was just fine. A hit with the kids (and even adults!!).

  • Charred cabbage with shrimp paste butter

    • eclairea on December 28, 2025

      This was SO GOOD. So simple, and so flavourful. I could smell it as it was roasting in the oven and could not wait too pull it out and take a bite. YUM!

    • dmdmdmmm on March 19, 2026

      Since my cabbage was small I halved the seasoning and compound butter. It was pretty good! I ate it with some rice and dried fish. I wish I had more of the butter to drizzle on top of the rice hehe ??

  • Dao gok with fermented bean curd garlic butter

    • chefoclairo on April 24, 2026

      This is delicious!! I loved it

  • Steamed egg custard with vinegary, marinated tomatoes

    • adam_m7essu on January 11, 2026

      Love the technique as I have often messed up steamed eggs like this. I focused on the egg and I admitted the tomatoes ?

  • Canned corn and scallion fried rice

    • selena__rhea on July 07, 2025

      This was phenomenal! Subbed chopped button mushrooms for the corn and added frozen peas and chopped, leftover shrimp toward the end of the cook.

  • BLT fried rice

    • sarah_xecefp on March 30, 2026

      So savory and a great way to use up rice and fridge ingredients!

  • Buttery oyster sauce noodles

    • dmdmdmmm on May 10, 2026

      Super easy to put together with pantry ingredients. This came together quick and it was very tasty.

  • Crispy sheet pan fried noodles

    • h0lly on April 06, 2025

      Made, for the most part, as written. My broth was made with Totole chicken powder, my favorite. Used fried tofu from the Chinese market and I sliced it into rectangles and prepared it just like it was a meat protein instead of just salting it per the directions. Used mushroom sauce instead of oyster sauce. Directions about the wok order weren’t clear. I removed the browned tofu from the wok before adding more oil, then ginger/garlic, then veg. Removed veg before boiling the sauce. Added veg and tofu back in at the end before adding the sesame oil. Would have loved gram measurements for the veg but I do y think it really matters. And I have them now because I weighed everything. This dish was absolutely delicious and I will definitely make it over and over again on repeat It was exactly what I imagined it would be.

  • Black pepper beef burgers

    • kimberly_73i6dv on June 01, 2026

      We’ve made and eaten alot of smash burgers in our time. This was the best. The Asian flavored sauce doesn’t come through as Asian so much as just very savory. The whole table grudgingly rated it number one (lots of smash burgers ‘experts’ here). It’s our new go-to smash burger.

  • Crispy chicken thighs with chips and lemon

    • dmdmdmmm on January 25, 2026

      It’s super easy and quick to make, but it felt like it’s just pretty standard pan seared chicken. I didnt get much of the five spice flavor on the meat but it was salty and crispy which is what i like abt chicken. my fave part is the prawn chips getting soaked with some chicken fat, they were gone first than the chicken.

  • Sizzling steamed fish with seasoned soy sauce

    • dmdmdmmm on May 10, 2026

      I used a fish called Pampano. It’s a very light dish bc you dont season the fish, and it really needs that sauce. I did make the seasoned soy sauce Calvin suggested in the recipe and that paired very well.

  • Fried fish, lettuce, tomato sandwich (FFLT)

    • Bessp on July 19, 2025

      We loved this recipe. Curing the fish gave it the perfect flavor, and the batter was light and super crispy. Definitely my go-to fried fish preparation now.

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  • ISBN 10 059358208X
  • ISBN 13 9780593582084
  • Linked ISBNs
  • Published Mar 18 2025
  • Format Hardcover
  • Page Count 272
  • Language English
  • Countries United States
  • Publisher Clarkson Potter

Publishers Text

The chef behind the groundbreaking Brooklyn restaurant Bonnie’s shares over 85 recipes that showcase his unique style of Chinese home cooking, a mash-up of Americana and Cantonese classics inspired by the flavors of his childhood.

As an American-born Cantonese kid, chef Calvin Eng grew up watching his mother, Bonnie, in the kitchen. Though he shied away from his culture as a kid, he later grew to love and embrace his upbringing, eventually opening Bonnie’s, which was praised as a top restaurant of the year by the New York Times and Bon Appétit.

Salt Sugar MSG is an introduction to Cantonese cooking through an American lens, full of easy flavor boosts and practical tricks, drawing a thread from his mother’s cooking to what Calvin cooks for his own family today. Some recipes stick closer to tradition, like Sizzling Steamed Fish with Seasoned Soy Sauce, Ham Yue Yook Beng (Steamed Pork Patty with Salted Fish), and Ginger Congee, while others upend expectations, like Salt & Pepper Pork Schnitzel with Chinese Ranch, Fuyu Cacio e Pepe Mein, and BLT Fried Rice. While these dishes may not look especially Cantonese at first glance, they certainly taste like it.

Written with his fiancée, Phoebe Melnick, Salt Sugar MSG is full of personal stories and practical tips and tricks as a loving ode to what it means to cook together as a Cantonese American family today.

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