Win Son Presents a Taiwanese American Cookbook
SynopsisPlot
Josh Ku, born in Queens to parents from southern Taiwan, and Trigg Brown, a native Virginian whose mentor was a Taiwanese American chef, forged a friendship over food—specifically, excellent tsang ying tou, or “flies’ head,” a dish of chopped budding chives kissed with pork fat. The mouthwatering recipes include: Fried Eggplant with Black Vinegar, Labneh, and Spiced Cashews Grilled Shrimp with Chili Butter and Cilantro Black Sesame Noodles with Mushrooms Big Chicken Buns with Fu Ru Mayo, Cilantro, and Scallions Pei’s White Mapo Tofu
Story
About this book
Josh Ku and Trigg Brown are the co-owners of Win Son and Win Son Bakery in Brooklyn, New York. Ku grew up in Queens with parents from southern Taiwan, while Brown is from Virginia and trained under a Taiwanese American chef. Their partnership began with a shared appreciation for Taiwanese cooking, and this cookbook, written with Cathy Erway, collects around 100 recipes drawn from that foundation.
The dishes range from fried eggplant dressed with black vinegar, labneh, and spiced cashews to black sesame noodles with mushrooms and big chicken buns with fermented tofu mayo. Some recipes stay close to traditional Taiwanese preparation, while others fold in ingredients and techniques from other cooking traditions. The book also features tsang ying tou, sometimes translated as flies' head, a classic dish built on chopped budding chives cooked with pork fat.
The cookbook reflects a specific version of Taiwanese food shaped by the experience of growing up in or around Taiwanese American households and restaurant kitchens, then running a restaurant in Brooklyn. It is organized around the menu and kitchen practices of Win Son itself, connecting home cooking and restaurant cooking through shared ingredients and methods.
