A Best New Cookbook of 2025 from CHOWHOUND * THE STRATEGIST * EATER

From a beloved San Francisco culinary landmark, a showstopper cookbook that honours a family legacy and celebrates ingredient-driven, multi-regional Chinese cooking in America

The 100-plus recipes in this beautiful book include all the greatest hits from three generations of Fang family cooking from Canton to Shanghai, and readers will learn how to pan-fry, steam, cook in a wok, shop for ingredients, and prep vegetables the Chinese way.

With accessible recipes that are adaptable to any type of home kitchen, anyone will be able to make these dishes, wherever they are.

Since it opened in 1988, House of Nanking has been a popular spot for countless tourists, honeymooners, celebrities, and everyday San Franciscans who have lined up for their legendary Shanghai and Chinese American dishes.

This book marks the first time their recipes have appeared in print and have been adapted for the home kitchen. But it’ll be the stories behind them, which few have heard―of Peter Fang’s ingenuity and his early adventures in the kitchen, how he imported and adapted his favourite Shanghai dishes for America, and Kathy’s experience growing up with parents who bet it all on the restaurant, under the tutelage of all these rich Chinese culinary traditions―that will capture the heart.

---

Nanking Noodles with Shredded Pork

肉丝炒面 

ROÙ SĪ CHĂO MIÀN

Serves 2 to 4

PRO TIP: In Shanghai, we like to set out extra Chinkiang vinegar to drizzle into the noodles as we eat it.

PETER: My first experiences with chow mein in the US left me feeling very dissatisfied. I remember looking down at my plate and thinking, The person making this doesn’t really care. The noodles were soft and lifeless with over-cooked vegetables, nothing like the Shànghăi cū chăo miàn (“thick chow mein”) I grew up with in Shanghai.

When I decided to add chow mein to the menu of House of Nanking, I had to custom design the thickest Shanghai noodle that Chinatown or San Francisco had ever seen. I needed noodles as thick as udon, maybe even thicker, but less chewy, with a softer, smoother bounce that comes from high-protein flour. The extra gluten in the high-protein flour results in a denser, bigger chew, plus greater surface area for the sauces to grab onto. The fragrant smell—xiāng wèi—of the soy sauce, sugar, and vinegar hit-ting the wok is very powerful. I’m convinced the reason my Nanking noodle became such a hit is because the smoke and smells would waft out the door, down the line, and into people’s noses. After one bite, they were hooked—just like I was as a kid tasting my first plate of Shanghai cū chăo miàn.

MARINATED PORK 

5 ounces (140 g) pork tenderloin

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1½ teaspoons toasted sesame oil

½ teaspoon soy sauce

½ teaspoon dark soy sauce

½ teaspoon Shaoxing wine

⅛ teaspoon sugar

1 pinch of salt

1 pinch of ground white pepper

NOODLES

8 ounces (225 g) fresh Shanghai noodles

1 tablespoon plus 4 teaspoons neutral oil

3 cups (210 g) sliced cabbage (1 inch / 2.5 cm wide and 3 inches / 7.5 cm long)

1 cup (110 g) sliced red onions  (½ inch / 12 mm wide and 3 inches / 7.5 cm long)

1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon dark sauce

1 tablespoon Chinkiang vinegar, plus more for serving

1 teaspoon duò jiāo (Chinese salted chopped chilis, see page 285) or sambal oelek

1 teaspoon MSG

1 teaspoon sugar

3 cups (120 g) Taiwanese spinach with roots (see page 284), cut into 3-inch (7.5 cm) lengths

Marinate the pork: Slice the pork into thin (¼ inch / 6 mm) slices with the grain. Now cut those slices into thin threads, resulting in 2-inch (5 cm)-long, ¼-inch (6 mm)-wide matchsticks. Transfer the pork to a medium bowl and add the cornstarch, sesame oil, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar, salt, and white pepper. Stir with chopsticks or a fork to integrate, then set aside to marinate for 10 minutes.

Make the noodles: Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the noodles and cook for 4 minutes, or until al dente. 

Meanwhile, while the noodles are cooking, heat a wok over high heat and add 2 teaspoons of the neutral oil. When the oil is smoking, add the pork and stir-fry for 30 seconds, or until slightly pink and about 80 percent cooked. Transfer the pork to a bowl or plate and add 2 more teaspoons neutral oil to the wok. Add the cabbage and onions and stir-fry over high heat for 30 seconds. Add the Shaoxing wine and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add 2 tablespoons water to the wok and continue to stir-fry for another 2 minutes, or until slightly wilted but still with a slight raw crunch. 

Add the cooked noodles to the wok, then immediately add the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, vinegar, chili sauce, MSG, sugar, and the remaining 1 tablespoon neutral oil. Wok toss the noodles to incorporate all the seasoning for 30 seconds, then add the spinach and pork. Continue to wok toss for 1 minute to allow the pork to finish cooking and the seasoning to fully absorb and caramelize into the noodles. Serve immediately!

Recipe published with permission from Abrams Book.