Salt Sugar MSG Cookbook Giveaway
April 20, 2025 by JennyEnter our US giveaway to win one of two copies of Salt Sugar MSG: Recipes and Stories from a Cantonese American Home by Calvin Eng.
Chef Calvin Eng’s groundbreaking Brooklyn restaurant Bonnie’s has captivated diners and critics alike. Now, in his debut cookbook, he shares over 85 recipes that brilliantly showcase his distinctive style – a creative fusion of Cantonese home cooking and American classics inspired by his childhood.
As an American-born Cantonese chef, Eng initially distanced himself from his cultural heritage, only to later embrace it wholeheartedly. This journey culminated in opening Bonnie’s, a restaurant named after his mother that earned accolades as one of the year’s best from both the New York Times and Bon Appétit.
Co-written with his fiancée Phoebe Melnick, Salt Sugar MSG introduces readers to Cantonese cooking through a contemporary American perspective. The cookbook offers accessible flavor enhancers and practical techniques that connect his mother’s traditional cooking to the meals Calvin prepares for his own family today.
While some recipes honor tradition, others delightfully challenge expectations – dishes that might not appear conventionally Cantonese at first glance but unmistakably deliver authentic flavors. Throughout, personal anecdotes and cooking insights create a heartfelt tribute to modern Cantonese-American family cooking.
Upon receiving this cookbook, I was immediately drawn to its balanced approach of traditional and innovative recipes. I decided to test two dishes: the Canned corn and scallion fried rice and Mini sweet-and-sour meat loaves recipes and the whole family loved them!
The fried rice turned out wonderfully, though I made some personal adjustments. I used less soy sauce than suggested and opted for a lighter fry while still maintaining some delicious crispy bits. This modification worked perfectly for our family, as my husband – a soy sauce enthusiast – could add extra to his portion at the table.
The mini meatloaves were absolutely sublime, achieving the perfect balance of sweet and sour flavors. Their smaller size created more of those irresistible crispy edges that everyone fights over. I did omit the lychees from the glaze since my husband would have objected, though I’m planning to sneak them in next time by blending them thoroughly! You may remember my article on cooking for my husband here.
Almost every recipe in this book appeals to me and I look forward to more time to cook from its pages.
Our 
shares the following 
There are two additional online recipes to try now: BLT fried rice and MSG caramel dipper.
Special thanks to the publisher for providing two copies of this title in our promotion open to US Members. Entry options include answering the following question in the comments section of this blog post.
Which recipe in the index would you like to try first?
Please note that you must be logged into the Rafflecopter contest before posting or your entry won’t be counted. For more information on this process, please see our step-by-step help post. Once you log in and enter your member name you will be directed to the next entry option – the blog comment. After that, there are additional options that you can complete for more entries. Be sure to check your spam filters to receive our email notifications. Prizes can take up to 6 weeks to arrive from the publishers. If you are not already a Member, you can join at no cost. The contest ends at midnight on June 15th, 2025.
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