There’s an undeniable chicness to Hetty Lui McKinnon’s Instagram page. Best described as minimalist, it offers tasty snippets from her kitchen, with the dishes presented on simple cookware and plain white dishes. But then, of course, McKinnon’s dishes are anything but simple.
Born in Australia and based in Brooklyn, McKinnon’s Chinese roots often come to play, with her recipes adding up to a sort of love letter to Asian cooking at large. Her most recent book, To Asia, With Love (which you can purchase here) offers a range of recipes, from the traditional to the modern, with an added McKinnon twist.
“The Chinese recipes in this book are all, in one way or another, inspired by my mother’s food,” said the food writer in an interview with SBS. According to McKinnon, she rediscovered her love for Asian cooking after moving to New York.
“Since moving to the US, I have felt more connected with my cultural heritage than ever before,” she relayed. “Honestly, I have never felt more ‘Asian’ and proud of my cultural identity.”
According to McKinnon, this story of self-discovery (or rather, rediscovery) through food is one that might resonate with many children of immigrants who grew up in a Western world. Alongside her most recent book, McKinnon published two other bestselling cookbooks: Neighbourhood and the award-winning Family, putting an emphasis on culture and heritage.
Being a vegetarian, her recipes are plant-based, but even ravenous meat-eaters will enjoy what her books have to offer. Some highlights include recipes for salt and pepper eggplant, buttery miso vegemite noodles, and stir-fried salt and vinegar potatoes.
