Chiang Ching’s Culinary Memoir: Finding Joy Through Food

When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted life in 2020, choreographer Chiang Ching found solace and a new creative outlet in the kitchen. Her experience led to the publication of Finding Joy through Food: A Culinary Memoir, with Recipes, a book born from a desire for comfort and connection during a time of isolation.

From Choreography to Cuisine

Chiang Ching, a choreographer of Chinese descent, was in Rome working on Ai Weiwei’s production of the opera Turandot when the pandemic forced the theater to close. Returning to her home in Stockholm, she found herself with unexpected free time. Originally from China, with extensive experience in the U.S. And Sweden, Chiang turned to cooking, focusing on classic Chinese dishes as a source of comfort.

“I was isolated home by myself,” Chiang explains. “I made comfort food, to quiet down and not think about the pandemic, and death.” She also regularly prepared meals for her son, an emergency room doctor, leaving packages of dishes on her driveway three times a week.

A Recipe Book is Born

A conversation with a photographer friend, Yanan Li, sparked the idea of documenting her recipes. The result is a memoir interwoven with recipes, reflecting a philosophy of resourcefulness and improvisation. “During the pandemic it wasn’t easy to go to the Chinese grocery shop,” Chiang notes. “The concept of the book is to work with what you have. Like dance, you improvise with what’s available.”

Grow Your Own Bean Sprouts

Chiang’s book includes instructions for growing your own bean sprouts, a practical skill reflecting the book’s theme of making do with available resources. Here’s her method:

• Rinse and drain ¾ cup of mung beans and place them in a kettle.
• Add 4 cups of water, close the lid, cover the spout, and soak the beans for 4 hours.
• Uncover the spout and pour out the water, using your finger to keep the beans inside.
• Keep the lid on but leave the spout open.
• Each morning and evening, slowly add cold water through the spout to cover the beans, then slowly pour all the water out. Repeat this process.
• In 4 to 5 days, the pot will be filled with tender white sprouts, ready to utilize.

Shredded Meat with Bean Sprouts Recipe

One of the featured recipes in Finding Joy through Food is shredded meat with bean sprouts. Here’s how to make it:

Ingredients

• 150 g shredded pork loin (or beef or chicken)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Chinese or sherry cooking wine
• ½ tbsp sugar
• ½ tsp ground white pepper
• ½ tbsp sesame oil
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• ½ onion, thinly sliced
• ½ bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 250 g bean sprouts
• Salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Place the shredded meat in a bowl. Add soy sauce, cooking wine, sugar, white pepper, and sesame oil. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan and sauté the onion until fragrant. Add the marinated meat and sauté until it begins to change color. Remove from the pan.
3. Add the remaining 1 tbsp vegetable oil to the pan and briefly sauté the bell pepper. Add the bean sprouts and season with salt.
4. When the vegetables are cooked to your desired doneness, add the meat and onion mixture back into the pan and stir together.

Chiang Ching’s Finding Joy through Food is more than just a cookbook; it’s a testament to the power of food to provide comfort, connection, and a creative outlet during challenging times.