Bookshelf: Chef Sue Zhou, Cooking Guru at The Hutong

The book with the most sentimental value to me is Larousse Gastronomique, a gastronomical encyclopedia with almost all the cooking answers you need.

If I only ever read one book about China, make it Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China. It is an old classic, but I love it and it gives good insight into the changes China has undergone from a woman’s perspective.

The last book I read is Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. Some of the scenes were so recognizable.

I pretend to have read The Da Vinci Code. It has been on my bookshelf for years now.

The last book I finished reading on the subway was Red China Blues by Jan Wong. It was supereasy reading and I lost track of time … I even missed my station.

I hid all of my Jill Shalvis books from you. Yes, I admit it! Sometimes I just want to switch off my brain and read something funny, predictable and good.

My favorite book from childhood is Jip en Janneke. Every kid in the Netherlands grew up with it.

The book that changed my life is The Alchemist. My former manager gave this to me when I decided to quit my job. “Follow your dreams,” I say.

I wish I had written Beyond the Great Wall, a cookbook by Naomi Duguid and Jeffery Alford. It has travel, culture and eating – the three best things combined together.

The best endings are in fairy tales. There are no books with better endings than happily ever after.

I do judge books by their covers. Very often, actually.

My favorite cookbooks are written by Jamie Oliver. He is a promoter of healthy, simple food. If you want to cook on a daily basis and you do not want to spend half a day shopping for all the ingredients and special utensils (though in Beijing you might have to), his books are perfect. I am not getting paid to say this.

The one cookbook I would not recommend is a Chinese book called A Bite of China. I found the sister TV program very inspiring, but was very disappointed when I read the book. Some of the recipes called for MSG or chicken powder. I am not a big fan of these flavor additives. But if you like Chinese food, watch the TV show.

Chef Sue’s cooking classes are on all month at The Hutong.

This article originally appeared on page 53 in the February issue of the Beijinger.

Photo: Mitchell Pe Masilun