Zao Fan: Breakfast of China

By Michael Zee

Breakfast of China is a cookbook exploring the huge variety of dishes 1.4 billion people eat every morning. Recipes for buns, soups, noodles, and dumplings, delicious any time of day, have been expertly adapted for the home kitchen by SymmetryBreakfast creator, Michael Zee.

Breakfast in China is an important affair. At dawn, the streets come alive with vendors setting up for the morning breakfast rush. Each will have their specialty that they make day in, day out, honing their recipe over years, and even generations. Locals are spoiled for choice, with a huge variety of spicy noodles, plump dumplings, and fluffy buns all made fresh to order right on their doorsteps.

Michael Zee, creator of the popular SymmetryBreakfast account, has eaten his way around China, hunting down the very best versions of these morning favorites and recreating them at home so that you can too. In China, these are recipes devised for speed and convenience and so are also perfect for filling lunches, nourishing dinners, and quick and tasty snacks.

Why not try: Dan dan mian, Sichuanese street-style noodles with a sesame paste sauce Jian bing, savory filled crepes Xiaolongbao, steamed Shanghainese soup dumplings Youtiao, or sweetened fried dough sticks, delicious dipped in fresh soy milk or covered in soft serve ice cream. With Michael as your knowledgeable tour guide, you’ll be transported to the bustling streets of China, see the mesmeric pulling of noodles and pleating of dumplings, and be fully immersed in one of the most exciting and diverse food cultures in the world.