To Asia, With Love by Hetty McKinnon

Hello friends! Long time no host, but we're back and happy to host some of you delightful chefs in our home. We haven't hosted much in general in this new space, so please be patient with us as we figure out how to make it a delightful experience. We're excited to host To Asia, with Love by Hetty McKinnon because it's got great nostalgic pan-Asian veggie fusiony vibes. I'm pretty new to Hetty's work and I only saw one other Meetup where we hosted her (mind you, I only scrolled back to early 2020) so I'm excited to see if she lives up to the James Beard nominee hype.

Official cookbook blurb:
For bestselling cookbook author Hetty McKinnon, Asian cooking is personal. McKinnon grew up in a home filled with the aromas, sights, and sounds of her Chinese mother’s cooking. These days she strives to recreate those memories for her own family—and yours—with traditional dishes prepared in non-traditional ways. It’s a sumptuous collection of creative vegetarian recipes featuring pan-Asian dishes that anyone can prepare using supermarket ingredients.

Readers will learn how to make their own kimchi, chilli oil, knife-cut noodles, and dumplings. They’ll learn about the wonder that is rice and discover how Asian-inspired salads are the ultimate crossover food. McKinnon offers tips for stocking your modern Asian pantry and explores the role that sweetness plays in Asian cultures. Her recipes are a celebration of the exciting and delicious possibilities of modern Asian cooking—from Smashed Cucumber Salad with Tahini and Spicy Oil, and Finger-lickin’ Good Edamame Beans with Fried Curry Leaves, to Springtime Rolls with Miso Kale Pesto and Tamarind Apple Crisp. Featuring big, powerful flavours created from simple, fresh ingredients, these recipes are firmly rooted in the place where east meets west and where tradition charts the journey to the modern kitchen.

Recipe sources (libraries, blogs, indie bookshops, and one more):
Libraries:

• Seattle Public Libraries
• King County Library System
• Sno-Isle Libraries

Blogs:

• 4 recipes here
• 2 more recipes here

Indie bookshops:

• Book Larder
• Bookshop

We have pics of the book's recipes here for the event as well, but please note they will be taken down soon after the event:

• Cookbook pics

Please post your contributions to our feast in the comments, I'll work on compiling a menu closer to the date to help guide the direction and avoid duplicates. Additionally, Aaron has a tree nut allergy but peanuts are fine and Aisha is allergic to black fungus / woodear mushrooms so please avoid these where possible or note dishes that have them. We will have post-its and pens to write down any allergens and the recipe name!

This is a limited attendee event, so please do not RSVP if you are not committed to coming. In order to confirm your RSVP, pick a dish from To Asia, With Love and list what you'll be bringing in the comments below, no later than Monday, Feb. 9th. The rule of thumb is one dish per person scaled to allowing everyone attending to have a small portion. If you have a +1 please bring two dishes or increase your chosen recipe accordingly.

If something changes and you can't make it, please update your RSVP as soon as possible, preferably at least 3-4 days in advance. We usually have a waitlist and people need time to plan for a recipe, so no-shows, "place holder" RSVPs and last minute RSVP changes aren't good for an event like this. If you're not feeling well, please stay home.

Additional reminders:

• Make sure your Meetup settings allow event updates from organizers, as I will be sending out the exact address closer to the date and not posting it publicly on Meetup. If you don't get the emails, check your spam, or social folders (for those on gmail).
• Bring serving utensils for your dish - and remember to take them home! Your dish must be prepared in advanced and ready to serve when you arrive.
• Your dish must be prepared in advance and ready to serve when you arrive. (if you need to reheat please message me to confirm space)
• Please bring a few dollars to help cover the Meetup fees that I pay for hosting this group ($330+/year), Venmo (@katy-ionis) or PayPal equally appreciated. Thanks!
• Feel free to bring a beverage to share, alcoholic or non-alcoholic.