The Joy Luck Club By Amy Tan Recipe by Alex Hollywood
Full disclosure, this is a book I first read many years ago, and more than once, which probably means that I liked it. I did!
And will most likely re-read it in the coming years.
First a little about the book:
I give it a 4 1/2 Egg Rating
Would i read again? I have !
The Joy Luck Club was Amy Tan’s first novel and became a highly acclaimed New York best seller and winner of the 1989 California Book Award for Fiction. This book was adapted into a film in 1983.
Amy Tan wrote the Joy Luck Club to try to understand her own relationship with her mother.
Tan's Chinese parents wanted Americanised children but expected them to think like Chinese and she found this particularly difficult as an adolescent.
So, she wrote not only to sort out her cultural heritage but to learn how she and her mother could get along better.
Amy Tan was born in Oakland, California, in 1952.
Her first-generation, Chinese-American parents, John and Daisy Tan, settled in California.
As an adolescent, she had difficulty accepting her Chinese heritage and wanted to look like an American—to be an American.
At one point, she even slept with a clothespin on her nose, hoping to change its shape.
She deliberately chose American over Chinese whenever she had the opportunity and asserted her independence in any way that she could.
She dreamed of being a writer, while her parents saw her as a neurosurgeon and concert pianist
Amy Tan began writing fiction as a distraction from her work as a technical writer.
A self-proclaimed workaholic, Tan wanted to find a way to relax. She soon discovered that not only did she enjoy writing fiction as a hobby, she liked that it provided a way for her to think about and understand her life.
The Joy Luck Club contains many autobiographical elements from Tan's life.
At fourteen, she learned she had half-sisters from her mother's previous marriage.
This sense of loss and her father's and brother's deaths are reflected in The Joy Luck Club.
In addition, Tan has always felt that she disappointed her mother by not becoming a doctor.
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan (1989) follows the stories of four Chinese women who immigrate to America and their American-born daughters.
The book is divided into four parts, each containing stories exploring the conflicts of four mother-daughter pairs all written from first-person point of view.
The beginning of the book, Suyuan Woo, the founder of The Joy Luck Club, has recently died and her daughter, Jing Mei is asked to take her mothers place at their regular mahjong table with the other members, An-Me Hsu, Lindo Jong and Ying-ying St.Clair.
Over a game of mahjong, the Aunties tell Jng-Mei stories of her mothers long lost daughters, how they were found and give her money to go to China to meet her sisters to be able to tell them about her mother.
This sets up the major themes of the novel, as the mothers and daughters share stories highlighting their lack of mutual understanding due to language, cultural, and generational barriers.
I give this book a 4 ½ egg rating.
Now to the food!
This recipe has been gifted from Alex Hollywood website, straight from her. Thank you to her.
Here’s a little bit about her:
Alex Hollywood
Alex Hollywood is a passionate home cook and family food writer with two popular cookery books, My Busy Kitchen and Cooking Tonight, under her belt as well as a devoted following on social media.
Alex’s food is quick simple and delicious.
She incorporates flavours from her Scandinavian and French heritage and her ‘waste not want not’ attitude resonates with busy mums across the globe.
Her no fuss approach to cooking has garnered her a loyal following on both Twitter and Instagram where she posts videos and recipes on a weekly basis.
Her infectious humour and relatability were noticed by TV producers, resulting in her featuring on numerous programmes including ITV’s This Morning, Nadia’s Family Feasts and Ainsley’s Food We Love.
Alex has also captivated audiences whilst hosting live cooking demos at the BBC Good Food Show, Hampton Court Palace Festive Fayre, Thame Food Festival and Bradford Upon Avon Food Festival.
Her books include:
My Busy Kitchen: A lifetime of family recipes
& Cooking Tonight: Simple recipes to put the joy back into weekday suppers
You can find more of her fantastic recipes on her website:
Asian inspired poached chicken & walnut salad by Alex Hollywood
“This super-simple Asian-inspired poached chicken & toasted walnut salad with yuzu sesame dressing can be thrown together using whatever salad bits and pieces you have to hand ..
It’s a bit of a larder raider recipe and it’s really was lush!” Alex
For the dressing:
In a jar mix
1tbs olive oil
2tsp sesame oil
3tbs yuzu juice
2tbsp tahini
1tbsp honey
2tbsp water to loosen
Good pinch of chili flakes
salt, and pepper.
Screw the lid on tight and shake well to emulsify - taste test and adjust seasoning and sweetness to your preference! (Can be stored in the fridge for up to a week)
Chicken
Poach a chicken breast in simmering seasoned water with a chopped carrot & celery stalk for 10-12 minutes then cool.
In a hot pan toast a handful of walnuts til golden.
Finely chop some baby gem or romaine lettuce, an apple, 1/4 cucumber, a few radishes, 4-6 spring onions
Mix well & drizzle with a little dressing
Place in a bowl
Add the chicken on top
Sprinkle over the crushed walnuts, a handful of finely chopped chives and a little chopped coriander
Drizzle with a little more dressing and devour!
