At Bonnie's, Chef Calvin Eng Brings his Cantonese-American Cooking to Your Table

Summary

All Of It Episode Summary: "At Bonnie's, Chef Calvin Eng Brings his Cantonese-American Cooking to Your Table"

Released on March 20, 2025 | Host: Koosha Navadar | Guest: Chef Calvin Eng

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Introduction

In this episode of ALL OF IT, hosted by Koosha Navadar, listeners are introduced to Chef Calvin Eng, the innovative mind behind Bonnie's, a popular Cantonese-American restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Eng also discusses his newly released cookbook, "Salt, Sugar, MSG: Recipes and Stories from a Cantonese American Home." The conversation delves into Calvin’s cultural heritage, culinary philosophy, and the challenges of establishing a restaurant amidst a global pandemic.

Calvin’s Background and Bonnie’s Restaurant

Calvin Eng, a first-generation Cantonese-American from New York, shares the heartfelt story behind his restaurant, Bonnie's, named in honor of his mother. "Bonnie was 13 years old when she immigrated from southeastern China to New York," Eng recounts (00:37). The restaurant features a unique fusion of traditional Cantonese flavors with American and other international influences, offering dishes like Italian combo fried rice and clam chowder juk.

The Cookbook: "Salt, Sugar, MSG"

Eng's cookbook emphasizes the foundational trio in Cantonese cooking: salt, sugar, and monosodium glutamate (MSG). When asked about why these flavors blend so well, Calvin explains:

“I always joke that the combo of all three is like the Chinese trinity of seasoning... the balance of all three seasonings of salt, sugar, MSG really help balance out a dish and its flavors.” (02:09)

He elaborates that these ingredients don’t have to be literal; substitutes like soy sauce for salt or honey for sugar can achieve the desired balance. This balance is crucial in Cantonese cuisine, which typically avoids excessive acidity and heat.

Naming the Restaurant After His Mother

The choice to name the restaurant Bonnie's was inspired by a personal story. Calvin shares:

“It was given to her by her sister, who was also had an Americanized name... she decided to pick Bonnie for her, and then it just stuck.” (03:29)

When Calvin informed his mother of the decision, her reaction was one of surprise and pride. Bonnie has since become a family gathering spot, with Chef Eng’s mother attending launch events and enjoying the restaurant’s offerings (04:05).

Challenges of Opening Bonnie’s During COVID

Opening Bonnie's proved to be Calvin’s most challenging endeavor. Transforming an empty office space into a full-service restaurant during the COVID-19 pandemic required relentless effort and adaptability:

“Operating and cooking, you never realize how easy all of that is until you go through with the build out of a restaurant... everything was super expensive, everything was over budget.” (04:27)

Despite the obstacles, including supply chain issues and budget constraints, Calvin remained dedicated, working nearly 24/7 for a year to bring his vision to life.

Family Influence and Childhood Memories

Calvin reflects on his upbringing in Chinatown, New York, where his family settled in a one-bedroom apartment. His mother played a central role in his culinary journey, often taking him on food shopping excursions:

“She would have like specific spots she would go to for like dried seafood and fresh fish or produce... having dinner with the family, whether it was in the apartment or going out as a family at banquet dinners.” (06:48)

These experiences ingrained in him a deep appreciation for Cantonese ingredients and flavors, laying the groundwork for his future as a chef.

Cantonese Cooking Techniques and Regional Specialties

Eng discusses specific cooking techniques from his heritage, particularly those from Taishan, Guangdong Province. He highlights the use of preserved ingredients to add depth and umami to dishes:

“Whether it's like salted fish just to preserve it, or fermented bean curd... shrimp paste, all those things add so much umami and flavor and depth to dishes when used sparingly.” (08:59)

These traditional methods influence his culinary creations, blending authenticity with modern tastes.

Interactive Listener Calls and Q&A

Throughout the episode, listeners engage by calling in with questions and sharing their experiences related to Cantonese-American cuisine. Notable interactions include:

• Dan from Brooklyn (10:08) asks about maintaining quality as a restaurant grows. Calvin responds by emphasizing the importance of efficient systems and hiring reliable staff to ensure consistency without being physically present at all times.

• Christine from Brooklyn (13:56) seeks tips on making turnip cakes. Calvin advises on proper water ratios and the importance of thoroughly rinsing and draining daikon to achieve the perfect texture.

• Kira from Brooklyn (15:26) praises Bonnie's and inquires about the "Stuffed Golden Lava French Toast" recipe. Calvin describes it as a fusion of Hong Kong-style cha chaan teng French toast stuffed with duck egg custard, highlighting its rich and velvety texture.

• Jordan from Greenpoint (17:10) compliments the MSG martini on the menu. Calvin explains the innovative addition of MSG to enhance the umami and salty profile of the cocktail, making it a perfect fit for the restaurant's culinary theme.

• Lizzie from Brooklyn (23:41) shares her personal connection to Cantonese-American food and expresses interest in Calvin’s cookbook as a bridge to her heritage.

Key Cooking Tips from Calvin Eng

Throughout the discussion, Calvin imparts valuable culinary tips to listeners:

• Securing Your Cutting Board (19:07): Use a damp towel or paper towel beneath the cutting board to prevent it from sliding, ensuring safety and efficiency while chopping.

• Labeling Everything (19:31): Label all ingredients with their names and dates to maintain organization and ensure freshness, especially in refrigerators and freezers.

• Perfect Pot of Rice (21:49): Rinse rice until the water runs clear using a fine mesh strainer. Maintain a one-to-one volume ratio of rice to water for consistent results on the stovetop.

Conclusion

As the episode wraps up, Calvin emphasizes the importance of his cookbook in helping others connect with their culinary heritage. He encourages listeners to explore traditional recipes while adapting them to modern kitchens. Calvin's journey from a passionate home cook to a successful restaurateur serves as an inspiring tale of cultural fusion and resilience.

“This book has a lot, a lot of classics as well... but end of the day, the ingredients and the flavors will definitely tie you back to your childhood.” (24:55)

Listeners are left with a deeper appreciation for Cantonese-American cuisine and the personal stories that shape it, while also gaining practical insights into cooking techniques and restaurant management.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Salt, Sugar, MSG Trio: “[...] the balance of all three seasonings of salt, sugar, MSG really help balance out a dish and its flavors.” (02:09)

• Naming Bonnie's: “She decided to pick Bonnie for her, and then it just stuck.” (03:29)

• Challenges During COVID: “[...] everything was super expensive, everything was over budget.” (04:27)

• Family Influence: “[...] having dinner with the family, whether it was in the apartment or going out as a family at banquet dinners.” (06:48)

• Cantonese Cooking Techniques: “[...] shrimp paste, all those things add so much umami and flavor and depth to dishes when used sparingly.” (08:59)

• Maintaining Quality: “[...] the consistency and the quality of it will still be the same as if I were when we first started.” (11:02)

• Perfecting Turnip Cakes: “[...] the trick to turnip cakes is the water ratio has to be correct.” (15:26)

• MSG Martini: “[...] umami and salty. Like I Was like, yeah, that’s like a no brainer. Why haven’t people been doing this forever? It just works.” (17:15)

• Connecting Through Rice: “Rice was just a staple. No matter what we were eating, rice was always a part of it.” (20:57)

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Join the Conversation

ALL OF IT invites listeners to share their stories and questions about Cantonese-American culture and cuisine. Engage with the community by calling or texting 212-433-9692 (212433, WNYC) to participate in future discussions.

Transcript

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[WNYC Studios]

Listener Supported WNYC Studios.

[Koosha Navadar]

This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Koosha Navadar. There's a New York story behind Bonnie's, the popular restaurant that opened in Williamsburg in 2022. Bonnie's was opened by chef Calvin Eng. Eng is a first generation Cantonese American New Yorker and proud mama's boy. So much so that he named his Restau his mother. Bonnie was 13 years old when she immigrated from southeastern China to New York. She settled into a tiny one bedroom apartment in the heart of Chinatown with her family. Calvin writes in his new cookbook about his memories of visiting that apartment and the walks he'd take with his mother around the various shops, vendors and produce stands. Even if in the moment he was kind of bored. He says those experiences marked the beginning of Calvin forming his own vision of what it means to be Cantonese American, to call cook Cantonese American food. It's why at Bonnie's you can find dishes like Italian combo, fried rice, clam chowder, juk, and of course always a fruit plate for dessert. The book is called Salt, Sugar MSG Recipes and Stories from a Cantonese American Home. Chef Calvin Eng is here with me now in studio across the table. Hi Calvin. Welcome to wnyc.

[WNYC Studios]

Hello. Thank you for having me.

[Koosha Navadar]

Thank you for writing this book. It got me very hungry. The title of this book is Salt, Sugar and msg. Those three ingredients that you describe as the most important trio in Cantonese cooking. Why do those flavors blend together so well?

[WNYC Studios]

I always joke that the combo of all three is like the Chinese trinity of seasoning. Like everyone always knows about the Chinese trinity, which is ginger, garlic, scallion, which is crucial and very important flavor profiles in Cantonese cooking. It's kind of like similar to the mirepoix of French cooking where it's celery, onions and carrots. But the balance of all three seasonings of salt, sugar MSG really help balance out a dish and its flavors. I talk about it in the book where the salt sugar machine don't have to be so literal. The salt could be soy sauce, it could be fish sauce, the sugar can be honey or maple syrup or maltose and the MSG could be pure MSG or it could also be tomatoes or mushrooms or things like that. And the combo of all three really help make a dish because Kennedy's cooking is very low on acid and heat. So it's really just about the balance of those three.

[Koosha Navadar]

That was something I found very interesting in the book, was that you write that each recipe doesn't have to explicitly have sugar, salt, msg. It's just kind of any ingredient that inhabits those flavors. Exactly that combo. Let's talk about your mom for a little bit. Bonnie. You named your restaurant after her. I'm wondering, how did she first decide to take that name as her Eng name? Do you know?

[WNYC Studios]

It was given to her by her sister, who was also had an Americanized name. Her name was Wendy. And then she decided to pick Bonnie for her, and then it just stuck. And that was that.

[Koosha Navadar]

Oh, funny. And what was your mom's reaction when you told her that you were going to name her your restaurant after her?

[WNYC Studios]

She was like, really? Me? Just like an immigrant mom, just unsure and like still proud in some way, you know, but just shocked to begin with.

[Koosha Navadar]

That's wonderful. I'm sure that was a great moment for you. Has she eaten at the restaurant?

[WNYC Studios]

Yeah, she's come a bunch. We had a launch party at the restaurant when the book came out on this Tuesday, so she came by with the family, so it's good to see her.

[Koosha Navadar]

That's great. You know, starting a restaurant, I've learned, I imagine, is so difficult. I'm wondering for you, what was the challenge in opening a restaurant that you never would have realized until you actually went through with it?

[WNYC Studios]

Oh, man. It's definitely the hardest thing I've ever done because obviously operating and cooking, you never realize how easy all of that is until you go through with the build out of a restaurant.

[Koosha Navadar]

Yeah, yeah.

[WNYC Studios]

Because the space we took over was. Was an office space. There was nothing there before. It was just cubicles. So we had to flip this whole space into a full service restaurant. Wow. With prep space and equipment. The core of it, obviously on a very, very small budget. All during COVID when everything was impossible to get. Everything was super expensive, everything was over budget. So that was definitely a challenging time. That just took up a full, full year of 24, seven work, essentially.

[Koosha Navadar]

Yeah. And at 27, I mean, that, that, that's. That's amazing. Was this a dream that you had had forever?

[WNYC Studios]

Yeah, I've definitely always dreamed of having a restaurant. That was always a goal of mine. I guess I just wasn't always sure of what kind of restaurant that would be. When I just started cooking. But the end goal was to always have a restaurant and be part of that and have that bigger picture and not just cook.

[Koosha Navadar]

Listeners, we're talking with Calvin Eng, who's chef and owner of Bonnie's, a Cantonese American restaurant in Brooklyn. We're speaking about his new cookbook Salt Sugar msg, which is out now. And we're also taking your call. Listeners, we want to hear from you, any of you out there, Cantonese American, and identify with Calvin's story, maybe Calvin's mom's story. How did you feel about your identity growing up? How has it changed as you've grown? How has food been a bridge between your Cantonese and American parts of yourself? Call or text us now at 212-433-9692. That's 212433, WNYC. Or maybe, and I know there's probably some listeners out there, maybe you've been to Bonnie's, Calvin's restaurant in William. Do you have a favorite dish that you've tried there? What did you most enjoy about your meal at Bonnie's? Give us a call or at 212-433-9692. That's 212433, WNYC. So let's talk in the book about some of more of your story. So when your family moved to New York, they got an apartment on Baird street, right in the heart of Chinatown. What memories do you associate with that apartment?

[WNYC Studios]

Oh, man, it was literally right in the heart of Chinatown. 55 Bayard. My grandparents lived there for almost 60 years, but I spent my, I grew up in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, so it wasn't too far. We spent every weekend going there visiting, visiting my grandparents. And that would also be when my mom would go food shopping for the week because she was a stay at home mom. She would do all the grocery shopping, all the cooking. It was just a community and like a, like a hub for, for the Chinese community, specifically Cantonese in Manhattan's Chinatown. So I remember bopping around all throughout the streets shopping with her. She would have like specific spots she would go to for like dried seafood and fresh fish or produce. Like it was never just like a one stop shop for her. So I spent all day just running around town doing, running those errands with her and then having dinner with the family, whether it was in the apartment or going out as a family at banquet dinners. So it was those, those moments when I really understood or not understood, really learned about canteens, ingredients and those flavors.

[Koosha Navadar]

Is that kind of where you discovered I don't know if you can point to a specific memory, but are those walks in that, like, produce learning the time where your love for food and your desire to be a chef was awakened? Like, do you have a specific memory associated with that? Like, oh, I want to work with food for the rest of my life?

[WNYC Studios]

No, I don't think there's any specific, like, light bulb moment for me specifically, but I just was always, always, like, gravitated towards the kitchen as a kid. Always wanted to hang out there, always wanted to help my mom prep because dinner would always be on the table at 7. I would be home from school at 3, and she'd be prepping from 3 to 7, essentially. And I would always just want to hang out there with the Food Network on the background. And then we were in the kitchen just prepping and cooking just to get dinner on the table in time for the family.

[Koosha Navadar]

The Food Network was my exposure to knowing that I liked cooking. Shout out to Good Eats if anyone knows that show. Ye, your family is originally from Taishan, a country in Guangdong Province in southeast China. I'd love to know some regionally specific dishes or techniques from there that you grew up with.

[WNYC Studios]

So a lot of the foods that we ate, like Tai San, is known as a farming village. It's like very poor farming village. So a lot of the ingredients and the foods that we worked with were preserved dish, preserved foods and preserved dishes. So whether it's like salted fish just to preserve it, or fermented bean curd, just things like that that were preserved for longevity. So it was like very, very salty, umami, rich foods that add so much flavor to dishes that I love to use now. And things like shrimp paste, all those things add so much umami and flavor and depth to dishes when used sparingly, which is why I love using them so much.

[Koosha Navadar]

Yeah. Listeners, if you have a story about Cantonese cooking, Cantonese American cooking, or if you are a Cantonese American and you identify with Calvin's story, or if you have questions for Calvin about his restaurant, Bonnie's in Brooklyn, give us a call. We're at 212-433-9692. We've got our first caller, Dan from Brooklyn on the line. Dan. Hey, welcome to the show.

[Calvin Eng]

Hi. I had some friends who, after Vietnam fell, they opened a restaurant in the village they call the Vietnam Village. And my friend was an accountant, and his wife was a housewife. And they were so overwhelmed by the tremendous popularity of it, and they kept it just family staff, but the quality never changed. Finally, they just became Overwhelmed and had to stop. And I just wanted to know, how do you avoid stopping when you're doing so well that it becomes less personal? It involves people that are just staff, you know, that you hire.

[Koosha Navadar]

So how do you kind of deal with the pressure to maintain the same standard and especially as the restaurant gets more popular? That's a great question. Thanks, Dan. Yeah, go ahead, Calvin.

[WNYC Studios]

I've always been like a big systems person, and I've always chose to work at places where I would learn how to operate efficiently, not necessarily learn how to cook, because I think learning how to cook, you can learn that on your own time. You can learn that through experience. You learn that from the flavors that you had growing up. But learning how to operate a spot is something you can't really learn on your own, and that's what takes experience. So I've worked at a lot of places where I was introduced to a lot of ways and efficient ways and smart ways to run a business in a way where you don't have to be there 247 physically to get it done. Like right now, we have a full staff there at the moment. But I'm here, and clearly you're here. Yeah, but, yeah, I deal with so many other things these days that cooking is probably not what I'm doing day to day, but the consistency and the quality of it will still be the same as if I were when we first started.

[Koosha Navadar]

Right? Yeah. It's scaling systems like you said. Dan, fantastic question. Thank you so much. I got a text that I want to read out. I think you'll enjoy this, Calvin. The text reads, just looking at Calvin's Instagram page and getting really hungry. Nice shout. Do you want to shout out your Instagram page?

[WNYC Studios]

Yeah, my Instagram is alvinhungry on Instagram. And then the restaurant is Bonnie's Brooklyn.

[Koosha Navadar]

So, listeners, we're talking with Calvin Eng, the chef and owner of Bonnie's, the Cantonese American restaurant in Brooklyn. And we're talking about his new cookbook, Salt Sugar Emet, which is out now. We're taking your calls. If you are Cantonese American and identify with Calvin's story, if you want to talk about how you felt about your identity growing up, how food has been a bridge between your Cantonese and American parts of yourself, give us a call. We're at 212-433-9692. We're going to take a quick break. When we come back, we're going to dive more into the book. I have a page dog eared right here for a recipe that I'M very excited to talk about. So stay with us. We'll be right back. This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Koosha Navadar and we are talking with Calvin Eng, the chef and owner of Bonnie's, a Cantonese American restaurant in Brooklyn. And we're also talking about his new cookbook Salt Sugar msg, which is out now. And listeners, we're taking your calls. So are you Cantonese American and identify with Calvin's story that we're talking about before the break? How did you feel about your identity growing up or how has food been a bridge between your Cantonese and American parts of yourself? If anyone's been to Bonnie's and wants to shout out a dish, we're here for that too. So give us a call. We're at 212-433-9692. That's 212433, WNYC. Calvin, we've got our next caller on the line, Christine from Brooklyn. Hi, Christine. Welcome to the show.

[Calvin Eng]

Hi. Thanks for having me.

[Koosha Navadar]

Of course.

[Calvin Eng]

So my husband's family is from Hong Kong. My background is Irish and German. But I have tried to learn some of the signature dishes that we enjoy and at special times. So the first time I tried to cook turnip cakes was in 2020 when all the restaurants were still closed. And I found it very challenging. The first time I actually tried to make that dish, they came out lavender purple because I had bought purple daikon. And I've had some interesting failures where they come out gloppy. And I kind of have it down now. But I feel like I could still use some tips because it's a particularly challenging dish to get right. So that's my question. Do you have any tips on making really good turnip cakes?

[WNYC Studios]

Hey, yes. There's actually a recipe for it in my book. I do a ham and cheese turnip cake basically with like country ham and gruyere. But again, the fillings are just all add ins, so you could do whatever you want. But, but the trick to turnip cakes is the water ratio has to be correct. So I always grate my daikon, then I throw salt on it to extract and draw out as much water as possible. Kind of like if you're making latkes, a lot of times you have to wring it out. So I do the same thing with the daikon after we shred it and add salt. So we wring it out in a towel, kitchen towel, to remove as much water as possible. So then you could use that water again. But that way you could calculate the proper ratio of daikon to water when you make it. And that's what's helpful.

[Koosha Navadar]

Christine, thank you so much for that call. Good luck with the recipe. It sounds like a really good tip there. We just got another text that I'd like to read. It says we first went and this went to Bonnie's because our 22 year old daughter insisted and we are absolute Bonnie's fanatics. Thank you for the amazing food. Kira from Brooklyn. Kira, thank you for that message. Thank you. I want to bring up a rec. My favorite page in this book is page 66. I dog eared it because it is the recipe for a dish called stuffed golden lava French toast. My heart flutters. Calvin, can you tell us about this dish a little bit?

[WNYC Studios]

Yeah. So this is a classic Hong Kong like cha Chaang Tang dish, which is like a Hong Kong style diner essentially. There's not that many, not that many in the city, but this isn't that complicated to replicate or create. But it's basically French toast that's stuffed with the duck egg custard that we make and then it's like battered in egg and gently fried. So when you cut into it, it like oozes this like sweet, luscious, like velvety duck egg custard that you would get at like a dim sum restaurant. And like those duck egg custard buns, like very, very similar inside.

[Koosha Navadar]

Can you get that at Bonnie's?

[WNYC Studios]

Not right now. We did brunch for a little bit, but we don't do it anymore. But we're doing brunch for one day only on March 30th.

[Koosha Navadar]

Oh, okay.

[WNYC Studios]

Yeah, but I think, I think it's sold out now, but maybe it'll lead.

[Koosha Navadar]

On to more things. It is such a lovely, like decadent recipe. It really stood out to me in the book. We've got another caller, Jordan from Greenpoint. Jordan, hey. Welcome to the show. Hey, thank you for having me. Sure, go ahead.

[WNYC Studios]

I just wanted to shout out.

[Koosha Navadar]

I live in the neighborhood and Bonnie's is one of my favorite local restaurants.

[WNYC Studios]

And the MSG martini on the menu is absolutely perf.

[Calvin Eng]

So thank you.

[WNYC Studios]

Yes. Glad you like it.

[Koosha Navadar]

So what, what is that drink? Can you, can you talk about it a little bit?

[WNYC Studios]

Yeah, so we do, we do a couple martinis on the menu. My favorites are dirty martinis when I get martinis. And then our bartender when we opened, he, he was like, let's just add MSG to it would just make sense. Like umami and salty. Like I Was like, yeah, that's like a no brainer. Why haven't people been doing this forever? And it just works like, instead of vermouth, we use like a drinking grade Shaoxing wine as well. So it really ties it all together and fits with the restaurant.

[Koosha Navadar]

Nice. And Jordan, thank you so much for that, that call. Calvin, I'm interested for you. What's a. What is a. Was there any dish that you discovered as part of writing this book that stood out to you or maybe rediscovered that you felt really great about and then you've rediscovered it?

[WNYC Studios]

No, I don't think anything that we, like, rediscovered essentially. But there's definitely a lot of stuff that I learned along the way that I, like, was able to research and dive more into. For example, like the roast chicken. Roast duck. Like, I've never made a kenti style roast duck before because you need certain special equipment to do and we don't have that at the restaurant. And it's not something I would necessarily cook at home. It's not like an easy thing to whip up. So that's why, once I understood, like, those flavors and those ingredients, we decided to do it with a chicken instead because that's more accessible for the home cook. It's much more easy to execute for a weeknight dinner. So that's like one of the one example.

[Koosha Navadar]

Yeah, yeah. So many things that you learned along the way. I want to. You're talking as well about how to make it accessible for folks at home. You also have a bunch of chef pro tips in the book based on your cooking experience as a chef. And I'd like to talk about some. One that stood out to me was securing your cutting board. What does that mean? Why? Is it helpful?

[WNYC Studios]

Yeah, I always make sure my cutting board is like, secure to the counter while and when I'm working, whether at the restaurant or at work. And all you really need is like a damp towel or a damp paper towel to put underneath, and it kind of glues your board in place so it's not sliding around your counter while you're working. Is that last thing you want is a board running away from you while you're slicing or chopping?

[Koosha Navadar]

Sure, yeah, yeah. And then there is also labeling everything in your kitchen. Can you talk about that?

[WNYC Studios]

Yeah, I'm like, I label. I label literally everything, whether it's like, perishable or not. It's just habit at this point. We label everything at the restaurant with what it is and the date. So that way we know which product is used first and what's what? Especially when you put things in the refrigerator, the freezer, sometimes you can't tell what it is anymore once it's frozen. So it's important to label things just so you know exactly what you have and when you put it in there.

[Koosha Navadar]

Yeah. Listeners, we're talking with Calvin Eng, who's chef and owner of Bonnie's, a Cantonese American restaurant in Brooklyn. We're talking his new cookbook. It's titled Salt Sugar msg, which is out now. And we are taking your calls. So if you're a Cantonese American and identify with Calvin's story, or you love Cantonese American cooking, or if you've been to Bonnie's and have a favorite dish you want to highlight, or if you have a question for Calvin, call or text us. Now we have time for just a couple more calls. It's 212-433-9692. That's 212-433-WNYC. Another part of the book, Calvin, that really stuck out to me was the piece about rice. I am Persian American food has been a great way for me to connect with my heritage, and rice is a huge part of that. So that really resonated with me when I was, when I was reading the book growing up, you write that your mom always told you, finish your rice or you'll have an ugly wife. I don't know how true that is, but can you talk maybe about what role rice played on your family's table growing up?

[WNYC Studios]

Yeah. Rice was just a staple. No matter what we were eating, rice was always a part of it. It could be American food, Italian food. We got rice on the table as well. Same, you know, and it's one of those things where we never had a rice cooker growing up. We always used a pot. My mom didn't really measure. She just knew how much water to rice by using like her fingertip.

[Koosha Navadar]

Yeah.

[WNYC Studios]

Kind of thing. Right. For me, I use a measuring cup. I still measure, but it was like a staple. You know, Jasmine rice was a staple in the basement, we always had a massive, massive barrel filled with four bags, four bags of big bags of rice. That's 100 pounds of rice. Of backup rice.

[Koosha Navadar]

Yeah.

[WNYC Studios]

And then the kitchen, we have the in use 25 pound bag of rice. So always there was 100 plus pounds of rice at all times in the household.

[Koosha Navadar]

Was it in a burlap bag like in my house or the one upstairs? Yeah, the classic burlap bag.

[WNYC Studios]

Yeah.

[Koosha Navadar]

Talk to me a little bit about the crucial steps to making the perfect pot of Rice without a rice cooker, as you said.

[WNYC Studios]

Yeah. It really is about rinsing the rice and washing the rice till it runs clear under cold tap water. Like, I always use a fine mesh strainer. I find that to be the easiest way. You just throw your rice in the fine mesh strainer, run it under the cold tap until it runs clear, and that way you have, like, the perfect ratio, because the ratio is very important when you're cooking rice.

[Koosha Navadar]

Yeah.

[WNYC Studios]

And then that way you're not losing too much water, you're not losing too much rice, you don't have too much water in there. And then you just cook it based on the manufacturer's instructions with the cooker or if not on the stovetop. And for me, it's always one to one volume, not by weight volume. So if it's one cup of rice, that's one cup volume of water.

[Koosha Navadar]

That's good heuristic to use. It's very easy to remember. We've got another text. Brian from Windsor Terrace here. Huge fan of Bonnie's. The must try dish is their elevated spin on the McRib. I honestly can't believe it hasn't come up yet. Delicious. Decadent. Perfect. Thanks. Talk to me about the. This. This. The. Not the McRib, but what Brian is calling the McRib here. Thanks, Brian.

[WNYC Studios]

Yeah, so we. We opened the restaurant with the chasubic rib, and that's always been. Been, like, a number one seller since we opened. It still is today. But originally, I didn't want to have a pork sandwich on the menu because I grew up in Bay Ridge. I had a lot of friends who couldn't eat pork, so I was like, I should probably do something else. But then we did have a large variety of other dishes, so we ended up just doing that. That. That pork dish and with the classic char siu marinade. Char siu glaze with Chinese hot mustard. So it has, like, that horseradishy nose pungentness, Bread and butter pickles, raw onions on a milk bun.

[Koosha Navadar]

That's beautiful. We got time for just one more call. I'm gonna go to Lizzie in Brooklyn. Lizzy. Hi. Welcome to the show. You've got about 30 seconds. So go ahead. What's your story?

[Calvin Eng]

Okay, so I'm Cantonese American. I grew up in New Jersey, but both my parents are from Chinatown in Manhattan. And unfortunately, I lost both of them recently. So Cantonese American food is, like, really. It just ties me to them, and it's, like, so important to me. And unfortunately, I never learned how to cook it. Growing up. So I'm really looking forward to checking out this cookbook, to coming to Bonnie's and, you know, just like staying as close to my heritage as I can and to that deep connection to my parents and my family.

[Koosha Navadar]

Oh, Lizzy, thank you so much for sharing that and I'm sorry for your loss. And I totally get how the food can be a bridge and for a lot of folks, it can be tough if you maybe don't have folks to go to that can give you the recipes that are from your, your family. Lizzie, we really appreciate that call. Thank you. And I'm going to turn it to you, Calvin, as we close out here, for somebody like Lizzie, what is a way to kind of start engaging with the cooking of your heritage?

[WNYC Studios]

Yeah, I think this book has a lot, a lot of classics as well. Of course, there's like new inventions and very unique, different things that haven't necessarily been seen before. But end of the day, the ingredients and the flavors will definitely tie you back to your childhood.

[Koosha Navadar]

Lizzy, thank you so much for that call. We've run out of time, so let me say thanks to Calvin Eng, the chef and owner of Bonnie's, a Cantonese American restaurant in Brooklyn. And his new cookbook is out. It's called Salt Sugar. Ms. G. Calvin, thanks a lot for hanging out with us.

[WNYC Studios]

Thank you.

[Koosha Navadar]

And thank you all so much for your calls. There is more all of it on the way. Coming up, we're going to talk to Terri Lynn Carrington, a Grammy award winning drummer, composer and producer. Did you know that skincare can start in the laundry room? All Freeclear is the number one laundry detergent brand recommended by dermatologists, allergists and pediatricians. For sensitive skin, all Freeclear is 100% free of dyes and perfumes. It provides an effective clean that's gentle on skin while rem removing impurities like dirt and body oil without leaving irritating residues. Plus, All Freeclear liquid is safer Choice certified by the US epa. For a clean you can feel good about, all you need is all free clear.

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