We’re slightly sheepish to say that we’re classic overachievers and wrote wayyyyyy too much in the first draft of The Woks of Life cookbook. Happily, however, we’ve repurposed it into a surprise gift for anyone who pre-orders (or already pre-ordered) the book.
It’s a delightful 25-page Bonus Pack of never-before-seen content, some from the book, and some beloved content that didn’t fit into our 320-page limit!
Get your Cookbook Pre-order gift here!
All you need to do is fill out your name and email address, select the retailer you pre-ordered the book from, and enter your order number.
(This page was created by our publisher, Penguin Random House, and it includes a link to their privacy policy.)
Downloading the bonus gift PDF will be easier on desktop than on mobile, so grab your computer!
*If you haven’t yet pre-ordered, click here or scroll to the bottom of this post!
R.I.P. our 134,000-word manuscript
Here’s a picture of us on August 3, 2021—the day night we wrapped up a marathon writing and editing session, and triumphantly submitted our manuscript.
This was before the rude awakening that we had written way, way too much. (Naturally, we celebrated with a giant spread of Chinese takeout.)
Ultimately, cooler heads prevailed, and we realized we had to make some cuts to our just-shy-of-134,000-word manuscript. Bear in mind that our publishing contract called for 50,000 to 60,000 words.
Ahem. “Overachievers” barely scratches the surface.
Happily, squirreling away that content paid off sooner than we’d thought!
We’re low-key thrilled about this pre-order gift, because if it had been purely up to us and there were no constraints whatsoever on “reasonable” cookbook lengths, we would have kept all of it!
What’s inside our Cookbook Pre-order BONUS Pack?
If you’ve already pre-ordered a copy of our cookbook or plan to order one soon, you’ll get access to some of the delightful content that ended up on the cutting room floor.
MORE STORIES, MORE RECIPES!
- Judy and Bill’s Tips for Smart Cooking, Kitchen Maintenance, and Minimizing Waste
This was one of several practical essays that got cut from the book in the name of more clearly telling our family’s story through the generations, from each of our four perspectives. (No easy feat!) We think you’ll be glad to have some of the tips we share on cooking smarter. - A personal essay from Sarah
More on how and why we started the blog—i.e., what it was like cooking with our parents B.T.B. (i.e., Before The Blog). - Hosting Tips from a Chinese Mom
It should come as no surprise that Judy is a big proponent of upholding traditions and good common sense. This timeless Chinese mom advice for both host and guest can serve as your gold standard for the upcoming holiday season (and beyond!) of gatherings with family and friends! - 4 Bonus Recipes (i.e., recipes that didn’t make it into the cookbook)
The cutting process was sooo difficult, because there were recipes that were near and dear to us that all had to hit the cutting room floor. Rest assured, the best of the best is what made it into the cookbook, but we’ve revived a few for your enjoyment! - 3 Sneak Peek Recipes (straight from the cookbook!)
We hope these recipes get you hyped for what’s to come in the cookbook! We wanted to pick easy yet delicious ones that you could cook straight away. If you do cook them, you can share them with us by tagging us @thewoksoflife on Instagram! - Photos Galore!
Because we photographed the book before we made all those cuts to the manuscript, you better believe we have delicious images for each of those bonus recipes! We also have some awesome family photos taken by Christine Han, our lifestyle photographer, some of which weren’t able to fit in the book. We’re so happy to be able to include them in this bonus pack.
Some cookbook cuts made it to the blog!
Some recipes didn’t make it into the pre-order gift, but we sneakily published them here on the blog! Squirrel Fish in Sweet & Sour Sauce? That was originally destined for the book.
But we decided that it was better for the blog, since it is technically challenging (by the way, it’s been super exciting to see people making it successfully in the wilds of their own kitchens).
Mango Pudding? Another would-be cookbook recipe that got muscled out by other sweet treats.
All in all, we can’t believe we’re 2 weeks away from our publication date, November 1st! We hope you love this pre-order bonus pack!
If you haven’t yet pre-ordered The Woks of Life cookbook, you can do so at any of the links below, and get your bonus pack right away.
How to PRE-ORDER:
If you’re in the U.S., pre-order from any of the retailers below!
If you want a signed copy, you can order one from these local bookstores and have it shipped to you! We signed book plates for Omnivore, located in San Francisco, and will be signing books at Yu & Me Books in NYC.
If you live outside of the U.S., pre-order at the Book Depository (link below), which ships FREE internationally, or check Amazon in your home country!
