Our cookbook of the week is The Chinese Way by author, surgery resident and photographer Betty Liu.

Jump to the recipes: pan-seared duck breasts with scallion-crisped rice, miso-sesame chicken with pearl barley, and fried farro with lap cheong and cabbage.

For Betty Liu, learning to cook came down to the techniques. As a university student cooking for herself for the first time 16 years ago, her early attempts at the home-style Chinese food she grew up with were, admittedly, failures. “I would call my parents, and they were like, ‘Look, you’re approaching this from the wrong way. Don’t think about the end dish. Think about: If you know how to stir-fry, you’ll know what to do with the tomato and egg.'”