The right stuff
"It is so hard to describe these ideas to a general audience that is not used to such ideas, but at home this is what Dad would say if he tastes something very nice," Julie says.
The book features many of the most common dim sum that one would typically find in a Cantonese restaurant, like prawn-claw dumplings, silken congee, golden spring rolls and pan-fried turnip cake.
But at the same time, it also tries to challenge stereotypes of what Chinese food is all about, especially baked goods and desserts. "We want to demonstrate the great variety in Chinese food. We have lots of traditional and innovative baking and sweet dishes in our cuisine," says Amy.
They have also incorporated flavors of New Zealand into their recipe. One example: coconut-and-black-sesame ice cream, combining two very popular ingredients in China with ice cream, which is a summer favorite in New Zealand.
Julie says her favorite foods are pork dishes, while Amy says she loves anything with chicken. "Dad loves a lot of meat dishes that are very flavorsome. It's hard to think of what mom's favorite would be, because she always thinks about what we would like to have."
Growing up, the two sisters had never thought of entering the food industry as a long-term career－they were high achievers and could have chosen many possible jobs. Amy gained her PhD in chemistry at Cambridge, and Julie finished her master's in criminology at Oxford.
Meanwhile, the food cart in Christchurch lives on, run by their little brother Justin, and has expanded and continues to attract new customers.
For Julie and Amy, the idea for a book was sparked in 2012 when one day Julie was on the phone with their mother, expressing her uncertainty of what to do after graduation, and Amy was facing similar questions. "Mom said that we are always very welcome to join the family business, but I said, 'I want something bigger'," Julie recalls.
As the girls loved food so much, they decided that instead of returning to the food cart, they would write a book to share their passion for food with a wider audience, with the potential to open a restaurant, or open a branded chain store offering food from their favorite recipes to more people around the world.
In 2013, they entered a competition hosted by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, cooking hoisin chicken with rice, and won second place. Through this experience they came into contact with a book agent who has supported them through The Dumpling Sisters book project. Oliver himself contributed a book blurb: "The Dumpling Sisters are super cute, they know how to cook, they've got good flavors goin' on!"
"We want to make Chinese food accessible to every family, but at the same time allow them to cook authentic Chinese food instead of a simplified version of it, because we think it can be done," Amy says.
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