INFO
| Name | Por Pors Cookbook |
| Also known as | Por Pors Cookbook: Home cooking through the generations since Chinese Women settled in New Zealand over the last 100 years |
| Writer(s) | Carolyn King |
| Type of Text | Recipe book |
| Artform | Literature |
ABOUT
Por Pors Cookbook is a collection of 140 recipes connected to the life stories of 15 Chinese women aged 65 to 88. The women profiled in the book include: Mary Shum, Elsie Wong, Kum Ming Wah, Winnie Ann Lay, Dolly Jack, Moy Leong, Marjory Lowe, Helen Ding, Mo Ching To, Marjory Leung, Jenny Agnew, Rosana Ng, Connie Kum, Kathleen Ngan and Ivy Wong. ‘Por por’ (婆婆) is the Chinese name for maternal grandmothers and is used in the book as an endearing term for all grandmothers.
The author, Carolyn King, is a retired dietitian from Ashburton and wrote the book as a tribute “to all these great women for their fine contribution to the New Zealand society.”
The women, who are all Cantonese, spoke about their relationship with language, gender roles, marriage, education, special occasions, their careers, community, wellness and leisure, against the backdrop of Pākehā society.
King began her research in 2010, testing and trying out recipes. Each por por that she visited provided two to three recipes through an oral history. She said there was no documentation of recipes to refer to because Chinese cooks passed on their knowledge by show and tell. The book is organised by categories of dishes, including soups, egg, tofu, seafood, poultry, meats, vegetables, rice, noodles, snack meals, and sweet treats.
The recipes tell a diasporic story, often using alternatives for ingredients that would be more difficult to source in New Zealand. For example, the author’s favourite recipe, beetroot kow yuk (steamed pork), is traditionally made with taro or bamboo shoots rather than beetroot, but was adapted by early Chinese settlers. The book also shares methods using non-traditional equipment such as rice cookers and microwaves.
Journalist Margaret Angew said the work is “an important link to the culinary past and present of our multi-generational New Zealand-Chinese community.” Past National President of the New Zealand Chinese Association, Kuan Meng Goh, commended the depth of exploration on the relationship between food and health.
Funded by the Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust, the book was self-published and launched in Dunedin, Auckland, Ashburton, Wellington, Napier, Christchurch, Paraparaumu, and Levin.
In the 2023 Re:News series, Sik Fan Lah!, King teaches host Nathan Joe how to make beetroot kow yuk from the cookbook.
