Ying Chang Compestine, Chinese-American author, on her graphic novel Chinese cookbook

Ying Chang Compestine often explained the names of Chinese dishes to American friends. Then she hit upon a fun way to do so in a cookbook

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Prolific author Ying Chang Compestine, who was written a graphic novel Chinese cookbook with illustrations by UK-based artist Vivian Truong. Photo: Instagram/yingchangcompestine

Published: 4:15pm, 30 Jan 2025

Whether it is Ants Climbing a Tree, Buddha Jumps over the Wall or a recipe whose name translates to “Ignored by Doggy Stuffed Buns”, some Chinese dishes are notable for their quirky names, as well as their savoury flavours.

Luckily, Ying Chang Compestine, a Lafayette, California-based author who grew up in Wuhan, China, is here to demystify the frequently hilarious backstories behind these dishes and teach you how to cook them in a forthcoming cookbook in graphic novel form.

Written by Compestine, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, and Other Curiously Named Classic Chinese Dishes: A Graphic Cookbook – 26 Recipes & Stories is illustrated by Vivian Truong and set for release on March 4.

Compestine is the prolific, award-winning author of more than two dozen books, including novels for children and young adults, such as the critically lauded Revolution is not a Dinner Party and her recent Growing Up Under a Red Flag, both set during China’s Cultural Revolution.

She has penned several cookbooks, too, as well as children’s books that straddle genres. A Banquet for Hungry Ghosts, for example, serves up an eight-course feast of frightening ghost tales and their recipes.