Verna Gao

An evening to celebrate Lunar New Year with Verna Gao of @vernahungrybanana.

Do you love tastes of Taiwanese Fried Chicken, Express Laksa, Mapo Tofu, Kimchi Fried Rice and Steamed Baos and other punchy dishes?

Have You Eaten? is Verna Gao's debut cookbook, filled with vibrant, Asian-inspired recipes that are super fresh and packed with flavour. Easy to make and delectable to eat, there’s something for every occasion; whether you want to slurp fragrant, spicy noodles in a matter of minutes, sink into a soothing bowl of congee, or share a round of vegan baos or dumplings.

‘Have you eaten?’ is a question commonly asked in Asian culture when you first greet someone; the answer will not only let you know if your friends or loved ones are hungry, but also how they are feeling. These three words also epitomise what cooking means to Verna; they are an expression of love, a way of working out if a bowl of something comforting can help improve a mood or circumstance. In Verna’s words, ‘to me and many others, food always makes life better.’

Verna believes most of the time we decide what to eat based on how we are feeling; with chapters curated for every kind of mood, from Simplicity and Peace, Finding Balance, Food for Comfort, Food for
reminiscing to Sharing the Love, discover recipes guaranteed to satisfy.

Verna’s tips for store cupboard staples, and quick recipes for home-made condiments, pickles and sauces like Easy Chilli Oil and The Ultimate Dumpling Sauce, mean a tasty meal is only ever minutes away.

Verna Gao is a content creator and influencer, known as @vernahungrybanana to over half a million followers across TikTok and Instagram. Verna was born in Shanghai in the 1990s and moved to London in 2003 to live with her dad and stepmom after her parents’ divorce. Emotionally vulnerable and speaking very little English, Verna used cooking as a means of staying connected to her Chinese heritage and bonding with her father, who became the increasingly enthusiastic recipient of her culinary creativity.

After leading an impromptu crash course in university to teach friends how to cook “real Chinese food” and a stint travelling all over East Asia collecting recipes and expanding her foodie horizons, lockdown gave Verna the opportunity to share her cooking with the world. In three years, @vernahungrybanana has become the UK’s go-to platform for Asian food inspiration.