How Top Chef Unlocked Melissa King’s Cooking

Dressed-up sweet potatoes, lettuce wraps like Mom would make, and more from Melissa King’s new book.

Melissa King’s new book, Cook Like a King (Bookshop here), balances cheffy flourishes with the kind of food she makes for friends—when we hopped on the call for this week’s podcast conversation, Melissa said she’d just cooked a big pot of pozole, but she often opts for meatballs that can sit at a low simmer on the stove.

“I’m always thinking,” she says, “how can I have the food ready to go so that I’m not jumping between the kitchen and the living room when I’m entertaining, so I can just, like, hang out with my friends?”

I ask Melissa about the differences between that kind of cooking at home vs. what it’s like when you’re cooking on TV. During Top Chef, she says, “You're completely in the dark the whole way through, which in a way is the fun part of the game…In a way, it pushes your creativity to bloom in a way that you just would not have ever expected.”

She says that the process “unlocked this part of my creative brain, and it allowed me to create and take risks in my cooking and, in a way, to cook rather unapologetically.”

For Melissa, that meant tapping into childhood memories. “I used to keep it so separate,” she explains, “Cantonese cooking at home, and then the sort of French, Italian cooking that I was doing in my career in all these Michelin kitchens.” Cook Like a King brings it all together.

There’s plenty in this book that feels worthy of a special occasion: her signature lobster wontons in yuzu broth, the swordfish au poivre. But Melissa’s weeknight favorites are here, too, like the savory lettuce wraps inspired by her mother’s version.

You’ll find the full recipe below—along with a fluffy Japanese sweet potato, slathered with honey-sweetened miso and tahini and broiled until bubbly, then topped with crunchy walnuts, briny olives, and sesame seeds.

But first, I have a favor to ask. Wherever you do your podcast listening—whether that’s Apple Podcasts or Pocket Casts or Spotify something else—can you hit “follow” on the show? That’s a really crucial way that you can make sure that The Dinner Plan keeps coming your way.

Win a copy of Cook Like a King

Thanks to my friends at Ten Speed Press (who published my books as well!), I have a copy of Cook Like a King to send to one of you.

There are two ways to enter:

1. Make sure you’re signed up as a paid subscriber to this newsletter by end of day Sunday, September 28, 2025. That’s all you need to do, though leaving a comment and hitting that ❤️ at the bottom of this post will make my day.

2. While becoming a paid subscriber is a the best way to keep these conversations flowing—and I really, really appreciate every single person who opts in to support The Dinner Plan—free subscribers can enter the giveaway by sending in a “what’s in my kitchen” voice memo for potential inclusion on the podcast. Just follow the instructions here by end of day Sunday, September 28.

Giveaway winner will be alerted by Substack DM and email—be sure to check your messages!

U.S. and Canada addresses only, 18+. Giveaway not sponsored or administered by Substack. Ends September 28, 2025. This newsletter includes affiliate links—sometimes I’ll receive a commission from your purchase that’ll help to support The Dinner Plan.

Melissa mentioned:

Jenny Goycochea-Marker’s Pork Pozole Verde (So Much Food)
Gold Plum Chinkiang Black Vinegar
IG video: Salt-Baked Fish
IG video: Ginger scallion sauce
IG video: Mama Mel’s Meatballs
IG video: Miso Baba Ghanoush
Chili Crisp Labneh (Eat Your Books subscribers only, sorry)
Nini Nguyen’s Dặc Biệt (Bookshop here)
April Bloomfield’s A Girl and Her Pig (Used on Alibris here)
Karen Akunowicz’s Crave (Bookshop here)
Josh Niland’s The Whole Fish Cookbook (Bookshop here)
Restaurants: Theodora (Brooklyn) / Penny (East Village)

From the ad break:

Thanks for using these links and discount codes—it lets advertisers know we sent you!

• Fast Growing Trees: Head to FastGrowingTrees.com/dinnerplan and use code DINNERPLAN for 15% off your first purchase of $100+. (Additional terms and conditions may apply)

• Made In Cookware: Head to madein.cc/dinnerplan to unlock your discount offer

• Saturday Sauce: Enter code DINNERPLAN20 for 20% off when you purchase two jars of Saturday Sauce.

• Franklin Farms Organic Tofu

Maggie mentioned:

Momofuku’s Bo Ssam
Fuji Apple Salad With Kimchi (excerpted from Momofuku)
Yuzu Co. Super Juice
Helen Goh’s Baking and the Meaning of Life (Bookshop here)

---

A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR

Franklin Farms Organic Tofu is carefully crafted using organic, non-GMO ingredients for endless protein-packed, plant-based possibilities. Whether you’re stir-frying, crisping in a pan, grilling, or blending, there’s a tofu for every recipe. The lineup includes Pressed Firm, Extra Firm, Medium Firm, Firm, and Silken Tofu. Stock up on Franklin Farms Organic Tofu wherever you shop.

---

Photo: Ed Anderson

Pork Lettuce Wraps

Excerpted with permission from Cook Like a King, copyright © 2025 by Melissa King. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group A division of Penguin Random House LLC.

I love Chinese lettuce wraps. If they’re from P.F. Chang’s, even better. Best of all, though, are my mom’s. When she made them, it felt like a special occasion. I’d wash the lettuce while she laboriously peeled fresh water chestnuts with a paring knife and then stir- fried them with ground pork in a hoisin-forward sauce. Mine are modeled after hers and feature the same nostalgic combo of warm sweet-savory filling and chilled crisp lettuce, though here jicama offers the juicy crunch of water chestnuts without the work.

My mom used iceberg, though pretty red leaf or tender Bibb are also welcome. When I’m feeling fancy, I’ll trim the floppy edges of each leaf to make perfectly round lettuce cups. Then I’ll chop those edges and fold them into the meat mixture at the last minute so that no lettuce goes to waste.

Serves 4 to 6

Ground Pork:
1 pound ground pork (preferably 20% fat)
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
1 tablespoon Chinese light soy sauce
1 teaspoon Chinese dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Dash of ground white pepper or a few turns of black pepper

Sauce:
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
2 tablespoons Chinese oyster sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese light soy sauce
2 teaspoons white sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Dash of ground white pepper or a few turns of black pepper

Assembly:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup finely diced yellow onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 by 1-inch knob ginger, peeled and finely grated on a Microplane
1 cup finely diced fresh shiitake mushrooms
2 cups diced (¼-inch) peeled jicama
Handful of cilantro (leaves and stems), finely chopped
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 head iceberg lettuce, cored, leaves separated, and chilled
Hoisin sauce, for drizzling

1. Prepare the ground pork: In a medium mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well. Set aside for 15 minutes to allow the pork to absorb the flavors.

2. Make the sauce: In a small mixing bowl, stir together the sauce ingredients until smooth. Set aside.

3. To assemble: Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat until it smokes lightly, about 2 minutes. Add the canola oil, swirl to coat the pan, and let the oil shimmer.

4. Add the ground pork mixture and cook, stirring, occasionally and breaking up clumps with a wok spatula, until the meat is caramelized, 6 to 7 minutes.

5. Stir in the onion, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Stir in the mushrooms and cook until softened, about 2 minutes.

6. Add the jicama and the sauce and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes, so the meat can absorb the sauce. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro and scallions (or serve them on the side).

7. Serve with the lettuce leaves for wrapping and more hoisin sauce for drizzling.

Photo: Ed Anderson

Roasted Japanese Sweet Potato With Olives, Walnuts, and Miso-Tahini

Excerpted with permission from Cook Like a King, copyright © 2025 by Melissa King. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group A division of Penguin Random House LLC.

The Japanese sweet potato is my top tuber and is pretty perfect on its own. Street vendors around Japan and Hong Kong simply roast them over hot coals to celebrate their fluffy, sugary interiors. At home, I bake them until completely tender and the skins are a bit crisp. Then I slather them with a creamy, nutty miso-tahini, brûlée them under the broiler until bubbling and caramelized, and top them with briny Kalamata olives and crunchy walnuts.

Serves 4

4 Japanese sweet potatoes (about 8 ounces each), scrubbed and washed well
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Diamond Crystal kosher salt and finely ground black pepper
½ cup well-stirred tahini
¼ cup shiro (white) miso
2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup
¼ cup water
½ cup pitted Kalamata olives, roughly chopped
1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
Flaky sea salt

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Use a fork to prick the skin about 8 times all around each potato. Put the potatoes on a large piece of foil, rub each potato with 1 teaspoon of the oil, and season generously with salt and pepper. Cover with another piece of foil and wrap the potatoes tightly in a package.

3. Transfer to a sheet pan and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the top piece of foil, flip the potatoes, and continue to bake until the skins brown and crisp slightly and you can insert and remove a sharp knife with no resistance, 30 to 40 minutes more. Remove from the oven.

4. Preheat the broiler with a rack 2 to 4 inches from the heat source. In a medium bowl, whisk together the tahini, miso, honey, water, and a pinch of salt until it’s smooth.

5. Split the potatoes lengthwise, return them to the foil- lined sheet pan cut-sides up, then slather on the miso- tahini. Broil until bubbling and charred in spots, 2 to 3 minutes.

6. Serve topped with the olives and walnuts, sprinkled with sesame seeds, flaky salt, and black pepper, and drizzled with olive oil.