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.

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.