Difficult for the novice, but an enriching book!, July 13, 2000

By 

Alex J. Avriette “Alex Avriette” (Arlington, Virginia USA) –

  

My chinese girlfriend (I’m just a “white guy”) and I have decided to start cooking chinese. She has experience with some of the dishes and techniques, my experience is is limited to knowing how to make stir-fry in a wok.

This book offers no-nonsense approaches to traditional chinese dishes. No corners are cut, everything is the way the author thinks it should be (and who am I to argue?).

Novice cooks beware: this book is not for you!

It is a beautiful book. The art with which it was put together is stunning.

Technically, it is outstanding. With illustrations and pictures of the techniques, commentary on proper techniques and cultural commentary.

We are having great fun with it already.

If you know how to cook, and can build up enough courage to go and make Peking Duck, this book is definitely for you.

Chinese cooking is fantastic. This book makes a worthy addition to any intermediate – advanced kitchen.

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]]> https://recipetrezor.com/the-chinese-kitchen-recipes-techniques-ingredients-history-and-memories-from-americas-leading-authority-on-chinese-cooking/comment-page-1/#comment-1382 Wed, 18 May 2011 10:21:41 +0000 https://recipetrezor.com/the-chinese-kitchen-recipes-techniques-ingredients-history-and-memories-from-americas-leading-authority-on-chinese-cooking/#comment-1382

A First Rate Cookbook, January 6, 2001

I bought this book for my husband for Christmas and we can’t stop cooking from it! Every recipe we’ve tried has been delicious and authentic. While we are not novice cooks, we knew little about Chinese ingredients and next to nothing about Chinese cooking techniques. But the recipes are so clear and easy to follow, that once we stocked our pantry, we were producing wonderful tasting and visually pleasing dishes that put our neighborhood Chinese restaurants to shame.

Although the recipes generally require a fairly long list of ingredients (it is not unusual to need a few different types of soy sauce and vinegar), and you will need access to a good Asian market, you will be able to use the ingredients you buy in many different dishes. The book opens up a new world of flavors and textures, and the author manages to inform and entertain with information on Chinese history and culture along the way.

This is one of the best cookbooks I’ve purchased, and I buy a lot of cookbooks. Highly recommended.

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]]> https://recipetrezor.com/the-chinese-kitchen-recipes-techniques-ingredients-history-and-memories-from-americas-leading-authority-on-chinese-cooking/comment-page-1/#comment-1381 Wed, 18 May 2011 09:45:35 +0000 https://recipetrezor.com/the-chinese-kitchen-recipes-techniques-ingredients-history-and-memories-from-americas-leading-authority-on-chinese-cooking/#comment-1381

This is what Chinese food REALLY tastes like, October 4, 2000

By 

Christina C. Shankar “Chris NY” (Chestnut Ridge, NY USA) –

  

When you make these wonderful dishes, you will know what Chinese food really tastes like, not the brown garlic-ginger tasting stuff you get at a take-out place around the corner. This cuisine has everything going for it – a heavy reliance on vegetables, using meat in a supporting role, and healthful cooking techniques like stir frying and steaming.

The author has very thoughtfully created a glossary with the names of culinary exotica in both English and Chinese characters, so that I can make a copy of the page, point like an idiot at the words for my friends at the Asian market and they will show it to me.

The recipes ALL WORK. I cannot tell you how satisfying it is to pick up a cookbook, place my time and ingredients and trust in the author’s hands and have a wonderful meal to show for it. Trust this author. She will teach you, entertain you, and you will know how marvelous real Chinese food is. It would take an active campaign of sabotage to ruin one of her recipes, they are so easy to follow. (but then again, I really like cooking.) This is a cookbook that I will simply never part with, and I will use until its pages are stained with soy sauce and fall out. The recipe alone for Mah Gu Gai Pin is worth the price of the book.

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