PrintRecommended Chinese Cookbooks?
For my birthday I am thinking of going on a cookbook splurge. Specifically, I am looking for cookbooks on everyday Chinese cooking. I am definitely buying Fuchsia Dunlop's and Kylie Kwong's books, but am eager to hear more recommendations. Particularly any good Cantonese cookbooks. Thanks!
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12 Comments:
if you love the classics:
-The Key to Chinese Cooking (Irene Kuo)
-Everybody's Wokking (Martin Yan)
-The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking (Barbara Tropp)
my current new favs:
The Shun Lee Cookbook (Michael Tong)
Kylie Kwong - Simple Chinese Cooking
China Modern - Ching He Huang
Steamy Kitchen at 6:22PM on 09/28/07
I think The Breath of a Wok would be a great addition to your collection.
Alaina Browne at 6:24PM on 09/28/07
thanks guys! now i have to narrow it down to five books...
mlo at 2:55AM on 09/29/07
An old standby for me was "1001 chinese recipies" -
I had to purchase a paperback of it when it was re-released because my mother would not part with her copy.
exvaxman at 11:15AM on 09/29/07
My sisters use the Wei Chuan cookbooks, which are pretty cheap. I've been told that they are very good on technique. The translations might throw you off a little bit, though. Recipes are in Chinese and English.
toastykitten at 11:43AM on 09/29/07
I have, and use three books by Ken Hom
Quick and Easy Chinese Cooking
Ken Hom's Chinese Kitchen
Easy Family Dishes -A memoir with recipes
Another favorite is by Celia Sun Yung Chiang-The Mandarin Way
It's as much story as cookbook - Mme.Chiang owned a restaurant in San Francisco's Ghirardelli Square. Fabulous Food and good atmosphere. Ruth Reichl has written about her
For Dim Sum- neat old book -maybe out of print: Dim Sum by Rhoda Yee.
suegsf at 10:21PM on 09/29/07
My favorite Chinese Cookbook is called My Grandmother's Chinese Kitchen by Yin-Fei Lo. It is amazing (her other book is good too, but more like an encyclopedia). It reminds me of my Chinese grandparents and is so helpful when I want to do something traditional (like Chinese New Year).
lola27 at 12:11AM on 09/30/07
My mom is Chinese, but I never took the time to learn to cook from her. Now that I'm in school and far away, I really regret it! Peanut butter sandwiches are novel for only a short time. So thank you everyone, for your suggestions!
mlo at 2:51AM on 09/30/07
Irene Kuo, Celia Chiang (who has a new book btw), and, especially, Ken Hom's "Chinese Kitchen" are great for Chinese-American food and the kind of Cantonese-style standards that many of us in the U.S. grew up eating. And both the Chiang and the Hom are wonderful reading as well.
I'm also a big fan of Barbara Tropp's first book, and of the wonderful "Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen," by Grace Young (which taught me about deglazing with mushroom-soaking liquid, a killer technique). I haven't cooked from Fuschia Dunlop yet, but I am eager to.
maggiesara at 9:23PM on 10/01/07
i'll have to try that mushroom water trick. it just looks so scary that i usually dump it!
mlo at 10:59AM on 10/03/07
What do you folks think of Fuschia Dunlop? She has written two books: Land of Plenty (Sichuan) and Revolutionary Chinese Cookbooks (Hunan).
PattyCho at 9:49AM on 10/04/07
The Breath Of A Wok is probably the best Chinese cookbook I own.
Fushia Dunlop's two books are both great, but her Revelutionary cookbook is better than the first.
schlake at 10:28AM on 10/04/07