The New Classic Chinese Cookbook Review
This cookbook has some excellent recipes. I've made five or six of them with very good results (some of them more than once).
To get good results with the stir-fry dishes, you must usually use the restaurant secret mentioned on p. 17 (blanching in oil, sometimes referred to as velveting) which makes the meat tender, and provides a nice glazed look to the finished dish. Unfortunately, this technique is not called for in the individual recipes, but is, nonetheless, a very crucial step. This secret is omitted by many, if not most, Chinese cookbooks, however, so I wouldn't fault the author too much.
Many of the dishes can be prepared with ingredients available in most supermarkets (Hoisin Sauce, Dark Soy Sauce, Light Soy Sauce, Oyster Sauce, Sesame Oil, Dry Sherry, Five-Spice Powder, etc.), but for a number of recipes, you will need to venture to an Asian market to get things such as Sichuan Peppercorns, Ground Bean Paste, Spicy Bean Paste, Sweet Bean Paste, Shaoxing Rice Wine, and other "exotic" ingredients. This is good, however, since getting authentic results is often impossible with many of the Americanized substitutions advocated by many lesser cookbooks.
Overall, I'd say this is a very good cookbook. I am sure there is a better Chinese food tutorial out there, however, so I am holding back one star. No photographs.
The New Classic Chinese Cookbook Overview
From the inspiration of a 5,000-year-old culture comes "The New Chinese Cookbook", a collection of more than 200 carefully detailed recipes which represent the best-loved dishes from Peking, Szechwan, Hunan, Canton, Fukien, and Kiangsu--all of which have been adapted for American kitchens and dietary concerns. Line drawings.
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