No comments about Chinese Vegetable and Vegetarian Cooking.

2 comments about Eileen Yin-Fei Lo's New Cantonese Cooking.

1. This isn't a dense collection of recipes. I am buying all of the author's books because she's an authentic Sun Tak chef.
   
   
   In my opinion, acquiring all of the author's cookbooks first before buying the other English language Chinese cookbooks makes an important foundation to understanding what you eat in America and how the food is cooked at home. Then proceed to the other cookbooks and hopefully to eating the more elaborate levels of Chinese cooking. I didn't pick up the author's cookbooks until very recently and only after learning that the author is from Sun Tak. I wish I had bought her books long ago.



2. One of the challenges of cooking authentic asian cuisine is finding the right ingredients. You need a good asian market, of course, but you also need to know what to look for, how to choose, etc. This cookbook describes the ingredients in great detail so your trips to the market can be productive. And the recipes are great.

No comments about Chinese Cuisine 2.

No comments about Iron Chef Chen's Knockout Chinese.

3 comments about Very Very Vegetarian.

1. This cookbook is very, very bad. The recipes are really unappetizing. There is a picture given with every recipe, but all of the food looks gross. I have been a vegetarian for 12 years and LOVE Chinese food, but this cookbook is the pits. This cookbook seems to cater to vegetarians that still crave the taste of meat. Most of the recipes call for fake pork (gross) or chicken, fish(eel, cuttlefish even). Do not invest in this cookbook.



2. I was anticipating receiving this book, as I enjoy vegetarian food and don't mind meat substitutes, but was disappointed to find that almost all of the recipes call for "prepared" Asian meat substitutes (vegetarian cuttlefish, dried gluten balls etc.) that are nearly *impossible* to find, even online, it seems. Perhaps if one lived in a city that has a *large* Asian population and well stocked groceries, it wouldn't be a problem. I cook Asian and ethnic foods quite a bit, and my local Asian grocery is quite good, but I've never encountered any of these. Perhaps some could be substituted with TVP or similar, but the descriptions of the meat subs are so vague ("vegetarian meat," "vegetarian meat chunks" with corresponding pictures that really don't resemble anything I've ever seen before) that I would be afraid to try. I am familiar with the Wei Chuan cook books and realize that most already assume that you know something about what you're doing, but this one is particularly vague. So, I would really skip this book unless you have access to these unusual items (which frankly, sound very good and I would like to try!)



3. I thought since I live in an area with a large Asian population that I would enjoy this book, but that is far from the case. Not only it is the smallest of the Wei Chuan books, it has some nasty Western recipes in there as well. Simple is better. Why didn't they put more vegetable recipes like steamed Chinese brocoli with vegetarian oyster sauce? Instead they have a positively putrid recipe for potato salad and even vegarian hamburger! It's not worth $7.95 or $12 with shipping. They need to redo the recipes, do more things with tofu, and even some brown rice clay pot recipes. I can't find very many recipes which I would make.

1 comments about Ken Hom's Asian Ingredients: A Guide With Recipes.

1. If you're new to the fascinating but somewhat arcane world of Chinese cooking, this is the book for you. This lavishly illustrated book explains the cusine's most exotic ingredients (cloud ears, bok choy, szechewan peppercorns and much more) in a way that's accessable to the uninitiated. Also included are invaluable explanations of Chinese cooking techniques (red cooking, stir-frying, steaming) and a short section of recipes. Even if you've never picked up a wok before, this book will have you cooking like a pro in no time. Especially valuable is the book's small size, which makes it perfect for trips to the Chinese grocery, which can otherwise be more than a little intimidating for newbies. Hom explains what brands to buy, and which to avoid (soy sauce from Singapore is lousy). My dishes have improved 1000% since I starting using the authentic ingredients. With this book as your guide you can't go wrong. Enjoy!

No comments about Chinese Pavilion: Casual Chinese Cooking at Home.

No comments about CHINESE VEGETARIAN COOKING.

No comments about Recipes: Chinese Cooking.

No comments about Dim Sum and Chinese One-Dish Meals (Great American cooking schools).