Customer Reviews:
An outstanding contribution to culinary literature.......2006-08-12
This comprehensive work has been considered a classic ever since it was first published nearly three decades ago. Mrs. Kuo, a master chef and veteran restaurateur, clearly explains the basic techniques of Chinese cuisine, enabling her readers to understand how and why they are utilized. The more than 300 recipes, which range from simple everyday dishes to banquet creations, are imbued with the "teaching presence" of the author. Although many volumes on the subject have appeared over the years, "The Key to Chinese Cooking" still remains an essential resource.
Also recommended: "The Complete Asian Cookbook," by Charmaine Solomon.
One of the Best Chinese Cookbooks-get this one!.......2006-02-19
My book is from 1977, and I have photocopied recipes to give to others, as it's still out of print.
I like it's treatment of each recipe..A recipes may start with background history, the ingredients are next, and the directions are very clear, telling you how to cook by knowing when a "cooking stage" is met, that is, when something is browned, another is blackened..it isn't just a "2 minutes" and on to the next stage.
Substitutions are listed, and the recipes do not have an excessive number of ingredients, so a trip to a regular grocery store, and an infrequent visit to an Asian store are all that's needed.
Ms Kuo gives many cooking "pearls" among the many recipes...these are helpful in French, or Argentinian cooking for example, not just limited to Chinese/Asian cooking. Even hints on how to reheat leftovers the next day is given...nice!
Get this for a great introduction to ways to cut and prepare foods, and learn in the opening chapters much about cooking in oil, cooking in liquids, and cooking with dry or wet heat.
It has recipes with Szechuan peppercorns...which were "outlawed" until just 2005, so Chinese afficionados will be delighted to have one more "real" ingredient to cook with. Get the "seeded" rather than the "whole" ones, as she points out "the flavor and the aroma come only from the petal-like husks". (The seeds are gritty and undesireable.)
When mincing or chopping, she recommends wetting the cleaver's blade to keep food from sticking...she has a chapter just on the different ways to cut, tenderize, chop...just about any food! Makes one realize why many chefs prefer just a medium weight cleaver for 95% of their work, over an array of varied specialized shaped knives.
This book had over 500 pages of great recipes and wonderful instruction...buy this...this is a keeper!
Absolutely the Best Chinese Cookbook Ever Written.......2004-06-06
The eleven other reviews of this remarkable book (as of early June, 2004) all give this book 5 stars, an equally remarkable achievement. As one of those eleven people said, this is truly the Julia Child of Chinese cookbooks. I've been using it now since 1978 and there are still hundreds of recipes I haven't tried because the ones that I *have* cooked are so wonderful that I go back to them time after time. Most of the recipes are reasonably simple, with ingredients that can be found in even the most modest Asian market, or even in a Safeway these days, but some of them are a lot easier to make if you live in San Francisco (as I did for a number of years) and can find *everything* she calls for without undue trouble.
If I were marooned for life on a well-stocked desert island, this would be one of my two cookbooks, Julia being the other one. As wonderful as Italian food is, and as great as Marcella Hazen's Italian cookbook is, Chinese cuisine (with its many regional diversities) is far richer and with far more subtleties -- only French cuisine is its equal. Haunt the used book stores, or on-line sources, and try to get this unparalleled book.
How I learned to cook Chinese.......2002-02-18
In the mid-eighties I had a job that allowed me to get home at 5pm. I used Irene Kuo's book to learn to cook Chinese. Not only are the recipes great, but the book is highly educational. I found it particularly useful to shop for the right ingredients.
Oneof my favorites is crab and corn soup. Overall, it's one of my "top 10 all time" cookbooks.
Best, most authentic, very thorough Chinese cookbook.......2002-01-29
... I was thrilled to find a used copy. I have been making the food from my Chinese childhood, and yes, the recipes make dishes that taste exactly how I remembered everything. Her instructions are clearly-written and concise.
Book Description
Authentic recipes and fascinating tales from one of China's most vibrant culinary regions.
Fuchsia Dunlop is the author of the much-loved and critically acclaimed Sichuanese cookbook Land of Plenty, which won the British Guild of Food Writers' Jeremy Round Award for best first book and which critic John Thorne called "a seminal exploration of one of China's great regional cuisines." Now, with Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook, she introduces us to the delicious tastes of Hunan, Chairman Mao's home province.
Hunan is renowned for the fiery spirit of its people, its beautiful scenery, and its hearty peasant cooking. In a selection of classic recipes interwoven with a wealth of history, legend, and anecdote, Dunlop brings to life this vibrant culinary region. Look for late imperial recipes like Numbing-and-Hot Chicken, Chairman Mao's favorite Red-Braised Pork, soothing stews, and a myriad of colorful vegetable stir-fries. 65 color illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
A 'must' for any serious collection offering Chinese cookbooks beyond one or two basics........2007-07-08
The tastes and influence of the Hunan region of China are fully explored in Fuchsia Dunlop's Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook, which provides over a hundred dishes easy to make and accompanied by color photos and stories from the province. Dishes come with historical introduction, many a cultural insight, and the author's own experiences discovering and cooking the dish: all these factors make for a fine and well-rounded cookbook which goes far beyond the usual light Hunan coverage to probe the depth of Chinese culture and cuisine, making it a 'must' for any serious collection offering Chinese cookbooks beyond one or two basics.
Worthy successor to "Land of Plenty".......2007-06-10
Ms. Dunlop continues to amaze and delight with her second book. The current tome educates the reader in the disciplines of cooking (as well as) ancient Chinese history (Appendix: the Main Chinese Dynasties), language (Appendix: Glossary of Chinese Characters) and contemporary history (revolutionarily centric). Echos of David, Grigson and Fisher resonate. [Not unsurprising considering her Cantabrixian education! (superb bibliography)] I haven't yet tried any of the recipes, so cannot vouch for their efficacy - but, they have a good feel about them. Will become a classic by aficionados.
One of the best cookbooks.......2007-04-05
This is one of the best cookbooks I own. I received the book as a gift and I use it everyday.
Breathtaking, authentic, scholarly, beautiful.......2007-03-13
I cherish my copy of Dunlop's _Land of Plenty_, and had eagerly awaited this new book. I've cooked 15 or so recipes from this book so far, and all of them have been perfectly successful. My favorite so far is her rendition of red-cooked pork (Chairman Mao's Red-Braised Pork), and some others I've made which were wonderful were her Tiger-Skin Steamed Pork, Beef Slivers with Coriander, her unctuous & delectable Steamed Eggs, and a delicious dish of stir-fried baby greens & shrimp. Ooh, and another extraordinarily delicious dish: Stir-fried Zucchini with Salty Duck Egg Yolks. Yum!
I think that _Land of Plenty_ is still her best book, but this is a close second. The essays in _Land of Plenty_, for instance, are just superb, particularly the one about tea.
I'm wishing this cook & author a LONG life so she can continue to explore the food & food culture of China, and write many more books to share her learning with us.
Even Better than Her First Chinese Cookery Book!.......2007-03-02
I enjoyed her first cookbook on Sichuan cookery, Land of Plenty, and I like this second book on Hunan cookery even more, with even more helpful beautiful photos. As far as portion sizes, she states "all recipes serve two people with one or two other dishes and rice, or four people, with 3 or 4 other dishes and rice".
The Sichuan and Hunan cuisines differ from each other as New Orleans Southern food differs from South Carolina Southern cuisine, and yet both of Dunlop's cuisines are clearly hotter and spicier "Chinese" to our tastes. Hunan folks are said to like food with chilies "fire-hot-hot" whereas Sichuan's dominant style is a mix of chili hot and the peculiar "mouth numbing", from the Sichuan "peppercorns".
The Hunan recipes in this Revolutionary Cookbook are straightforward, nearly all ingredients can be obtained from a local Chinese or Asian grocery store. The only one I can't find is "purple perilla", for which Asian basil is not quite a substitute. Not a problem.
The 120 recipe instructions are for preparing simple, straightforward "comfort food", and the food comes out tasting very good. It's lighter, and not gooey, like the cornstarch-laden Americanized Chinese food.
Delights include: Spicy steamed pork buns, BBQ'd lamb chops, Changde Clay-bowl chicken, yellow cooked salt cod in chili sauce, with most fish dishes steamed. Try Chairman Mao's red braised pork, or one of it's 7 supplied variations. I think Ms. Dunlop overdoes the Chairman Mao bit, putting his cheery face on many, many pages for no good reason; it contributes little to understanding of him, or of the Hunan cookery. I'd rather have had more beautiful photos of food and other aspects of Chinese culture and people, instead of so many of Mao's images.
Have you had the traditional Hunan dish- "General Tso's Chicken"? Guess again! FYI, She met the accepted creator of this NON-Hunan dish, with added sugar for US tastes, created in the 1970's in New York by Hunan chef Peng Chang-Kuei! And yes, most Hunanese have never tasted this bogus, yet popular dish that is known in the USA as the "quintessential Hunan dish"! To adjust for tastes, she has both a Hunan version, and a USA version of Gerneral Tso's to choose from.
From her first book being shown to a Chinese friend of mine from Chengdu,who cooked from it and proclaimed it "the real thing" I know that Ms. Dunlop's current book is gonna be just as accurate. No, I do not currently have an authentic Hunan friend to vouch for the recipes, and I do not mind, I like what spicy hot things I have cooked so far!
Just as an aside- Her photo is only somewhat kind to her, it is an oldie, and she looks better than that in person. She clearly "knows her stuff"; I recommend meeting/hearing her on her book tour.
Buy this, and buy the Sichuan book, Land of Plenty, and cook and taste authentic Chinese "comfort food" as it tastes in China... It's a lot better than the cornstarch-laden "Chinese" food served in most US restaurants.
I look forward to her next books.
Book Description
Cooking Chinese food at home has truly never been easier--all you need is this book, a wok, and a quick trip to the supermarket
Simple Chinese Cooking offers Kylie Kwong's philosophy of marrying the freshest ingredients and the simplest techniques to create amazing flavor. Kylie grew up devouring the mouthwatering heartiness of her mother's traditional Cantonese cuisine. Armed with the fundamental techniques, she set out to give ancient tradition a modern twist and bring the joys of Chinese cooking to all. Now, people from all over the globe flock to her popular restaurant in Sydney, billy kwong. But in this book, she brings her delicious recipes to Chinese food lovers everywhere.
Simple Chinese Cooking demystifies the preparation of Chinese cuisine—with ingredients that are readily available in any grocery store, and recipes that are friendly and easy-to-follow. From soy sauce chicken and steamed fish fillets with ginger and spring onions, to prawn wonton soup, this book offers delicious everyday meals, as well as dishes that are perfect for entertaining. With succulent 4-color photographs throughout and step-by-step instructional pictures, Simple Chinese Cooking will guide anyone to create a delectable feast.
Customer Reviews:
Easy, accessible and delicious.......2007-10-01
This is my first Amazon purchase and my first Kylie Kwong book. I was very impressed with Kylie's recipes, instructions and photographs, everything about the book is inpiring and makes authentic-tasting Chinese cooking apear much more accessible to those of us who don't regularly visit China-town.
After stocking up on the basic sauces suggested by Kwong (all available at safeway and amazingly cheap), I found that all I needed was meat and fresh vegetables to make almost every recipe in the book. The recipes are also easy to adjust to suit taste, with a number of them inter-changable depending on what ingredients you have on hand.
After working in a country Chinese restaurant for 3 years and becoming thoroughly sick of the sight of commercial Honey Chicken, Kylie Kwong has revived my love for authentic (msg free!) chinese cooking.
An amazing cookbook!.......2007-09-28
I love this cookbook!! Honestly, the recipes are so good they could make anyone into a great Chinese cook. I've made about 6 recipes already and all of them have been spectacular. Thank you, Kylie!
Simply Wonderful.......2007-09-17
I was amazed how beautiful this book is, the pictures are breathtaking and the recipes are so easy. Kylie takes the mystery out of Chinese cooking and allows those of us not Chinese to enjoy those simple home cooked meals that she had while growing up.
In the index Kylie lists all those items she readily has on hand and the uses for each, and also will let you know what can be subsituted if you dont have that particular item on hand.
I would greatly recommend this book to anyone who would like to learn Chinese cooking, those looking for healthy meals or simply looking for a good written cookbook, this one is it.
User friendly and great recipies.......2007-07-07
I found this book to be very well written indeed. As a Chinese I am pretty fussy about Chinese food and I find myself very happy with Kylie's recipes and approach. The stress on fresh ingredients and fresh preparation is the cornerstone to great tasting Asian food, and Kylie imposes that discipline throughout the book. You might want to experiment with sauce proportions- some might want to tweak degree of saltiness and taste. Remember, Chinese food ingredients do not scale up or down linearly, so you need to experiment when scaling up or down a meal. For American readers, you will notice differences in naming cuts of meats and some ingredients- not a big deal, just look it up on the internet. On the whole, a great book and it will continually be a useful reference for me.
Excellent book!.......2007-06-30
First of all, thanks to my dear friend for the birthday present, and second of all, this book is really awesome and simple for non-Chinese people who want to be able to cook healthy, delicious, and fresh Chinese food. As soon as I read it (in the first day!), I went out and bought all the ingredients Kylie recommended. I couldn't find malt vinegar, but I guess I could use brown, black or red, but I'll keep searching. Anyhow, I love Kylie and I always watch her shows over and over. I am so glad that she's taken the best from her shows and incorporated into this lovely book. Now if only I could julienne, I would be happy as a clam!
Amazon.com
Elizabeth David had it easy. All she had to do was eat her way through France and Italy and translate the essence of the encountered cuisines for a ravenous, literate, English-speaking public. Fuschia Dunlop, on the other hand, went to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan in China, where she ended up the first foreign student enrolled at the Sichuan Institute of Higher Cuisine. That was nearly 10 years ago. After annual return visits and endless research she has produced, in English, a magnificent introduction to the food and foodways of Sichuan. She is in every way the dharma inheritor of Elizabeth David.
You too may start to salivate halfway through the introduction to Dunlop's magnificent Land of Plenty: A Treasury of Authentic Sichuan Cooking. Perhaps it begins when she explains xian, "one of the most beautiful words in the Chinese culinary language." It describes an entire range of flavor and sensation, "the indefinable, delicious taste of fresh meat, poultry, and seafood, the scrumptious flavors of a pure chicken soup..." Before you know it you are running headlong into a world of 23 distinct flavors and 56 cooking methods (they are all listed at the end of the book). Sichuan is the place where "barbarian peppers" met up with a natural cornucopia and a literary cooking tradition stretching back to the fifth century A.D. Innovation with cooking technique and new and challenging ingredients remains a hallmark of Sichuan. After describing basic cutting skills and cooking techniques, Dunlop presents her recipes in chapters that include "Noodles, Dumplings, and Other Street Treats"; "Appetizers"; "Meat"; "Poultry"; "Fish"; "Vegetables and Bean Curd"; "Stocks and Soup"; "Sweet Dishes"; and "Hotpot." Yes, you will find Gong Bao (Kung Pao) Chicken with Peanuts--Gong Bao Ji Ding. It's named after a late 19th-century governor of Sichuan, Ding Baozhen, which brought on the wrath of the Cultural Revolution for its imperial associations. Until rehabilitation, the dish was called "fast-fried chicken cubes" or "chicken cubes with seared chilies."
Land of Plenty is literary food writing at its best, as well as a marvelous invitation to new skills and flavors for the home cook. Read it. Cook it. Eat it. And take pleasure in the emerging career of Fuschia Dunlop, a big new voice in the world of food. --Schuyler Ingle
Book Description
The Chinese call the province of Sichuan in southwest China "the land of plenty" and "the place for flavor." Although it is mostly known in the West for its hot-and-spicy dishes, the Chinese love Sichuan food for its inventive use of seasonings and its many styles of preparation. Fuchsia Dunlop immersed herself in Sichuanese cooking and culture for two years, gathering from regional chefs and home cooks a full range of recipes from soups to desserts. She provides glossaries of Sichuan's ingredients and cooking methods, and Chinese characters for and definitions of the twenty-three flavors at the heart of the Sichuanese culinary canon. Equally valuable for novices and experts, Land of Plenty teaches everything from how to wield a cleaver to how to make delicious Kung Pao chicken, offering a unique user-friendly introduction to one of China's richest cuisines. 16 pages of color photographs.
Customer Reviews:
A Must Own.......2007-08-11
The Good:
- Authentic recipes (lots of them). Most of the dishes taste pretty good. The first dish I made was Gong Bao Ji Ding and it was delicious.
- Very nicely written. Instructions were clear and easy to follow. Lots of great info and details about the ingredients and cooking method. The author also provides an interesting background for each dish. You can tell Dunlop is passionate about Sichuanese food.
- Great organization (separated by Noodles, Appetizers, Meat, Fish, etc.)
- No MSG
The Bad:
- Lacks pictures. The pictures were great but I wish there were more. I had to use google to compare my results.
Conclusion:
Overall a great book and easily recommended. Despite the lack of pictures, I still have to rate it 5 stars because of the delicious recipes.
Land of Plenty: A Treasury of Authentic Sichuan Cooking.......2007-07-12
Wonderful cookbook, my husband & I have become exteremly interested in Sichuan Cooking over the past few months and we were very excited to find a cookbook representing the Sichuan style of cooking. We love cooking with Sichuan Peppercorns and the "Hot & Numbing" style of cooking. The first recipe we tried was the Dry Cooked Beef, the recipe was very well written, easy to understand and the end product was yummy. I would recommend this book to any one who is interested in a wonderful and very interesting style of Asian cooking.
Szechuan Peppercorns are available.......2007-05-19
i noticed in the 2003 review that it was stated that US government had banned import of this key component. this ban appears to have been lifted and they can be found online at places like Penzeys
[...]
An excellent book on cooking and culture........2007-05-12
This is an extremely well written book, with careful instructions for making classic Sichuan dishes. Much restaurant and cookbook Chinese cookery of Britain and the USA is Cantonese, with some Peking style and Shanghai variations. The "Szechuan" or "Sichuan" style in most restaurants, without an authentic Sichuanese trained chef, is "watered down" Sichuan or a "hot" Cantonese variant, turning people off to a cuisine they have truly never tried.
My Chinese chef-friend from Chengdu, Capital of Sichuan Province, has looked this book over, cooked several dishes from it for us, and proclaimed it "very very good". I've eaten in Chengdu, and also greatly appreciate the taste of native Sichuan cookery.
For example, "Pork slices with black cloud fungus", a fairly quick and simple stir fry, was the real thing, just as my friend had back in Chengdu. Rehydrate the dried fungus to be moist and still be a touch crunchy, and do not overcook it, or it loses this necessary mild crunchy texture. Feeling a little peckish? Try also Sweet and sour pork, Boiled beef slices in a fiery sauce, Pock marked(Old woman's) Mother Chen's beancurd, hotpot broth (for dipping varied foods), and spicy braised fish with whole garlic. Yum!
Need to learn what true cooking should taste like before cooking on your own? Compare your cookery with kitchens such as Bar Shu, the Sichuan restaurant in London under Miss Dunlop's supervision; some other Sichuan places in England are London's Sichuan Restaurant, and Red Chilli in Manchester.
My friend and my only small complaint/suggestion is that as good as the color photos are, there is a great need to have photos of much more of the dishes in a next edition. (Photos of eight or more dishes can fit on one side of a page, to save costs, and increase variety.) Note, pictures of some dishes can sometimes be found by Googling.
Sichuan peppercorn has been available again in the USA since 2005 at several internet pepper suppliers... it's a truly necessary ingredient for the "numbing" spice's contibution to quite a few authentic dishes. They are dark red, with the inner gritty black seeds removed. Chew one, if it doesn't have a tingling and somewhat numbing sensation on your tongue and lips within a minute, then get a fresher batch elsewhere! Supplies for the other staples can be found at Chinese/Asian suppply stores in larger cities, or from internet suppliers.
Note: Fuchsia Dunlop's cookbook, "Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook: Recipes from Hunan Province", is also a very good book; I tend to prefer this one.
Great book.......2007-03-25
Great book, easy to follow recipes // just wish it had more pictures
Book Description
Until the 1960s, nearly all Chinese food served in the United States was Cantonese. Egg Foo Yung. Barbecued Spareribs. Egg Drop Soup. But with the opening of his Shun Lee restaurants more than forty years ago, Michael Tong and his chefs introduced the spicy regional foods of Sichuan and Hunan and the red-cooked dishes of Shanghai to New Yorkers—and eventually to all of the United States. Crispy Orange Beef. Lake Tung Ting Prawns. Crispy Sea Bass. Dry Sautéed String Beans. Hot and Sour Cabbage. Scallion Pancakes. These dishes originated at Shun Lee, and are now on nearly every Chinese restaurant menu across North America.
Now, in his first cookbook, Tong shares his most popular recipes from the Hunan, Sichuan, and Shanghai regions of China. Who says Chinese food is difficult to prepare at home? With The Shun Lee Cookbook, even novices have nothing to worry about. All the recipes have been tested and modified for home kitchens. If adapting a recipe for the home—like Beijing duck—proved to be impossible, Tong omitted it. The result is a collection of easy-to-make but dazzling dishes. And perhaps the best part is that they can all be made with ingredients found in supermarkets everywhere.
Chinese favorites such as Hot and Sour Soup, Sichuan Boiled Dumplings, Dry Sautéed Green Beans, and Kung Pao Shrimp are included. There are also new dishes such as Peppery Dungeness Crab, Singapore-Style Rice Noodles with Curry, Red-Cooked Beef Short Ribs, and Hunan Lamb with Scallions.
In addition to the recipes The Shun Lee Cookbook includes tips for stocking home pantries with Chinese staples, and there are more than fifty color photographs of the finished dishes throughout.
Why order take-out when you can take home The Shun Lee Cookbook?
Customer Reviews:
A must if you love Chinese food--rarely available recipes.......2007-08-17
This beautifully illustrated and graciously written cookbook is a rarity. Inspiring, tantalizing pictures and easy-to-follow recipes of cuisines I adore (from Sichuan, Hunan and Shanghai)but for which I rarely find recipes. Get it and I assure you, your life will be more delicious...even if you don't cook, you'll drool over the photos.
AMAZING, AUTHENTIC CHINESE RECIPES, EASY TO PREPARE.......2007-05-11
I bought the Shun Lee cookbook when it first came out, since I was familiar with the quality and deliciousness of the food at the restaurant in New York, and have always wanted to learn how to make such amazing chinese food at home.
I am something of a novice chef, especially when it comes to chinese cuisine, and all of the recipies I have prepared have come out amazingly. I made the dry sauteed green beans, lemon chicken, and scallion pancakes for a dinner party of 5, and got rave reviews all around...people couldn't believe I had made the dishes myself! Everyone asked me for the recipes, and a couple of people went out and bought the book. Several of my friends have since tried the recipes at home with similarly fantastic results.
I've also made the dumplings in big batches and kept them in my fridge and prepared them in different ways for dinner all week long (same goes for the cold sesame noodles).
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who ever wanted to be able to make fantastic chinese at home (or pass themselves off as a gourmand to all of their friends).
This cookbook is my go-to for dinner parties and quick, simple, delicious meals during the week.
terrible food.......2007-04-09
I saw the cookbook in Barnes and Nobel and was intrigued, because many of the dishes sound nice but quite foreign to me, a Chinese growing up in China. Anyhow, I decided to check it out at the Shun Lee restaurant at the Lincoln center.
It was horrible. China-one-buffet type food served in fashionably decorated restaurant. The honey spare rib is simply rib roasted in honey, and is borderline acceptable; but the braised duck is a joke, and the twice cooked pork is plain disgusting.
I can accept that they are not genuine Chinese food even though they are claimed to be; but such poor quality is entirely unacceptable.
If this is the best you can get out of the recipes, I certainly wouldn't touch the cook book.
It's about time!.......2007-02-10
Every true New Yorker we know has been dining here for ages and many even have the restaurant's phone numbers saved on speed dial for deliveries! Shun Lee has withstood the test of time and serious food gourmands of this city. It has been a gem to so many who really understand fine dining and know what to look for: quality ingredients, freshness, attentative service, presentation, environment and authenticity. Now with this new cookbook, anyone can try these recipes in the comforts of their own home! It's about time!
Customer Reviews:
Fine Collection and Commentary on Cuisine Influences.......2002-01-24
Taking Chineese, Greek and Roman cooking influences, Smith ofTV fame brings forth an offering which resembles the James Beard books which provide not only great recipes but a running commentary on the culture which produces the food and some experience remembrances by the author.
This is fun cooking and well done. Well representative of the cuisines and done with helpful hints on each.
A workhorse for the cook willing to use it to branch out and experiement in these formative areas of food history. For openers, try Spareribs with Black Beans and Pepper Sauce, Halvah Cake or the Seafood Risotto.
My humble opinion is that Roman cooking is slighted out of the three. See Malto Mario for some great Rome recipes.
My favorite Frugal Gourmet Cookbook.......2001-10-02
This book by Jeff Smith has to be my favorite one that he has written. This book focuses on recipes from China, Greece, and Rome. The recies in this book are flavorful, and very enjoyable. My favorite recipe in here is strangely enough Garlic, Eggs, and Pasta. There is a wide range in recipes, both in flavors and ingredients. Jeff Smith does an excellent job of paring history as well as anecdotes with all of his recipes. This should be a must add for anyone who enjoys historical cooking.
The Greek section outdoes the average Greek home cooking.......1998-10-25
Whenever I entertain my Greek relatives, they are amazed by my flair in their native cooking. Jeff's recipes are easy to follow and make Greek cooking simple.
One of my favorite books! ! !.......1998-05-11
Jeff Smith is on of my favorite authors. I know he is not a renouned one,but his cookbooks are so interesting especially Three Ancient Cusines. If you love different and exotic recipies, then buy this book!!! Chef Marian Thompson
Amazon.com
"The Chinatowns around the world are amazing communities," writes Martin Yan in his Chinatown Cooking, "filled with history, culture, friendship, and of course food." Naturally, in this companion book to his public television series, Yan focuses on the food--a rich stew from the world's Chinatowns, including, exotically, those in Singapore, Sydney, and Macao. The 200 recipes included reflect a profoundly rich food culture (or cultures, as Chinese cuisine is regionally diverse). Some dishes, like Steamed Whole Fish with Ginger and Green Onions and Sweet-and-Spicy Garlic Shrimp, are beloved classics; others, including Hawaiian Lu'Au Stew, mirror adjustments to local ingredients or tastes; while still others, such as Crispy Seafood and Mango Packets and Steamed King Prawns with Chinese Pesto, are the innovations of modern chefs. But old or new, the dishes are endlessly tempting, and, because of Yan's knowledgeable yet relaxed approach and the clarity of his recipes, completely manageable.
Covering dishes from dim sum, appetizers, and soups, to meat and seafood specialties, rice, noodles, and even desserts like Lucky Treasure Rice Pudding, the book also profiles the Chinatowns, noting their unique qualities (Yokohama's is host to 18 million tourists a year!) while also offering restaurant and dish recommendations (at Macau's Restaurante Chan Chi Mei, order the hanging fish hot pot). Yan also provides illuminating cultural asides such as those about Hakka cuisine or Singapore's Sam Sui women, who were pivotal in the construction of that country's Chinatown. But it's the dishes that make the book a treasure. The book also contains comprehensive food and technique glossaries and color photos throughout. --Arthur Boehm
Book Description
When it comes to Chinese cooking, no one has as much culinary talent and encyclopedic knowledge as Martin Yan. That talent and knowledge are presented here in Martin Yan's Chinatown Cooking, a companion volume to his new public television series.
Martin takes you on an unforgettable culinary journey through the gates of eleven Chinatowns around the world. Visit the streets, shops, homes, and restaurants you would never experience without Martin as your guide. From London to San Francisco to Yokohama, Martin introduces shopkeepers, chefs, and home cooks who, for the first time, share their cooking secrets. And as you travel the globe with Martin, you'll discover how Chinese food is different in Macau, Singapore, and Sydney.
Each of the eleven cities is featured along with a list of Martin's favorite restaurants and his favorite dishes and house specialties. Learn Martin's tips for ordering in Chinese restaurants and dim sum parlors. Discover how Chinese food and culture are inextricably linked, as Martin explains the significance of traditional festivals and their accompanying symbolic foods.
Martin Yan's Chinatown Cooking has stunning full-color photography throughout and recipes that make it easy for cooks to create more than two hundred dishes at home, from takeout favorites such as Kung Pao Chicken to restaurant classics such as Steamed Whole Fish with Ginger and Green Onions. Exotic-sounding recipes like Good Fortune Fish Chowder, Flower Drum Crab Baked in the Shell, and Double Harmony Meatballs in Sweet and Sour Sauce are made easy. Don't live near a Chinatown? Try your hand at making your own Roast Duck, Char Siu (barbecued pork), and Gin Doi (sweet sesame balls with duck). Martin makes the exotic familiar by offering tips on unfamiliar ingredients and specific techniques in combination with Chinatown history and culture.
Whether you end up cooking a dish at home or enjoying it in your nearest Chinatown neighborhood, Martin teaches you all you need to know about Chinese cuisine and culture. Travel with Martin Yan through a world of Chinatowns and satisfy your taste for adventure with Martin Yan's Chinatown Cooking.
Customer Reviews:
YAN CAN COOK!...AND HE CAN WRITE TOO!.......2005-02-01
I've been a fan of Martin yan's ever since seeing him on PBS some 15 years ago or so. Before Emeril came along Yan was one of the few TV cooks who tried to entertain as well as educate on cooking. I'm quite disappointed he's no long on the Food Network anymore as I just don't see him pop up on PBS that often but maybe I am just missing him.
I was able to pickup this book on the bargain Rack at the local Mediaplay for just a few bucks so it was well worth the price. Different than his other books, Martin takes on a guided world tour to various Chinatowns around the world including San Francisco, Sydney and Yokohama, complete with brief histories and Yan's recommendations on restaurants to visit in each chinatown.
The Recipes are grouped by course. Some of the recipes are pictured; all included a brief introduction, telling a bit about the recipe or hints to making the dish. The directions are easy to follow once you became acquainted with the ingredients. Any questions are easily solved by a trip to the Asian Market or a quick look at the Chinese Pantry section. The Chinese ingredients and many other less common ingredients in the recipes were covered in this Section.
The index, an important area of any cookbook, is great! If you want a duck recipe, look up duck. If you want an appetizer, you got it. Recipes can also be found under their name as well as various main ingredients. You would be able to find "Roast Duck Nachos", under any of these headings.
All in all, not only is this a good cookbook, but a good history into some of the world's finest chinatowns.
Great Food, even 4Chinese.......2004-05-04
I think Yan's book is great, the food is delicious. My granparents are from mainland China, my family & relatives are liig scattered around Asia, Australia and United States. I've been eating out since toddler (my parents are traders, no time to cook) in Indonesia, then 5 years in Australia (mainly eating Schezuan & Cantonese food in Chinatown), few months in Singapore; and I'm sure the taste of Yan's cooking is very close to the one I used to eat at restaurants. Yeah, boiled & steam fish are hard to cook (most untrained cook will end up with cooked but smelly fish, or plain taste). But, in restaurants, steamed fish are great tasted! I admit some recipes are hard to make due to extensive ingredients and difficult if u never taste/see the cooking method before. But, they are really rare & prestigius recipes (not many restos have them on the menu list)-- when they r cooked by professional chef, taste like heaven! So we can't judge it by the result of our cooking, better go to the restaurants first and eat it and then u try the recipe: is the taste similar or not.
IF ANYONE WISH TO THROW ANY COOKBOOKS, OR HAVE TOO MANY COOKBOOKS, JUST DONATE THEM 4 CHARITY IN INDONESIA. MY FRIENDS & I ORGANISE TO DONATE FOODSTUFFS TO ORPHANAGES/ELDERLY SHELTERS IN SOUTH KALIMANTAN. IF U R WILLING TO DONATE COOKBOOKS, PLS KINDLY DUMP THEM TO US: Mariane, PO Box 356, BJM 70000, SOUTH KALIMANTAN INDONESIA. Thanks 4 your generousity!
Yan's Chinatown Cooking.......2003-12-24
Martin Yan is a true pioneer in bringing Chinese cuisine to our living rooms via his TV shows, with his sense of humor, blazing knife skills, and a teaching style that makes him a real pleasure to watch. But Yan also is a prolific writer who has written 10 best selling cookbooks. With an easy-to-follow style, the books is a real treasure for anyone wanting to learn more about Chinese cuisine. And even if you're never been to a Chinatown, this book will help educate you into the many variations of this wonderfuol cuisine.
This cookbook contains 200 recipes from 11 Chinatown's throughout the world. Recipes are clearly written, and each step is numbered to make it easy to follow. Yan also clearly describes the size of each ingedient. As an example, "large eggs", "unsalted butter". As a result, the recipes produce the intended results with such clear instruction.
The beginning of each recipe includes a short paragraph that provides useful informaiton about the dish preperation, serving suggestions, or recipe variations. Although some recipes contain a large list of ingfredients, that shouldn;t deter you. Yan has done an excellent job of making each dish seem simple to make. And for those of you who are pressed for time, some can be made with just a few ingredients. The book also includes a unique recipe called Char Siu Quesidillas, that combines a Mexican recipe with a Chinese twist. And some recipes have been adapted by Yan for those readers like myself who may not live close to a Chinatown.
I also found the index to be quite helpful, with some dishes listed in multiple locations depending upon it's ingredients. As an example, a fish custard is listed both under eggs, as well as fish. The recipe names also are straightforward - I dislike recipes with names that tend to obscure the recipe's ingredients.
Who should buy this book? Anyone who wants to expand their culinary repjitoire and enhance their knowledge of Chinese cuisine. Yan has done a superb job of covering the many different stlyes of Chinese cooking that can be found in Chibatown. For novice cooks, a 10-page section covering equipment and techniques provide manyn helpful hints, But even more seasonedf cooks like myself found this secion useful. As a case in point, Yan talks about what to do when buying a clay pot. Now, I finally know how I am supposed to prepare the pot before using it - something the manufacturer and store never told me.
The book also includes related informaiton on Chinese culture and celebrations such as celebrating Chinese New Year. Yan talks about his personal memories as well as typical traditions, and how the food is a huge part of the celebration.
I also liked the section on "How to Order in a Chinese Restaurant," that include 11 helpful tips on making your next visit to a Chinese restaurant more enjoyable.
The book is richly illustrated with color photos that make me hungry just looking at it.
Still, I was disappointed that I didn't find some traditional American-Chinese favorites suchs as egg foo yung, and chicken chow mein, that while aren't considered authentic Chinese cooking, nevertheless are probaly some dishes that many of us are most familiar with. Nevertheless, the book is well worth it, and certainly expands one's culinary palette.
CHINATOWN FOOD AT HOME! GREAT IDEA!.......2003-06-04
This is a great cookbook. The recipes are simple, the execution is easy, and the food is yummy. Every recipe we tried did not disappoint. We have cooked clams, eggplant, and fish using recipes in this book, and they all turned out great. We have been to a couple of the Chinatowns from which Mr. Yan harvested these recipes, and when we cook this food, it is like a trip back...without having to buy a plane ticket. We have now stocked our kitchen with hoisin sauce, fish sauce, five spice chinese powder, and other tools and ingredients so we can be ready to cook Chinatown style! If you want fancy Chinese food for a big Chinese wedding, look elsewhere. If you want great tasting Chinese food that comes close to what you would get on Mott Street in NY, then give this book a try!
One lousy cookbook.......2003-03-20
What a disappointment. But I should have known. I have two other Martin Yan cookbooks and only the first one did I get something useful out of. This one I was hoping to be able to get some great recipes from because we love going to Chinatown in Boston and eating up a storm. Alas, the food we savor aren't anywhere in this cookbook. What's up with that? It's like the Chinese culture, the kinds of food often ordered by a host we're visiting are usually show dishes that have very little taste or substance but was ordered to show gratitude for the visit or to show off. Granted, we may be a simple Chinese family but I can't help but wonder why there are so many recipes in this cookbook that we would never order because it just doesn't taste very good. One example would be for fish. Either boil or deep fry it. Yuck! Where are the stir-fry recipes for fish, squid, lobster, shrimp? We have created stir-fry dishes for these and my Irish brother-in-law loves them all. There's one thing I learned: Yan can't cook, but he can sure entertain with his knives. My book went into the recycle bin by the curbside along with one other. The first one isn't far behind them. Bad Chinese food is NOT a tradition. I'll never buy another Yan cookbook.
Book Description
Award-winning cookbook author and celebrated food expert Eileen Yin-Fei Lo learned how to cook from her talented grandmother. This inspiring and instructive book collects 100 recipes the author learned in her grandmother's kitchen, along with the life lessons, observations, and other gifts she hopes to pass on to readers and future generations.
Cherished holiday recipes include steamed buns and fish congees for birthdays, vegetables prepared during the Lunar New Year, and rice dumplings made for the Dragon Boat Festival. All the essential techniques of the Chinese kitchen are represented, including stir-frying, steaming, roasting, stewing, braising, and more.
A volume to cook from, to share, and to read as a memoir in its own right, My Grandmother's Chinese Kitchen celebrates a great culinary tradition by sharing family wisdom and timeless recipes.
Customer Reviews:
Personal book on Chinese home cooking.......2007-07-07
I love this book for its author's personal entries and photos. The recipes are good, but some were not a part of my personal experience. For those recipes I go to Ken Hom's Easy Recipes from a Chinese American Childhood Easy Family Recipes from a Chinese-American Childhood (Knopf Cooks American Series) and Every Grain of Rice, by Ellen Blonder and Annabel Low.Every Grain of Rice: A Taste of Our Chinese Childhood in America However, it is fascinating to learn about cookbook author and cooking instructor Eileen Yin-Fei Lo's life. I own some of Ms. Lo's other cookbooks and look forward to trying some of the recipes in this one. I'm sure each recipe has been meticulously tested.
My Grandmother's Chinese Kitchen.......2006-12-25
This delightful book will transform the way you think about cooking, about food, and likely about life as well.
Tracing her own skills back to the critical lessons she learned at a tender young age from her beloved Grandmother, Eileen Yin-Fei Lo takes you on a journey from simple baby steps (how to make perfect rice) right up to more
exotic Holiday dishes. But more than just helping you to understand how to cook properly, how to respect the ingredients, the Gods of the kitchen and more, she also shares a whole philosophy of life. An insight into how the Chinese look at things.
You could read this book without lifting one spatula, nor steaming one precious fish, and feel enriched and ennobled by the experience.
I can personally strongly recommend this profound tome to all.
She's sharing her private treasury of information........2006-12-21
This one has family photos and anecdotes. The author once managed a silk shop in Chunking Mansions. I would have liked to have read about the snacks she ate then but I guess she did a lot of cooking and probably didn't like to eat street food so much. She reminds you to remove the skin on the gingkos and the bitter stem as well.
This book requires a scale though because she gives ingredients in weights.
Amazon.com
You may want to put all your other cookbooks on waivers for a while and simply settle in to Simply Ming by Ming Tsai and Arthur Boehm. Tsai's the chef and owner of Blue Ginger in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and the host of Food Network's East Meets West. This particular book ties in with a show of the same title he's doing for public television.
Tsai has cut a wide swath through the food world with his creative blending of Eastern flavors and techniques with Western ingredients and presentations. Consider Asian Pesto Turkey Spaghetti, for example. This is Tsai-style spaghetti Bolognese, and it demonstrates the structure of the book. First comes the master recipe for Asian Pesto. Instead of basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, and ground Romano--your classic pesto--Tsai calls for jalapeno chilies, garlic, sugar, ginger, macadamia nuts or salted peanuts, lemon zest, mint leaves, cilantro, salt and pepper, and basil and olive oil. For the Turkey Spaghetti you'll use ground turkey, red onion, button mushrooms, and white wine, as well as the Asian Pesto. In this particular chapter you'll also find recipes for Asian Pesto Chicken Salad, and Grilled Asian Pesto Shrimp and Radicchio.
This is a book about assembling major flavor statements ahead of time and storing them in the refrigerator. The actual cooking becomes a relatively rapid process while delivering maximum flavor. The sections in Simply Ming include Flavored Oils and Sauces; Sambals, Salsas, Chutneys, and Pastes; Dressings, Dipping Sauces, and Marinades: Syrups; Broths; Rubs and Coatings; Doughs and Desserts.
It's fast. It's flavorful. It's from both sides of the world. --Schuyler Ingle
Book Description
As the chef and owner of the acclaimed Blue Ginger restaurant in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and an Emmy award-winning television personality, Ming Tsai has become the standard-bearer of East-West cuisine, the innovative blending of Eastern flavors and techniques with Western ingredients and presentations.
Now, in
Simply Ming, he presents a breakthrough technique for bringing East-West flair to everyday cooking, making it possible to transform a handful of fresh ingredients into a delicious meal in a matter of minutes. The genius of Simply Ming is a versatile array of master recipes—intensely flavored sauces, pestos, salsas, dressings, rubs, and more that eliminate much of the last-minute prep work. So sophisticated dishes such as Tea-Rubbed Salmon with Steamed Scallion-Lemon Rice, Grilled Miso-Citrus Scallop Lollipops, and Green Peppercorn Beef Tenderloin with Vinegar-Glazed Leeks can be on the table in less than 30 minutes.
Even casual dishes such as spaghetti, burgers, fried calamari, and chicken wings get a boost of East-West excitement in Ming’s creative hands, becoming Asian Pesto Turkey Spaghetti, Salmon Burger with Tomato-Kaffir Lime Salsa, Blue Ginger Crispy Calamari, and Soy-Dijon Chicken Wings. This is food that is simple enough to serve on a weeknight, but special enough to share with guests. And desserts get the Simply Ming treatment, too, with tempting ways to transform basic shortbread dough, chocolate ganache, and crème anglaise into a range of show-stopping finales.
Filled with color photographs that motivate and inspire, beverage suggestions to complement each dish, and helpful tips for cooking with unfamiliar ingredients,
Simply Ming makes the excitement and innovation of East-West cooking easily accessible to all home cooks.
Customer Reviews:
Practical Fun Cooking Resource.......2007-08-30
I bought this cookbook as a present for my fiance, and I was very happy with the style and clarity. I also approve of the "prepare it in advance" method which underlies this volume. Each section highlights a range of sauces, condiments, spices and rubs which can be used on the menu items demonstrated, or to spice up your own personal cooking. Because you can prepare so many different dishes with one or two pre-prepared sauces, this book is great for singles or small families who don't like to slave over the stove every night.
The final star missing is because, as much as the book is good, he harps on seafood (particularly scallops) which is limiting, and he is uneven in his suggestions of substituting for rare or expensive menu items. With a little creativity, I'm sure we can figure it out, but he does list substitutions for some - just not many of his recipes.
Overall, quite good, and much more accessible and direct than the earlier "Blue Ginger" cookbook, which I did NOT buy, as it was incomprehensible and the directions were badly flawed.
Great recipes.......2007-06-20
The flavors in the recipes are fabulous. I have served the spicy mango salsa with chicken satays and seared scallops, both to rave reviews. This is one of my favorite recipe books.
Excellent for even everyday cooking.......2007-01-27
I think I use this book a bit different than many in that I see this as a great everyday cookbook. The great advantage of this cookbook is that you can make 2 or 3 of the master recipes on the weekend and then dinner preparation for the rest of the week is very easy. I try to make sure that I have a couple master recipes that have very different tastes on hand to work as a nice counterpoint. For example, I have the apple chutney and curry paste on hand now. This gives me something strong and spicy for some recipes and something sweeter to use as a counterpoint. With only a few exceptions, most of these recipes are only a few steps and hardly ever more than 5 ingredients once the master recipe is done. I should also say that the master recipes are generally quite easy.
Now that I've covered the convenience, the taste on these recipes is absolutely wonderful. I've probably now prepared about half of the master recipes and generally made 2 dishes from each master recipe and they have all been wonderful. Some favorites: the asian lamb gyros were wonderful, the chili-ginger oil chicken and zucchini stir-fry was very easy and very good, Ming's take on Coq Au Vin was amazing. I just can't recommend this book enough. I've been cooking with it non-stop for the last month and it's made everything easier and more delicious. There's no higher praise than that.
Simply Ming: Easy Techniques for East-Meets-West Meals.......2006-11-12
Recipes were very quick and easy to prepare. The master sauces can go with more recipes than in the book.
This book enhances my love of Asian Cuisine.......2005-07-16
What a wonderful cookbook that goes beyond what we usually see and makes Asian cooking accessible to the american home.
The style, layout, and content are exquisite. An improvement over his last book Blue Ginger, which although interesting, I found many of the recipes daunting. These are easy to follow with readily aquireable ingredients. The use of rubs and sauces that can be made easily or purchased are great additions to make meals appetizing and quickly prepared.
The book presentation is a wonderful read with helpful hints and comments on wine accompaniments and little nuances to the recipes.
I look forward to the next one....
Average customer rating:
- great for professionals
- It is what it is
- Susur Lee
- Susur: Some Thoughts on Perfection in Cuisine
- Delusions of Grandeur- You're Su-Su Vain!
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Susur: A Culinary Life, Books 1-2
Susur Lee ,
Jacob Richler , and
Sara Angel
Manufacturer: Ten Speed Press
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ASIN: 1580087302 |
Book Description
Over the past decade, Toronto-based chef Susur Lee has built an international reputation with his groundbreaking cuisine, winning raves such as "culinary genius" from critics and chefs alike. Borrowing heavily from French and Chinese traditions, Susur defies the ubiquitous "fusion" label with his wholly original and decidedly bold style of cooking, dubbed nouvelle Chinois. SUSUR: A CULINARY LIFE offers readers an intimate look at the evolution of this master chef. Toronto food writer Jacob Richler takes us on an enthralling culinary odyssey that begins with Susur's apprenticeship at Hong Kong's legendary Peninsula Hotel and follows the chef 's major Successes at his award-winning restaurants Lotus and Susur. This in-depth study also chronicles Susur's ambitious plan to modernize the ancient repertoire of classical Chinese cooking —a 5,000-year journey that ends in the creation of his vibrant new cuisine. A remarkable subject deserves a remarkable book, and SUSUR is as innovative as the chef it celebrates. Two colorful, gorgeously illustrated volumes — one describing Susur 's development as a chef, the other featuring his most sought-after recipes —are bound together in an intricate and innovative presentation that resembles a Chinese puzzle box. A sensuous treat for foodies and chefs alike, SUSUR is the definitive word on this cutting-edge chef.
Customer Reviews:
great for professionals.......2007-01-19
i bought it for my boyfriend, who is an aspiring chef and loves asian cuisine. he loves it - its a beautiful and inspiring book. i wouldn't recommend it for anyone who is just interested in cooking at home.
It is what it is.......2006-04-09
Pretty coffee table book...don't buy for the recipes unless you are a professional. I am a chef and have been at several for and five star establishments. I had the pleasure a few years ago to do a banquet with Susur and he is the real deal. Will his techniques translate to the amateur cook looking to learn from his book? No. These are professional recipes designed to be executed by a top class brigade with years of technique and time to prepare the needed mis en place. But as a professional, the way he approaches food as well as the culinary foundation that he has built for himself is unique and will be appreciated by those in the know. What isn't pretentious about a $50 coffee table book? This book gives exposure to a unique and talented chef who is grounded in solid technique and is able to translate that into well presented and balanced dishes that are not silly fusion. Definetly worth a look.
Susur Lee.......2006-03-20
This book its all about creativity by a man who has been over looked for too many years as one of the worlds Top Chefs. This book is in one simple word "Awesome"
Susur: Some Thoughts on Perfection in Cuisine.......2006-02-21
Given the acidity of previous reviews, let me start with some background on myself: I am an American not resident in Canada; I am a non-professional chef -- I cook for myself, my family and my friends. I love food, both from the philosophy that one can learn the history of a country or region by learning about its cuisine and from the perspective that I truly believe we are what we eat ... and the miserable record of American health and longevity is directly due to the poor quality of what we consume.
I first saw Susur on Food Network's "Chef du Jour", where well-regarded chefs would do a single 30 minute program on a topic of their choice. That was at least 8 years ago. I think he may have been on one or two "Ready, Set, Cook" programs, but I'm not certain. He certainly didn't push to become a "celebrity chef", at least in the TV sense. He did become a celebrity in the culinary world: becoming one of Food & Wine's "10 Best Chefs in the World" is not a self-serving proclamation -- it is an evaluation by those who can and do taste the food of all the best and near-best.
I've had the good fortune to have an expense account and a business that required me to take clients to dinner, so I've had the privilege of eating at many of the finest restaurants in North America, Europe, Japan, and Australia. My personal opinion is that Susur belongs among the finest and if in Toronto, it would be my first choice of a dining location -- yes, even if I were paying the bill myself -- some meals are worth every penny of the cost.
I've eaten at his restaurant in Toronto many times, on business trips. The food has always been spectacular, along with the service, along with the description of the philosophy behind each dish. A meal at Susur's not only satisfies the body; it's an education in itself. Again, this is not simply my opinion -- read the reviews in Toronto's newspapers, or read the reviews and look at the scores in zagat.com. Susur isn't the only "great chef" in Toronto, but he is clearly in that category.
Finally, to the book itself: Yes, the binding is unusual), as is the organization (would I count it as 2 books -- no -- do I think that volume 1 as a biography and volume 2 as recipes are two very different works -- absolutely yes). Most chefs don't provide a personal biography and discuss the evolution of their philosophy of cuisine. If you want lots of recipes you can make with ingredients found anywhere, there are thousands of such cookbooks to choose from (start with Rachel Ray's "30 Minute Meals" and go from there). On the other hand, if you want to learn about how to layer flavors, and see how a master puts together a pantry, this is the book to read. The same advice (for flavor, you need sauces, pastes, and other preps) is given by most chefs in cooking courses and is found in lots of other cookbooks -- just to mention a few in Chinese, try Barbara Tropp's "China Moon Cookbook", Nina Simonda "Spoonful of Ginger", Eileen Yin-Fei Lo's "From the Earth" or Emily Grace's "Breath of a Wok". Susur's are more complex, and more subtle, but taste the food and you'll see how it transcends anyone else's.
Is this a book I will cook from daily? No, and Susur is the first to admit that his cuisine needs a tremendous amount of manpower to achieve. Will this book teach me to be a better chef? Absolutely. Will it have a place of honor in my kitchen? Assuredly. Study it, think about it, and learn from it ... and if you have the opportunity, go to Toronto ... and taste it.
Delusions of Grandeur- You're Su-Su Vain!.......2006-02-17
Delusions of Grandeur-Self Proclaimed "Toronto's Local Hero"
I am an intermediate level amateur cook, and pretty aware of cutting edge chefs, cooks and well written cookbooks, and Susur Lee and his book's grandiose recipes may wow small town folks and some home cooks, however he is delightfully delusional in his self importance, proclaiming himself THE "Local Hero" of Toronto, when my long time Toronto friends have not even heard of him!
I highly suggest you first read his very complex, hours long recipes, before spending good money for just 50 or so difficult and few recipes.
Chicago's Chef Charlie Trotter has similar recipes in terms of ingredients unobtainable to less than high end restaurant chefs, and may also have 20-40+ ingredients per dish, requiring an army of assistants to pull it off, however he does not have an entire book devoted to a sycophant praising his own wonderfulness. His combinations also "taste well" together in reading the ingredients, and he has books with "doable" ingredients and they are quite cookable by home cooks.
Susur credits his departed wife Marilou with his success, but others who gave him a "leg up" don't rate even a photo in this paen to his brilliance, as Susur takes back stabbing jabs at better known chefs who helped his career.
Instead of, having say instructive photographs at different stages of a complex dish's creation, he has instead chosen such childish photo selections as photos of his wonderful doodles of his own name, his hand written recipes, and doodling of a seating chart...
Does "You're Su-su vain" come to mind?
Hold that song in mind, as you smile and flick through the first 113 pages of his ego inflating toady's drivel, without even seeing one real recipe.
Oh, the recipes are in the "second" bound book, tighly bound, like a dead Siamese twin to this "first" book. So yes, he has thus published "two" books...um, sure, Susu, we're counting with you. Clever ploy; publish "Susur's Cooking Triptych" next time, and get credit for 5 books, total! (Toronto is certainly still cleaning up from the ticker tape parades for this self proclaimed "Local Hero's" creations!)
Why pay $50 (now down to $30) for only fifty some pretentious recipes, each with 25-45+ ingredients that you are more likely to laugh at, than cook... even one bloated recipe? Borrow this from Susu's large stack of "returns", or from a library, first, before buying!
Forget about "The Emperor's New Clothes"...this is the "Emperor's Trendy Cook Book!"
I do like the professionally styled photos of his creations. You or I could cook them if we had 2 assistant cooks,the strange collection of fresh ingredients, and gratuitous foie gras and black truffles added to many recipes.
Susu's has a dreadful hodgepodge of instructions and techniques, having the reader hopping between both "books" to cobble together a dish, and there's no Table of Contents to organize this chaotic collection.
He knows cooking techniques. I'd happily dine at his restaurant. Teaching techniques by a book is another story. For beginning and intermediate cooks, the cooking techniques that he glides over are far, far better explained in many cookbooks that the professional chefs already consult.
Some well thumbed cookbook/testbooks include "On Cooking Techniques from Expert Chefs"-Labensky, "Essentials of Cooking"-James Peterson, Jacques Pepin's "Complete Techniques", "La Varenne Pratique"- Anne Willan"The Zuni Cafe"-Rodgers, "The New Making of a Cook"-Kamman, "Glorious French Cooking"-Peterson, "Modern Art of Chinese Cooking"-Trop, "The Key to Chinese Cooking"-Kuo, etc.
Big Propblem is...home cooks, without two helpers, will be very frustrated by the hard to find ingredients and the time consuming, convoluted recipes in this cookbook.
Try making Susur's "Pan-roasted scallops, with sunchoke puree, pancetta, periwinkles in truffle sauce and preserved lemon".
Hmmm, if someone mixing up 1000 snippets of culinary nouns in a hat, then let a trained gerbil randomly pick out, then line up the first 10 to 15 words that came out... the resulting recipe titles may even be more appealing to you and I than Susur's convoluted "con-Fusion" titles that easily awe rookie foodwriters and rookie cooks...
Make his "Elk striploin with yamaimo, arame, uni, with burnt butter soy sauce", (40+ ingredients) or try "Braised veal cheek, with parsnip puree, cocoa nibs, grapes stuffed with dry-cured olives, and parmesan (also with over 40 ingredients).
Maybe the "Tuna with wasabi and parsnip mousse on cucumber jelly with crispy squid ink noodle" would whet your whistle. I'd rather go to the grocery store and make "Spiced seaweed crusted red mullet with saffron mayonnaiase and zuchini flower fritters".
A memorable dish is "Roast squab and foie gras stuffed squab legs in port sauce, with lotus root and baby corn, blueberry preserve, and taro root fritters" (>30 ingredients).
Step aside, Charlie Trotter, you've been "out Trottered" by Susu and his caramelized nuts...
For the amusement value, the professionally styled photos of plates that would leave most folks hungry from the tiny portions, and the sad need for the dramatic Napoleonic pose and prose by the self proclaimed "Local Hero of Toronto"... I still give him 3 stars...it takes guts (braised with cocoa, blueberry and truffle oil), to be so sweet and childlike in his vanity!
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