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Won Ton Soup, Kung Pao Chicken, Sweet and Sour Pork, Fried Rice, Mu Shu Pork--Chinese takeout again? Not withChinese Cooking for Dummies, which brings the experience of the Chinese restaurant to your home, including everything but the big, exotic fish tank. Author Martin Yan, an award-winning celebrity chef, has put together everyone's favorite Chinese recipes all in the comfortable, familiar Dummies format, including his own signature brand of humor.
To get the full experience, the book requires an up-front time investment of reading before cooking, and includes background on Chinese history and its influence on Chinese cooking. It is long, but if you have the time, it is worth the read. Yan provides a window to the Chinese philosophy on cooking--the delicate balance of complementing flavors, textures, shapes, and cooking techniques--which makes it easier for the Westerner to better understand that what they're doing is more than frying rice.
The book is filled with more than 100 recipes as well as excellent preparation and handling tips for seafood, poultry, pork, and beef. Much of this information easily transcends cuisine borders to foods of all nationalities. As for presentation, Yan has provided fascinating instructions for easy-to-make garnishes that enhance the appearance of a traditional Chinese meal but don't require an art degree. The Chinese may boast of 3,000 varieties of rice but he recognizes that his reader is probably only going to use a couple of these. Another staple of Chinese cuisine, the sauces, are included, with recipes for sweet and sour sauce, oyster sauce, Chinese mustard, and black bean sauce. He recommends making sauces in batches, and offers storage instructions that make it possible to keep the various concoctions for weeks. This allows for a quick Chinese stir-fry, or other favorite dish, in a matter of minutes.
Practical and easy aren't often associated with Chinese food, but Martin Yan makes it seem so simple you may never order takeout again.--Teresa Simanton
Okay, but get it from the library If it's been said before that this book is too "Americanized," that may be true, but I'd suggest that this book doesn't go far enough -- even in that direction. While a "fun" book, the actual recipes themselves do not adequately cover a typical American-Chinese restaurant or takeout-menu; for example, Mongolian Beef and Sesame Chicken (two of the most popular dishes served, among others) are mysteriously and conspicuously missing from the book. The majority of the recipes will probably be unfamiliar. That's too bad, since it seems clearly aimed at someone who would want American takeout style Chinese cuisine. While Yan has a few good ideas here, there are far better books out there with more of what you're looking for.
Big disappointment About three years ago I decided to learn authentic Chinese cooking. I purchased several books. This one was the most disappointing. I enjoyed Martin Yan when I saw his TV cooking shows. I had high hopes for this book but was disappointed to say the least. Recipes are very mediocre, a couple downright bad. It appears to me that Martin Yan is not trying to present simply great Chinese food but instead modifying recipes to appeal to what he thinks Western tastes would like.Great for first-timers, only wish there were more pictures Four main things to comment on:
1) You definitely feel Martin Yan's personality in these pages. Great broad yet brief background on regional influences on Chinese cooking. 2) Equally good broad yet brief explanation of basic ingredients and also the prep and cooking techniques. 3) Recipes are pretty easy and you are welcome to buy most of the basic sauces rather than make them from scratch. 4) Only wish there were pictures with each recipe.
On to the details.
On the first point, if you like his PBS shows, you'll enjoy reading this book. It has his wit and its easy to imagine him speaking to you, cleaver in hand. The background info about different regions is brief yet insightful. For example, you will not learn the history of each region, but you will have some insight about the differences between menus at The Canton Cafe versus Larry's Peking Palace.
On the second point, if you're a complete novice to cooking (let alone Chinese cooking), there's enough info about equipment, technique, and ingredients to get you going. He also provides lots of pragmatic advice - substitute ingredients and make-shift cooking supplies when you have limited options.
On the third point, recipes are easy AS LONG AS YOU'RE PATIENT. Unlike some other cuisines, most of this book involves stir frying and that means you MUST have your ingredients prepped before you start throwing things into the wok. There's no time to measure and chop once you start because the "cooking" stage only takes 2-3 minutes :) I found cooking, in general, to be much easier if I have everything premeasured and ready-to-go in little dishes, just like on the TV shows.
On the fourth point, like most "Dummies" books, this one is printed with very few color pictures. And the ones that are provided are bunched together in an insert in the middle of the book - several glossy pages showing finished dishes. Where some areas, such as explanation of techniques, are adequately accompanied by illustrations, I really prefer to have pictures with each recipe. And if not step-by-step, then at least one showing the finished dish. Alas, that is the one area I found lacking.
In summary, great book and more pictures would've made it even better.
Also, one bit of advice - don't expect to get stir-frying right the first few times. It does get a lot easier after a few tries though.
