Home Page

Autobiography / Biography   Travel / Places   Cooking / Food   Fashion / Health / Beauty   Other / General / Self-Help   Crafts / Home Improvement   Humor
Wildlife Greeting Cards   Pet Photography

Yan-Kit's Classic Chinese Cookbook
by Yan-Kit So
Dorling Kindersley (www.dk.com)
ISBN 978-0-7566-2351-7
Published November 2006 - Hardcover - 256 pages - $20.00

Even though Yan-Kit So left us in 2001, her original cookbook (1984) has been re-released so many times that it's hopefully here to stay.  Her book has everything you need to know about making Chinese dishes, and includes a rundown of vegetables used (Chinese water chestnuts, Chinese celery cabbage, Chinese chives, Szechwan preserved vegetables, etc.), Herbs and Spices (star anise, mixed spices), Cereals, Grains, and Noodles (wonton wrappers, dried rice noodles, yi noodles, etc.), Dried Products (Chinese mushrooms, cloud ears, water chestnut flour, agar, dried oysters, etc.), Beans and Bean Products (bean curd, soybean paste), and Sauces, Oils, Fats, Wines, and Vinegars.  She also covers the equipment you'll find useful as well as Techniques where there are fantastic step-by-step illustrations on how to cut vegetables and meat, and how to stir-fry and steam.  In her book she offers Hors d'oeuvres; Soups and Fine Pots; Fish and Seafood; Poultry and Eggs; Meat; Vegetables; Rice, Noodles and Dumplings, and Desserts.  A vast amount is covered in these 256 pages, and if you're a novice, this book will certainly be extremely useful.  Some of Yan-Kit's recipes that made my mouth water include: Braised Fish Hunan-Szechwan Style; Stir-Fried Chinese Celery Cabbage with Dried Shrimp; Steamed Trout with Black Beans and Garlic (sounds heavenly); Sautéed Chicken Livers, and Braised Beef with Garlic.  Also offered are regional menus which are useful if you're thinking of having a dinner party and serving Chinese dishes.  Very interesting is "What Makes Food Chinese" in the Introduction.
Exquisitely illustrated in the customary Dorling Kindersley style.  No nutritional guides.
Conclusion - A necessary literary addition to any serious cook's bookshelf.  Simply wonderful!