Good Grape Wine Company

I found the information very good indeed. It is rare to find in one location certain details about buying produce and items from an asian grocery store.

The section on what the sauces, vegetables and other items that you can find at the grocers is nice indeed. Usually you would have had to buy a book dedicated to this, but Young provides a good section to get you through.

This is my favorite Chinese cookbook so far this year. I find material for personal reflection and also, a source for Chinese food information (almond soup being good for the skin).

I agree that Young could have been more lavish with technique and photos but she did very well otherwise. Also, the indexing could have been more detailed, but these are small quibles.

Good stuff.


Genuine Chinese Recipes   August 11, 2000
 17 out of 19 found this review helpful

This book is unlike other Chinese cookbooks. It contains some real Chinese recipes and is the best for Chinese homecooking. Since I am Chinese that's why I know those recipes are original. Highly recommended!


Oh so yummy!   May 5, 2000
 12 out of 12 found this review helpful

I absolutely loved this book! Like many other American-born Chinese, there are so many foods and dishes that I love and savor but don't know how to prepare, don't know the English name, or don't know the Chinese name. Fortunately, this book has the Ping Yum pronounciation of recipes--so if I don't know the English name and can't read the Chinese, then I can look at that, mouth it and figure out "oh yeah! I love that dish!". In addition to just providing recipes for all of our favorite dishes, the author also describes all the off-the-wall customs when it comes to food--such as why certain foods are "yeet-hay" or "leung" and why I won't get married if I don't finish my entire bowl of rice. This book is a simple joy to read for everyone and I highly recommend it.


Drooling with delight!   May 3, 2000
 55 out of 56 found this review helpful

As an American Born Chinese, finding this book was a huge relief. Like so many ABCs, I love the food of my culture but certainly didn't know how to prepare it. This is an authentic down home Chinese cookbook. No fancy dishes here - only comfort food need apply. The book is divided into the following: 1) rice from steamed, fried, dumplings and porridge 2) stir fry - including tomato beef and beef chow fun 3) steamed cooking- egg custard, sponge cake, spareribs with black bean sauce 4) cooking with ginger - drunken chicken, cabbage noodle soup 5) seasonal market dishes - braised taro and chinese bacon, stir fried bitter melon with beef 6) celebratory dishes - stir fried clams with black bean sauce, pepper and salt shrimp, sweet and sour pork 7) New Year's dishes - turnip cake, seasame balls 8) authentic recipes from the homeland - savory rice tamales, pork dumplings, stuffed noodle rolls 9) Chinatown favorites - soy sauce chicken, roast duck, barbecued pork and salt roasted chicken 10) a slew of healing soups and dishes. Reading it was a trip down memory lane for me. The dishes are truly authentic to the Chinese family experience and or those who seek authenticity, Young has presented it here. She also includes a handy guide to shopping and mail order resources!


A treasure for the Chinese   April 16, 2000
 13 out of 14 found this review helpful

I read through the whole cookbooks and enjoyed finding truth about cookign which I had never known. My father is an excellent cook himself. However, he passed away before he could ever taught me the "how". I owned a lot of Chinese cookbooks plus over 10 years of recipes clips from Chinese Newspaper. The hardest things to find in the Chinese food's recipes are the secrets to cook a perfect dish. Every bits of information are usually given approximately without actual measurements and the explainations of how and why a dish will fail. I learned a lot of valuable cooking techniques from this book and quite a bit of the art of cooking. This book is for the Chinese who grow up in the United States and people who love cooking!