More gifts for the home cook: Chinese cookbooks

December 10, 11:45 AMFood ExaminerEric Burkett

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For the cook discovering the amazingly rich cuisines of China, there are plenty of cookbooks. My favorites tend to include not only well-written recipes, but stories behind the dishes themselves. My favorite Chinese cookbooks are as much about China and the authors as they are about cooking. I own copies of each of these, and I use them often. Any of these would make great gifts.

The Chinese Kitchen by Deh-ta Hsiung. Full of photos and rich with personal anecdotes, “The Chinese Kitchen” is an encyclopedia of the ingredients that distinguish Chinese cuisine. Hsiung gives detailed descriptions, along with clear photos, of various spices and herbs, liquors, vegetables, and dried and processed ingredients that go into contemporary Chinese cooking.  
 

Modern Art of Chinese Cooking and China Moon Cookbook by Barbara Tropp. The late Barbara Tropp didn’t just learn to cook Chinese cuisine, she lived it, and besides mastering classical technique, she took Chinese cooking in new directions. “Modern Art” is a voluminous primer on the basics, with plenty of forays into more complex dishes, while “China Moon” – a notably more complex work – proves that Chinese cuisine is continually evolving and adaptable, always accepting new ingredients and flavors. “China Moon” is definitely for the more serious, more experienced cook.

Land of Plenty by Fuchsia Dunlop. Besides having a wonderful name, Fuchsia Dunlop is also a wonderful writer and “Land of Plenty” is as entertaining to read as it is easy to use. Focusing on the cuisine of Sichuan, Dunlop takes the reader well beyond the popular conception of Sichuanese cooking as being focused completely on hot and spicy food. Having said that, her recipe for Mapo Tofu is the best I’ve encountered and I’ve made it often.
 

The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen: Classic Family Recipes for Celebration and Healing by Grace Young. This was Young’s first cookbook, and it is as much an exploration of Chinese and Chinese-American cooking as it a journey through her family’s past in both China and the United States. These are family recipes and they include homely mainstays, as well as recipes prepared for their medicinal value. Sentimental and informative, “Wisdom” is a great gift for anyone as interested in the culture of China as they are its food.

The Chinese Kitchen by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo. I often think of Italian cookbook writer Marcella Hazan as being the Italian kitchen dominatrix. Eileen Yin-Fei Lo is her Chinese counterpart. Neither writer offers encouraging suggestions for preparing a dish; they exert authority right from the outset, taking charge of your kitchen, and taking no guff in return. Lo is, rightly, an authority on classic technique. She is also a skilled writer and explains thoroughly the techniques for bringing out the best of a recipe. “The Chinese Kitchen” also offers a great section on Chinese-American dishes, or more accurately, better ways to prepare the often odd dishes that were invented in America and presented as “authentic” Chinese.