From the Earth: Chinese Vegetarian Cooking

Rating:
Summary: One of the most helful books
Review: I think this book was written by an artist.From the way the author decorates the dishes to the way she explains how to cook very detail , I am very satisfy ! I lost my book . I would like the publisher will reprint it in the very near future.

Rating:
Summary: Lots of little gems hidden here
Review: I've been on a Chinese cooking bender for several months now, and this book is one I have been turning to night after night. It continually surprises me that the simplest recipes, the ones you would never find at a restaurant, and usually the ones with no "sauce," turn out to be the most delicious. There's a great little dish of stir-fried carrots and celery, another of stir-fried corn (frozen corn, even!). Sounds plain, right? But no--they are works of brilliant simplicity. They show the artistry of making something from nothing. They're not all works of genius, though. I normally make a pretty fabulous scallion pancake, but I tried the recipe in this book and it was terrible. Many of the sauced dishes taste the same. Overall, though, I'd say that most of this book is genius.

Rating:
Summary: delicious and informative
Review: This cookbook has been one of the best sources of delicious tofu recipes that I have been able to find. I have been cooking from this book for a few years and I have loved every recipe that I have tried. The author uses both traditional and non-traditional ingredients (like sundried tomatoes) to create flavorful chinese recipes that are at home in the western kitchen.

Rating:
Summary: good!
Review: This is one of the better books written on vegetarian cookery (biased towards Southern Chinese cooking). There is a pretty good exposition of ingredients at the beginning of the book, and I was able to locate most at the Chinese market. Ms. Lo makes extensive use of flavored cooking oils that you make yourself. This could be a bit time consuming, but worth the extra flavor. Also a good idea is making her recipe for stock; good stock she explains is crucial for good chinese cooking, especially vegetarian cooking. There is also a section on fish, which might seem a bit out of place (fish is not in the same category as land dwelling animals in Chinese tradition). Some of the recipes seem a bit repetitive. The book does include the chinese name as well which might be handy for some of us. All in all a good book for vegetarians who want to inject a bit of Chinese flava into their diet.