Description:
No one has done more than Ken Hom to make good Chinese cooking accessible to Western cooks. Author of Easy Family Recipes from a Chinese-American Childhood and Asian Vegetarian Feasts, among others, Hom's books meld outstanding taste and straightforward, approachable recipes. Ken Hom's Chinese Kitchen, published in 1994 in England and now available in the United States, excels not only in its recipes, but also as a concise exploration of the ingredients and fundamental methods of Chinese cooking. Old hands and those new to Chinese food preparation will find the book invaluable. Half of the book is devoted to a consumer's guide of essential ingredients illustrated with color photos. Ranging from bamboo shoots to wonton wrappers, each entry includes shopping tips with brand-name preferences, storage notes, and useful hints. (Hom tells us, for example, to save and use the peel from fresh ginger to flavor oil before stir-frying with it). The 100 recipes, divided into chapters for soups, fish and shellfish, meat, eggs, vegetables, and rice and noodles, balance old favorites--like Mu Shu Pork with Chinese Pancakes--with uncommon dishes, such as Red-Cooked Oxtail Stew, Steamed Egg Custard with Clams, and Bean Curd-Chicken-Salt Fish casserole (a delectably homey clay-pot specialty that takes about 30 minutes to prepare). Braised Noodles with Crab Meat and Bean Sauce Noodles are two exceptionally simple and exceptionally good noodle dishes. A reference and recipe book in one, Ken Hom's Chinese Kitchen deserves a place in every Asian cooking library. --Arthur Boehm
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