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Title: Ken Hom's Foolproof Chinese Cooking by Ken Hom ISBN: 0-7894-7145-0 Publisher: DK Publishing Pub. Date: 01 January, 2001 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 (10 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Excellent introduction to Chinese Techniques
Comment: If this were the average large format, small page count introductory book on some cooking subject, I would not give it a second look, even with the blurb on the front stating that the author has had over a million copies sold. But, I ran across the author's name cited in 'Pot on the Fire' by John Thorne, who cited him, Ken Hom, as quite an authority on Chinese cooking. Hom has published quite a few longer, presumably deeper books on Chinese cooking, but most of these appear from Amazon.com to be out of print or otherwise not immediately available. So, I am check out this very presumptuously titled book, 'Foolproof Chinese Cooking'.
The first clue that this book has much to offer is the fact that the author is not your average restaurant chef or journalist who happens to specialize in writing about Chinese food. His dust jacket biography states that he is widely regarded as one of the world's greatest authorities on Chinese and other Asian cooking. I have read his book and I am entirely willing to believe the publisher's buildup.
Hom appears to be the BBC counterpart to Martin Yan on PBS, as this book is the companion to a BBC food series and he has done several other such books / TV series.
If you have any interest in the techniques of Chinese cooking, this book is for you, especially if you do not have a lot of experience with Chinese techniques. I say this not only because this book is so good, but also because many other highly regarded Chinese cookbooks are not that accessible to newbie Chinese cooks. I don't say this because important books on, for example, French cuisine are so accessible, but because the average American simply has no exposure to this style of cooking outside of the occasional Food Network show and Martin Yan's shows which, I confess, do not show up on my local PBS station.
The current volume succeeds primarily because it does not try to do too much, and what it does, it does very well. It is not limited to stir-frying and it is not limited to Cantonese or Sichuan cuisine. What it does is give you the Jaques Pepin step by step, picture by picture presentation of a goodly number of basic techniques. It starts with a basic chicken stock which, based on my just having made a French style chicken stock, I can say is right on target, without being too fussy. It avoids, for example, the step which recommends that you blanche the chicken before cooking, while being very careful to have you not bring the preparation to a boil to maintain a clear stock. By the way, the Chinese chicken stock is different from a French stock in that it includes ginger and garlic and excludes the French mirepoix. The book follows up with several recipes for soups before getting into the details of stir-frying.
The book includes many classic Chinese dishes, including Peking duck, chow mein, fried wontons, lemon chicken, and sweet and sour pork.
I think this cannot be the only Chinese cookbook you will need, but it should certainly be your first. Highly recommended.
Rating: 4
Summary: Good to start on, but not enough on meat...
Comment: This is one of the two cookbooks I got just a month ago (I never cooked before then...). I am 22 and was moving into my own apt, and had to cook for myself, how scary huh?
This book made it all so simple. I mean, with chinese cooking, every dish is so similar that you don't need to buy ingredients specific to every single dish (unlike the american cuisine book I got). All the dishes in here are simple, fast, and best yet, tasty! Great book to start on.
My only complaint is that it leaves you wanting more... there is only one recipe for beef and, not counting the roasted pork, one dish for pork, not enough at all.
If you are a first time cooker and interested in chinese food, knock yourself out with this book, and this comment has some merits because I'm chinese and have been eating chinese food all my life, AUTHENTICATE chinese food too!
Rating: 3
Summary: overly simple
Comment: This is a good cookbook for beginners, or those who do not have access to a wide variety of Chinese ingredients. However, it doesn't have enough going on to hold the attention of more experienced cooks. Most dishes are flavored with ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and rice wine--and not much else. Like many other British-published cookbooks I've had, it is stripped to the minimum. Still, it's a good primer, with clear instructions and good pictures.
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Title: Ken Hom's Quick Wok: The Fastest Food in the East by Ken Hom, Jeremy Hopley ISBN: 0747276005 Publisher: Headline Book Pub Ltd Pub. Date: February, 2003 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
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Title: Ken Hom: Travels with a Hot Wok by Ken Hom ISBN: 0789468107 Publisher: DK Publishing Pub. Date: 01 September, 2000 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Everyday Chinese Cooking : Quick and Delicious Recipes from the Leeann Chin Restaurants by Katie Chin, Leeann Chin ISBN: 0609605860 Publisher: Clarkson Potter Pub. Date: 03 October, 2000 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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Title: The Chinese Kitchen : A Book of Essential Ingredients with Over 200 Easy and Authentic Recipes by Deh-Ta Hsiung ISBN: 0312288948 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 19 February, 2002 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
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Title: Martin Yan's Chinatown Cooking : 200 Traditional Recipes from 11 Chinatowns Around the World by Martin Yan ISBN: 0060084758 Publisher: Morrow Cookbooks Pub. Date: 22 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $34.95 |
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