Author(s): Rhonda Lauret Parkinson, Rhonda Lauret Parkinson
Publisher: Adams Media
Publication Date: 2003-09-01
Pages: 320
Review: My friend Kathy asked for this for her Birthday. It arrived on time & she was very happy to have it.
Thanks!!! I purchased this along with my first Wok at Christmas, and I must say that this book gets a ton of use. The recipes are easy to follow, and reasonable replacements are listed for hard to find ingredients. The recipes are also adjustable when you get the hang of things, and I haven’t had a bad recipe yet. I gave the book only four stars because of a lack of images and that it is just a tad on the basic side, but this in conjunction with other Chinese recipe books can help a beginner like myself and my wife make our first steps into cooking Chinese cuisine. As a stand alone guide, this book may lack in a few areas, but as part of a collection, you will find yourself referencing this one time and time again. Take it from me, this is the book you want to get first if you’re intent on cooking Chinese food in your home. Parkinson provides a lot of helpful information and background in the beginning of the book you’ll be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. Almost every recipe is something an American would love. It details which spices, vinegar, wines, sauces, etc. to buy at your ordinary grocery store. All you’ll need is a wok after that (get the Lodge cast iron, it’s the best and will last you a lifetime). Every menu can be adjusted to your tastes, meaning you can make them more authentic or you can further ‘Americanize’ them, as incorrect as that sounds. But if you’re wanting food the entire family will enjoy, this is the book with which to start. THEN try others! Finally, visit [..] and watch some of the chinese cooking videos there. They will illustrate in real time many of these same menus, and there you’ll see shortcuts and other tips that many recipe books take for granted, but don’t bother to mention.
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TWO CAVEATS: (1) Within many menus, you’ll see a measure of an ingredient (such as p.48) followed by the word “divided.” For example, it will read: “2 tsp salt, divided.” But you have to read the full process instructions below the recipe to know that you only add 1/2 tsp of salt first, and then sprinkle the rest on at the end during stir fry. (2) Nowhere is a batter recipe defined. You’re told to deep fry chicken, etc., in batter first, but no batter ingredients are listed throughout. (I presume it’s left up to personal choice.)I picked this up from the library thinking to use it as a starter cookbook before moving on to a better one. It turns out that I really like it. I was a bit intimidated by Chinese cooking but the organization and layout of this book made everything so very easy. I looked at a few other books but finally decided to buy this one.I highly recommend this Chinese cookbook. I don’t know if I just lucked out when selecting it, but I will tell you it was put together very well by Rhonda Lauret Parkinson. It is packed full of recipes we have all heard of and feasted on at the tastiest restaurants. For example, I became really excited to learn how to make Honey Walnut Prawns, a dish that my husband and I really enjoyed at our favorite chinese restaurant in an area we long since relocated from. We hadn’t been able to find a restaurant that served them since then–not until very recently. And I have to say, hands down, the recipe in the book is far better than the dish we had in Seattle. Also, I love all the tips she gives because I find them extremely helpful.
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