The Chinese People's Cookbook

"This book will focus on the exuberant and abundant breakfast, lunch and snacks of China when she is most at ease and without formality." pp.xvi I love this book. The recipes are very authentic and gives me the, you're in China feel, she begins the book with many of the things you'd encounter were you to wake up in certain parts of China right now. Even though the book is from 1979, many of the references still hold true today. Savory sesame scallion biscuits, chung yao bing, teahouse spareribs in garlic and black bean sauce, shao mai, hah gau, backlane wonton-noodle soup, beef congee with condiments, deep-fried ghosts, lotus leaf rice, joong, fried sweet sesame balls, two faces yellow noodles shanghai style, sauces and dips, etc.

Most Chinese cookbooks focus on dishes suitable for what would be formal dinners in China - fine meat, seafood, and vegetable dishes that are served with rice. This book, in contrast, focuses on the even more delicious everyday foods of China, along with dim sum specialties served during the day at Chinese tea houses.If you've ever been to a Chinatown tea house for lunch on a weekend, you'll recognize many of the foods for which this book provides recipes - for example, har gau (steamed shrimp dumplings with translucent skins), shao mai (a kind of open faced pork or shimp dumpling or pastry), and cha siu bau (a bun with a fluffy steamed bread covering surrounding a center of Chinese roast pork).Also covered by this book are northern style specialties like scallion pancakes and pan fried pork dumplings (also known as pot stickers, "kuoh tieh" in Chinese), as well as some foods that are likely still unfamiliar to most Americans, such as Chinese crullers - also known in Chinese as "deep fried ghosts", for their method of preparation and airy texture. The book is rounded off with a chapter on noodle dishes, and an appendix on Chinese ingredients.The recipes are detailed not only in terms of ingredients, but also in the methods of preparation. Many have useful illustrations, such as for the 'rope twist' method of ensuring that your scallion pancakes are deliciously flaky - all interspersed with the author's reminisces on how and when the various dishes were typically served in her youth in China.

I found this book in a used book store and was pleased to find what I feel will lead me to authentic hong kong style wontons and steamed BBQ pork buns. I have LOTs of chinese cookbooks, but none of them have helped me replicate the best wontons you can find in restaurants. This one has it and much more. Ever try steaming char-siu buns and ending up with a soggy shiny bread instead of the fluffy white bread it should have, this cookbook has the secret (3 different steps in making the dough). Another nice feature are the stories that she tells about the different recipes. Lotus leaf steamed rice, White turnip cake, sesame balls, and many others to try. Not your run of the mill stir fry Chinese cookbook.