Chinese Regional Cooking

I've been very pleased with this book after purchasing it on impulse at a local bookstore. The recipes are organized geographically, with a chapter devoted to each regional cuisine. Recipes are short, well-written and to-the-point. Ingredient lists are good, including some harder-to-find asian produce items. San Francisco makes that problem go away. So far I've made about 4 dishes out of this book, and they've all been delicious. Hot and Sour soup, delicious Eggplant in Fish Sauce, Dry Fried String Bean, Shao Mai, etc. This book is thankfully free of the tasteless recipe Americanization so frequently found in many modern "asian" cookbooks -- no recommendations to substitute Skippy for peanuts, etc. Also: Many pretty pictures, somewhat interesting reading. My only complaint is that it should be ten times as long :)

I think that nowadays is hard to find a good chinese cook book...most of the times you end up in the hands of somebody who just made the recipes up,or even worse,in the hands of impossible recipes...with ingredients that you would only find if you went to China!!This book is very helpful,not just as far as recipes are concerned,but also it gives you the opportunity to learn a lot about the history of this unique cuisine.You will find out things that you never knew and that are very curious.Plus,the recipes are very well explained and laid out;each dish is a success with this book...guaranteed!!!I tried making several recipes from this book and they always turned out wonderful!!!!!Finally,Chinese recipes that are not austere and strict anymore...but recipes with a new,yet old and charming touch.