Every Grain of Rice: A Taste of Our Chinese Childhood in America

I must have thirty or forty books on Chinese cooking, and most are full of the kinds of restaurant dishes and banquet dishes that aren't terribly representative of what Chinese families actually eat when they dine together. This book is different. It's full of what you might call Chinese comfort food- the food the authors grew up eating, and that reminds them of home. A lot of it is the kind of food most Westerners never get to taste unless they're lucky enough to be the guest of Chinese hosts- food like winter melon soup, or humble food like jook.Add to that the beautiful watercolors and the authors' stories of growing up together (and eating together) and you have an absolute treasure of a book. No matter how many Chinese cookbooks you may own, you need this one.

Delicious Chinese recipes interwoven with Ellen's and Annabel's stories about their Chinese American life and beautifully illustrated by Ellen's watercolors. I have tried the siu mei, oyster beef and broccoli, pan fried prawns with ketchup sauce, chicken in foil, and the almond cookies. They were all doable and crowd-pleasers.

This is a joyful, thoughtful, and respectful approach to food as part and parcel of one's family life. The recipes I've found to be not super-easy, but yet very doable -- not fancy restaurant cooking, but delicious at-home Chinese cooking at its best. Try the siu mai (a type of dim sum) recipe -- it's fantastic.

As an Irish American woman married to a Chinese American man, I found the stories delightful and the recipes helpful. I too have spent time in the kitchen with my in-laws watching them cook, wondering how they arrive at such wonderfully delicious flavors. I am glad to own a book that will help me duplicate such flavors and help my children learn how to cook chinese food.

Great stories, wonderful food!This book is not meant to be an all-encompassing guide to Chinese cooking or a "dazzle the guests" dinner party menu book. It's about comfort food. I own a shelf full of Chinese cooking books, but none contain some of the simple recipes I found in this book. The recipes are for the sort of everyday dishes that Grandmom made during our infrequent visits when I was little. Since she rarely used recipes, the knowledge died with her. What a pleasure it was to find some of her dishes in this book!