Helen Chen's Chinese Home Cooking

This cookbook helps you get started with ingredients & tools you need to succeed. Nice variety of spices to incorporate into your cooking. Includes everything from appetizers to meals.

I've owned this book for years. The receipes and particularly the descriptions of cooking techniques have proven invaluable. I consider myself a reasonably accomplished home cook but, until purchasing this wonderful resource I never quite "got it" as far putting really good Chinese cooking on the table. Helen explains both the how and the why allowing one to re-create the tastes, aromas and textures of Chinese home cooking. The format of the book is clear and easy to follow. The heavy emphasis on FRESH produce is wonderful. Most receipes are easily adapted to those that wish to reduce or even eliminate meat in the diet. I enjoyed the stories from her youth in her mother's kitchen, in the family restaurant, shopping in Chinatown. I love chicken and highly recommend the delicious and incredibly simple "Chinese White Chicken" (if you can boil water, you can make this great dish). Helen includes many easy and tasty dipping sauces that enhance almost any meal, yum!!!!

I've used this cookbook for years; I have soy sauce stains on a number of its pages! Ms. Chen takes the mystery out of preparing wonderful Chinese food. I have not tried a recipe that we did not like. Try it, you'll like it!

As an always - on - move graduate student raised in an Italian - American family, I must confess that I was always a bit mystified by the the techniques used in the Chinese food I loved so much, but was always unable to achieve in the kitchen. Since I don't have a lot of time at this point in my life because of my studies, Helen Chen's book gives me simple to perform instructions for her quick and absoluetly delicious and nutritious recipes. Thank you Ms. Chen! I highly recommend this book. It is wonderful.

Her straight forward instructions are easy to follow. Most ingredients are easily attainable. I am able to get dinner on the table in about 30-40 minutes. My husband says her dishes reminds him of his mother's home cooking. I think that speaks for itself.