Free Downloads
The New Classic Chinese Cookbook

From the inspiration of a 5,000-year-old culture comes The New Classic Chinese Cookbook. Mai Leung Thayer's original Classic Chinese Cookbook earned her a reputation as one of the most admired chefs of Chinese cuisine in America." Now as the world turns toward the new face of China, Mai Leung brings to us an extensively revised edition of this classic. Here you will find dozens of new recipes, including an amazingly enticing and richly authentic chapter on dim sum, and an added section on tofu and vegetables.She presents more than 200 carefully detailed recipes which represent the best-loved dishes from Peking, Szechwan, Hunan, Canton, Fukien and Kiangsu. Many of the recipes in The New Classic Chinese Cookbook introduce Chinese ingredients which have only recently become available in the West. Mrs. Thayer, attentive to modern dietary concerns, adapts many recipes which previously called for flying in oil, to steaming techniques, substituting less meaty and fatty ingredients in sumptuous dishes which lose none of their flavor while gaining in healthfulness.Mai Leung Thayer is famous for making even the most complex and subtle cooking techniques easy for the amateur to understand and practice. Her recipes are always clear and concise, taking the cook step-by-step through the experience of preparing authentic Chinese dishes. A teacher of Chinese history and philosophy, Mai Leung also tells the reader the story behind the recipes. She describes Chinese history, past and current, and delves into the background and mythology of particular foods.

Hardcover: 348 pages

Publisher: Council Oak Books; 2nd edition (May 1, 1998)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1571780521

ISBN-13: 978-1571780522

Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1.1 x 9 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds

Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #1,540,564 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #445 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Asian Cooking > Chinese #13678 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International

This cookbook has some excellent recipes. I've made five or six of them with very good results (some of them more than once).To get good results with the stir-fry dishes, you must usually use the restaurant secret mentioned on p. 17 (blanching in oil, sometimes referred to as velveting) which makes the meat tender, and provides a nice glazed look to the finished dish. Unfortunately, this technique is not called for in the individual recipes, but is, nonetheless, a very crucial step. This secret is omitted by many, if not most, Chinese cookbooks, however, so I wouldn't fault the author too much.Many of the dishes can be prepared with ingredients available in most supermarkets (Hoisin Sauce, Dark Soy Sauce, Light Soy Sauce, Oyster Sauce, Sesame Oil, Dry Sherry, Five-Spice Powder, etc.), but for a number of recipes, you will need to venture to an Asian market to get things such as Sichuan Peppercorns, Ground Bean Paste, Spicy Bean Paste, Sweet Bean Paste, Shaoxing Rice Wine, and other "exotic" ingredients. This is good, however, since getting authentic results is often impossible with many of the Americanized substitutions advocated by many lesser cookbooks.Overall, I'd say this is a very good cookbook. I am sure there is a better Chinese food tutorial out there, however, so I am holding back one star. No photographs.

Well, the recipes in here work. They taste like run-of-the-mill takeout Chinese food in a box. There's little discussion of techniques, ingredients, or variations. (In fact, the author warns at the beginning that all the quantities have been carefully measured, and don't even think about changing them!) Vegetarians beware: the chapter entitled 'Vegetables and Tofu' is mostly made of recipes that contain veggies and tofu, but also a hunk of pork, chicken, etc.Save your time and get one of Barbara Tropp's books instead.

The receipes are both easy and authentic. The recipe for broiled salmon steaks with mushrooms in ginger and scallion sauce is delicious! The sichuan eggplant in chili garlic sauce tastes like it came from my favorite restaurant. The recipes are very authentic yet easy to follow, even for a beginner. To top it all off, these tasty recipes are also healthy!

This is a fabulous book. The recipies are authentic but approachable. Everyone I made has turned out really tasty.

This is a high-quality book. The recipes I've tried have turned out quite delicious. And they are clear and concise. So I vote "yes" on this book.

Chinese Cooking: No Wok Takeout! 80 Amazingly Delicious 3 Steps Or Less Chinese Recipes Revealed (Chinese Cookbook, Cooking For One) (cookbook for beginners, ... meals cookbook, easy meals for one 2) Chinese Cookbook - 25 Delicious Chinese Recipes to Chinese Food Made Easy: Recipes from Chinese Restaurants Chinese Hot Pot Cookbook - Your Favorite Chinese Hot Pot Recipe Book: No Other Chinese Cookbook Can Compare HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR. Kids Coloring Book.: Children Activity Books with 30 Coloring Pages of Chinese Dragons, Red Lanterns, Fireworks, Firecrackers, ... 3-8 to Celebrate Their Fun Chinese New Year! 49 Awesome Chinese Recipes (The Ultimate Chinese Cookbook That Brings an Entire American Chinese Buffet to Your Dinner Table) Chinese Recipes. Delicious Chinese Recipes For All The Family: Easy & Tasty Chinese Cookbook The Chinese Cookbook: 50 Great Recipes from the Chinese Kitchen (Chinese Cooking) Easy Dim Sum Cookbook (Dim Sum Cookbook, Dim Sum Recipes, Chinese Dim Sum, Chinese Dumplings 1) Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (Simplified and Traditional Character) Character Workbook (Cheng & Tsui Chinese Language Series) (Chinese Edition) Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 Workbook (Traditional Character, 3rd Edition) (Cheng & Tsui Chinese Language Series) (Chinese Edition) Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio: The classic collection of eerie and fantastic Chinese stories of the supernatural (Tuttle Classics) Dragon Dance: a Chinese New Year LTF: A Chinese New Year Lift-the-Flap Book (Lift-the-Flap, Puffin) The New Classic Chinese Cookbook Chinese Takeout Cookbook: Favorite Chinese Takeout Recipes to Make at Home (Takeout Cookbooks Book 1) A Taste of China: 25 Easy Chinese Recipes (Chinese Cookbook) Chinese TakeOut Cookbook: 40 Of Your Favourite Chinese Takeout Recipes Chinese Cooking: Enjoy The Best Collection Of Chinese Dishes Under One Cookbook Classic TV: WESTERNS 1 - SIX COMPLETE CLASSIC TELEVISION COWBOY COMIC BOOKS: OVER 200 PAGES OF COWBOYS, INDIANS AND OUTLAWS (CLASSIC TV COMIC BOOKS) This Next New Year: (Chinese-English Bilingual Edition) (Chinese Edition) Dragon New Year, the: A Chinese Legend (Chinese Legends Trilogy)