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Chinese Cooking for Dummies [Paperback]

Martin Yan
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
RRP: £16.99
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Book Description

22 Sep 2000 0764552473 978-0764552472
Have you ever had a craving for fried dumplings or hot and sour soup at midnight? Ever wonder how your local Chinese takeout makes their food taste so good—and look so easy to make? Still don’t know the difference between Sichuan, Cantonese, and Mandarin cooking? Discovering how to cook the Chinese way will leave you steaming, stir–frying, and food–styling like crazy! The indescribably delicious cuisine of a fascinating country can finally be yours. And in Chinese Cooking For Dummies, your guide to the wonders and magic of the Chinese kitchen is none other than Martin Yan, host of the award–winning TV show Yan Can Cook . In no time at all, you’ll be up to speed on what cooking tools to use, how to stock your pantry and fridge, and the methods, centuries old, that have made dim sum, Egg Fu Young, Kung Pao Chicken, and fried rice universal favorites. You’ll also be able to: Think like a Chinese chef—usin g the Three Tenets of Chinese Cooking Choose and season a wok, select a chef’s knife, plus other basic tools of the trade Find the essential ingredients—and ask for them in Chinese with a Chinese language (phonetic) version of black bean sauce, hoisin sauce, plum sauce, bamboo shoots, and more Cook using a variety of methods—including stir frying, steaming, blanching, braising, and deep frying And with over 100 recipes, arranged conveniently like a Chinese menu, Chinese Cooking For Dummies  lets you select from any column in the comfort of your own kitchen...which is when the fun really begins. Imagine putting together your ideal meal from the book’s rich offering of recipes: Delectable morsels—including Baked Pork Buns, Spring Rolls, Potstickers, Steamed Dumplings, and Shrimp Toast Seafood dishes—including Sweet and Sour Shrimp, and Oysters in Black Bean Sauce Poultry dishes—including Moo Goo Gai Pan, Kung Pao Chicken, and Honey Garlic Chicken Pork, beef, and lamb dishes—including Sichuan Spareribs, Tangerine Beef, and Mongolian Lamb Chinese Cooking For Dummies gives you all of the basics you’ll need, letting you experience the rich culinary landscape of China, one delicious dish at a time—and all, without leaving a tip!


Product details

  • Paperback: 360 pages
  • Publisher: John Wiley & Sons (22 Sep 2000)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0764552473
  • ISBN-13: 978-0764552472
  • Product Dimensions: 18.5 x 2 x 23.3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 469,875 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • See Complete Table of Contents

More About the Author

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Product Description

From the Back Cover

"Forget Chinese takeout! These recipes are simple and authentic." Mary Ann Esposito, host of PBS's Ciao Italia! Discover the pleasures of Chinese cooking with Martin Yan! "Stay in" for Chinese food — cook it yourself the fun and easy way! Writing with his signature enthusiasm and humor, acclaimed chef Martin Yan offers simple recipes, techniques, and tips that masterfully blend Chinese tradition with American innovation. More than 100 delicious recipes include classics like Fried Rice and Mu–Shu Pork and wonderful surprises like Eight–Treasure Noodle Soup and Drunken Chicken. Discover how to: Work with a work, steamer, and cleaver Make tasty dips and sauces you'll use all the time Properly select and cook meat and fish Prepare a banquet — for two or 20 Explore Chinese ideas on healing foods Get smart! www.dummies.com

About the Author

Martin Yan hosts the award–winning TV show Yan Can Cook, broadcast on 240 U.S. stations and in 70 countries internationally. His bestselling cookbooks include Martin Yan′s Feast and Martin Yan′s Invitation to Chinese Cooking.

Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
If your idea of Chinese cooking is egg rolls, wonton soup, and fortune cookies, you're about to get quite a wake-up call. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Good for reference, not for cooking 30 Jun 2008
Format:Paperback
Unfortunately I had to return this item as I found it tailored for the US market, especially when it came to buying produce. Also found it a bit confusing to follow as cook book. Just wasn't what I expected.
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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars An Absolute " Must Have " ! 15 Sep 2001
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
From the minute I opened this book , I loved it . Very easy to follow recipes are teamed up with Martin's trademark humour , making this one of the most enjoyable cookbook I've read in years !
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com: 3.9 out of 5 stars  18 reviews
33 of 33 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Begin Your Journey Here 5 Dec 2001
By Adrian Black - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Martin Yan...funny guy, and king of PBS cooking shows, is a definite draw for getting this book. Who better to write and explain what is one of the world's most complex and rich cuisines for those of us who have never even touched a wok?

This book helps shatter the image that Asian/Oriental cuisine is one huge homogenous mass of countries wound together. For people first learning about Chinese cooking, and the food culture, this book helps to get you into the sea and your feet wet. As mentioned before, the advanced chef would likely find this repetitive. There is lots of useful, practical advice as well. The sections on shopping in Chinese or Asian grocery stores is helpful, as is the history lesson in the beginning.

One of the things which I loved, was that for his common ingredients list, he said how long things will last in your home under storage. Since some of them to the every-day American cook border upon the mystical and arcane and likely won't be used up quickly, this is invaluable for the person wishing to experiment once a week or less infrequently and doesn't want to waste money on food and spices that won't be used.

This is to say, nothing of Martin Yan's personality, which was also mentioned before, is great! He makes the book worth reading even if you're never going to cook. with it. Out of his 20+ cookbooks, this is one I'm glad I picked up first.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Great for first-timers, only wish there were more pictures 18 Jun 2003
By Chris B. - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Four main things to comment on:

1) You definitely feel Martin Yan's personality in these pages. Great broad yet brief background on regional influences on Chinese cooking.
2) Equally good broad yet brief explanation of basic ingredients and also the prep and cooking techniques.
3) Recipes are pretty easy and you are welcome to buy most of the basic sauces rather than make them from scratch.
4) Only wish there were pictures with each recipe.

On to the details.

On the first point, if you like his PBS shows, you'll enjoy reading this book. It has his wit and its easy to imagine him speaking to you, cleaver in hand. The background info about different regions is brief yet insightful. For example, you will not learn the history of each region, but you will have some insight about the differences between menus at The Canton Cafe versus Larry's Peking Palace.

On the second point, if you're a complete novice to cooking (let alone Chinese cooking), there's enough info about equipment, technique, and ingredients to get you going. He also provides lots of pragmatic advice - substitute ingredients and make-shift cooking supplies when you have limited options.

On the third point, recipes are easy AS LONG AS YOU'RE PATIENT. Unlike some other cuisines, most of this book involves stir frying and that means you MUST have your ingredients prepped before you start throwing things into the wok. There's no time to measure and chop once you start because the "cooking" stage only takes 2-3 minutes :) I found cooking, in general, to be much easier if I have everything premeasured and ready-to-go in little dishes, just like on the TV shows.

On the fourth point, like most "Dummies" books, this one is printed with very few color pictures. And the ones that are provided are bunched together in an insert in the middle of the book - several glossy pages showing finished dishes. Where some areas, such as explanation of techniques, are adequately accompanied by illustrations, I really prefer to have pictures with each recipe. And if not step-by-step, then at least one showing the finished dish. Alas, that is the one area I found lacking.

In summary, great book and more pictures would've made it even better.

Also, one bit of advice - don't expect to get stir-frying right the first few times. It does get a lot easier after a few tries though.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A good first chinese cooking book 3 Oct 2001
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
This isn't the most extensive chinese cooking book. And if you are an experienced asian cook this will not be helpful. But it has been very useful to me in getting me started. There are lists of things to buy, and advice on ingredients and utensils. There is not a lot in the way of illustration.

The recipes are items that I have eaten in a lot of Chinese restaurants, which is why it is so useful. I already know how the dish is supposed to taste, so I can judge the outcome against a taste I already know. It also helps to familiarize myself with what the various ingredients bring to a dish so that I can modify it to make it more pungent or spicy or bland depending on what I feel like eating. That's what makes it such a good beginning book. It gives you a base to expand from.

The book is written in a light hearted manner, Martin Yan likes puns and makes a lot of them. I like this book and will probably use it for a while to come until I am ready for more exotic recipes.

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