| Hard Boiled |
|
|
|
| Food | |
| Wednesday, 29 November 2006 | |
|
Hard Boiled “Coarse rice for food, water to drink, and the bended arm for a pillow… Happiness may be enjoyed even in these.” True enough, but nothing is more pleasurable than a fine feast with friends and family… The China Cuisine Association recently announced that the restaurant sector in China, a key motor in driving consumption and employment, will notch up retail sales of one trillion RMB this year, and swell to two trillion by 2010. Covering almost every niche of the market, there are now 4 million restaurants nationwide. But how does traditional and modern Chinese cooking fare in the British Chinese diaspora – so far away from ‘home’? Would you rather dine at a restaurant than cook at home? How many sizzling specialities can you claim to have perfected? In short, do you know your chin from your chilli? If you feel like there is room for improvement, in your own or a loved one’s kitchen, then feast your eyes on some of the tastiest Chinese recipe books from 2006: Simple Chinese Cooking  “Cooking Chinese food at home has never been easier - all you need are these wonderfully easy-to-follow recipes and a decent wok. Kylie Kwong's philosophy is to use the freshest produce and cook it simply to make the most of the clean flavours. All the necessary ingredients are readily available and Kylie's recipes are friendly and straightforward. In no time, you'll be cooking everyday favourites like Sweetcorn Soup and Prawn Fried Rice on weeknights and exciting feasts of Sichuan Chicken Salad, Prawn Wontons, Crispy-Skin Runny Eggs and a perfect Sweet and Sour Pork for the weekend. Enhanced by inspiring photographs of all the finished dishes, and with step-by-step pictures to guide you through their preparation, this culinary treat will never be far from your kitchen.”Modern Asian Flavors: A Taste of Shanghai  "This is a cookbook that explores the traditional dishes of Shanghai and blends to taste with a touch of the western palate. Shanghai cuisine is a combination of many Asian and European cooking styles. This cookbook not only focuses on the traditional dishes, but also highlights modern dishes made with staple Shanghai ingredients and sauces. Founder and creator of Chinablue culinary sauces, Richard Wong presents 60 flavorful recipes organized by course, plus a chapter on how to build a Shanghai-style pantry and a section on how to make Shanghai-style sauces. The book includes sections on cocktails and appetizers, soups and salads, poultry and meat, fish and shellfish, vegetables rice and noodles, and desserts.”China Modern: 100 Cutting-edge Recipes for the 21st Century  “Modern Chinese food has come a long way from the traditional favourites that we order by rote from our local takeaway. As China opens up to the West as well as the rest of the East, its culinary traditions have evolved to create a new and exciting cuisine that can best be described as fusion. In ‘China Modern’, Ching-He Huang explores these new influences and challenges conventional perceptions of Chinese food. She looks at how dishes have been reinvented, drawing on inspiration from Japan, Thailand and Vietnam as well as Europe. Ching's 'Peking Duck Sushi', for example, fuses a traditional Chinese dish with classic Japanese presentation, while her 'Steamed Seabass with Stir Fried Spring Onions and Chillies' demonstrates the breadth of cooking style in regional China. Healthy eating has also become more important and cooking techniques are moving away from deep-frying to steaming, pan frying, boiling, grilling and even baking. Ching also looks at home cooking from the lesser-known provinces in China such as Hunan and Sichuan, as well as how those takeaway favourites should really be cooked.”Chinese Feasts and Festivals: A Cookbook  “Disappearing customs is a fact in modern living. Often, what remains of an ancient tradition is a dish or a confection. In Chinese culture, the link between the past and present is never more evident than festival time. Ritual, feasts and specialties mark each occasion. ‘Chinese Feasts and Festivals: A Cookbook’ explores this aspect of Chinese culture with a collection of favourite recipes in celebration. The rich culinary tradition of China is largely inspired by a calendar year filled with a generous round of festivities - festivals, reunions, weddings and anniversaries - joyous occasions for eating, drinking and making merry, and for paying homage to the gods and ancestors. Food, fittingly, is a combination of flavours and symbols (wealth, happiness, luck, prosperity), a spiritual celebration and an earthly pleasure. In this book, the author has assembled a number of facts and fancies, as well as a collection of festival specialities for the Chinese food lover to read and enjoy or, if the spirit takes flight, cook up a feast that will impress both mortals and ancestors and win the approval of the gods.”Other Favourites…  The Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook  Contemporary Chinese Vegetarian Cuisine: 60 Easy Recipes for the Modern Table  The Food of China: A Journey for Food Lovers Food for Thought and Discussion: Time for Tea “Better to be deprived of food for three days, than tea for one.” Medicine and Diet “He who takes medicine and neglects the diet, wastes the skills of the physician.” Meat and Metaphor “The way you cut your meat reflects the way you live.” |
|
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
