Customer Reviews

Helen Chen's Chinese Home Cooking

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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!!!!

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.

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!

I already have several Chinese cook books but I am still glad that I added this one to my collection. This book covers just what it says, hearty home-style cooking. As another reviewer has already noted, the quick Scallion Pancakes are an especially good discovery. This book has sections based on main ingredients and offers lots of variations on recipes. For example, in the section on beef stir fry, there are half a dozen ways to fix beef with oyster sauce as well as other options. I was particularly glad to find so many recipes using tofu. Another thing I appreciated was the discusion of ingredients and cooking methods at the beginning of the book.

My favorite source of ideas for Chinese style dishes is the collection of recipes by Nancy McDermottQuick & Easy Chinese: 70 Everyday Recipes That book has a different style with less recipes and slightly more elaborate preparation than this one. It's my first choice for a weekend or when having people over. Helen Chen gets me through the weeknights when I have less time and a quicker, but still tasty home-style meal, probably a stir fry, is what I'll be making.

This is a great home-style cookbook, obviously a fusion of what Ms Chen learned from her famous mother and more modern takes on old classics. The book is chock full of interesting dishes that have all stood the test of time, and everything I've made so far has turned out well. Her sweet & sour pork is classic Chinese restaurant fare and works beautifully, including a special batter that she has fine tuned to produce a nice crunch that stays on the pork after it is fried and sauced. There is also an interesting recipe for a simplified/quick version of scallion bread that can be put together in just a few minutes and is really good---not exactly like the original that requires a lot of kneading and rolling up and rolling out to create croissant-like layers---rather this is more of a batter with chopped bacon and scallion that is cooked like a crepe. And it works, and is easy enough that it can be thrown together (without making mess of the kitchen!) on the spur of the moment for an evening snack. If you know how to cook and can follow a recipe, and most importantly you don't expect the book to be something it isn't, I think this book fills the bill nicely for relatively quick & easy everyday Chinese family food.

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.