Customer Reviews

The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking: Techniques and Recipes

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I learned to cook from this book, and not just Chinese. Partly it's that Tropp shakes convention: I threw my wok away, learned to season fried rice with kosher salt instead of soy sauce, discovered that I didn't have to peel ginger. Partly it is that she works harder to make it easier for you to do the right things, and to understand what makes them right. And, of course, it's also because the results are just so damn good. Also, note that the emphasis here is on simple and hearty, not the nouvelle cuisine of her China Moon book and restaurant. And I did make the pilgrimage to her restaurant, but her best dishes are the ones that come out of my kitchen.

Barbara Tropp is my hero! A year ago I became engaged to a lovely Taiwanese woman who expressed her desire not to become a full time cook just because she was married. This inspired me to try my hand at Chinese cooking. I began to research cook books determined to fine one written by an authentic Chinese chef. To my surprise, Barbara Tropp's name kept coming up in reviews and articles....I couldn't escape her name so I bought "The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking". It was important to me to learn "the real McKoy" because my bride-to-be would be my judge. I was completely surprized when Mary kept exclaiming over and over that "that's how they do it in restaurants back home" or "that's how my mom does it" and so on. The only draw back is that, now, to enjoy my favorite chinese dishes, I have to cook them myself. Our local Chinese restaurants do not serve most of the recipes in Ms. Tropp's book. She is clearly passionate about her subject. And as a result, so am I. This book not only teaches one how to prepair her dishes, it gives you background information surrounding them. The regions where they originated, when and how they are served. Additionally, if she make ANY changes to the original recipes, she tells you what they are. You are not only learning how to prepair delicious dishes. You are getting an education beyond the ingrediants making it possible to taylor your meals around your guests (if they happen to be Chinese). So! Now I have a new hobby which I enjoy because I'm learning to do it well, my fiance thinks I'm great because I cook for her, my friends are constantly inviting me to cook for their parties and Mary loves showing off my skills and insights to her Asian friends and aquaintences. I have enjoyed dozens of hours learning from this book and I have barely scratched the surface. I am so glad I found this site and I am happy to have an opportunity to express the joy I have had learning to cook Chinese food the Barbara Tropp way. Thanks Barbara! If your ever in the Dallas area, I would love to shake your hand. Sincerely, John Morrison.

As a Canadian of Asian descent, I grew up eating authentic Chinese food, even though I cannot read Chinese. I don't like my Chinese food "Westernized". Authentic Chinese food is my goal when cooking at home. THIS BOOK IS A GOD-SEND! It explains in fascinating detail the tools, techniques and very importantly, the INGREDIENTS used in Chinese cooking. The recipes include Ms. Tropp's own personal observations and many recipes have interesting stories attached. This makes the book very fun to read (although colour photos would make it even more fun). I am particularly impressed by Ms. Tropp's attention to detail and authenticity. When she does modify a recipe she clearly indicates this. This is definitely the best Chinese cookbook I've seen and I recommend it heartily. As a side note, I did not fully understand the movie, _Eat Drink Man Woman_ until I read Barbara Tropp's book. See the movie, then read the book! :-)

This book has transformed the way I eat dumplings. Extensive tidbits of personal preferences, stories, myths and taboos to enlighten the palate beyond just the food. Each recipe is explained extremely well, step-by-step. Further, her anecdotes about living in Taiwan are interesting and help fuel your personal cooking.

To fully appreciate the meals of this books, reading the first few chapters on equipment are invaluable! Her cleaver section is dynamite! I left the purchasing of a variety of cleavers to her, and just bought the one general cleaver she recommended! What a change it has made in my kitchen! Following her techniques and recommended equipment has made my Chinese cooking from an all day affair to a short, well orchestrated event.

5-stars because of the personal insight for each section and each recipe; excellent writing and editing; superb recipes (oh, the pork hunan dumplings are divine-especially when made into pot-stickers); easy to follow illustrations that are not complex or childish; and most of all-PRICE! Excellent value for the money!

I have had this book for many years and it remains my favorite. The exacting detailed recipe descriptions and technique notes ensure that you understand you are doing fine every step of the way, whether the recipe is simple or complex. A treasure for those who read cookbooks for pleasure; stories are scattered throughout. Although I only make a handful of the recipes ongoing, some are staples in my household and descriptions and techniques I picked up from reading it apply to other books. I also used the chinese characters in the ingredients section to obtain unfamilar items in Chinese-speaking shops with great success.

I wanted one Chinese cookbook that would teach me all the basics of cooking.

This is it! (And I'm still learning.)

Ok, it's very time consuming. But it's worth it! I've even learned little hints that have helped me in all of my cooking! For instance, now I can bread and lightly fry or bake any item without it falling apart!

I'm an avid cookbook reader and recipe-try-outer and this is one of the best cookbooks in general that I have come across. Instructions are crystal clear, which is great for beginning cooks, and because of the careful instructions, each recipe turns out exactly like it's supposed to. She has a lot of home-cooking type recipes that are easy, like the Master Sauce Eggs and chicken. It's true that some recipes do take time, but most of them you can do parts ahead of time or are hands-off sorts.

The heart and soul of this book is that it gives you the 'how to' on all of the essential styles from stir fying, smoking, sand pot cooking and more. It also gives you the techniques as well. Had Ms. Tropp not passed away far too soon, I think we would be seeing her towards Chinese food much the way we saw Julia Child. This book was way ahead of its time. You won't regret having it.

I think this a super book. However, it is definitely not a good introduction for the novice. The recipe instructions are about the clearest and (by far) the most detailed of any I have come across but the whole book has obviously been written with on assumption that the reader has a good bit of experience in the kitchen. There are no photographs in this book and, while I normally subtract stars from my ratings on that basis, the deficiency does not count for much here. What really makes this book so good is the detailed discussion about techniques and the history of certain dishes. There is a lot of interesting stuff in here and this book is definitely a gem in my collection. In particular, I was very interested to read what this author had to say about 'fish-flavor' dishes at page 195. I don't recall ever seeing this explanation of how the name arose in any other book (and I am not sure I am convinced) but I think it is this sort of thing that will make the book appeal to all serious 'foodies'. I also should add that I was pleased to see each recipe name and section heading rendered in Chinese characters (although the translations are not always direct). A great purchase all things considered.

This was the first book on Chinese cooking I ever read. It is a good place to get started because Barbara Tropp is very didactic when it comes to explaining the different cooking techniques, how to choose and mind your wok, the conservation of each product and the different vegetable combinations possible for stir-fries. But traditional Chinese cooking can be exhaustingly time-consuming and unpractical, especially as outlined in the different recipes throughout this book. They're definitely not the kind you would like to try after a hectic working day, especially if you prefer to save some private time for your beloved ones rather than be chopping and blanching away in the kitchen hours on end. My advice is: give it a good read so that the basics of Chinese cooking become second nature, but put it away in your bookcase and keep handy Hugh Carpenter and Teri Sandison's "Wok fast," or Ken Hom's "Quick Wok," instead. They'll teach you how speedy the preparation of a tasty dinner can be.