The New Classic Chinese Cookbook [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Mai Leung Thayer (Author), Claude Martinot (Drawings)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1998

From the inspiration of a 5,000-year-old culture comes "The New Chinese Cookbook", a collection of more than 200 carefully detailed recipes which represent the best-loved dishes from Peking, Szechwan, Hunan, Canton, Fukien, and Kiangsu--all of which have been adapted for American kitchens and dietary concerns. Line drawings.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

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.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 348 pages
• Publisher: Council Oak Books; 2nd edition (May 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1571780521
• ISBN-13: 978-1571780522
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #293,364 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #72 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > Asian > Chinese

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Do better elsewhere..., October 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The New Classic Chinese Cookbook (Hardcover)

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Cookbook, September 1, 2004

By 

Ed - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Classic Chinese Cookbook (Hardcover)

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great authentic chinese food that anyone can make at home., December 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The New Classic Chinese Cookbook (Hardcover)

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!