Customer Reviews

A Tradition of Soup: Flavors from China's Pearl River Delta

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The first thing I noticed about A Tradition of Soup is that is a beautiful book. It is a feast for the eyes. The North Atlantic Books production team deserves many kudos. The pages are oversized, printed on heavy coated paper. The photographs are excellent, most in full color and abundant.

In her Preface, Teresa Chan writes, "This cookbook is written to promote Chinese food and culture, and to promote health. It pays tribute to my kindred Cantonese people from the Pearl River Delta and to our soup tradition that explicitly links food to health and healing." The book is divided into four parts that indeed cover Chinese culture, healing traditions, history, and of course, food.

Part One introduces readers to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the tradition of soup, and the history of Cantonese people in two deltas: the Pearl River Delta in China and the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in California. The Cantonese people have a rich history in the California Delta region. As a co-founder of the Pacific Complementary Medicine Center and as a member of the Board of Directors of Jen Wah, Inc. both in Stockton, CA, Chen was able to draw on the accumulated wisdom of Chinese elders for the recipes and techniques in this book. In Appendix B the soup contributors are profiled.

Part Two focuses on the basics of Cantonese soups, techniques, and equipment. Of particular interest to me is the section about reconstituting dry ingredients. Since many recipes require dry ingredients, this is a critical step in the process. Also here is where I find a great marinade recipe and the discussion for preparing soup stock including "Top Stock," the all-purpose stock.

Perhaps the most fascinating section of the book is Part Three: Ingredients. Some are familiar, like chicken; others are exotic, such as wolfberry leaves. Color photographs are provided for the ingredients. Each ingredient is listed with its Western name, Mandarin and/or Cantonese pronunciation, and Chinese characters (Mandarin pinyin and Cantonese Romanization). The uses for each ingredients are explained as well as tips for choosing and medicinal values. This part of the book is subdivided into four groups: Animal Sources, Plant Sources, Medicinal Herbs, and Other Food Products.

The bulk of the book is devoted to Part Four: Soup Recipes. Naturally, following TCM practices there are recipes for the four seasons. This makes a great deal of sense for those persons devoted to eating locally produced food, it will be seasonal. There are also sections for all-season, vegetarian, medicinal, exotic, and expensive soups. Most recipes occupy a full page accompanied by a gorgeous, often full-page photograph of the soup in a serving dish. Recipes often begin with a brief description of the soup and its benefits. The ingredient list and clearly written instructions are followed by suggestions and variations when appropriate. The Soupy Snacks and Light Meals section is fun. There are recipes for rice soups, sweet soups, and noodle, wonton and dumpling soups.

If you are looking for "typical" Chinese restaurant soups, you will find Shrimp and Pork Wonton Soup. Although of Sichuan origin, Chen includes Hot and Sour Soup because of its popularity. Many of the recipes remind me of soups served in small, family-run Chinese restaurants in East Bay area of San Francisco. While there were the usual types of soup available, there was also "Today's Soup." Often I had no idea what was actually in the soup, but it was always wonderful.

From beginning to end, A Tradition of Soup is a comprehensive reference work that is thoroughly engaging. People interested in health and nutrition will discover much of value here. The index is thorough. However, the design could be improved for easier scanning through the use of a smaller type and less leading in between lines. My only complaint is that some ingredients are not available in places without a significant Chinese population. Unfortunately the book does not provide Internet resources for obtaining many of the ingredients. Thankfully, many recipes do not contain exotic ingredients. My biggest problem will be choosing which of the delicious recipes to make first.

I got this book hot off the press (American one at that) and was amazed at the in depth description of the ingredients. If you want to find out about holistic healing through soups, this is your book. The book is written to bring the english reader a better understanding of how to eat and what to eat to benefit one's health. It starts off with some basics of traditional chinese medicine (TCM), the five elements, and understanding of the internal organs before proceeding to describe what the ingredients for each soup are. With full on color plates, the author carefully described what each ingredient: how they are cultivated and how they benefit the organs. Each soup highlighted is then captured in simple to follow instructions. What was also of interest was how each soup was championed by individuals who have had a history with the recipe and brings authenticity and tradition to each soup dish. This is not a talk-down cookbook where the master chef is at play while the rest of us just wish we could do the same; this is a book for you and each recipe is styled so that the chef-at-home can realistically achieve the same result. At the end of the book, short snippets of life stories of the soup champions are then introduced. After reading the book, I found out that the book was written to honor those elders at a senior center, and to commemorate those who have come before us while introducing the long tradition of healthy and tasty eating in China to the English speaking masses who are open to this holistic notion of healing through eating.

I really love this book! It is so beautiful, and the descriptions are very informative. I have always been interested not only in the flavor and taste of ingredients I cook with, but the holistic healing aspect of them - and this book addresses both.

I also like that the book has different foods for different seasons. Some recipes are more complicated than others, but you can definitely find easier ones to start with. Some are SUPER easy, like mung bean soup - what a healthy, easy snack to make in the summer! I would say this cookbook is for chefs of all levels - some easy, some more challenging recipes. I would probably rate myself somewhere in the middle.

I haven't researched what the market is like for books like this, but it seems pretty unique.
My colleague introduced this book to me and I'm so glad she did!

This is just the kind of soup book I've been waiting so long for in English. I am cantonese and I grew up drinking what the author calls "louhfo tong" or slow cooking soups from my mom. I recognize many of the recipes in the book and am so happy that I can make them for my own family now. I was particularly happy to see the recipe for savoury rice dumpling soup which is served during the winter solstice. The majority of the recipes were collected from the residents living at a chinese seniors center in CA so they are very authentic. If you grew up drinking "louhfo tong" don't miss this book.

I cook a lot of Chinese food, especially soups. After reviewing this book through the library's copy, I decided to purchase it for myself. The book is written well with great pictures. Recipes are very authentic and not intimidating.

This book has recipes for many of the classic Cantonese-style herbal soups that Mom used to make. I especially like that it provides a list of common soup ingredients along with photos and their English and Chinese names. I never knew what I had been drinking all these years until I got this book! The author also explains the healing properties of soups according to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) principles.

In the computer world, with information, data input and output will be like "garbage in garbage out ", so much more should it be with the food we ingest into our bodies.
I think that most of the maladies we have in the world today are based on the type of food that we consume, especially fast food and I can speak from experience, after major surgeries that placed me in the brink of never having to worry about food again.
This is a great book especially today when we are all looking for easy, and proven healthy food recipes we can prepare on a daily basis. I am certainly looking forward to try all of its recipes in this book. It is great to find some of the soup recipes from my grandpa's kitchen that I used to eat when I was a child.
Mrs. Chen, thank you for compiling and writing such a wonderful book, and bringing back those great memories of my childhood with my grandparents. It is amazing how the smell and flavor of a cup of soup can transport us over time and space... yes, almost a time machine.

Soup puts me in a wonderful place. What a find this book is! It's a great resource with useful information about ingredients I was somewhat familiar with but not particularly clear about; now I know how they can be used for promoting health and treating ailments. I love the photos too. Can't wait to try all the recipes. I'm going to be using it a lot and giving it to my family and friends as gifts!!!

An amazing effort to pull together the soup recipes and the photos to accompany them. As a physician interested in healing and as one also looking to lose weight this is a great resource. I wish someone would incorporate these soups into a restaurant (and even chain) to announce a "new" way of eating even within the Chinese spectrum of foods. The potential here for a blend with the healthy-eating and health-food concepts for the public is powerful. A cafe with tea (and of course coffees) with ambience would be optimal in my vision! [Maybe even make a Marco Polo version with sides from a Mediterranean menu for those who feel they need eat more volume??]