The Seventh Daughter: My Culinary Journey from Beijing to San Francisco (Hardcover)

by Cecilia Chiang (Author), Lisa Weiss (Author), Leigh Beisch (Photographer)
Key Phrases: young cook, big uncle, premium soy sauce, The Mandarin, Chiang Liang, San Francisco (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
A foreword by legendary chef Alice Waters hints that this volume is filled with authentic recipes, cultural stories and food memories. And indeed, Chiang, the one-time proprietor of San Francisco's famed Mandarin restaurant—which is widely credited with introducing Americans to real regional Chinese cuisine—presents a rich, heartfelt volume filled with recipes and stories from her life. There are recipes from the original Mandarin, of course: its Pot Stickers, Sichuan Spicy Eggplant, and Beggar's Chicken, which Chiang says is a favorite of Williams-Sonoma founder Chuck Williams. There are also recipes from the Mandarin in Beverly Hills (such as Sesame Shrimp) and many recipes from Chiang's family. Of Yun Hui's (My Mother's) Red-Cooked Pork, Chiang says, I've had dreams about this dish that have been so vivid that I thought I could actually smell the aroma of the meat as it was being carried from the kitchen to the dining room of our family home in Beijing. Interspersed among the recipes are tales of growing up in China, leaving there after the Communist takeover in 1949 and founding her landmark restaurant in the U.S. Foodies intrigued by Chinese food and culinary history—and the life of a remarkable restaurateur—will relish the journey through this book. (Oct.)
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Review
"delicious, doable recipes...a wonderful book...a moving memoir of a plucky woman who grew up in a Beijing palace" -- O Magazine

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press; illustrated edition edition (October 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580088228
• ISBN-13: 978-1580088220
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #154,246 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Remarkable Blending of Food and History, November 1, 2007

By	David H. Perlstein (San Francisco) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Wonderful! Food is so often distanced from the study of history and civilizations. The Seventh Daughter truly offers a remarkable blending. It provides not only recipes from a great chef (thank goodness we gained Chinese dishes beyond the too-often blandness of Cantonese) but real context. Great stories go with great dining. Chinese cuisine is world-class while Cecilia Chiang's stories offer an enlightening take on the human condition. I also very much appreciate Lisa Weiss's tips that help make preparing Cecilia's dishes practical in a home kitchen. I hope we see more cookbooks like this one.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recipe for Success, November 23, 2007

By	Elliot Steinberg - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Reading The Seventh Daughter is akin to partaking in a sumptuous banquet, which satisfies the palate, but more importantly feeds and nourishes the soul. The aptly described "culinary journey" is just that, as author Lisa Weiss brilliantly blends Chinese old-world, delectable recipes with deftly seasoned insights into the life of a truly remarkable and regal lady -- Cecilia Chiang. My family had enjoyed the excellent cuisine at The Mandarin restaurant almost from its opening at Ghiradelli Square in San Francisco, but had no idea that its owner Cecilia Chiang had such a remarkable history personifying in her elegant way the Chinese intellect and spirit of her heritage with the American dream. Weiss brings such evident devotion and love to her work and successfully elevates the reader's understanding of Cecilia Chiang's passage from early, upper-class childhood in China to escaping on one of the last flights from the specter of the Communists to arriving in San Francisco -- penniless in money, rich in courage and tradition. The Seventh Daughter is a veritable feast, destined to be savored over and over again. It is most highly recommended.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seventh Daughter: Awesome, December 31, 2007

By	Mark F. Braun (Norridge, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Cecilia Chiang (whose son co-founded the chain PF Chang's) founded San Francisco's ground-breaking MANDARIN in American in 1961, introducing Chinese cuisine that rocked our jaded concepts of oriental foods. Recipes for her authentic dishes are the secrets carried through turmoil and heartbreaking sacrifices, showing both the terrible damages of wars and the strong spirit of a soul meant for greater things.

If you think that running your business is tough, draw inspiration from the woman whose determination to survive humbles the mightiest of us. Recommended.

Mark Braun
Associate Publisher
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