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All Under Heaven: Recipes from the 35 Cuisines of China [A Cookbook] Hardcover – August 30, 2016
| Carolyn Phillips (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
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Vaulting from ancient taverns near the Yangtze River to banquet halls in modern Taipei, All Under Heaven is the first cookbook in English to examine all 35 cuisines of China. Drawing on centuries' worth of culinary texts, as well as her own years working, eating, and cooking in Taiwan, Carolyn Phillips has written a spirited, symphonic love letter to the flavors and textures of Chinese cuisine. With hundreds of recipes--from simple Fried Green Onion Noodles to Lotus-Wrapped Spicy Rice Crumb Pork--written with clear, step-by-step instructions, All Under Heaven serves as both a handbook for the novice and a source of inspiration for the veteran chef.
— Los Angeles Times: Favorite Cookbooks of 2016
- Print length528 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherTen Speed Press
- Publication dateAugust 30, 2016
- Dimensions8.2 x 1.86 x 10.2 inches
- ISBN-101607749823
- ISBN-13978-1607749820
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Editorial Reviews
Review
James Beard Foundation Book Awards
“The vastness and complexity of the many cuisines of China would be daunting to anyone yet Carolyn Phillips has produced a monumental work. Scholarly, comprehensive, based on thorough research yet seasoned with her own insights of an ancient civilization rediscovering and exploring its own culinary history, this is bound to become a classic on the subject and part of the foundation of any serious cook’s reference library.”
—DAVID KINCH, author of Manresa
“Carolyn Phillips brings a bold new voice to the subject of Chinese cooking. All Under Heaven is the result of a lifetime passion and fascination with Chinese cuisine. Many of the recipes are not for a novice cook but it’s an impressive read even if you never cook a single recipe. An added bonus is the author’s charming illustrations.”
— GRACE YOUNG, author of Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge
"Packed with 300-plus recipes (e.g., abalone shreds with mung bean sprouts, bitter melons in golden sand, lotus-wrapped spicy rice crumb pork), this unprecedented reference will thrill cooks who want to expand their knowledge and move beyond the mainstays of American Chinese restaurant menus. Those who enjoy the thoroughly researched cookbooks of experts such as Claudia Roden (The New Book of Middle Eastern Food) will appreciate Phillips’s comprehensive treatment, which includes historical information, an extensive ingredient glossary, suggested menus, and useful advice."
— Library Journal, Starred Review
"[A] comprehensive and thoughtful examination of Chinese cuisine, providing a wealth of appealing recipes for beginner and advanced cooks."
— Publishers Weekly
"All Under Heaven follows the illustrated tradition of books like Shizuo Tsuji’s Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art and Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and therein lies its strength. Ms. Phillips’s simple line drawings cover everything from pulling noodles to removing pig hairs. It’s almost as good as watching over the chef’s shoulder."
— The New York Times
Favorite Cookbooks of Fall 2016
— Los Angeles Times
"There’s no denying Phillips has done her research, delving into 35 Chinese cuisines in admirable depth. "
— Tasting Table
"Organized by regions beginning with a background of that area, Phillips heart and soul can be felt in every word. The book is massive but perfectly laid out with stark white pages, easy to follow instructions with maps and drawings that speaks to her story. She highlights extra information to perfect each dish in red font after each recipe. It is as if she is in the kitchen with us working beside us to make sure we achieve the best results. ...This book is sure to be this year’s best cookbook, I have no doubt."
— The Cookbook Junkies
"Is This the Best Chinese Cookbook Ever Written?"
— Epicurious
"'All Under Heaven' is an accessible overview separating Chinese cuisine into five culinary regions. It’s perfect for the starter Chinese cook."
— Wall Street Journal
"It’s magnificent, a reference on the eight traditional Chinese cuisines, with 300 recipes. But at the same time you’ll enjoy her clever subtitles, side references to James Bond, and friendly tips on how to cook, including how to stand while chopping."
— Dianne Jacob
"Carolyn Phillips’ 'All Under Heaven' is at once as heavy as a doorstop and as ethereal as a proper Chinese dumpling. A Mandarin scholar who married into a Chinese family, Phillips spent years mastering her adopted cuisine, and it shows in every recipe and line drawing, which she renders in her own hand with considerable elegance."
— Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"This book is a work of great passion that rewards on so many levels. Every recipe I tried was excellent, there is a wealth of information that will keep your mind occupied for years, and the personality of the author shines through."
— Leite's Culinaria
"Phillips never stops pushing the limits of her own vast knowledge, and you can really tell that a lifetime of expertise went into this, because this is a book that cooks with all its heart and soul.”
— T. Susan Chang, The Level Teaspoon
"The charming illustrations were drawn by Phillips and even though there’s not a photograph in sight, her writing and very clearly written recipes will make you want to cook your way through China, and this book."
— NPRs Here and Now
"Drawing from ancient culinary texts as well as her own experience, Carolyn Phillips created a spirited, symphonic love letter to China's flavors and textures — from simple fried green onion noodles to lotus-wrapped spicy rice crumb pork. It's both a handbook for novices and inspiration for veteran cooks."
— Chowhound
"Rigorously researched and deliciously annotated, the heavy black volume may seem as foreboding as the Great Wall. But do not be intimidated, dear comrade: The charms within are considerable, and Phillips makes the material accessible to American audiences. This is not a book to be scanned, but one to be held in your lap for hours on end. It is magnificent, and it will make you very, very hungry."
— Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"[S]tunning and massive . . . an incredibly rich roadmap to Chinese dishes."
— Munchies
The Forty Best Cookbooks of 2016 -- #1 (tie)
— Eat Your Books
"An inspiring, enlightening necessity for food enthusiasts everywhere."
— Shelf Awareness
About the Author
Carolyn’s art has appeared everywhere from museums and galleries to various magazines and journals to Nickelodeon’s Supah Ninjas series. She was a professional Mandarin interpreter in the federal and state courts for over a decade, and she and her husband recently acted as cultural consultants for the third Ghostbusters movie (2016). She lived in Taiwan for eight years, has translated countless books and articles, and married into a Chinese family more than thirty years ago.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Nanjing Saltwater Duck
Jiangsu • Serves 6
Summer months in many parts of China are brutal, and on some days it can be very difficult to work up enthusiasm for food there. But man (and woman) cannot survive on ice cream and beer alone, and so the denizens of Jiangsu have come up with some pretty great summer foods. This simple yet delicious duck dish is one such example.
In this recipe, the duck is salted overnight, cooked in nothing more than water, salt, and aromatics, and then chilled. It’s that easy. As far as what cut of duck to get, I’d recommend duck legs. They are a heck of a lot cheaper than buying an entire bird, they slice up easily once cold, and they are almost all meat. You will need a heavy cleaver to whack up the legs, however, so if you don’t have one, get duck breasts instead. They are just as tasty, and they can easily be boned and sliced once cooked.
Duck and salt rub
4 whole duck legs (thighs attached) with skin on
2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
2 teaspoons five-spice powder (page 441 or store-bought)
2 teaspoons ground toasted Sichuan peppercorns (page 441)
Braising liquid
2 green onions, trimmed
1 star anise
5 slices fresh ginger
2 teaspoons sea salt
1. Start this 2 days before you wish to serve it. Pat the duck dry and pluck off any pinfeathers you find, as well as the thin yellow skin. Place the legs in a plastic container. Sprinkle them with the salt and spices, rubbing the seasonings thoroughly into every part of the legs. Cover the container and chill for about 24 hours.
2. The next day, rinse the duck legs in plenty of cool tap water, being sure to get rid of all the salt and spices. Place the legs in a small saucepan and add the rest of the ingredients, as well as water to barely cover. Bring the water to a full boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Poach the legs for 30 minutes and then remove the pan from the heat. Let the legs cool in the liquid. Remove the cooled legs to a resealable plastic bag and refrigerate overnight. Just before serving, use a very sharp heavy cleaver to whack the legs into .-inch-wide slices. Serve cold or just slightly chilled.
Nanjing Saltwater Duck also makes a delicious appetizer or bar snack that will serve around 12.
Product details
- Publisher : Ten Speed Press; NO-VALUE edition (August 30, 2016)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 528 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1607749823
- ISBN-13 : 978-1607749820
- Item Weight : 4.12 pounds
- Dimensions : 8.2 x 1.86 x 10.2 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #123,841 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #62 in Chinese Cooking, Food & Wine
- #181 in Gastronomy History (Books)
- #1,217 in U.S. State & Local History
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

THE AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR
Twice a semifinalist for the James Beard Awards, Carolyn is the author and illustrator of three books. Her prose, articles, illustrations, and recipes have appeared in many major publications, and The Atlantic included one of her essays in its “More Than 100 Exceptional Works of Journalism.”
Carolyn's detailed and often magical illustrations have appeared in books, magazines, museums, galleries, Papyrus greeting cards, and Nickelodeon’s Supah Ninja series. She even designed the Chinatown scenes for the third Ghostbusters movie, directed by Paul Feig.
PUBLICATIONS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS
She has written and illustrated:
• AT THE CHINESE TABLE: A MEMOIR WITH RECIPES (Norton, June 2021)
• ALL UNDER HEAVEN: RECIPES FROM THE 35 CUISINES OF CHINA (McSweeney’s + Ten Speed Press, August 2016)
• THE DIM SUM FIELD GUIDE: A TAXONOMY OF DUMPLINGS, BUNS, MEATS, SWEETS, AND OTHER SPECIALTIES
OF THE CHINESE TEAHOUSE (Ten Speed, August 2016)
Her writings and illustrations can be found everywhere from Lucky Peach to Saveur to many compilations, including:
• BEST FOOD WRITING 2015
• FEED YOUR PEOPLE: BIG-BATCH, BIG-HEARTED COOKING AND RECIPES TO GATHER AROUND (2018)
• THE ILLUSTRATED WOK (2017)
Now a member of the prestigious James Beard Book Awards Committee, Carolyn's work has been featured at the 2013 MAD Symposium in Copenhagen, where her illustrated "Dim Sum Field Guide" was distributed to attendees by one of the hosts, Lucky Peach. Her popular weekly culinary blog, Madame Huang’s Kitchen, was named a Saveur Blog ’17 Award finalist.
in. 2017, her writing achieved the impossible: a double nomination from the “Oscars of the food world”:
• Her first book, ALL UNDER HEAVEN, was a finalist for the 2017 James Beard Awards in International Cookbooks.
• And her prose was nominated for that year’s 2017 MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award.
Carolyn has been consistently sought as a culinary expert by the U.S. State Department in its soft diplomatic outreach toward China, where she delivered talks in Mandarin Chinese to audiences in Chengdu, Sichuan. A short film in Chinese about Carolyn and her husband received over 10 million hits at last count. In addition, she has been a featured speaker at the Smithsonian Museum, the China Institute, 92nd Street Y, and Google, and has been sought out as an expert by Julie Moskin at The New York Times, Evan Kleinman (“Good Food,” KCRW), Vogue’s Tamar Adler, Vice Munchies, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the Wall Street Journal, among many others.
MadameHuang.com Twitter @madamehuang Instagram @therealmadamehuang
She's on Facebook, but prefers to communicate via Twitter and Instagram.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonReviewed in the United States on February 14, 2021
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I think this book might be a bit overwhelming for an inexperienced cook; someone unfamiliar with Oriental ingredients. Although, if you glance through the very exemplary "Look Inside" feature on this product page, you will see that many recipes are very approachable, and ingredients readily available from a large well-stocked grocery store. If you are inexperienced, yet very interested in discovering the regional cooking of China, you will be able to tackle these recipes with gumption and determination. While a large oriental grocery store would surely be a great help, it is not mandatory for maybe a third-to-half of the recipes. If you are out in the middle of nowhere, Amazon's vast array of foodstuffs can come to your rescue.
While many of the line drawings are beautiful, without even a few full-color photos, the book is a bit difficult to plow through if your intent is to just glance at the recipes and whiling away a peaceful afternoon. This is a serious book, loaded with information, and not suited for light reading.
Each region is covered, but no region is really covered in depth. Each region has sub-regions, and there is a sprinkling of recipes for each. For instance, I was hoping to learn more about Hakka dishes. While there were a few recipes, I yearned for more. Hence, I call this book an "introduction" despite its 500+ pages. There is enough information on each area to whet your appetite.
I've written quite a few cook book reviews, and I usually include some of my favorite dishes before I wrap it up. Not this time. This book is truly vast in scope, and I don't really have any favorites. I can say that I started with a temporary download of the book from the publisher Ten Speed Press, and today, now that Amazon has it offered for sale, I have purchased my own copy. I can say that the recipes I tried so far produced the predicted results. Now, I want to have the book for my own; to have and hold a hard copy to study it better. It is that kind of book. I bought a hard copy because I think it will be easier to manage than the Kindle version. I want to flip pages back and forth between the recipes, the decent glossary in the back, and the extensive index.
Maybe it would give you some insight, if I told you that I now live in a large motor coach, and I do a lot of cooking outdoors. And I am really trying to downsize my cookbook collection, and have gone from over a thousand cook books to a single cabinet-full in the bus. And I still indulged myself with this book.....I am looking forward to really getting to know the recipes in All Under Heaven during the cooler months coming up.
*I received a free, temporary download of the ARC of this book from the publishers.
I've made a dozen plus recipes from this book over the last year, with results ranging from solid to amazing. Ms. Phillips' recipes are traditional and authentic but not slavishly so. She is confident enough in her understanding to make modest revisions to very old techniques when she feels it beneficial, and I appreciate that. She does assume reasonable access to Chinese ingredients - though she does suggest substitutions at times, this will be a hard book to cook from if Amazon is your only source for ingredients. A local Asian market will be huge asset. But there is a thorough glossary of ingredients at the back of the book, so don't feel you need to be an expert going in either. And techniques or concepts that might not be familiar to Western cooks are detailed and illustrated well.
Finally, Ms. Phillips runs a blog (search "Madame Huang") that includes many of the recipes from this book as well as many, many more along with lots of narrative and reflection. It is an absolutely amazing food blog, for its humanism and humility as much as its recipes. Ms. Phillips is quick to respond to comments there and the couple of exchanges I've had with her there and via email only confirmed my opinion of her expertise, spirit, and generosity. Carolyn is a wonderful person, and I deeply appreciate how much of herself she's put into this book.
This is absolutely a "best of the best" cookbook. It's not for everybody (and that's fine), but hopefully the above comments make it clear whether it's right for you.
Top reviews from other countries
But it’s an excellent cookbook too - this is the only version of mapo doufu I’ve tried that tasted as wonderful as everyone writes it up as (previously I’d thought people were greatly exaggerating); the drunken chicken is a dish I am in love with and make constantly in summer; ‘Three fruits of the Earth’ is an occasional deep-fried guilty pleasure; there’s a multitude of tasty pickles to make; the list goes on. I also like that detailed techniques are given, which are necessary to make dishes the correct way (see mapo doufu above), and the notes at the end of most recipes.
Another thing the book is great for is prompting you to venture further away from Western tastes and textures, and at least give them a try (fermented bean curd, jellyfish and preserved eggs are delicious items that spring to mind). And whilst I thoroughly enjoy the specific-area Chinese cookbooks I have, I also found the broader picture of the whole of Chinese cuisine this book gives engrossing. The differences between regional foodstuffs and preferred tastes are fascinating.
I bought the hardback a couple of years ago, but was thrilled to see and buy the Kindle ebook too, so I can now use my iPad when cooking as I’d prefer not to mess the HB up too much (more) in the kitchen.
The book is beautifully illustrated by the author. One of the best books about Chinese cuisine I have ever read.










