Chinese Cooking Class (The Australian Women's Weekly Essentials) Paperback – 1 Jul 2000

As described

This item was recommended to me by a Greek friend and I purchased a used one....in pristine condition I might add.A wonderful book for cookery idiots like me. Can't go wrong. RECOMMENDED

This is one of the first cook books to approach Chinese food from a Western perspective - and get it *right.*The book is full of quick, easy recipes that are authentic and delicious, with explanations and photographs every step of the way. The book covers lesser known techniques (everything from balling melons to chopping a chicken, Chinese-style!) and also has a comprehensive glossary detailing the various Asian vegetables, sauces and fruits. It also gives information where to shop (general), and how to substitute, should a certain ingredient be unavailable.Most of the recipes in the book call for lean cuts of meat, with smaller portions of meat or fish, which is consistent with the Chinese approach, so the recipes also suit a tight budget, or families such as ours who grow many of their own vegetables and are simply buying the meat / fish / tofu / whatever.This book also includes a reasonable selection of vegetarian and vegan-friendly recipes, and many of the recipes can be easily adapted for gluten-free, dairy-free, or both. Many recipes are also egg-free, or can easily be adapted. I have found many of the chicken recipes, in particular, work well with a tofu substitution for vegetarian guests and family members.The recipes are easy to make, and most of the ingredients are easily accessible. The few that aren't can be replaced or omitted, and the result is a real, authentic taste. How would I know? I grew up in Hong Kong!The Womens' Weekly series of cookbooks are affordable, useable, and have full colour photos on practically every page - something that, as a visual cook, I find incredibly useful. For me, there is nothing worse than a cookbook with no pictures - food is sight as well as smell and taste, so how can any decent cookbook omit one of the senses so strongly involved in the food creation experience and be a useful guide for the home cook?Strongly recommended. In fact, there's not a dud book in the whole Womens' Weekly Cookbook series. Keep an eye out for secondhand and older editions especially, as some of the books are now hard to get.