Chinese Soul Food - by Hsiao-Ching Chou (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Any kitchen can be a Chinese kitchen with these 80 easy comfort food recipes--plus tips and techniques for cooking with a wok, stocking your pantry, making rice, and more.

Chinese food is more popular than any other cuisine and yet it often intimidates North American home cooks. Chinese Soul Food draws cooks into the kitchen with accessible recipes that bring comfort with a single bite or sip. These are dishes that feed the belly and speak the universal language of "mmm!"

In Chinese Soul Food, you'll find:

- 80 approachable recipes for homestyle Chinese dishes
- Essential tips for Chinese cooking, including wok care, rice preparation, and more
- Basic Chinese pantry staples, plus acceptable substitutions for busy cooks

Recipes include:

- Red-braised porky belly
- Dry-fried green beans
- Braised-beef noodle soup
- Green onion pancakes
- Garlic eggplant
- Hsiao-Ching Chou's famous potstickers
- And much more!

Recipes are streamlined to minimize the fear factor of unfamiliar ingredients and techniques, and home cooks are gently guided toward becoming comfortable cooking satisfying Chinese meals.

Review Quotes

"Hsiao-Ching Chou delves into the heart of Chinese cooking, understanding its power to provide sustenance and comfort."
--Grace Young, James Beard Award-winning author of Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge

"I love this book. It's a warm invitation to home cooks to get comfortable with Chinese home cooking through stir-frying, braising, and steaming--and with easily available Chinese ingredients."
--Naomi Duguid, author of Taste of Persia: A Cook's Travels Through Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, and Kurdistan and Burma: Rivers of Flavor

"...when I thumb through this book I want to make everything--it sounds so good and so comforting."
--Deborah Madison, author of In My Kitchen and Vegetable Literacy

"Soulful. Smart. And hunger inducing. This is the sort of food you eat if you're lucky enough to have a Chinese grandmother cook for you."
--Steven Raichlen, author of the Barbecue Bible cookbook series and host of Project Smoke on PBS

"I made the mistake of reading Chinese Soul Food before making dinner. I got so hungry reading over such appetite-inducing recipes as Baby Bok Choy with Chicken and Spicy Clams with Chinese Sausage that I simply had to run to the store to buy the ingredients. Dinner was a little later than usual but oh-so satisfying, and the recipes were simple and quick to make."
--Bruce Aidells, author of The Great Meat Cookbook

"A fun guide to creating favorite restaurant recipes at home."
--Publishers Weekly

"Chinese home cooking isn't as scary as it seems."
--The Seattle Times

"The definitive primer on Chinese home cooking."
--Seattle Magazine

"Chinese Soul Food is a primer of authentic meals that trace [Chou's] family's background and movements throughout the provinces of China, Manchuria and Taiwan.... In its conception and execution, Chinese Soul Food embodies not only mastering the journey, but the destination as well. It's a stellar choice for anyone's cookbook shelf!"
--International Examiner

"Add it to your collection and expand your cooking repertoire for the better."
--Simple Bites

"If you are new to Chinese cooking, Hsiao-Ching's Chinese Soul Foodis the perfect starting place and Hsiao-Ching the perfect teacher."
--Books for Better Living

"Chinese Soul Food is definitely a friendly guide to cooking your favorite Chinese dishes at home...[an] abundance of [recipes]...gorgeous photos and clear descriptions... a testimony to family, food and tradition."
--Third Coast Review

About the Author

Hsiao-Ching Chou is an award-winning food journalist, a cooking instructor, and communications consultant. She is a member of the James Beard Foundation cookbook committee and Les Dames d'Escoffier. Chou has been a guest on local and national shows, including Public Radio's The Splendid Table, the PBS documentary The Meaning of Food, and the Travel Channel's Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. In her spare time, she teaches popular everyday Chinese home cooking classes at the Hot Stove Society. She lives with her family in Seattle.