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Need 2 cookbooks - 1 for chinese and 1 for noodles

post #1 of 4
12/5/07 at 7:01pm
Thread Starter 
Hey everyone :)

So I'm looking for two different cookbooks. I bought my sister a nice 14" WOK for Christmas and I want to get her a cook book to go along with it. She enjoys cooking but she doesn't want to spend too much time in the kitchen. Simple meals are what she likes. She loves noodles so I'd like to get her a book all about noodle dishes that are pretty easy to make but still taste good. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Second, I want to get a cookbook for Chinese food. I actually have about 6 different cookbooks on Chinese food but none of them are very good IMHO. For example... none of their Orange Chicken recipes say to put orange peels in to help add flavor. Does anyone have a recommendation for a Chinese cookbook? I'm looking for something that pretty much replicates what you'd get if you were to eat out a Chinese restaurant. None of the pork fried rice dishes I ever made EVER turned out like what I get in a restaurant.
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post #2 of 4
12/5/07 at 7:25pm
Many chinese cookbooks focus on what the Chinese actually eat. US chinese food is not particularly authentic in general. Sweet sauces with lots of meat are what the Chinese restaurateurs first succeeded in selling to the US palate.

I've not found a cookbook of restaurant style chinese food, but I've not looked for one either.

This doesn't really help you find what you're looking for, but it should help you understand why you haven't found what you want.

Give some Martin Yan cookbooks a try. He simplifies ingredients and techniques in ways that many home cooks find useful for cooking Chinese food themselves. His Chinatown cookbook is good but I like his "Invitation to Chinese Cooking" better. Those two books have a number of noodle dishes that should teach her about asian noodles and how to mix and match different items with noodles. That does require a little reading between the lines to figure out, i'll admit.

Phil
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post #3 of 4
12/6/07 at 5:14am
For chinese food...or the American versions of it...i have always been able to put together my own ensembles without a book. I have done well with that...so i am sorry i am not much help on a cookbook for that subject.

However, for noodles I have purchased "Mastering Pasta Noodles and Dumplings" by Williams Sonoma, and it has helped me in a huge way. Best thing about noodles is they are easy to make and are a great addition to any meal.
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post #4 of 4
12/13/07 at 2:39pm
Like pHatch said Martin Yans books are good. Also try checking out some of the later Iron Chef books the original show not the US version. You can most likely find some on E-Bay.
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