Damn Good Chinese Food: Dumplings, Egg Rolls, Bao Buns, Sesame Noodles, Roast Duck, Fried Rice, and More―50 Recipes Inspired by Life in Chinatown

I am an experienced cook that doesn't often follow recipes exactly. When buying a cookbook, I usually read the notes from the author, the forward, and the introduction of the cook to get a feel for the author's philosophies on cooking. In reading "A Note From The Author", I was intrigued as the author said "not to worry about about exact measurements and precise cuts.". You have to get to know ingredients and learn what you like best in recipes.It was a little off-putting for me, when he got into buying live ingredients, such as fish, lobster, shrimp, etc. Personally, I couldn't buy anything live and have to kill it. At this point, I almost put the book down. As I read on, I found it interesting that Chris Cheung offered personal stories for many of the recipes.Chris does offer quite a few recipes for dishes you might order in a Chinese restaurant, and the ingredients can be found either in a grocery store or on-line. So, you don't have to have access to a Chinese market. In addition to the photos of what finished dishes look like, there are many pictorial instructions on how to construct foods such as dumplings. Many of the recipes also suggest substitutions if you can't find the suggested ingredients. There are quite a few recipes for dumplings and for dishes we have purchased from Chinese takeout. I am not fond of the use of MSG in many of the recipes, but the use of MSG is controversial.Although I have not yet tried recipes from this book, I know enough about cooking, flavors, and ingredients to know these recipes would turn out great, and will be trying some of them in the near future.I do recommend this book. I hope this review was helpful for you. I will update this review if my opinion changes and after I have tried some of the recipes.

This book is easy to understand. Gives great suggestions on alternatives and the food is very tasty

I loved the illustrated pictures of all of the delightful dishes the author presented and shared. I also loved the stories behind what inspired him to become a chef and create his dishes. The best part for me was the history of “The Dynasty of Lost Recipes”. I can’t wait to try them!!

Great book great recipes

An amazing, well organized, very detailed cookbook!! A must have in every kitchen if you are looking to create some authentic Chinese food!!