Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees: Essential Techniques of Authentic Chinese Cooking
by Kian Lam Kho
Create nuanced, complex, authentic Chinese flavors at home by learning the cuisine’s fundamental techniques.
Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees offers a unique introduction to Chinese home cooking, demystifying it by focusing on its basic cooking methods. In outlining the differences among various techniques—such as pan-frying, oil steeping, and yin-yang frying—and instructing which one is best for particular ingredients and end results, culinary expert Kian Lam Kho provides a practical, intuitive window into this unique cuisine. Once one learns how to dry stir-fry chicken, one can then confidently apply the technique to tofu, shrimp, and any number of ingredients.
Accompanied by more than 200 photographs, including helpful step-by-step images, the 158 recipes range from simple, such as Spicy Lotus Root Salad or Red Cooked Pork, to slightly more involved, including authentic General Tso’s Chicken or Pork Shank Soup with Winter Bamboo. But the true brilliance behind this innovative book lies in the way it teaches the soul of Chinese cooking, enabling home cooks to master this diverse, alluring cuisine and then to re-create any tempting dish they encounter or can imagine.
MY REVIEW: In popular culture, "Chinese Food" is a very broad term used to describe a diverse, fascinating cuisine which offers a legendary mystique all its own. "Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees: Essential Techniques of Authentic Chinese Cooking" by Kian Lam Kho, with photographs by Jody Horton, emphasizes cooking techniques as the best way to achieve the desired results. Chapters are arranged according to cooking methods, and then instructions are given for which method works best for the recipe ingredients. Much historical data is provided--explaining how the regions of the country developed, and then advising how the regions shaped the food culture of China. Ingredients and utensils are given full their due, and over 200 color photographs supplement the text and entice the reader to try something new outside their normal recipe box. This thorough, well-presented cookbook includes over 150 recipes which range from basic to more complex, and along with familiar favorites, there are many intriguing and exotic dishes to tempt the reader. "Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees" is an excellent tutorial, but it is as enjoyable as it is educational. Here's a sampling of the variety of recipes you will find: "Sweet-and-Sour Dipping Sauce"; "Simple Stocks"; "Garlic Stir-Fried Greens"; "Stir-Fried Shrimp"; "Kung Pao Chicken"; "Shrimp and Asparagus Fried Rice"; "Moo Goo Gai Pan"; "Salt and Pepper Fried Fish Fillet"; "Fried Sesame Pork Tenderloin"; "Sweet and Sour Pork"; "General Tso's Chicken"; "Steamed Striped Bass"; "Eight Treasures Winter Melon Soup"; "Crispy Roast Duck"; "Beggar's Chicken"; "Shrimp Salad with Mustard Mayonnaise"; "Sesame Candied Walnuts"; and "Sugar-Coated Cashew Nuts". The appealing cover recipe is "Stir-Fried Ho Fan with Beef and Yellow Chives". KIAN LAM KHO is a chef, culinary instructor, restaurant consultant, and the James Beard Award–nominated blogger behind redcook.net. He has taught at the Institute of Culinary Education and Brooklyn Kitchen. He lives in New York City.
Book Copy Gratis Clarkson Potter Publishers via Blogging for Books
Kian Lam Kho
Kian Lam Kho is a private chef, food writer, teacher and food consultant specializing in Chinese cuisine. He is the author of "Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees: Essential Techniques of Authentic Chinese Cooking," and the creator of the James Beard Foundation Awards nominated Chinese home cooking blog Red Cook (http://www.redcook.net) and is one of the authors of Knack Chinese Cooking: A Step-by-step Guide to Authentic Favorites Made Easy. He lives in New York City and teaches Chinese cooking at the Institute of Culinary Education and the Brooklyn Kitchen. He appears regularly as speaker and discussion panelist on Chinese cuisine and its history. He helped launch New York's first Yunnan restaurant, Lotus Blue, as a consulting chef. He is also a frequent guest chef and caters private multi-course Chinese banquets.
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