friederike's Reviews
Cookbook Reviews
The Technique of Chinese Cooking
By Qiang Mai
Tang's Publishing Company - 1974
This is a very funny book. Publsihed in the 1970's as a bilingual edition (Chinese and English), it features more recipe than you will usually find in a Chinese cookbook nowadays, although I probably wouldn't prepare some of them for a number of reasons (Shark's Fin as Peacock, Seacucumber with Pork or Stewed Turtle with Chrysanthemum, anyone?). And it's typical for the time it was published in - it's full of monosodiumglutamate (also known as MSG) which, although thought a typical ingredient in Chinese restaurant food, is actually a quite modern addition. But I suppose you could get by with just omitting the MSG, and try one of the easier recipes to begin with...