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(More customer reviews)By Bill Marsano. Stewart Chang Berman lives up to his promise to give us 'America's favorite Chinese recipes in this volume, as you can see for yourself. They're all here: won ton soup, shrimp in garlic sauce, lobster Cantonese, General Tso's chicken, Hunan beef, pepper steak and many more, including one of his signature 'fusion' dishes, Sichuan blackened shrimp. In short, just about everything you can find at your storefront Ptomaine Wok take-out is here, 160 or so recipes, potstickers (fried meat dumplings) included.
Most recipes are gratifyingly simple: More than a hundred run to no more than five steps. Of course Chinese cooking requires some unusual ingredients and equipment, but surely we are no longer stunned at the sight of a wok or star anise? In any event, the author pitches in with helpful sections on ingredients, equipment, techniques and basic sauces. He even includes--for the neophytes among us--the cornstarch mixture, which is simple (it's cornstarch and water) and, I think, unnecessary. I gave up adding it years ago; my sauces always seemed thick enough without it.
The recipes are nicely laid out, usually one to a page. They're clearly written and presented in a readable type face. No fussiness nor fol-de-rol here. Note that the paper is unfinished--not slick and shiny. That means when you use this book at the stove it's best to have one of those clear plastic protectors at hand. Or else be neat, which is beyond me.
The real surprise in this book is the author, Stewart Change Berman has been around for some time. He switched from a political-science career to cookery when illness threatened the family restaurant, The Court of the Mandarins, in Washington, D.C. during the Nixon administration--so why haven't we heard from him before? It would appear that he was too busy opening other restaurants (Wok 'n' Roll and The Mandarins, both in or near Washington) to court celebrity.
Which is perhaps just as well. This is a honey book with homey touches, none better than the anecdotes and family memories he sprinkles throughout. In fact, his mother's illustration of the meaning of tact is worth the price of the book all by itself.
There are some dinner-menu suggestions troward the back of the book; most contain suggestions for wine. My advice is to forget them. Wine go with Chinese food but it seldom goes willingly. Beer and tea are drunk at table by the Chinese, and who should know better?--Bill Marsano is an award-winning writer on travel and wine and spirits; he often cooks for his family.
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Explore the culinary riches of China . . .in this enchanting cookbook and memoir by celebrated chef and cooking instructor Stuart Chang Berman.Heartwarming and authentic, this beautifully produced collection of classic Chinese recipes and enchanting personal stories guides you on an enticing journey to explore one of the world's most popular cuisines.
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