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Title: Land of Plenty: A Treasury of Authentic Sichuan Cooking
ISBN: 0393051773
Author:
Fuchsia Dunlop
Publicate Date: 2003-06
Publish: 2003-06
List Price: $30.00
Average Customer Rating: 5.0
Format: Hardcover
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $18.37
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $15.99
Amazon Merchant Price: $19.80
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Truly Amazing... Truly Authentic
So far this is the BEST cookbook I've seen on Sichuan Cuisine. The author does an incredible job with the research on both the recipes and even the histories of the dishes and factoids on Sichuan cuisine. If I could wish for an improvement, it would be for more pictures. But trust me, that is not a reason to detract from the excellence of this book. If you are looking for an authentic Sichuan Chinese cookbook, this is as close as it gets.
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2: Sichuan Cooking "Bible"
My sister in law is Chinese and from Sichuan province. She and my brother call this book the bible of Sichuan cooking. After visiting China and enjoying the amazing food I longed to have it at home. This book is a must-have for anyone who loves this type of food.
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3: Fuschia Dunlop rocks!
I was so giddy when I heard about this book on NPR that I immediately went home and ordered the book. I made the Gong Bao chicken tonight and it was just as delicious as I had imagined. I've made "Kung pao" chicken before, but not quite like this!! It tastes incredibly authentic. I also made the flowering chives with smoky bacon and the stir-fried amaranth leaves. Yum yum!! The recipes are so easy to follow.
Such simple combinations of spices and sauces but the dishes turn out so vastly different than chinese dishes I have made in the past.
Terrific attention to detail and Fuschia comes across as very lively and absorbed with the Chinese culture. You can tell she truly loves the people and the food. This book definitely ranks up there with my top 5 cookbooks.
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4: Surprisingly useful!
I initially bought this cookbook to learn more about Sichuan cuisine, but quickly realized the recipies are extremely practical and easy to follow. They do not require much specialized equipement (unless you consider a wok specialized) and the ingredients can be found at a local Asian market or online. I prepared several bean curd recipes this week. Once I had the ingredients prepped, the actual cook time was only 3 minutes or so (at a very high heat).
In addition to being simple, economical, and fast to prepare, most of the recipes seem fairly healthful (Deep fried foods or pork belly would be obvious exceptions).
If you have never tasted Sichuan pepper, it is definitely worth experiencing. It is not spicy, but it does have a have a fairly big impact on your mouth. That said, even my children (who do not like spicy foods) were able to eat and enjoy the recipies with the Sichuan pepper. Some recipes do have more heat for those who like very spicy food.
I highly recommend this cookbook both for the cultural/historical information and for the recipes.
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5: A MUST have if you like Sichuan food
I am very impressed by the depth of knowledge the author acquired to write this book and how she carefully shares it with her readers. It is not just a book of recipes. The author did her homework understanding the hows and the whys. I love how she explains the many cooking and cutting methods very clearly, AND she includes the Chinese calligraphy (beautifully done) for each, as well as the Chinese pronunciation. This truly helps 'connect the dots' because English translated menus in Chinese restaurants do not always use the same words so it's very helpful to see it in Chinese and know how to pronounce it too. She goes into details explaining the use of Chinese cooking utensils, how to prepare/oil your wok properly, etc... seriously goes beyond the usual cookbook! THANK YOU!
And of course, from her descriptions of the dishes, I could practically smell the spices and want to sink my teeth into the dishes so badly... This was my first Dunlop book and I am a fan now.
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