The Woks of Life: Recipes to Know and Love from a Chinese American Family: A Cookbook by Bill Leung
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Web ID: 152557182 years ago
from Brisbane, Australia
All those wonderful recipes you wanted to cook
Magic arrived in my kitchen today - the ability to cook just about every Chinese meal I ever wanted. It arrived in the form of a eBook on Kindle (no space for another Hard Cover). I just love the little stories behind the family's endeavours, and beautiful descriptions of techniques and little secrets. It is oh so good. Thank you to Bill, Judy, Kaitlin and Sarah for all the love that has gone into this.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
2 years ago
greeat product
great product
3 years ago
Excellent for exploring a new cuisine!
I can’t wait to cook from this book! I’ve only made a handful of Chinese recipes over the years, but this book looks like a great starting point. Since the writers have a blog you can follow QR codes to get more detailed information on ingredients, including recommended brands and photos of what the ingredient looks like! Super helpful when you’re staring at a million different black bean pastes. They also include online links in case you don’t have a good local Asian market. Even if you're not looking to cook from this book, I loved reading it and understanding some of my favorite Chinese American dishes. How many people know that a turnip cake is made of radishes? It will make you much more confident about ordering the next time you go out for dim sum or simply want to try something new for dinner. I love using the new year to explore new cooking projects and cuisines. This is the perfect book for my resolution! I’ve received a free copy from Clarkson Potter in exchange for a free and unbiased review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
3 years ago
from California
Beautiful!
For me, this is one of the best types of cookbooks - The Woks of Life reads like a family story told through a beautiful array of traditional foods, recipes, and adaptations. All of the offerings in this book have a string of nostalgia woven through them, and run the gamut - giving equal attention to traditional recipes with detailed steps and a long list of ingredients (ie. Taro Puffs) as well as modern takes or “inventions” with less ingredients and/or sneaky shortcuts (ie. Lazy Veggie Noodles). I generally shy away from cooking Chinese food at home, however the authors have included a little something for everyone in terms of cooking level, but also cuisine type: Shanghainese, Cantonese, and Hong Kong-Style to name a few. I will definitely tackle some of the simpler recipes, and can’t wait to travel through China by way of each recipe and photo! I’ve received a free copy from Clarkson Potter in exchange for a free and unbiased review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
3 years ago
from Los Angeles
Straightforward recipes for Chinese favorites
I have to admit I was not familiar with the Woks of Life food blog before reading this book. Having read the Woks of Life book, I walked away quite impressed. While I cannot speak about the blog, I can say the book is chock full of basic Chinese recipes the average home cook can try any day of the night. These are recipes for delightful treats you might grab from your local dim sum to go spot (if you are fortunate enough to live close to one). Things like mini char siu baos, Hong Kong egg tarts, garlic chive and shrimp dumplings. My one complaint here would be that the dim sum section is a bit short but perhaps the recipes that made the book were the most user friendly. There is also a comprehensive starter section. The recipe I was most intrigued by was for classic scallion pancakes. The recipe seems quite straightforward and I cannot wait to give it a shot. The recipes for liangban pressed tofu and chili oil wontons also seemed like something I would love to try. The noodle and rice sections are full of recipes for things you might order from your local Cantonese take out joint (think: chicken chow fun, beef pan-friend noodles, congee, fried rice). Having read through these relatively simple recipes, has made me second guess getting take out rather than just attempting to make these dishes myself. The protein sections also contain dishes you might be tempted to cook yourself. The kung pao chicken seems relatively simple to make. As does the Cantonese roast pork belly. The Woks of Life should please anyone who wants to make simple yet flavorful Chinese food. If you are a fan of Chinese food and are looking for a resource for relatively easy meals, this book is for you. I've received a free copy from Clarkson Potter in exchange for a free and unbiased review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
3 years ago
from New York, NY
You need this book!
I've been cooking from the Woks of Life even before they had a cookbook out. I've loved many of their recipes. So simple and the flavor reminds me of the food I grew up eating. Their cookbook is just as good if not better than their website. I love how the recipes encompass all of the food I ate growing up: simple dishes I ate at home with my mom and dad on a weeknight (like the tomato egg stir fry), dishes I ate at family gatherings (steamed fish), dishes my family always ordered when dining out (salt and pepper pork chops), and dishes I ate at take out restaurants which weren't native chinese food but apart of my childhood since my dad owned a take out restaurant (beef and broccoli, fried chicken wings with fried rice, and bbq spare ribs). And now as I'm typing this, I realize all of these dishes represent love, nourishment, and happiness to me. So many of my favorite recipes are from this book: dry fried green beans, steamed crab and sticky rice, red braised pork belly, red bean pineapple buns. Whether you grew up eating this food or you didn't, you need this book. The taste is spot on. The recipes are easy to follow without a whole load of ingredients. I'm so happy they came out with a book that I can pass on to my kids as if they are my own recipes. I've received a free copy from Clarkson Potter in exchange for a free and unbiased review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
3 years ago
from Portland, OR
Excellent Chinese Food at Home
I don’t know if I’ve ever picked up a cookbook that felt so full of love. The Woks of Life, by Bill, Judy, Sarah, and Kaitlin Leung is a natural outgrowth of the family’s food blog by the same name. Their love of food, and each other, inspired them to develop and write recipes as well as family stories, first in the blog form, and now as this wonderful book. The first dishes I made were Pork & Shrimp Siu Mai, Garlic Chive & Shrimp Dumplings, and Chili Oil Wontons. Fairly ambitious, but the directions were clear and easy to follow, and the results were so good. I finally got clear instructions that work on how to achieve wok hei! I’ve been trying for years to get the flavor without burning and I’m so happy to have cracked the code. I made Mapo Tofu, one of my favorite dishes and loved the results. Every recipe I’ve made has turned out well. The photography is very helpful, showing the steps in more complicated recipes as well as the finished dishes. There are QR codes in the book you can click for more information and even how-to videos that are very helpful. This is a great book for anyone who loves Chinese food and wants to make it at home. I’ve received a free copy from Clarkson Potter in exchange for a free and unbiased review. I’m so happy to have this book and look forward to many years of cooking from it.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
3 years ago
You Need This Cookbook
This book is really cool. I read a *LOT* of cookbooks, and I don't always necessarily bond with the chef's/writer's story, but I really like the story telling and information in this book. The family's story is interesting, and really well-written. I was immediately taken with the photo on the front cover and reflexively exclaimed, "I want to make that!" Turns out the gorgeous front cover photo is from the recipe for Chili Oil Wontons (p 87-88). The wontons were pretty easy to make, once I got the hang of it, and tasted great. We also made Sesame-Crusted Tofu with Spicy Dipping Sauce (p. 253), and that was satisfyingly crispy and tasty. All the recipes are fairly accessible. Nothing feels overly complicated. If you have a well-stocked pantry, you likely have most, if not all, of the ingredients. And if you need an ingredient, they're not terribly hard to find, and they show up in multiple recipes. Last, there are QR codes in the cookbook that go to the corresponding blog, and have additional information about the recipes, ingredients, how to do things, etc. Those are also very handy! I've received a free copy from Clarkson Potter in exchange for a free and unbiased review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com