A Very Chinese Cookbook: 100 Recipes from China and Not China

by Kevin Pang, Jeffrey Pang, America's Test Kitchen

Named a Best Cookbook of 2023 by The New York Times and Serious Eats

James Beard Award winner Kevin Pang and his dad Jeffrey, hosts of the hit America’s Test Kitchen series Hunger Pangs, show you the way to delicious Chinese cooking in this accessible, funny, heartfelt cookbook.

From American Chinese classics (General Tso’s Chicken) to Sichuan street foods (Dan Dan Mian) and Hong Kong dim sum favorites (Shu Mai), A Very Chinese Cookbook is ideal for both the Chinese food-curious and experienced cooks seeking a weekend soup dumpling project.

Chock full of tips, techniques, stories, and friendly ingredient guides, with over 100 of ATK’s trademark rigorous recipes—and even a magic trick with fortune cookies—the cookbook in your hands is very practical, very personal, and very Chinese indeed.

Two Generations of Jeffrey recounts a lifelong love of cooking that began in childhood, growing up in Hong Kong, cooking at his mother’s side, and exploring the street vendors and markets. Kevin dispenses practical wisdom that brings the recipes to life—why Beef Ho Fun is the mark of a great Cantonese chef; why Shu Mai is the world heavyweight champion of dumplings. 
Test Kitchen From the basics of successful stir-frying to folding methods for Shanghai Soup Dumplings, careful instructions and abundant photos teach key steps.
Chinatown Shopping From choosing the right soy sauce or vinegar to buying fresh noodles and seeking out superlative Buddhist-style chickens, let the Pangs be your trusted guides.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Reference, Nonfiction, China, Foodie

384 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 24, 2023

Reviews

[Amos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of my three Chinese cookbooks I reach for this one the least....so three stars seems like the most I can give it. I loved the "father/son's recipe" concept and there are some truly flavorful dishes in this collection, there just aren't enough of those offerings that I feel I MUST make and taste again and again...

3 Sorta Stars

[Miss✧Pickypants ᓚᘏᗢ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fans of Americas Test Kitchen will geek out over the detailed Chinese food recipes and how-to pictorials. Recipes are well-written, easy to follow and accompanied by photos that will leave you salivating. While appropriate for all cooks, the level of difficulty for each recipe is noted so less experienced cooks can start with the easy dishes and work their way to the more difficult ones.

The first section of the book serves as a primer on ingredients and tools required for successful recipe preparation and introduces us to the father-son authors and their journeys in the world of food. Dad became a you-tube cooking star at 65 while his son was carving out his own path as a food writer. Now they work together, and lucky for us this cookbook is one of their outputs.

[Echo3180 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my first time making actual Chinese Food. There were some ingredients I did not have on hand and needed to source, and they may be difficult to locate if you don't live in a city or can't read enough Chinese to figure out the difference between certain packages.

Made:
green onion cakes
smashed cucumber salad
char siu spareribs
clay pot chicken rice
sesame noodles
stir fried cumin lamb
egg tarts

The person who ate dinner with me loved all of them and said they would be happy if I made all of them again though their favourite dish of the night was something I made not using a recipe from the book. Personally, I'd probably only make the green onion cake and clay pot chicken rice again. I'm going to try to make 53 more recipes in the book and will update my review when I do.

edit may 30 made the hot and sour soup,
the scrambled egg and tomatoes

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just very appealing!

[Brain Saladbar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never been so frustrated with a cookbook. Everything looks absolutely delicious, but Asian markets haven't even heard of some of these ingredients. Every recipe has something we are unable to find. However, the information in this book, the stories of the Pang family, and Kevin's humor make it a joy to read. I just wish it were easier to find some of these ingredients in Colorado. Kevin Pang is hilarious and a sweet son to his mother and father. This is worth the read (yes, read a cookbook)!

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely food porn book with an excellent selection of recipes that are well photographed. Pretty heavy on the meat and frying, so vegetarians won't find it that useful. In addition there are recommended pantry items and Asian vegetables with photos, they are commonly available around here. Also instructions on making sauces and most unusual, nutrition information for each recipe in table format so they are easy to compare.

It's hard for me to do good stir fry, I have an electric stove and not as much ventilation as I would like.

[Susan J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Chinese cookbook, because it de-mystifies and explains all the various ingredients used. with recommendations on the basics you can keep on hand. It is like a "road map" to help you make sense of the "asian food isle" at Kroger, and your local Asian/International food market where you find exotic vegetables, seasonings and ingredients (at least here in Tennessee)...When I used oyster sauce for the first time, I had to ask myself "what took me so long"!

[Steadman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this cookbook. I did like the stories, but the two recipes that I tried did not justify the effort.

First was Hong Kong Style Portuguese Chicken, which was too bland.

The second was Singapore Noodles, which was a lot of work (especially given the suggested pork work-around) and the taste was too curry-forward. My stomach is still not happy as I write this!

[Alice Ferris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have so many recipes I want to cook right now! As is typical of ATK, the instructions are very clear and the results are great. I also enjoyed the humor, sarcasm, and personal touches from the Pangs' stories. I'm sure this cookbook will become very spattered with use soon!

[Marjorie Meier · Rating 5 out of 5]

a delight

Even if I only use this book a few times (though I doubt that will be the case) I’m thrilled to have bought and read it. The recipes are well written and look enticing, and the stories are informative and often heart warming.

[Lee Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw this chef/author on CBS Sunday Morning recently, so I reserved this book from the library. This book is gorgeous, everything inside looks so appetizing. The photography is sumptuous. But I am lazy and I know that there is no way I’m gonna make a single thing in here.

[Elana Boise · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of a flip through than a read, but these recipes were so interesting and unique while still maintaining such a connection to culture. Cookbooks like this make you feel like you're in a kitchen cooking with those who simply love food. Cant wait to make some to these recipes!

[Jacqui Busch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was reading to learn more about regional cuisines than intending to cook a lot of dishes myself. Many require more effort than I want to put into cooking, but now I know what I'm looking at in a Chinese restaurant. I did dogear about five recipes to try at some point.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great recipes! I saved a bunch to try later.

[Susan Tweedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best cookbooks I have read.

[Steve Portigal]

These recipes look delicious. They are mostly too time consuming or complex for me! I'll try a couple of them, but this book was not for me.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book I'll keep forever. Lots of great recipes and love the step-by-step instructions. Very good.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This made me want to cook everything and all things Chinese. The pictures were mouth-watering, the anecdotes funny and insightful and helpful; I want to cook it all!

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice mix of both Chinese and American

Nice short histories, both personal and culinary, lots of pictures and the telltale ATK signature with the science behind it all.

[Mickaela Maehren]

such a fan of the structure & stories 🫶🏻 it’s a great, approachable first place to begin my Chinese cooking journey, but, as others have said, i could imagine growing out of this recipe book

[T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the anecdotes!

Also interesting to hear that Kevin's family is in Seattle and they gave a shout out to a local restaurant in their cold sesame noodles recipe!

[Tamera · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting cookbook - had to return to the library before I could try any recipes but the book had nice pics and explanations. I will check it out again at a later date and update this review when i can try some of the recipes.

[Literate Duck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for atk. I have been waiting to read an accessible ingredient , technique, equipment Chinese cookbook. This definitely filled that void! I love the inclusion of the family remembrances as well as cultural tips, courtesies, and traditions.