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Gok Cooks Chinese: Create mouth-watering recipes with the must-have Chinese cookbook
Discover the master guide to simple, healthy and delicious Chinese cooking from the creator of the hit show Gok Wan's Easy AsianFor Gok, Chinese food is all about sitting down, tucking into fantastic food that is fuss-free, healthy, and packed with flavour.Now, in Gok Cooks Chinese, he gives us his personal and modern take on the Chinese food that he grew up eating.With 80 different recipes and chapters on Chinese Takeaway Classics, Dim Sum, Street Food and One Pot Wonders (to name a few), you will find recipes for all occasions and moods, whether entertaining friends or enjoying a meal at home by yourself.Filled with mouth-watering dishes · My Perfect Fried Rice· Spicy Sichuan Chicken· Poppa Wan's Amazing Pork Ribs· Leftover Roast Duck Noodles· Sweet and Sour Fish· My Ma-Po Tofu with Chinese OmeletteAbove all, Gok Wan will help you replicate your favourite takeaway dishes in your own kitchen!
372 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 10, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 10, 2012
Gok Wan is a fashion stylist who came to fame on British television with the series "How To Look Good Naked". Here is a tie-in book for a further British television series that follows Gok's other passion: Chinese Cooking.
Now, perhaps Gok Wan has had a bit of a head start as he grew up with a Chinese restauranteur and chef for a father and was inevitably dragooned into helping within the family business. This book guides the reader to making 80 quick and healthy Chinese dishes from Gok Wan's own personal and family recipe collection.
This reviewer has not seen the television series, so the book is having to speak for itself. It starts with a menu (the index) that is laid out in the style of a Chinese take-away leaflet that is so synonymous with Chinese food and Chinese take-aways for many Britons. After a bit of a personal story where Gok Wan shares his passion and inspiration to the reader, it is straight on to an overview about ingredients and their essentiality to Chinese cooking. Despite covering much of the same ground as many other 'how to' Chinese cookery books, somehow the author manages to make the information more accessible, in your face and thus more likely to sink into the old grey matter.
Time to get cooking! The first chapter is 'Chinese Takeaway Classics" and many of these have a somewhat special resonance to this reviewer, being a child of the 70's where fried rice or 'Chinese Chips' seemed to have a bit of an exotic aurora about them. Gok Wan has, however, eschewed the made-for-Westerners gloopy takeaway dishes and instead used his own healthier, tastier, more authentic equivalents. They sure look good and the high-quality photographs soon have you salivating. (The 'artistic' shots of Gok Wan, every so often, tasting a dish or prancing about don't have a specific effect to this reviewer, however!).
The other chapters - Chinese Sunday Roast: Dim Sum; Favourite Family Wan Dishes; Chinese Classics; Street Food; Feasting; One-Pot Wonders and finally Modern Dishes keep on delivering recipes like a machine gun delivers deadly bullets. Each recipe is well laid-out, contains detailed, explanatory instructions and even gives (hurrah!) an estimated preparation and cooking time to boot.
This was a pleasurable, unpretentious book that gives the total beginner (and the more experienced gastronome) many interesting recipes and a wonderful springboard to experiment further and try more adventurous recipes. This reviewer was initially concerned that it would be a case of 'style over substance' being a TV tie-in with a Fashionista but these concerns were soon blown away. Apart from the odd 'artistic' picture, the book is incredibly down-to-earth and just focusses on the main job in hand. Something many other books could do worse than emulate in fact.
Gok Cooks Chinese, written by Gok Wan and published by Penguin Books. ISBN 9780718159511, 238 pages. Typical price: GBP20. YYYYY.
// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //
Now, perhaps Gok Wan has had a bit of a head start as he grew up with a Chinese restauranteur and chef for a father and was inevitably dragooned into helping within the family business. This book guides the reader to making 80 quick and healthy Chinese dishes from Gok Wan's own personal and family recipe collection.
This reviewer has not seen the television series, so the book is having to speak for itself. It starts with a menu (the index) that is laid out in the style of a Chinese take-away leaflet that is so synonymous with Chinese food and Chinese take-aways for many Britons. After a bit of a personal story where Gok Wan shares his passion and inspiration to the reader, it is straight on to an overview about ingredients and their essentiality to Chinese cooking. Despite covering much of the same ground as many other 'how to' Chinese cookery books, somehow the author manages to make the information more accessible, in your face and thus more likely to sink into the old grey matter.
Time to get cooking! The first chapter is 'Chinese Takeaway Classics" and many of these have a somewhat special resonance to this reviewer, being a child of the 70's where fried rice or 'Chinese Chips' seemed to have a bit of an exotic aurora about them. Gok Wan has, however, eschewed the made-for-Westerners gloopy takeaway dishes and instead used his own healthier, tastier, more authentic equivalents. They sure look good and the high-quality photographs soon have you salivating. (The 'artistic' shots of Gok Wan, every so often, tasting a dish or prancing about don't have a specific effect to this reviewer, however!).
The other chapters - Chinese Sunday Roast: Dim Sum; Favourite Family Wan Dishes; Chinese Classics; Street Food; Feasting; One-Pot Wonders and finally Modern Dishes keep on delivering recipes like a machine gun delivers deadly bullets. Each recipe is well laid-out, contains detailed, explanatory instructions and even gives (hurrah!) an estimated preparation and cooking time to boot.
This was a pleasurable, unpretentious book that gives the total beginner (and the more experienced gastronome) many interesting recipes and a wonderful springboard to experiment further and try more adventurous recipes. This reviewer was initially concerned that it would be a case of 'style over substance' being a TV tie-in with a Fashionista but these concerns were soon blown away. Apart from the odd 'artistic' picture, the book is incredibly down-to-earth and just focusses on the main job in hand. Something many other books could do worse than emulate in fact.
Gok Cooks Chinese, written by Gok Wan and published by Penguin Books. ISBN 9780718159511, 238 pages. Typical price: GBP20. YYYYY.
// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //
February 18, 2014
This book is great and it encourages you to cook your own chinese meals. He knows what he is talking about as he was brought up by a father who had a fabulous chinese Restaurant. Easy to follow and soon you will be on your way to cooking healthy Chinese food instead of going to the takeaway.
June 19, 2012
Fantastic and inspiring.I love the way he writes about food and his family.Cant wait to start cooking.
July 26, 2012
Nom. That is all.
December 7, 2012
Awesome book. Very easy recipes that taste wonderful!
April 4, 2015
very tempting
April 24, 2016
Love reading this. Still need to cook from it
November 30, 2018
Great, easy to read book. There are a bas of ingredients and then a few extras that you need to make truly scummy dishes. Will certainly be giving them a go.
January 1, 2021
Gok Wan Cooks Chinese
I dated this book a full score, the text is full of family reminders of last meals and "Dad" comments which makes you share some previous moments and memories. The ability to cook delicious Chinese food at home with the added knowledge of tried and tested recipes is a joy, especially the eating of them. Get used to the idea of using a combination of Garlic, Ginger and Spring Onions with a small collection of Soya, fish sauce etc and you are making food heaven.by
I dated this book a full score, the text is full of family reminders of last meals and "Dad" comments which makes you share some previous moments and memories. The ability to cook delicious Chinese food at home with the added knowledge of tried and tested recipes is a joy, especially the eating of them. Get used to the idea of using a combination of Garlic, Ginger and Spring Onions with a small collection of Soya, fish sauce etc and you are making food heaven.by
July 7, 2021
Great book with easy to follow recipes.with Pictures for every dish. Truly worth reading even if your not looking to cook anything.
July 20, 2024
Have completely devoured this as planning Chinese meal. An easy crispy aromatic duck plus lower fat sweet and sour recipes. Clear, concise and planning to cook quite a few of them!!!!!!
March 9, 2026
I have always loved Gok Wan, and this new recipe book was fantastic for simple and yummy meals.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews