Apr 27, 2013

Weekend Cooking: Ching He Huang's Everyday Easy Chinese Cookbook

In keeping with my healthy eating lifestyle, I'm really looking forward to the summer months when so many vegetables are in season. I am a veggie lover and could live quite happily on them alone. I enjoy my veggies a little on the crunchy side so they are quick and easy to prepare. I love eating stir-fry Chinese food, but as you know, take-out Chinese tends to be greasy and not very good for you. So I decided to make my own Chinese dishes at home.

I used to have a wok years ago but probably sold it in a garage sale years ago. Besides, I'm a much better cook now and probably didn't do that old wok justice anyway. So I recently bought a new, carbon steel wok. I seasoned it properly using peanut oil and a nice handful of chives. Then I got a few basic ingredients that are used in a lot of Chinese cuisine. To start out, I bought peanut oil, sesame oil, light and dark soy sauce, Chinese Five Spice and some rice vinegar. Those are considered staples in Chinese cooking. It can be pricey to start out but once you have those items, you won't have to buy them for awhile. Because I'm on a tight budget (living on disability will do that to a person), each week I allow myself another item. Before long I will have a nicely stocked pantry and will be able to make a wide variety of dishes.

Along with my wok, I bought a Chinese cookbook that featured many of the take-out favorites I love. I watch a lot of cooking shows on the weekend and I'm always learning new techniques and tips. I love watching Ching He Huang on The Cooking Channel. She makes wok cooking look so easy so I chose her cookbook, CHING'S EVERYDAY EASY CHINESE. It contains over 100 quick and easy Chinese favorites.

This is a very nice cookbook, published October 2011 with 240 pages of simple dishes ranging from breakfast to dinner, including some really quick appetizers.  In the introduction, Ching explains her purpose for writing this cookbook. She wants to show the world that Chinese food can be healthy and easy to make. Her passion for Chinese cooking is very evident in her defense of the cuisine not getting the respect cuisines from other cultures receive. Ching is a down to earth cook who doesn't come across pretentious at all and if you've ever watched her shows, her book is written exactly the way she talks on TV. She is not shy about her love of this cuisine and it shows in her passion and her dishes. She puts her own spin on some favorites that have been around for decades and explains why she does some things differently.

There are beautiful pictures to accompany the recipes and though it doesn't have a spiral binding, the book is not so large that it is clumsy in the kitchen. There is only one thing about this cookbook that disappointed me. and maybe it affects me more because of my low vision, but the font type of the introduction to the book and the recipes is so fair and light that I struggle to read them. I like reading about the dishes before each recipe but it has really been a problem for me to see. The font for the actual recipes is black and not the same thin font, so luckily I can see them much easier. It may sound a bit nit-picky but for me, its an issue.

I have enjoyed going through the book and marking the dishes I want to try. I know that for anyone who feels comfortable in a kitchen, you really don't need a recipe to create some great stir-fry, but its nice to have a guide, especially when you want to make something as classic as General Tso's Chicken, Sweet and Sour Pork or Kung Pao Chicken, which are all included in this book.  

Unfortunately, most people believe that if you're trying to eat healthy you have to stay away from Chinese food and that just isn't true. Yes, most take out food from anywhere is bad for you but if you can get in the habit of cooking at home with fresh ingredients and stay away from the prepared foods with all the salt and additives, it will make a big difference to your body. And it isn't limited to Chinese cooking. I quit buying prepared foods awhile ago and try very hard to make all of my meals using fresh ingredients along with staying away from pasta. Once I got away from all those processed, packaged foods, I started feeling less sluggish and generally just felt better.  Personally, I get irritated when people say to me, 'Oh, I don't have time to cook'. That's ranks right up there with 'I don't have to time to read.' - But don't get me started on that one! Cooking a healthy meal, especially a Chinese meal doesn't take hours. It takes just a little planning and prep work. Once you turn that wok on, you must have your ingredients ready because it goes very quickly. Most times, my meal is ready in under 12 minutes.  

I have really enjoyed my new wok and the quick and healthy meals I've made. My wok cooking technique is getting better with each try. The most important ingredient in cooking is your imagination. Start with what you like and let your imagination help create dishes that are not only good, but good for you!

Be sure to stop by Beth Fish Reads for more Weekend Cooking posts every Saturday!

CHING'S EVERYDAY EASY CHINESE (Hardback)
Author: Ching He Huang
Publisher: William Morrow Cookbooks
Published: October 2011
Length: 240 pp
Source: Bought

16 comments:

  1. I used to have good friends who were here for a year from Taiwan, and the eating was so good that year! :--) As for myself, I'm not much of a cook, but I would love to have healthy Chinese meals (made for me) again! :--)

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  2. Ching is actually from Taiwan so there is that influence in her cooking as well. She now splits her time between London and San Francisco.

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  3. I've done some experimenting with Chinese dishes, so my pantry is stocked with most of the basics. Now I need to find more recipes that use them... will check my library for this cookbook. Thanks!

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  4. Ohhhh, I love Asian food of every variety (except maybe weird animal body parts, lol). I'm adding this cookbook to my list!

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  5. Yummy! Are the dishes at all similar to what we get in restaurants? We Americans tend to westernize everything, even other cultures foods.

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  6. Kathy, Yes the dishes are very similar to what you'd order at a take out place. They are very easy and not complicated at all.

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  7. I'm sure that making Chinese food at home is so much healthier and tastier than the usual take-out. Thanks for the review.

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  8. I have several books on Chinese cooking. I love reading the descriptions, too. One of my favorite ingredients is Szechuan pepper. I love the tingly, numbing effect it has. Use sparingly or you won't feel your tongue after awhile, LOL!

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  9. Sounds great! I've enjoyed seeing the pictures of your wok meals on facebook, yum!

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  10. You have inspired to cook more Chinese - I enjoy her show on TV as well - not the format but the things she cooks.

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  11. I like to try my hand at the occasional Chinese recipe...this sounds like a book I would love to check out.

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  12. Sounds like one I need on my shelf. I love Chinese food!

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  13. I do a fair bit of Asian cooking so I have a good supply of ingredients. Love Chinese and I totally agree you can make it at home - easy and healthy.

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  14. I have had a wok for years -- I love cooking Chinese food. And I agree, I pretty much always have time to cook.

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  15. Sounds like the book I would need to get me to cook Chinese food at home. Thanks for the thorough review!

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  16. I'm sure I will be wanting to get this book too!! Love Chinese food!!

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Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment! I look forward to hearing from you again soon!