Damn Good Chinese Food: Dumplings, Egg Rolls, Bao Buns, Sesame Noodles, Roast Duck, Fried Rice, and More—50 Recipes Inspired by Life in Chinatown
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- Create Date：2021-12-04 03:21:16
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Chris Cheung
- ISBN：1510758127
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Summary
From acclaimed chef Chris Cheung comes a cookbook inspired by growing up in New York's Chinatown—with a foreword by Maneet Chauhan， celebrity chef， author， and judge on The Food Network's Chopped
There is a particular region in today's renaissance of Chinese cooking that is often overlooked: the food of Chinatown。
Like many of his predecessors， chef Chris Cheung was inspired by the place where he grew up， lived， worked， and ate。 From take-out orders at tiny hole-in-the wall teahouses to the lush green vegetables piled high at the markets， celebration dinners at colossal banquet halls to authentic home-cooked meals， Chinatown’s culinary treasures and culture laid the groundwork for his career as a chef and serve as the creative force behind this book。
In addition to learning the technique to make his widely revered dumplings， this cookbook includes fifty mouth-watering dishes that pay homage to the cooking traditions of Chinatown and celebrate this remarkable， resilient neighborhood。 Cheung shares his thoughtful tour de force takes on timeless Chinese classics like potstickers， spring rolls， wonton soup， General Tso's chicken， beef and broccoli， scallion pancakes， har gow （shrimp dumplings）， chicken chow mein， salt-and-pepper shrimp， lobster Cantonese， egg cakes， congee， and dozens of other delicious， authentic recipes perfect for cooks of all skill levels。
Through personal insights， stories， and recipes， the author walks you through the markets， restaurants， and streets， providing a stunning portrait of this important cuisine and its countless contributions to American culture。
There is a particular region in today's renaissance of Chinese cooking that is often overlooked: the food of Chinatown。
Like many of his predecessors， chef Chris Cheung was inspired by the place where he grew up， lived， worked， and ate。 From take-out orders at tiny hole-in-the wall teahouses to the lush green vegetables piled high at the markets， celebration dinners at colossal banquet halls to authentic home-cooked meals， Chinatown’s culinary treasures and culture laid the groundwork for his career as a chef and serve as the creative force behind this book。
In addition to learning the technique to make his widely revered dumplings， this cookbook includes fifty mouth-watering dishes that pay homage to the cooking traditions of Chinatown and celebrate this remarkable， resilient neighborhood。 Cheung shares his thoughtful tour de force takes on timeless Chinese classics like potstickers， spring rolls， wonton soup， General Tso's chicken， beef and broccoli， scallion pancakes， har gow （shrimp dumplings）， chicken chow mein， salt-and-pepper shrimp， lobster Cantonese， egg cakes， congee， and dozens of other delicious， authentic recipes perfect for cooks of all skill levels。
Through personal insights， stories， and recipes， the author walks you through the markets， restaurants， and streets， providing a stunning portrait of this important cuisine and its countless contributions to American culture。
Reviews
Flora
，
Every time I picked up this book， I ended up feeling really ready for some good old Chinese comfort food。 The recipes are well written， detailed and mostly if not all for classic and familiar foods you will find in any Chinese eatery。 Great if you want to venture into this style of cooking。 Some of them are easy and some more complicated or just more time consuming。 For me， the best tip is the mushroom water which is not a traditional practice but which the author came up with personally。 I have Every time I picked up this book， I ended up feeling really ready for some good old Chinese comfort food。 The recipes are well written， detailed and mostly if not all for classic and familiar foods you will find in any Chinese eatery。 Great if you want to venture into this style of cooking。 Some of them are easy and some more complicated or just more time consuming。 For me， the best tip is the mushroom water which is not a traditional practice but which the author came up with personally。 I have a bottle of it in my fridge right now！I also enjoyed reading the author’s reminiscences and stories。 The photos are not splashy but they are more than enough to show how the final product should look like and how they should be served。 。。。more
Pgile5
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Great book！ I cannot wait to try some of these recipes。 Very infomative！
Michelle
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Thank you Netgalley for the review copy。 So many tasty looking recipes in this cookbook。 Both Chinese-American and more traditional dishes。 Something for everyone， really。 Each recipe has a small image--I only wish the pictures were a little bigger。
Leanetta Scott
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I love cooking and this book doesn’t disappoint with the recipes。 They have all the Chinese food you know and love plus a few you don’t。 If you like trying new things then this book is for you。
Susanne
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Thank you to the author， Skyhorse Publishing and NetGalley， for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。Looking at this book as an autobiography， I would rate it as highly as possible。 I loved reading about the story of the author and his family， and his exploration of the influences that sparked his love of food， and curiosity for creating authentic dishes that were a staple in his Chinatown neighborhood。 However， looking at this book as a cookbook - and I consider myself a fairly fearless cook Thank you to the author， Skyhorse Publishing and NetGalley， for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。Looking at this book as an autobiography， I would rate it as highly as possible。 I loved reading about the story of the author and his family， and his exploration of the influences that sparked his love of food， and curiosity for creating authentic dishes that were a staple in his Chinatown neighborhood。 However， looking at this book as a cookbook - and I consider myself a fairly fearless cook eager to try new things - this was pretty much a total loss。 I don't live in the US （interject short rant about US-centric measurements）， nor do I have an Asian market nearby。 Not to mention that most of these recipes are fairly complicated， so nothing that would be easy to embark on and try out。 On the contrary， the more I read the hungrier I got and the more certain I became that I would never cook anything from this book。 。。。more
Annie
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Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader。 Damn Good Chinese Food is a well written Chinese cookbook with recipes by Chris Cheung。 Due out 23rd Nov 2021 from Skyhorse Publishing， it's 208 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats。 It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout。 I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately。This is a graphically appealing， well written， and ac Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader。 Damn Good Chinese Food is a well written Chinese cookbook with recipes by Chris Cheung。 Due out 23rd Nov 2021 from Skyhorse Publishing， it's 208 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats。 It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout。 I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately。This is a graphically appealing， well written， and accessible cookbook with an array of Chinese/American fusion recipes to appeal to most tastes。 I really liked the layout and formatting。 The introduction covers the basics， with a good overview of tools， ingredients， techniques， and supplies （which might not be familiar to many western cooks）。 The recipes which follow are arranged roughly thematically: dumplings （the author is a -virtuoso-）， Chinese American， vegetables， fish & seafood， meat & poultry， small snacks， birthday dinner， and sweets。Each recipe has its ingredients listed bullet style in a sidebar。 Measurements are given in US standard only。 （There's a metric conversion chart in the back of the book）。 Special tools and ingredients are also listed， along with yields and cooking directions。 The ingredients are mostly easily sourced at any moderately well stocked grocery or international foods store。 Nutritional information is not provided。The recipes and tutorials are well photographed in color。 The serving suggestions are very well styled and give visual cooks information about presentation and serving （especially important for cooks who are not familiar with all of these dishes）。 Essential info， alerts， facts， tips & answers are highlighted in text boxes。 The book includes a cross-referenced， hyperlinked index。Five stars。 There are a large number of really tasty recipes here。 We've tried a number of them at home and they've all been wonderful and error free。 Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes。 。。。more
joyce w。 laudon
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The author of this cookbook grew up in New York City’s Chinatown。 I have eaten at many restaurants there， mostly small but very good ones。 So， I was interested to see how the author’s growing up and his cooking came together in his recipes。 The result is this book。One aspect of this book that I found quite appealing was the way that Mr。 Cheung immersed readers in the feel of Chinatown。 For example， he describes what the markets are like and how ingredients are procured。There are fifty recipes in The author of this cookbook grew up in New York City’s Chinatown。 I have eaten at many restaurants there， mostly small but very good ones。 So， I was interested to see how the author’s growing up and his cooking came together in his recipes。 The result is this book。One aspect of this book that I found quite appealing was the way that Mr。 Cheung immersed readers in the feel of Chinatown。 For example， he describes what the markets are like and how ingredients are procured。There are fifty recipes in categories including vegetables， fish & seafood， “Damn Good Snacks” and more。 Make a Cucumber Salad or saute Bok Choy。 Prepare a Bao Bun or Scallion Pancakes。 Each section has some background information to set the tone。This title also has a nice section on the cooking tools and equipment that work well in Chinese cooking。 For example， rice cookers and woks are mentioned。All in all， a book to be recommended for those who love Chinese food。 And I do！Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Aleksandra Tasic
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Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for this free eARC。I must say I love Chinese food。This cookbook leads you from the bare essentials through interesting stories to wonderful recipes I truly believe anyone can make。The instructions are perfectly written and there are really good recipes the whole family can enjoy。I highly recommend this cookbook。
Randal White
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This is a great introduction to Chinese food。 It's greatest strength is in it's ability to peel back the curtain and tell the reader how to shop in an Asian grocery store， what to look for and what to avoid， and descriptions of different ingredients。 There are about 50 recipes in the book， all very easy to understand and follow。 I also really enjoyed the author's personal stories。 This is more than a cookbook， it's an entire course in cooking and culture！ This is a great introduction to Chinese food。 It's greatest strength is in it's ability to peel back the curtain and tell the reader how to shop in an Asian grocery store， what to look for and what to avoid， and descriptions of different ingredients。 There are about 50 recipes in the book， all very easy to understand and follow。 I also really enjoyed the author's personal stories。 This is more than a cookbook， it's an entire course in cooking and culture！ 。。。more
Kim
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This was such a fun cookbook！ The author writes with first hand experience after growing up in NY Chinatown and spending time “cooking in the old way” in China。 He offers lots of advice on stocking the pantry with Chinese ingredients， explains how we need to put down the salt shaker and substitute soy and sings the praises of oyster sauce that keeps soy from being lonely， encouraging the reader to “not cook lonely food” LOL！ Written with humor and expertise， the author gives great advice on how This was such a fun cookbook！ The author writes with first hand experience after growing up in NY Chinatown and spending time “cooking in the old way” in China。 He offers lots of advice on stocking the pantry with Chinese ingredients， explains how we need to put down the salt shaker and substitute soy and sings the praises of oyster sauce that keeps soy from being lonely， encouraging the reader to “not cook lonely food” LOL！ Written with humor and expertise， the author gives great advice on how to navigate an Asian market and warns to stay out of the way of the little Chinese ladies while taking note of the ingredients they are purchasing。 I learned a lot about authentic Chinese cooking as well as Chinese culture。 It was interesting to learn of this authors cooking journey from Chinatown to old school China。 He even tells the story of Jo Gwan， the Chinese kitchen god。 The chapters are well laid out with beautiful photos to illustrate the dishes。 There are many helpful tips written throughout， as well as a thorough explanation of the dreaded MSG。 I dropped one star only because I felt many of these recipes require time， focus， possibly difficult to find ingredients， and patience。 If that doesn’t scare you and you live near a Chinatown where you can shop， then dive in and make some “damn good Chinese food” at home， this author will guide you through step by step。 Thank you to Netgalley， Skyhorse Publishing， and Chris Cheung for this eARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Leith Devine
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This is an outstanding cookbook， full of recipes to make your takeout favorites at home。 The recipes were easy to understand， and there are recipes for every cook’s experience level。 I especially liked the personal stories， Chris Cheung gave some of the history of Chinese food， what to buy at a Chinese market， and much more。 So far I’ve made potstickers and congee， and I’m planning on making the bao buns and more！ I highly recommend this book， 5 stars。Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I rece This is an outstanding cookbook， full of recipes to make your takeout favorites at home。 The recipes were easy to understand， and there are recipes for every cook’s experience level。 I especially liked the personal stories， Chris Cheung gave some of the history of Chinese food， what to buy at a Chinese market， and much more。 So far I’ve made potstickers and congee， and I’m planning on making the bao buns and more！ I highly recommend this book， 5 stars。Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own 。。。more
Sheila
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Why do I read a cookbook？ Because I either like the cuisine; want to know more about the culture; or I want great recipes to cook at home。 Usually all of the above with an emphasis on the last。 I always cook 1 or 2 recipes minimum from any cookbook that I review because a review from a person who hasn’t done that is worth very little to me。 I suspect reviewers who give a glowing review to a cookbook without trying the instructions to see if they work。This book is more opinion piece on the front Why do I read a cookbook？ Because I either like the cuisine; want to know more about the culture; or I want great recipes to cook at home。 Usually all of the above with an emphasis on the last。 I always cook 1 or 2 recipes minimum from any cookbook that I review because a review from a person who hasn’t done that is worth very little to me。 I suspect reviewers who give a glowing review to a cookbook without trying the instructions to see if they work。This book is more opinion piece on the front and back end， with 50 recipes in-between。 I address both the opinions and the recipes in this review。I always read the introduction and information about the recipes before diving in。 Chris Cheung states that he leaves MSG in his recipes “…to yield the traditional taste of some classic dishes。” That’s fine， but imagine my surprise to find out that a person is a racist if they ask for MSG to be left out at a Chinese restaurant。 I had no idea。 The author states that this is what he considers people who ask for “No MSG” in their food。 I know that Chinese restaurants are unfairly picked on for adding MSG to food; having a public contact job is no treat。 But maybe putting a sign on the door of the restaurant that there is MSG in the food and it can’t be left out is a better option。 Educate， don’t judge。 I ate MSG when I was Chris Cheung’s age too。 Then it tried to kill me。I and my husband NEVER ask for “No MSG” when going to ANY restaurant， but instead see if I react to the food。 If I react， we NEVER go back。 We take our money elsewhere。 If there are trace amounts， I don’t react。 If the cook has a heavy hand， I react （now in 2021） with a burning “just ate broken glass” tongue and metallic taste in my mouth。 For about 20 years， I would react to MSG by having either a powerful asthma attack and/or have my lungs go into spasm， which was diagnosed by a board-certified allergy specialist as “allergic cough。” The spasms were so powerful my husband could put his hand on my chest and feel my lungs spasming。 I had experimental pills to stop this which took effect slowly。 The very worst episode occurred after having sandwiches or burgers （can’t recall which） at a non-Asian restaurant。 By the end of the attack， I was coughing up blood。 I was under a specialist’s care during all of this time period。 He told me， “[I]f it makes you sick， avoid it。” Note， I DID NOT have “uncontrolled asthma，” nor did I normally have breathing or immune problems。 The FDA says MSG is safe， but then this is the same agency that recently handed over chicken inspections to the corporations that own the chicken farms due to lack of federal inspectors。 What could go wrong？ Having grown up in the restaurant industry in the positions of owner， manager-but-not-owner， and server-with-no-power-over-anything， I know for a fact that many restaurants use MSG; some even put it on the lettuce in salad bars （it’s not just bacteria and viruses you get at salad bars， yay）。 One major U。S。 burger chain puts it on their lettuce on their hamburgers; we haven’t eaten there in 20+ years。 I can understand part of the author’s rant， as there are many people out there that have no idea what they are talking about as far as chemical compounds are concerned and can be very rude about asking restaurants to leave ingredients out of food。 But， I was taken aback by the author’s statement and lack of information on the subject。 It’s not a great way to sell cookbooks。 Of course， it IS his book and he can say whatever he wants。 Citing Anthony Bourdain’s opinion is at best merely anecdotal evidence。 I cringed a bit when Bourdain’s name was mentioned as he isn’t around to verify what he had said。 （This is key to citing someone’s opinion; the editors should try to find this in print or on video as someone may call them on it。） Just remember Chris， allergies and chemical sensitivities can develop at any age。 MSG is NOT a part of older traditional or authentic Chinese cooking。 It can’t be。 It was invented in 1908 in Japan by Professor Kikunae Ikeda， who was trying to replicate the flavor of umami in dashi broth （kombu and bonito （tuna） flakes）。 The irony of the stated belief that a Japanese product is necessary for “traditional” Chinese cooking is not lost on me。 Another cringe-inducing moment。 I consulted a sampling of my Chinese cookbooks for the use of MSG in soups and other dishes。 From 1968， “Recipes: The Cooking of China” from a series called “Foods of The World，” no author given， 5 soups in the entire cookbook call for corn starch。 None call for MSG。 MSG is not listed in the ingredients glossary。 From 1979， in “Chinese Regional Cooking” by Deh-Ta Hsiung， the author states in “Glossary of Main Ingredients:”“You will have noticed that I have not listed monosodium glutamate （MSG）。 This chemical compound， sometimes known as “taste essence” （veh t’sin）， is often used to heighten the flavor of food。 It is rather frowned upon by true gourmets as it can wipe out the subtle distinction of a dish when used to excess， so use with discretion。” （I am unable to double indent this quote due to website formatting restrictions。）“The Complete Chinese Cookbook， Over 500 Authentic Recipes From China” by Jacki Passmore and Daniel P。 Reid， （1984） generally doesn’t require MSG， and for wonton soup they list MSG as “optional。”In 1984’s “Chinese Cooking: Step-by-Step Techniques” by Yan Kit Martin， MSG is NOT mentioned， neither in the ingredients nor the recipes。 Corn starch， potato flour， and water chestnut flour are used as thickeners in soups and other dishes with sauces。 This is a gorgeous book with numerous color photos。 Finally， in 2007’s “The Shun Lee Cookbook” by Michael Tong， which includes numerous recipes from the New York restaurant dynasty， there is no MSG that I could find。 They use cornstarch in their recipes too。 The consensus？ The overwhelming majority of recipes call for cornstarch; so， you can do what you want at home。 You don’t have to put a chemical in your food for an “authentic” Chinese recipe。 Like other 19th and 20th Century ingredients such as Saccharine （1879） and Red Dye No。 2 （first regulated in 1906， banned in 1976）， MSG needs to be put back on the shelf。 It’s used primarily by restaurants to boost the flavor of their products and add “umami，” an elusive savory flavor best obtained from shiitake mushrooms。 MSG is sold in bulk and is a cheap way for restaurants to maintain enough of a financial margin to stay in business。 The restaurant industry is tough， and MSG is a way to increase the margin。 Working inside the restaurant industry， I heard restaurant owners call it a “flavor cheat” to cover up “second” or “poor” quality ingredients。 You definitely don’t need to use it at home unless you need to save money or like the flavor （it tastes like licking a metal can to me， so I’ll take the author’s word on it that he loves it）。 And， our closest Asian supermarket， which is huge， does not have it stacked up or in an aisle of its own; I couldn’t find it！ If you want a substitute for umami， buy shiitake or porcini powder from a local market or Etsy （to support small business）， or Amazon。 It’s a great source of non-chemical umami flavor。 It will add a brown color to soups， so proceed with caution if you want a clear broth。 The author addresses Asian Hate as well， and I am in 100% agreement with him: it has to stop。 We have elements in U。S。 politics who say whatever they want and target groups with no concern for violence against that group。 This deliberate misinformation and outright lying is to blame for real violence。 People who spread lies must be confronted。 Hate groups must be identified and broken up。 A good place for anyone to start is to read up on hate group information from the Southern Poverty Law Center’s website。 On to the recipes。There are two chapters on “The Markets” and “Cooking Tools” that are more appropriate for beginners， and a chapter on “Chinese-American Cooking” that covers “Basic Techniques for Cooking，” There aren’t many recipes， 50 in all。 Four in the “Home Cooking” section， followed by “Chasing the Perfect Dumpling，” showcasing various shumai， dumplings， potstickers， sauces and oils， and Wonton Noodle Soup。 There is next a chapter called “Chinese-American Cooking” that covers “Basic Techniques for Cooking，” and goes on with recipes such as Egg Drop Soup （that states that Sambal Olek is a good brand of garlic-chili paste when Sambal Olek is actually a type）; General Tso’s Chicken; Egg Rolls; Chicken Chow Mein; Beef and Broccoli; and Sweet and Sour Pork， Peking Style。 Further chapters are “Vegetables，” “Fish and Seafood，” “Meat and Poultry，” “Damn Good Snacks，” “Sweets，” and an afterword of “Chinese Food for Thought。 There are no tofu/bean curd recipes included in this book， which I found odd。Honestly， the chapter on vegetables I think was the most useful for me。 Many of the meat recipes have meats that are deep-fried before putting into the stir-fry， and other recipes are simply deep-fried。 The meat dishes could be re-worked with no deep-frying but to fairly evaluate the cookbook， I thought following a recipe as printed was the only way to do it。 I decided to try the Cold Sesame Noodles recipe first。 This recipe is from Shanghai and the author repeatedly refers to “slurping” these noodle down。 Well， not with his recipe。 His recipe calls for 1 1/4 CUPS of sugar。 That essentially makes it into a type of semi-stiff fudge， even after letting the noodles sit out at room temperature during the summer for 2 hours。 This recipe was absolutely disgusting， a huge waste of time and money。 I had never made this dish before but I did wonder about all of the sugar。 I wish I had researched more recipes for this dish before making it， as other recipes call for between 1/2 teaspoon and 2 tablespoons of sugar。 Total。 This recipe gets 0 stars。 Gross。 The second recipe I tried was Stir-Fried Eggplant。 This was a simple recipe; the hardest part was getting fresh Chinese eggplants。 I scored those at an Asian supermarket about 15 miles away and went to work leaving out the MSG。 I do love the mushroom-flavored soy sauce in some of the recipes， and will continue to use it。 The eggplant recipe was easy and good， it just wasn’t great。 It needed a little top-dressing with Maggi Seasoning or Chinese light （not lite） soy sauce。 I realize that the recipe included for Char Siu （BBQ’d Pork） is what the author does in a restaurant setting。 I don’t really have a place to hang pork strips unless the whole thing would fit in my convection oven， which is smaller than a regular oven。 I did find another recipe for Char Siu from an Asian-American blogger that can be done without hanging， so don’t give up hope if you have no place to hang meat。 I did find the author’s direction to hang the pork strips “under a catch pan” to be odd。 Overall， this cookbook doesn’t have a lot of recipes。 I found it strange that other reviewers gushed over the number of “mouthwatering” recipes included within。 I doubt that they have read many Chinese cookbooks！I thought this was about a 2 1/2 to 3 star cookbook when compared to others that are out there。Thank you to Skyhorse Publishing， Chris Cheung， and NetGalley for letting me read this book before it is published。 I did not receive anything for my review and my opinions are my own。 。。。more
Samantha Medeiros
，
This is a great primer for getting started with Chinese cuisine。 There’s a helpful section at the beginning about navigating Chinese supermarkets and what to look out for， as well as one on recommended tools and equipment。 The recipes begin with some foundational home cooking style dishes， though even these are somewhat complex。 The book goes on to cover other well known Chinese dishes like different kinds of dumplings， Chinese American favorites， and popular side dishes。 While this book would b This is a great primer for getting started with Chinese cuisine。 There’s a helpful section at the beginning about navigating Chinese supermarkets and what to look out for， as well as one on recommended tools and equipment。 The recipes begin with some foundational home cooking style dishes， though even these are somewhat complex。 The book goes on to cover other well known Chinese dishes like different kinds of dumplings， Chinese American favorites， and popular side dishes。 While this book would be good for novices in Chinese cooking specifically， it’s not for general beginner cooks as the recipes can be fairly involved， requiring many ingredients and steps。 If you’ve got some experience in the kitchen and want to try your hand at Chinese dishes， give this one a look。Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC。 。。。more
Sarah
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I received an e-copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest reviewWell， this cookbook was a bit of a surprise。 I was just expecting a cookbook filled with recipes and not much else。 What I got is a cookbook filled with fun， interesting and inspiring stories from the author’s life depicting personal experiences that he has had that helped lead him down his culinary path， as well as recipes。 He talks of personal family experiences， experiences with other immigrant families and how t I received an e-copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest reviewWell， this cookbook was a bit of a surprise。 I was just expecting a cookbook filled with recipes and not much else。 What I got is a cookbook filled with fun， interesting and inspiring stories from the author’s life depicting personal experiences that he has had that helped lead him down his culinary path， as well as recipes。 He talks of personal family experiences， experiences with other immigrant families and how they have come together to create this neighborhood dedicated to good Chinese food for reasonable prices。 He even gives you some tricks and tricks for navigating the vendors in big cities （I am not from a big city）。As I read I felt compelled to take notes。 For the recipes， yes， but also。。。 yes， please tell me how to roll and fold and seal a dumpling。 Please！ Please， tell me when it does make more sense to buy the shell/dough than to make it。 These are things a zero experience in Chinese cooking person needs to know！ How do I roll a roll properly？？？ Teach me to make yummy food！ Explain MSG to me！！！ I did not know the paste I make for gravy purposes had a name， slurry。 Now do note that not every recipe gets a picture， which is something I generally like so I can see what I’m making is supposed to look like。 You know， in case I make a grievous mistake…（shakes off flashback） anyhow。 The recipes range for relatively simple to very labor intense to assemble a posse （kinda like when you decide to make perogies）。 But I can guarantee whatever you make， so long as you stick to the recipe the first time out the gate， will be delicious。ConclusionThis is an excellent guide into Chinese cooking。 Highly recommend！ 。。。more
Caroline 'reading with Buddy'
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This was really helpful as my daughter has just started getting into Chinese food and this really helped me。The recipes were easy to follow。I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own。
Valerity （Val）
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This was a good cookbook for Chinese food， with the author explaining so much about the foods he grew up eating。 He also shares how to get the ingredients and tools for the cooking at Chinese markets or online。 There are thoroughly explained directions for the recipes， some of which are a bit harder with many steps。 The dishes are varied and many familiar。 A very informative and enjoyable read。 Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley， author Chris Cheung， and the publisher。
Leanne Mellon
，
The cook book has a very detailed introduction to the art of Chinese cooking as well as a detailed background around the recipes。 There is a lot of detailed information regarding the cooking process， equipment needed and where to source your ingredients。 Each recipe is quite detailed with a lot of ingredients that some might find hard to source， although still very authentic。 The pictures for step by step dumpling making are quite good， although the overall presentation of this book Is a little The cook book has a very detailed introduction to the art of Chinese cooking as well as a detailed background around the recipes。 There is a lot of detailed information regarding the cooking process， equipment needed and where to source your ingredients。 Each recipe is quite detailed with a lot of ingredients that some might find hard to source， although still very authentic。 The pictures for step by step dumpling making are quite good， although the overall presentation of this book Is a little underwhelming。 I do like eye capturing photos in my cookbooks which are not featured in this particular book。 The overall presentation of this book is quite underwhelming and does not catch the eye， it is rather plain and does not capture interest。Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Sally Mander
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4 stars， Authentic recipesDamn Good Chinese Foodby Chris CheungThis is a nice book， that gives a color photo of each recipe。 Many of them looked delicious。 I， personally don't care for the name of the book， could have been something more like "Superb Chinese Food，" but that's just me。I received a complimentary copy of #damngoodchinesefood from #netgalley #skyhorse @skyhorse I was under no obligation to post a review。 4 stars， Authentic recipesDamn Good Chinese Foodby Chris CheungThis is a nice book， that gives a color photo of each recipe。 Many of them looked delicious。 I， personally don't care for the name of the book， could have been something more like "Superb Chinese Food，" but that's just me。I received a complimentary copy of #damngoodchinesefood from #netgalley #skyhorse @skyhorse I was under no obligation to post a review。 。。。more
Opal Edgar
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All the classic Chinese restaurant dishes， the most popular ones， are here。 This is not an easy cookbook， and some of the recipes are very time consuming， but it gives you the real steps and the actual techniques you will need to get those tastes that you love - from the BBQ duck to the soup dumpling and egg rolls。 While I wasn't wowed by any of the recipes， all felt much too familiar， I was impressed by the detailed explanations， not only of what you have to do， but why you do it。 This allows y All the classic Chinese restaurant dishes， the most popular ones， are here。 This is not an easy cookbook， and some of the recipes are very time consuming， but it gives you the real steps and the actual techniques you will need to get those tastes that you love - from the BBQ duck to the soup dumpling and egg rolls。 While I wasn't wowed by any of the recipes， all felt much too familiar， I was impressed by the detailed explanations， not only of what you have to do， but why you do it。 This allows you to bring Chinese tastes and method into all of your other dishes which is a rather nice thing。The tone was very casual， kind of like a friend who wants to show you that area he grew up in and is taking you under his wing， and makes for a pleasant read。None of the photos will blow you over， but you are getting very good staples here and if you don't have a Chinese cookbook that is a good one to get if you are not specific about a region and want to make what you get in restaurants。 。。。more
Patricia Bello
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I like this book！ Its complete and the stories are fascinating。 The recipes aren’t that simple to me but that’s ok。 I want to keep this book with me always！ It’s one Chinese cookbook I’ll want to keep。 Thank you Skyhorse Publishing and NetGalley for this arc！ Can’t wait to try out the recipes。
Tanya
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an advanced reader's copy of this book。 This in no way affects my review， all opinions are my own。Damn Good Chinese Food made me damn hungry while reading。 It makes me wish I lived back in Hong Kong near a fresh market so I could get all the things I would need to make these dishes easily and cheaply。 Sadly， while I do live in a major city， some of the ingredients would be harder to find。 I appreciated the humour and Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an advanced reader's copy of this book。 This in no way affects my review， all opinions are my own。Damn Good Chinese Food made me damn hungry while reading。 It makes me wish I lived back in Hong Kong near a fresh market so I could get all the things I would need to make these dishes easily and cheaply。 Sadly， while I do live in a major city， some of the ingredients would be harder to find。 I appreciated the humour and hints throughout and it made me believe that I could replicate my Chinese faves at home。 。。。more
Dirty Dayna
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For me this book read more like an autobiography with some recipes tossed in。 Note: if you do not live in a major city/have an asian market nearly every recipe is just not going to work for you which sadly is my case。 I am obsessed with chinese food （ the food in China and even the Americanized versions） so I was hoping it would be more attainable。 For now I will keep ordering my Cheeky Chinese when I do not feel like cooking。
FMSWarrior
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What’s better than some great recipes for the Chinese Food you love？ Learning the background and history behind the dishes！ I have always loved learning interesting facts and this cookbooks combines that love with my love of cooking。 I’m ready to make some dumplings and a few dishes and have my friends come over and catch up while sharing some background on each dish。 Heck， I’m even going to make some personalized fortune cookies for everyone too。 This book has inspired me to get the gang togeth What’s better than some great recipes for the Chinese Food you love？ Learning the background and history behind the dishes！ I have always loved learning interesting facts and this cookbooks combines that love with my love of cooking。 I’m ready to make some dumplings and a few dishes and have my friends come over and catch up while sharing some background on each dish。 Heck， I’m even going to make some personalized fortune cookies for everyone too。 This book has inspired me to get the gang together and have a dinner party！ 。。。more
Sharon
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Author Chris Cheung tells his story， the influences that sparked his love and curiosity for creating authentic dishes that were a staple in his Chinatown neighborhood。 The Chinese culture， adapted for the US but unique just same， has been alive and well in Chinatown for many years from the Marketplaces to the Theatres。 The author has great tip boxes scattered throughout the cookbook， with one of my favorite parts being a primer on what to buy at a Chinese market。 Although the market that I frequ Author Chris Cheung tells his story， the influences that sparked his love and curiosity for creating authentic dishes that were a staple in his Chinatown neighborhood。 The Chinese culture， adapted for the US but unique just same， has been alive and well in Chinatown for many years from the Marketplaces to the Theatres。 The author has great tip boxes scattered throughout the cookbook， with one of my favorite parts being a primer on what to buy at a Chinese market。 Although the market that I frequent is more international， including staples from Japan， India， Vietnam， Thailand and China， this informative section would be great for beginners。 There is also ample information about cooking tools and equipment。The recipe sections include the simple: how to make rice， to the complicated: BBQed Roast Duck。 There are recipes for dumplings， dipping sauces， potstickers， wonton noodle soup， and General Tso's Chicken。 The author goes through basic techniques， as well as how to make the dishes most ordered from a Chinese restaurant in the United States， like Egg Rolls or Beef and Broccoli。 From straight vegetable dishes like Old-School Chinatown Vegetables， to Salt and Pepper Shrimp， the finished dishes are inspiring。 With excellent photographs， the Damn Good Chinese Food Cookbook will allow readers to visualize and then make the dishes on their own。 I highly recommend this cookbook and will definitely keep this author in mind in the future。Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy of Damn Good Chinese Food: Dumplings， Egg Rolls， Bao Buns， Sesame Noodles， Roast Duck， Fried Rice， and More―50 Recipes Inspired by Life in Chinatown by NetGalley and the publisher， Skyhorse。 The decision to read and review this cookbook was entirely my own。 。。。more
Theediscerning
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Fuiyoh！ A recipe book that appreciates MSG （and agrees that it is the race card that makes people dislike the idea of it， even when they will have it under a different name）？ The first bit of kit needed is a rice cooker？ Uncle Roger will approve of this no end。 I don't have any passing Chinese to see if they concur with its ideas， recipes and techniques， but this is not just a guide to making fakeaways。 So things you will see copious people on youtube doing – like an egg drop soup – are here， bu Fuiyoh！ A recipe book that appreciates MSG （and agrees that it is the race card that makes people dislike the idea of it， even when they will have it under a different name）？ The first bit of kit needed is a rice cooker？ Uncle Roger will approve of this no end。 I don't have any passing Chinese to see if they concur with its ideas， recipes and techniques， but this is not just a guide to making fakeaways。 So things you will see copious people on youtube doing – like an egg drop soup – are here， but after guides to multiple kinds of dumplings， blue crabs （bought live） and sea bass with black beans。In balance what you are not getting is a replica of your local's menu， and nothing here will come with free delivery within three miles and a bag of prawn crackers for every £20 spent。 This is supposed to open eyes to Chinese as Chinese-Americans have it， whether it be based on Szechuan or Cantonese。 In being a showcase for a good few recipes there are many it has had to leave out， and any critique of the book could be based on the fact it stretches itself too thin。 So yes we have a section on meat， and on dumplings， and on seafood， and on street snacks， but only a handful of recipes in every category。 I saw a digital form of the book to review， where the images were rather small， but it's nice to see just the discussion of the cuisine and the recipes themselves in the text， and not any spurious waffle about the cook's family and what their children ordered them to include。 Yeuch。 No， what we have is a very serviceable book， I think – nobody will be putting their knee down in response to this one。 。。。more
Elaine
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Damn Good Chinese Food is a beautiful ode to， not only damn good Chinese food， but to the immigrants that pass recipes down through the generations， the history of Chinese food; what makes good food good， and how good food binds us all， regardless of nationality， gender and ethnicity。The author weaves personal， heartfelt tales of growing up in a hard working immigrant family whose love and passion for cooking became instilled in him at a young age。 As an adult， he truly understood how lucky Damn Good Chinese Food is a beautiful ode to， not only damn good Chinese food， but to the immigrants that pass recipes down through the generations， the history of Chinese food; what makes good food good， and how good food binds us all， regardless of nationality， gender and ethnicity。The author weaves personal， heartfelt tales of growing up in a hard working immigrant family whose love and passion for cooking became instilled in him at a young age。 As an adult， he truly understood how lucky he was to have grown up in a household where good food could always be found， and in a neighborhood where good food was inexpensive and plentiful。As his culinary career progressed， he cooked his way through a series of establishments， from fancy schmancy restaurants to humble homes and kitchens， Mr。 Cheung learned and developed his skills by watching and learning from his family， his teachers and his mentors。I've eaten all of the dishes in this amazing collection of recipes since I was a child; the titles themselves conjure memories from childhood and when I was a teenager; my favorite dishes， in particular， hit me in the gut but in a good way。Sometimes， I've wondered how a specific dish is created， and Mr。 Cheung lays it all out in minute detail， complete with helpful step by step photos and instructions。Some of the recipes are very labor intensive， no surprise there， but they're worth a try if you're up for a challenge or want to create a dish you've been hankering for and want to make with your own two hands。An incredible dish takes time to prepare。 And if you have the time， go for it！ It's worth it。I'm a better eater than a chef but Damn Good Chinese Food and the author's easygoing writing style has inspired me。 I may try a couple of recipes and perhaps surprise myself with my efforts。 Damn Good Chinese Food is a must have on any chef's or inspiring chef's kitchen shelf。 I'll be purchasing copies for myself， friends and family。 。。。more
David Gibson
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This was a bit of a downer as far as cookbooks go。 The recipes themselves weren’t bad or anything， but surprisingly the layout was very plain and uninspired。 It looked like something a middle schooler might put together for a school project。I also disliked this one because it required a lot of specific ingredients I didn’t find easy to locate which seriously lessened the ease of use。
oohlalabooks
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This is one of the best cookbooks I’ve read！ Damn Good Chinese Food reads more like a memoir， love how the chef/author shared his Chinatown memories and how eating/cooking Chinese food ties into an experience。 The recipes sounds so good and I cannot wait to try them at home。 Thank you to NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing for a gifted copy。 This is my honest review。
=^。^= Janet
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Date reviewed/posted: August 21， 2021Publication date: November 23 2021Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an advanced reader's copy of this book。 This in no way affects my review， all opinions are my own。From the publisher， as I do not repeat the contents or story of books in reviews， I let them do it as they do it better than I do 😸。From acclaimed chef Chris Cheung comes a cookbook inspired by growing up in New York's Chinatown—with a foreword by Man Date reviewed/posted: August 21， 2021Publication date: November 23 2021Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an advanced reader's copy of this book。 This in no way affects my review， all opinions are my own。From the publisher， as I do not repeat the contents or story of books in reviews， I let them do it as they do it better than I do 😸。From acclaimed chef Chris Cheung comes a cookbook inspired by growing up in New York's Chinatown—with a foreword by Maneet Chauhan， celebrity chef， author， and judge on The Food Network's ChoppedThere is a particular region in today's renaissance of Chinese cooking that is often overlooked: the food of Chinatown。Like many of his predecessors， chef Chris Cheung was inspired by the place where he grew up， lived， worked， and ate。 From take-out orders at tiny hole-in-the wall teahouses to the lush green vegetables piled high at the markets， celebration dinners at colossal banquet halls to authentic home-cooked meals， Chinatown’s culinary treasures and culture laid the groundwork for his career as a chef and serve as the creative force behind this book。In addition to learning the technique to make his widely revered dumplings， this cookbook includes fifty mouth-watering dishes that pay homage to the cooking traditions of Chinatown and celebrate this remarkable， resilient neighbourhood。 Cheung shares his thoughtful tour de force takes on timeless Chinese classics like potstickers， spring rolls， wonton soup， General Tso's chicken， beef and broccoli， scallion pancakes， har gow （shrimp dumplings）， chicken chow mein， salt-and-pepper shrimp， lobster Cantonese， egg cakes， congee， and dozens of other delicious， authentic recipes perfect for cooks of all skill levels。Through personal insights， stories， and recipes， the author walks you through the markets， restaurants， and streets， providing a stunning portrait of this important cuisine and its countless contributions to American culture。I love non-traditional Chinese food - sweet and sour chicken balls make me gag as do the ubiquitous egg rolls and their bean sprouts。 This is a mix of what you order from the local restaurant （where the non-Asians eat） and "real Chinese food" that you would find at a restaurant in Chinatown where Chinese people eat！ The recipes are well written and understandable by cooks of all levels and the photos make the food very appealing to myself and other lovers of food out there。I especially love the book because it uses mostly whole ingredients instead of pre-prepared and packaged foods。 I do draw the line at making my own cheese beyond a quickly-made mozzarella， and canning tomatoes but the more "ingredients" you use the better。 My one nephew says that I never have any food in my house， only ingredients --- that is why I cook so much。 I also refuse to eat or cook with Frankenfoods such as "chick'n" and its 88 ingredients vs。 🐔chicken🐔 having one and cheese that does not come from an animal is udder nonsense！）I will recommend this book to friends， family， patrons， book clubs， and people reading books in the park as we do … I have had some of my best conversations about books down by the Thames！As always， I try to find a reason to not rate with stars as I simply adore emojis （outside of their incessant use by "🙏-ed Social Influencer Millennials/#BachelorNation survivors/Tik-Tok and YouTube Millionaires/snowflakes / literally-like-overusers etc。 "） on Instagram and Twitter。。。 Get a real job， people！） so let's give it 🥠 🥡 🥠🥢 🥠 。。。more
Ashley
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