Xi'an Famous Foods: The Cuisine of Western China, from New York's Favorite Noodle Shop
- Downloads：3627
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-03-27 11:18:54
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jason Wang
- ISBN：1419747525
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
The long-awaited cookbook from an iconic New York restaurant， revealing never-before-published recipes
AN EATER BEST COOKBOOK OF FALL 2020
A NEW YORK TIMES BEST COOKBOOK OF FALL 2020
A BALTIMORE SUN BEST COOKBOOK OF FALL 2020
A ROBB REPORT BEST COOKBOOK OF FALL 2020
A FOOD & WINE FALL 20 COOKBOOK PICK
A WSJ MAGAZINE BEST-DESIGNED ITEM
Since its humble opening in 2005， Xi’an Famous Foods has expanded from one stall in Flushing to 14 locations in Manhattan， Brooklyn， and Queens。 CEO Jason Wang divulges the untold story of how this empire came to be， alongside the never-before-published recipes that helped create this New York City icon。 From heavenly ribbons of liang pi doused in a bright vinegar sauce to flatbread filled with caramelized pork to cumin lamb over hand-pulled Biang Biang noodles， this cookbook helps home cooks make the dishes that fans of Xi’an Famous Foods line up for while also exploring the vibrant cuisine and culture of Xi’an。
Transporting readers to the streets of Xi’an and the kitchens of New York’s Chinatown， Xi’an Famous Foods is the cookbook that fans of Xi’an Famous Foods have been waiting for。
AN EATER BEST COOKBOOK OF FALL 2020
A NEW YORK TIMES BEST COOKBOOK OF FALL 2020
A BALTIMORE SUN BEST COOKBOOK OF FALL 2020
A ROBB REPORT BEST COOKBOOK OF FALL 2020
A FOOD & WINE FALL 20 COOKBOOK PICK
A WSJ MAGAZINE BEST-DESIGNED ITEM
Since its humble opening in 2005， Xi’an Famous Foods has expanded from one stall in Flushing to 14 locations in Manhattan， Brooklyn， and Queens。 CEO Jason Wang divulges the untold story of how this empire came to be， alongside the never-before-published recipes that helped create this New York City icon。 From heavenly ribbons of liang pi doused in a bright vinegar sauce to flatbread filled with caramelized pork to cumin lamb over hand-pulled Biang Biang noodles， this cookbook helps home cooks make the dishes that fans of Xi’an Famous Foods line up for while also exploring the vibrant cuisine and culture of Xi’an。
Transporting readers to the streets of Xi’an and the kitchens of New York’s Chinatown， Xi’an Famous Foods is the cookbook that fans of Xi’an Famous Foods have been waiting for。
Reviews
Justin
，
Ignore the complaints about tone。 I’ve worked in restaurants for years， and to be perfectly frank， this is better food and better， more honest writing than anything Dave Chang has put out。 It’s not a perfect guide to or intro to “authentic” Chinese cuisine， and it’s better for it。 It’s the story of one Chinese family’s food， and attempts to recreate what they loved at home after moving to the US， the fight to make their perfect version of it and share it。 Jason doesn’t shy away from a throw-away Ignore the complaints about tone。 I’ve worked in restaurants for years， and to be perfectly frank， this is better food and better， more honest writing than anything Dave Chang has put out。 It’s not a perfect guide to or intro to “authentic” Chinese cuisine， and it’s better for it。 It’s the story of one Chinese family’s food， and attempts to recreate what they loved at home after moving to the US， the fight to make their perfect version of it and share it。 Jason doesn’t shy away from a throw-away mention of the excesses & anger that’s present in most kitchens。 He owns up to it， and tries to move beyond it。 Chefs like Chang hide their complicity and boring people eat it up like gospel while heaping scorn on people trying to do more with less。 。。。more
Molly Engle
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Too much meat。 Enjoyed the stories。 Liked the organization of the book （didn't follow the typical categories--starters， soups， etc。）。 Too much meat。 Enjoyed the stories。 Liked the organization of the book （didn't follow the typical categories--starters， soups， etc。）。 。。。more
Lili Kim
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Met Jason Wang last week， and I told him how I've been taking my CA friends to Xi'an every time they visit NYC for years。 We saw the Anthony Bourdain episodes， have gone to pretty much all the Xi'an locations， eaten there hundreds of times， got the meal kits， and now we got the cookbook to make some dishes at home。LOVE the food， Jason and his dad's story， and this book is so much more than a regular cookbook。 Highly recommend （and you will get hungry）！ Met Jason Wang last week， and I told him how I've been taking my CA friends to Xi'an every time they visit NYC for years。 We saw the Anthony Bourdain episodes， have gone to pretty much all the Xi'an locations， eaten there hundreds of times， got the meal kits， and now we got the cookbook to make some dishes at home。LOVE the food， Jason and his dad's story， and this book is so much more than a regular cookbook。 Highly recommend （and you will get hungry）！ 。。。more
Bill Kte'pi
，
I took this out from the library and I think I need to buy it。
Ashani
，
Geez I love this book ！！！ Anyone who loves Chinese food should consider owning this book and cook each dish ！ I'm in love with this one ！！！ Geez I love this book ！！！ Anyone who loves Chinese food should consider owning this book and cook each dish ！ I'm in love with this one ！！！ 。。。more
Dung
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3。5⭐️ enjoyed the memoir more。
Leslie aka StoreyBook Reviews
，
It is such a treat to be a member of Abrams Dinner Party because we receive the hot new cookbooks that are sure to wow and excite our palettes。 And during this past year with Covid， I think a lot more people were cooking at home and hopefully， they were trying many new recipes。Not living in the North East， there are many restaurants that I have never heard of but I'm sure the same could be said for those that live there and the restaurants available in Texas。 I always enjoy learning about new pl It is such a treat to be a member of Abrams Dinner Party because we receive the hot new cookbooks that are sure to wow and excite our palettes。 And during this past year with Covid， I think a lot more people were cooking at home and hopefully， they were trying many new recipes。Not living in the North East， there are many restaurants that I have never heard of but I'm sure the same could be said for those that live there and the restaurants available in Texas。 I always enjoy learning about new places and dishes and while I may only drool over some of them， there are always some that I will endeavor to make or adapt。The wonderful thing about this cookbook， and several others I have enjoyed over the past few years， is that it is more than just a book with recipes and photos of those dishes。 It is a story begging to be told about the founders of the restaurant， their family， and the dishes that have made them popular。While reading through this book， there are so many different aspects to inhale。 Outside of the founder's story， there is a section that is a guide to the flavors of Xi'an。 There is a discussion of the spices used to flavor dishes from sour to spicy to super spicy。 I enjoyed the history of the spices and how they arrived in this part of China to be used in cooking。 There is also a section about what should be stocked in your pantry and refrigerator so when you are craving these foods you have everything ready to make the dish of choice。We move on to cooking lessons and the biggest lesson is how to cook rice the right way。 I learned a few tips I hadn't thought of before and will be trying those out next time I need to make some rice。 And while I'm not sure how I feel about trying to make noodles， the recipe looks simple enough and I think it is just a time consideration。 So this would need to be a weekend project when I have more time。 The same would probably hold true for the dumplings。Interspersed with the recipes are more stories of the family and restaurant and that it is not all work， there is definitely time to play and have a good time。 I think we get a better insight into them from this information and that they are no different than you or me。Overall， this cookbook is more than meets the eye and should be savored over time。 。。。more
Kathleen
，
There were some weird flexes in there， but I'm looking forward to trying the recipes。 And of course， the photography is stunning There were some weird flexes in there， but I'm looking forward to trying the recipes。 And of course， the photography is stunning 。。。more
Chloe
，
3。5 stars。 I love their noodles but this book isn’t well written。 It’s half memoir half recipe， and somehow despite his honesty about his work hard party hard lifestyle， it sounds douchebag-y。 The recipes are also not very detailed and lack instruction， even some of the illustrations are not helpful。。 I think it just failed to capture the essence of Chinese cooking。 Also， some of the “other” recipes are only ok。
Jenn Adams
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*frantically googles whether XFF delivers to my apartment*love the combo of recipes/history/geography
Емил Антонов
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Книгата е перфектен микс от историята на семейството， историята на Ши’ан и рецепти - както автентични китайски， така и тези променени версии， които са направили ресторантите XFF известни
Cynde
，
Great recipes but truly fascinating read！！
Jane
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Happy for the recipes and the showcasing of my ancestral cuisine。 The author's commentary is occasionally 🙄。 Happy for the recipes and the showcasing of my ancestral cuisine。 The author's commentary is occasionally 🙄。 。。。more
Margery Osborne
，
interesting lamb recipes makes longevity noodles look easy。 not sure i'm there yet。 possibly my fearless daughter will give it a try？？？？？？ interesting lamb recipes makes longevity noodles look easy。 not sure i'm there yet。 possibly my fearless daughter will give it a try？？？？？？ 。。。more
Delia
，
I wish I hadn’t read this。 I like Xi’an Famous Foods and have done since they were a little street stand in Flushing and a quick bus ride from where my parents live。 The recipes in the book are ok， not great。 But the real bummer in this book is the original owner’s son whose voice takes up a lot of space with his life story and he mostly comes off as a huge d-bag。 Feels more like a vanity project than a serious cookbook and it’s really disappointing。
Steven Carvellas
，
I mainly picked up this book because I have been a huge fan of the restaurant ever since a friend of mine who lived in Flushing told me about the opening of one of her favorite restaurants in the St Marks area of NYC that I used to frequent often back then。 When Xian Famous Foods opened in the LES （Lower East Side for the unfamiliar）， I had recently returned from my first trip to the Eastern Hemisphere to visit a friend who worked for the US Embassy in China。 I spent a few months traveling to va I mainly picked up this book because I have been a huge fan of the restaurant ever since a friend of mine who lived in Flushing told me about the opening of one of her favorite restaurants in the St Marks area of NYC that I used to frequent often back then。 When Xian Famous Foods opened in the LES （Lower East Side for the unfamiliar）， I had recently returned from my first trip to the Eastern Hemisphere to visit a friend who worked for the US Embassy in China。 I spent a few months traveling to various places there and loved it （including Xi'an， but just briefly to see the Terra Cotta Soldiers）。 I was initially attracted to XFF in NYC by the very cheap prices for a filling， unique， and delicious meal （I think the lamb burger was only $2？ Try finding prices like those in NYC！） but after a while I found myself having cravings and making the trek over to the LES for some good noodles in soup or a quick bite of the burgers。 Due to events of 2020 XFF has been （mostly） closed in NYC at the moment and when I heard about this book I wanted to try to see if I can get my XFF cravings satisfied at home。 I was pleasantly surprised by this book！ Originally I was expecting more of a cookbook for some of the dishes at one of my more favorite "fast casual" restaurants in NYC （which it is！）， but this book is so much more， for me it was also a coming-of-age slash rags-to-riches story， a nice nostalgia trip （I have a lot of Asian friends in NYC， so I have also had some Circle/KTown nights that Jason describes at one point）， and an appreciative retrospection for Jason， all while making my mouth water the whole entire time。One thing I love about this book as a cookbook is the simplified list of ingredients -- most cookbooks require a large array of ingredients to craft the recipes at home on your own， which becomes even more of a problem when the recipes require ingredients that are quickly perishable。 I feel like there are a small subset of ingredients required that are constantly used throughout the recipes in this book， if you are fortunate enough to live near an Asian market you can get started on many of the recipes right away in a short amount of time。 It also really shows you the versatility of the ingredients， with some creativity you can use some of the sauces and spices to make a "XFF-style" dish of your own。Do yourself a favor and grab a copy of this book for your shelf and try out some of the recipes！ If you are intimidated by some of the steps， like noodle-pulling to be specific， take a look around the internet for some videos to help supplement the book， once you see the process it becomes a lot less intimidating 。。。more
Casseroll
，
Beautiful layout and pictures。 I love the family history throughout with yummy recipes。 Highly recommended。
Emily
，
I think some of the recipes were decent - like the ones which featured noodle-making techniques。 But - most of all - I couldn't stand the tone of the writer/chef。 He boasts about not going to culinary school and then of his 'successes' which I believe he refers to as his 'empire' （which is okay but I didn't think he expressed himself well enough - he sounded smug - like a Stanley Kowalski barging into the kitchen throwing a bloody pack of meat on the counter kind of way; and it makes me want to I think some of the recipes were decent - like the ones which featured noodle-making techniques。 But - most of all - I couldn't stand the tone of the writer/chef。 He boasts about not going to culinary school and then of his 'successes' which I believe he refers to as his 'empire' （which is okay but I didn't think he expressed himself well enough - he sounded smug - like a Stanley Kowalski barging into the kitchen throwing a bloody pack of meat on the counter kind of way; and it makes me want to sear his hole shut with the back of a heated cast-iron pan）。 The grammatical errors and lack of editing is another one of my complaints。 Also， he swears quite a bit in the book （which I'm not against - but it is definitely something that I only appreciate when it's done well - not added in just because one feels like it）。 David Chang swears almost too well/effectively in Eat A Peach 。 But I must admit that that is not a fair comparison because I read that book weeks ago， and I'm still in awe of it; it's like trying to compare an 'okay' thing to a legend。 I think someone who's never been properly introduced to Chinese cuisine/food can potentially appreciate this cookbook better than I did。 。。。more
Dan Ryan
，
I was introduced to Xi-an Famous Foods on an epic day I spent visiting my food-informed son in NYC。 We journeyed to Flushing， and walked around a bustling China Town and he guided me down the stairs of a big building， and we stood in line at a food counter。 On his advice， I trepidatiously ordered something called "Cold Skin Noodles" （I had him repeat that several times to be sure I wasn't mis-hearing his instructions） and a "Lamb Burger"。 The noodles were a revelation。 They were stretchy and spr I was introduced to Xi-an Famous Foods on an epic day I spent visiting my food-informed son in NYC。 We journeyed to Flushing， and walked around a bustling China Town and he guided me down the stairs of a big building， and we stood in line at a food counter。 On his advice， I trepidatiously ordered something called "Cold Skin Noodles" （I had him repeat that several times to be sure I wasn't mis-hearing his instructions） and a "Lamb Burger"。 The noodles were a revelation。 They were stretchy and springy， kind of like soft， cold chicken skin， though that disturbing analogy would not have come to my mind without the titular prompt。 The noodles were coated with a spicy oil， and they were unlike any noodles I had ever tasted before - more texturally interesting than pasta， more flavorful than rice noodles， and simply mind-blowing。 And the lamb burger - it was minced lamb with rich， fragrant cumin on a bun that was like a slightly thickened and crispy crumpet。 One course was all about texture， and the other was all about flavor， and the meal probably cost around $25 for the both of us to eat like kings。 That was my introduction to Xi'an Famous Foods。 （To complete the story， we ate dinner at Momofuku Ko for dinner， where， with wine， I think the tab came to ~$150 for each of us。 Again， we were served at a counter， and again， the food was a lesson in tastes and textures。 Both were revelatory food experiences。 My son paid for both！）When I saw that Xi'an was coming out with a cookbook， I was excited。 I received it a few days ago， and the recipes are accessible， without requiring extra equipment or an overwhelming amount of specially-bought ingredients。 Next weekend， I will attempt a few of the recipes - and I will be content to struggle a bit to develop the touch and taste to master these recipes。 The book itself， of course， covers biography and geography。 It is fun to read， and informative about a city in Western China I still cannot find on a map， where a Muslim quarter exists and serves lamb skewers。 Where the silk road once thrived， and near where terra cotta warriors wait to serve。 This book expanded my horizons， just as the trip down those stairs did， several years ago。 。。。more
Carrie
，