Product Description
This book stands out among the many Chinese vegetarian cookbooks available with its many innovative recipes for vegetarian "mock meat" dishes, just like those you'd enjoy in Buddhist restaurants. These recipes are as authentic as possible, without calling for extremely exotic ingredients that may be very hard for anyone outside of a large city to find.

Best-selling cookbook author Bryanna Clark Grogan, well known for her in-depth exploration of global cuisine, generously shares her knowledge of Chinese ingredients and cooking techniques, helping to enrich your experiences with her superbly crafted recipes. Chinese vegetarian cuisine can provide variation and culinary delight along with nutritional excellence.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 4 reviews)

Well Done

I would strongly recommend this book to any vegan or vegetarian interested in Chinese Cookery. The book starts out with an introduction to Chinese Cookery including regional cooking information, tools, ingredients, etc... Pictures of some of the more exotic ingredients for easier identification would be helpful but a good google search can help here.
The recipes themselves are very easy. I would argue that they are modeled after authentic recipes but do incorporate modern ingredients such as TVP(texturized vegetable protein). The recipes are usually very easy to complete. Sometimes the author uses Western ingredients instead of traditional ingredients such as Dry Sherry instead of traditional Chinese rice wine (like shao xing wine).
The book also dedicates an entire chapter on how to make mock(fake/vegetarian) meats from scratch- a good resource if you are into mock meat. A huge portion of the recipes in this book are based around a mock meat of some sort, if you abstain from mock meats due to ethical concerns, you may have trouble with this book.
Overall I have found this book to be an excellent resource, and very much enjoy the recipes. The lack of pictures is a real downside for me as I believe that a good beginners cookbook should have some pictures but the price makes up for it to me. The non-traditional ingredients do not bother me at all, I believe they allow you to create traditionally meat based dishes out of modern day vegetarian/vegan products.

I look forward to trying the authors other cookbooks!

I would recommend, as a companion to this book, the cookbook: "Vegetarian Cooking" (also Chinese, but the title does not specify this) published by Wei-Chaun
ISBN: 0-941676-20-X

5 Stars!
April 28, 2008

This book is OK.

I appreciate what the author was trying to do with this book; it's great to have a source for Chinese-style mock meats. However, after trying several of the recipes, I found that they just aren't as good as I thought they would be.

I was excited to use vital wheat gluten to whip up a batch of seitan, but it turned out to be incredibly gummy. I assume this problem is avoidable, but the directions in the book don't give much guidance: "Mix until it forms a smooth, firm dough. Knead briefly." There's no information about what to do you if instead of a smooth dough, you end up with a rubbery, bouncy ball. (Perhaps it's better to mix and knead by hand rather than using my mixer? Tips like this would help a lot!)

As far as the regular recipes go, they are hit and miss. The simpler the recipe, the better they seem turn out. The page on Basic Stir-Fried Chinese Vegetables contains really useful information, and the recipe on the facing page for Stir Fried Chinese Broccoli is a winner. However, the "Beef" and Broccoli with "Oyster" Sauce and the Kung Pao "Chicken" are just OK, and Mapo Doufu was downright weird. But I will still continue to work my way through the book; I would like to try the Lemon "Chicken" and some of the versions of the Steamed Savory Filled Buns.

Overall, it is a decent resource for vegetarian Chinese cooking. For people who are interested in this topic, it's probably a good place to start. I would recommend using store-bought seitan though!
July 22, 2006

Fabulous Chinese cuisine by the greatest vegan cook!

Bryanna's Italian cookbook "Nonna's Italian Kitchen" must be the very finest ever example of vegan cookbook published to this date. And now she's done it again - with this wonderful vegan cookbook on Chinese cuisine, taking you all the way through dumplings, dim sum, noodles, soups, stir-fries, ... and vegetarian "mock-meats" that were invented thousands of years ago by strict buddhist monks. Whereas it used to be quite a work to rinse out the starch of a flour ball so that only the protein (gluten) was left, the arrival of pure gluten powder makes this a snap to prepare at home. While some recipes are somewhat elaborate which acquire some routine (making dumplings, spring rolls, etc.), there are several quick recipes (stir-fry chapter a.o.) that are very easy to prepare. It is an excellent cookbook if you love chinese foods, and the innovative inclusion of above-mentioned "mock-meats" makes it a cut above the rest. The pages are jam-packed with one tasty recipe after the other - this is a shining example that you do not need to feel deprived when embarking on a vegan diet.
November 17, 2002

for those pursuing a vegetarian life style

Authentic Chinese Cuisine For The Contemporary Kitchen offers a superbly developed compendium of vegetarian Chinese recipes similar to those found in a Buddhist restaurant. Bryanna Grogan brings her expertise to bear in offering delicious, nutritious recipes for homemade "Mock Meats"; savory snacks and appetizers; dumplings and breads; rice; noodles, soups, and sauces; stir-fried dishes; braised, steamed, and stewed dishes; and even sweets. From Shanghai Spring Rolls, Mandarin Pancakes, and Savory Rice Porridge, to Duck Sauce, Buddha's Delight, and Walnut Cookies, Authentic Chinese Cuisine For The Contemporary Kitchen will quickly became a personal and family favorite for those pursuing a vegetarian lifestyle.
January 28, 2001

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

Nonna's Italian Kitchen: Delicious Homestyle Vegan Cuisine (Healthy World Cuisine)
by Bryanna Clark Grogan

20 Minutes to Dinner: Quick, Low-Fat, Low-Calorie Vegetarian Meals
by Bryanna Clark Grogan

Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook
by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Terry Hope Romero

The Almost No-Fat Cookbook: Everyday Vegetarian Recipes
by Bryanna Clark Grogan, Bryanna Clark-Grogan

Vegan with a Vengeance : Over 150 Delicious, Cheap, Animal-Free Recipes That Rock
by Isa Chandra Moskowitz