Cook Easy! Eat Healthy: Poultry & Seafood

by: Compiler Do Shaopeng

Hong Kong China: Haibin Tushu Gongxi 2003, Hardbound
ISBN: 962-202-027-5

Reviewed by: Jacqueline M. Newmand
Spring Volume: 2004 Issue: 11(1) page(s): 27

This book, one is a series of three by the same main author compiled all its material. They all begin with: Cook Easy! Eat Healthy!, and all are good and interesting, with more than just recipes. All are bound soft-covered, made as are hardbound books with sewn professional bindings to withstand lots of use. The contents of the books are bilingual, the other titles are: Grains -- Beans -- Fungi; and Fruits & Vegetables. This particular volume does have meat recipes, too, and its total content includes forty-five recipes.

Every food item has two pages with one or two color photographs of the food item in question, discuss nutritional value, Chinese properties attributed to it, and cautions about when the Chinese recommend not eating this particular food, and other traditional Chinese medicinal information. Each food also has two more pages for its one recipe, a color photograph of the completed dish, and details about several common cooking practices. These recipes are complete and easy to follow.

The health information, written and checked--each by a different Chinese herbalist, is clearly stated and easy to understand. These three books are a wonderful introduction to Chinese food as medicine and are good for those with no or limited Chinese food/medicinal understandings.

Stir-fried Watermelon Peel with Jellyfish and Duck
Ingredients:
1 cup watermelon rind, outer layer removed, then shredded
1 stalk celery, strings removed, and shredded
1 package (about one-quarter cup) shredded jellyfish, rinsed with warm water
1/2 red pepper, seeded and shredded
2 Tablespoons corn oil
2 slices fresh ginger, peeled and shredded
1/4 pound roasted duck meat, shredded
1 Tablespoon oyster sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with three tablespoons cold water
Preparation:
1. Boil two cups water and blanch watermelon rind and celery, then add jelly fish and red pepper, mix well, and drain, discarding the water.
2. Heat oil and fry the ginger for one minute, then add the duck and the cooked watermelon rind mixture. Stir well until just heated through, about two minutes.
3. Add oyster sauce and the cornstarch mixture and stir until thickened and clear, then serve.

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