Healthy Chinese Cookbook, The

by: editors Fleetwood, Jennie and Pannell, Maggi

London UK: Southwater, an imprint of Hermes House 2007, $18.98, Hardbound
ISBN: 978-84476-322-0

Reviewed by: Jacqueline M. Newman
Winter Volume: 2007 Issue: 14(4) page(s): 23

This book is a bargain if you do not own Low-Fat No-Fat Chinese Cooking. If you do, it is a regurgitation as its recipes dubbed 'Mouth-watering...East Asian food' have appeared elsewhere. What is worth knowing is that there are lots of pictures, good cookery methods, mostly metric and Imperial measures, and some classic Chinese cookery. If you do not own it, it is a place to begin cooking foods considered 'Chinese' and 'healthy.'

The book includes more than one hundred recipes, some with a cook's tip, some with a variation, and all with three small pictures of their preparation, and a larger one of their completed dish.

Our holiday wish, that treats and repeats be touted in larger type and on the cover. This imprint and publishing house often has more repeats than new treats.

Chicken and Corn Soup
Ingredients:
1 skinless and boneless chicken breast (about four ounces)
2 teaspoons thin soy sauce
1 Tablespoon Chinese rice wine
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
4 cups chicken broth
1 can (about 15 ounces) creamed corn
1 can (about eight ounces) whole kernel corn
2 eggs, beaten
2 scallions, green part only, slivered
Preparation:
1. Mince or grind chicken breast, taking care not to over process it, then remove it to a bowl.
2. Stir in soy sauce, rice wine, cornstarch, sesame oil, and one-quarter cup cold water. Cover this seasoning mixture with plastic wrap and set aside for fifteen minutes.
3. Heat vegetable oil in a wok, large pan, or a deep fry pan, add minced ginger and stir-fry for up to half minute or until aromatic, then stir in the seasoning mixture and the broth and both kinds of corn. Bring to just below the boiling point, then serve.

Flavor and Fortune is a magazine of: