China: The Cookbook Review

China: The Cookbook

If you love exploring the world through cookbooks, China: The Cookbook is one you won’t want to miss. Originally published in 2016, this essential guide to Chinese cuisine is back with a stunning 2025 edition featuring a bold red cover with elegant gilt-edged pages. With more than 650 recipes covering China’s diverse culinary landscape, it’s a must-have for home cooks and professionals alike. As we continue to explore the best cookbooks on our reviews, let’s take a closer look at what makes this edition stand out.

For home cooks, food historians, and culinary enthusiasts alike, China: The Cookbook offers a journey through China’s eight major culinary regions and twelve lesser-known ones, delivering a staggering 650 authentic recipes meticulously compiled by authors Kei Lum Chan and Diora Fong Chan. Whether you are looking to master the perfect Dim Sum or explore lesser-known gems like Jiangsu’s Drunken Chicken, this book has something for you.

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A New Edition of a Culinary Classic

Originally hailed as the Chinese cookbook by critics, the 2025 edition of China: The Cookbook maintains everything that made the first edition a bestseller while elevating its aesthetic appeal. The redesigned hardcover now features elegant gilt-edged pages, reinforcing its status as a collector’s item as well as a practical kitchen companion.

But beyond its beauty, this book remains a powerhouse of knowledge, offering insights into Chinese ingredients, traditional cooking techniques, and practical alternatives for hard-to-find items. Each recipe has been meticulously tested for accuracy, ensuring that home cooks of all levels can successfully recreate the flavors of China in their own kitchens.

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Exploring China’s Regional Cuisines

One of the book’s greatest strengths is its structure. Rather than presenting Chinese food as a single, uniform cuisine, it carefully explores the unique characteristics of each region. Cantonese cuisine is known for its delicate flavors and mastery of dim sum, while Sichuan cuisine embraces bold, spicy profiles highlighted by the numbing heat of Sichuan peppercorns. In contrast, Shandong cuisine places a strong emphasis on fresh seafood and intricate cooking techniques, whereas Jiangsu cuisine leans toward refined, subtly sweet flavors with rich broths.

Fujian cuisine showcases light yet deeply flavorful broths, often incorporating seafood in dishes like Fujian Fried Rice. Hunan cuisine takes a more rustic approach, delivering spicier, heartier flavors. Zhejiang cuisine focuses on fresh, mellow flavors with a particular affinity for seafood, while Anhui cuisine highlights wild ingredients sourced from mountain regions.

Beyond these eight major traditions, the book also examines twelve lesser-known culinary regions, ensuring that no part of China’s rich gastronomic heritage is overlooked.

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Cooking Chinese Food with Confidence

No matter your experience in the kitchen, China: The Cookbook is designed to guide and inspire. It goes beyond simply listing recipes by providing clear explanations of essential ingredients, offering substitutions for hard-to-find items, and breaking down step-by-step techniques that make even complex dishes approachable.

To further enhance the experience, the book includes contemporary recipes from renowned chefs worldwide, offering a fresh take on Chinese cuisine while preserving its authenticity. Whether you're just starting out or looking to refine your skills, this book serves as a valuable resource for anyone eager to explore Chinese cooking.

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Final Thoughts

Few cookbooks manage to encapsulate a cuisine as vast and complex as China’s, but China: The Cookbook does so with authority, precision, and elegance. Whether you’re looking to explore authentic regional specialties, improve your cooking techniques, or simply appreciate the culinary richness of China, this book is an invaluable resource.

With its refreshed design and timeless content, China: The Cookbook remains the definitive guide to Chinese cuisine—one that will continue to inspire generations of cooks to come.