The Chinese Takeout Cookbook: Quick and Easy Dishes to Prepare at Home Hardcover – December 11, 2012

I've gotten heavily into wok cooking recently, and I've purchased many, many stir-fry and wok cookbooks. After working with all of them, and sitting back to think it all through, I have decided that this is the best: In terms of most concise instructions, accessible and not-too-elaborate ingredients, easiest prep work, favorite dishes, and much more.Bottom line is this: Stir-frying and using a wok demands very quick work. If you've not completely memorized your recipe, you need to have your cookbook in front of you as part of your "mise en place". This cookbook fits that bill nicely. The layout is conducive to helping you work efficiently. The directions/instructions, ingredient lists and beautiful pictures are big aids in helping you get ready to prepare the dish.Just to give you an idea of what I am comparing this book to: I have several Grace Young books. They are wonderful, and I'm glad to have them. I've learned quite a lot from them. There are many wonderful recipes that I like in each of her books, but the books are not as simplistic to use as The Chinese Takeout Cookbook. Young's books are large and all-encompassing and work nicely as reference books. Neither the books, nor the recipes, will ever be my Asian go-to books and recipes. I will use the Grace Young books when I have leisure time to browse through the recipes, create a shopping list, and plan a special meal.I also have a few Barbara Tropp books. I like those books as well and have learned a lot of tips from them. But again, they won't be my go-to Asian cookbooks. And they are a bit older and don't have the great pictures that cookbooks have nowadays.Then there are the Ken Hom books: They are a bit too "old" for me, and while his books give me ideas, they don't give me the detailed instructions and pictures that I like.So, my favorite is becoming obvious: The Chinese Takeout Cookbook is the one. It's even got a recipe for Egg Foo Young, one of my all-time favorites, and so easy to make.

I was tired of paying $13 for Chinese takeout, only to see that 80% of my meal was broth and vegetables that I'd ultimately pour down the garbage disposal. I needed to find a way to make this stuff myself. The main problem was that I have no knowledge base to draw upon. I didn't need to send off my DNA to realize that I'm exactly 0% Chinese by ancestry. I have no family members I can call to figure out how to make this stuff, and living in Memphis TN I don't exactly have a ton of Cantonese neighbors I can run to for advice. I needed answers, and quickly, or I'd go broke ordering carton after carton of watery Chinese food with skimpy meat and water logged cabbage.This book provided all the answers I needed. The first recipe I made was Beef with Broccoli and I'm here to tell you it was the absolute best version I have ever had in my life. It was fresh, bursting with flavor, and the meat was of greater quality and quantity than I get from takeout. I think the total cost for the ingredients was around $16, and it made enough to feed five or six people (I think I doubled the recipe on that one). At roughly $3.50 per serving, and with FAR higher quality, this recipe was blowing away EVERY Chinese takeout place in my area (a metropolitan area of roughly 1 million people). The entire family went back for seconds and raved about how great it was. I was shocked by that.The second recipe was egg rolls. Again, perfection. No more paying $3.50 per egg roll to get a bunch of shredded vegetables with a sparse helping of ground chicken. I bought a pound of large shrimp for $11 and I ate like a Chinese Emperor in the Forbidden City at the Manchu Han Imperial Feast (boom...look that one up.) It's like a side benefit of the book is that I'm now an amateur expert on Chinese history.Tonight I made egg drop soup and Kung Pao Chicken. It was devoured. Once more I found that the recipe was far and away better than any other version I've had. I had some picky eaters at the table tonight and they all went back for more. Sadly, there is very little left for a midnight snack.The book is awesome from cover to cover. The recipes are extremely easy to follow, and with just a few basic additions to your pantry you'll be cooking like you were born there. I wish I'd found this book decades ago. It's just that good.