Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees: Essential Techniques of Authentic Chinese Cooking

In Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees, CHNY member Kian Lam Kho offers a unique introduction to Chinese home cooking, demystifying it by focusing on basic cooking methods that will enable readers to create nuanced, complex, authentic Chinese flavors at home. In outlining the differences among various techniques—such as pan-frying, oil steeping, and yin-yang frying—and instructing which is best for particular ingredients and end results, culinary expert Kian Lam Kho provides a practical, intuitive window into this unique cuisine. Accompanied by more than 200 photographs, including helpful step-by-step images, the 158 recipes range from simple (such as Spicy Lotus Root Salad or Red Cooked Pork) to slightly more involved (including authentic General Tso’s Chicken and Pork Shank Soup with Winter Bamboo). This innovative book lies in the way it teaches the soul of Chinese cooking, enabling home cooks to master this diverse, alluring cuisine and then to re-create any tempting dish they encounter or can imagine. The book won the Julia Child First Book Award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals in 2016.