5 Best Chinese Cookbooks (Reviews Updated 2022)

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Asian foods have always been considered exotic with their unique flavor and style of dishes. If you’re someone who can cook and loves Chinese, several Chinese cookbooks in the market can make your dream of eating Chinese every day a reality. These Chinese cookbooks include paragraphs upon paragraphs of wonderful context to the kind of food you love. They can help you handle the flavor so that you won’t tell the difference between your food and a pro chef featured dish.

All you have to do is invest in the right Chinese cookbook from a reputable author, and fortunately for you, we have compiled several Chinese cookbooks that stand out. Some of them are bestsellers, and some make it easy for you to understand how to make Chinese food. This means it doesn’t matter if you have previous experience with making food because all you have to do is pick the cookbook up and fire the stove.

Best Chinese Cookbooks

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Here are our best Chinese Cookbook reviews.

1. Xi’an Famous Foods by Jason Wang

Xi'an Famous Foods By Jason Wang

This Chinese cookbook has received several awards for being one of the easiest and comprehensive cookbooks to understand. If you have trouble understanding how to go about Chinese cooking, you can look into the Xi’an Famous Foods cookbook by Jason Wang to ensure your ingredients and recipes are in check. Xi’an Famous Foods owner has a humble story where they expanded from one stall to their restaurant in 14 different locations and have added their famous recipes to this cookbook.

You will find famous recipes like ribbons of Liang pi dipped in vinegar sauce followed by flatbread filled with caramelized pork. There are 304 pages in the book with over 100 different recipes of Chinese descent. Your tastebuds will be packed with Asian flavors, and you won’t be able to tell the difference between them.

The Chinese cookbook is structured well with plenty of photographs to assist the cook or chef in making the dish accordingly. All the ingredients are mentioned, and a step-by-step process shows what you have to do to ensure you do not get confused in making the dish. For beginner cooks, this a great find because it allows them to experiment with Chinese dishes and make the best out of them.

Why do we like it?

  • Over 100 famous recipes from a New York favorite Chinese restaurant.
  • Photographs help understand the step-by-step process of making the dish properly.
  • Perfect for beginner cooks who wish to explore making Chinese cuisine.
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2. The Nom Wah Cookbook by Wilson Tang

The Nom Wah Cookbook By Wilson Tang

The Nom Wah Cookbook has a more storyline approach where author Wilson Tang helps you understand how Chinese immigrants brought their traditional cooking and them. It helps you understand how the Chinese recipes available now are a hybrid form with the flavors of the east and the west in it. The Chinese cookbook has exceptional traditional Chinese recipes you may never have heard of and gives you that authentic Chinese flavor you craved for.

By purchasing the Chinese cookbook, you can start making authentic Chinese food like rice rolls, dumplings, bao-baos, and even the chef’s special desserts. The Chinese cookbook has 75 easy-to-make recipes that are properly structured and ensure you understand them well to be able to add the right ingredients and flavors. The story approach is also unique because you get to read the recipes and the context they bring with them.

Your entire family can enjoy the bounty of thousands of years of culinary genius through this Chinese cookbook. There are a total of 272 pages on the cookbook, which gives you a great read and an even greater experience cooking the perfect Chinese meal. All you have to do is pick it up from the bookstore and start reading.

Why do we like it?

  • Authentic Chinese recipes that help you make the best Chinese food you will ever taste.
  • The Chinese cookbook has over 75 easy-to-make recipes that you can choose from.
  • The Chinese cookbook has a unique storyline approach that helps you understand the context behind every dish.
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3. Easy Chinese Cookbook by Chris Toy

Easy Chinese Cookbook By Chris Toy

If you are a consistent visitor to Chinatown, you can finally stop spending so much on Chinese food because all the recipes you may have tasted there are on this Chinese cookbook. The Easy Chinese Cookbook by Chris Toy allows you to cook traditional Chinese recipes without having to be a pro at it. Anyone with basic kitchen experience can pick up the cookbook and have a go at it.

Readers can find recipes like Hot and Sour Soup, Orange Chicken, Kung Pao Beef, and even Sweet Egg Custard Dessert in this Chinese cookbook. You get a vast array of dishes that you buy groceries for and make at home to have healthier, home-made food. The Chinese cookbook also has an introduction where the author introduces beginner home cooks and chefs to the flavors of China.

In addition, you get several tips and tricks to make the Chinese dishes excellent. You can even modify the recipes according to your tastebuds and create something completely new with the Chinese essence in it. This type of flexibility is what makes investing in the Easy Chinese Cookbook by Chris Toy a great investment.

Why do we like it?

  • Comprehensive and easy-to-understand recipes that can be made at home without prior experience.
  • The Chinese cookbook has several tips and tricks that can assist you in making the dishes you want.
  • The total pages in the Chinese cookbook are 158, which makes it a quick read for anyone who wants to jump to the part of cooking rather than spend time reading.
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4. 101 Asian Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die by Jet Tila

101 Asian Dishes You Need To Cook Before You Die By Jet Tila

Jet Tila is a famous chef who has made several unique Chinese and Thai recipes throughout his career. His experience in the field and successful experiments have led to him publishing his very own book, which consists of contemporary Chinese recipes and flavors. There are a total of 101 Asian dishes mentioned in the article, which are also cooked inside his own restaurants.

This gives you the chance to learn from one of the best Chinese chefs in the world. Once purchased, you can practice cooking recipes like Korean BBQ short ribs, Beef Pho, Panang Beef Curry, followed by Sweet Chilli Siracha Hot Wings. His unique style of combining traditional eastern dishes with western ingredients has earned him a great reputation, and his dishes have made the headline.

There are a total of 192 pages in the cookbook that gives you the chance to read the secrets of a professional chef in the industry. You will find out about his unique selection of ingredients and methods followed by several tips and tricks that make the perfect Chinese dish. You can easily impress your family or guests by cooking them a great Chinese meal that is both healthy and flavorful.

Why do we like it?

  • The Chinese cookbook has 101 dishes that you can choose to cook for your family throughout the year.
  • You can learn the secrets of a professional chef who has a huge reputation in the industry.
  • The author makes it super easy to understand his recipes by writing the basics of Chinese cooking down in the introduction.
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5. The Food of Sichuan by Fuchsia Dunlop

The Food Of Sichuan By Fuchsia Dunlop

The Food of Sichuan by Fuchsia Dunlop has earned several accolades over the years for its great Chinese recipes. The cookbook has a total of 200 delicious recipes that you can choose, which are more than enough for your Chinese cravings throughout the year. The descriptions have been written to instill a sense of motivation where you want to pick up your tools, head to the kitchen, and fire the stove.

The Chinese cookbook can help you create dishes such as Twice-cooked Pork, Bang Bang Chicken, Gong Bao Chicken, etc. This 480 pages Chinese cookbook has all the stories, ingredients and tips, and tricks you need to start cooking Chinese food without prior experience. That’s one of the best things about Chinese food because everyone can understand how to go about cooking it without any prior practice.

The recipes are further made simply by the author by using photographs that are added for each process. You can find out where you are while preparing the dish so that it’s easy not to get lost. The author has also provided a clear, easy-to-understand description of each process that is photographed, so you keep moving forward without many hurdles.

Why do we like it?

  • The Chinese cookbook has 200 unique recipes that you can choose to make throughout the year.
  • You can modify the recipes according to your taste.
  • Each recipe has photographs of each process, which helps you not get lost.
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Chinese Cookbook Buyer’s Guide

Chinese food is easy to make but getting the flavors right can be a tricky process, which is why you must always keep your eyes out for cookbooks that explain this in detail. There are several Chinese cookbooks present in the market that do not focus on the basics of traditional Chinese cooking. However, that part is essential in making the perfect Chinese dish at home, which is why we have recommended several Chinese cookbooks that can help you out.

Nonetheless, if you still wish to venture out and look for Chinese cookbooks of your choice, be sure to find the following key characteristics in each. Each one adds value to your learning process as you move forward to becoming a great Chinese recipe chef.

Page Number

The number of pages in each Chinese cookbook determines how many recipes are mentioned in the cookbook as well as the number of instructions. If you are someone who wants to jump to the part where the recipes are given, buy a Chinese cookbook that doesn’t have a lot of literature in it. However, if you love reading and want to understand everything in detail, we recommend purchasing a Chinese cookbook that caters to that in the number of pages the author has written.

Recipes

The whole reason you are buying the Chinese cookbook is to know as many Chinese recipes as possible. There can be moments where you purchase a Chinese cookbook only to find that it does not include your favorite recipe in it. In such a case, we recommend that you read up on the Chinese cookbook before you make the purchase to see how many recipes are mentioned in it.

What’s more, is that the kind of recipes can also determine what kind of Chinese food you make. There are several versions of Chinese food available such as traditional Chinese or a combination of Thai and Chinese or Korean and Chinese, that you can experiment with. Before you make the purchase, understand what type of Chinese recipes you need and then go forward with it.

Ingredient List

The ingredient list is important because it gives you an insight into the amount of money you will have to spend for each dish, followed by which ingredients are being added. If you are allergic to a certain ingredient, you can easily spot it out and turn the page towards a different recipe. Similarly, mentioning the ingredients in bullets or paragraph form also matters because you don’t want to be lost looking for a particular ingredient or completely miss out on adding one.

Structure

The way the cookbook is structured determines the experience you will receive by reading it. If your Chinese cookbook has a structure where everything is mentioned as a story, you will have to use a highlighter or page bookmark that helps you understand where you are while reading the book. The easiest way to understand this is by knowing that the structure has made life easy and not more complex because cooking can be time restrictive, and you don’t want to burn everything.