The Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook: an enticing and authentic guide to the culinary delights of Hunan Province

Description

Fuchsia Dunlop is the author of the much-loved and critically acclaimed Sichuan Cookery, which won the British Guild of Food Writers? Jeremy Round Award for best first book and prompted John Lanchester of the Daily Telegraph to call her 'as exciting as Elizabeth David'. Now, with The Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook, she introduces us to the delicious tastes of Hunan, Chairman Mao's home province. The southern Chinese province of Hunan is renowned for its beautiful scenery, its hearty peasant cooking, and the revolutionary spirit of its people. It is a region of bold spicy tastes where the chilli reigns supreme, but also of soothing tonic stews and delicate steamed dishes. In this selection of classic recipes interwoven with a wealth of history, legend and anecdote, Fuchsia brings to life this vibrant culinary region. Look out for late imperial dishes like numbing-and-hot chicken, Chairman Mao's favourite red-braised pork, steamed fish with brilliant red chillies, and a myriad of colourful vegetable stir-fries. With food photographs by the award-winning photographer Georgia Glynn Smith, and pictures from Fuchsia's own travels around Hunan, this book will revolutionise your understanding of Chinese regional cookery.

Fuchsia Dunlop trained as a Chinese chef at China's leading cooking school, the Sichuan Institute of Higher Cuisine in Chengdu, where she lived from 1994-6. She is also a graduate of Magdalene College Cambridge and the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. A fluent Mandarin speaker, she has been researching Chinese regional food and cookery for more than a decade. She writes for publications including Gourmet, Saveur, The Financial Times and Time Out Magazine, and appears as a guest chef and Chinese food expert on radio and television. She lives in London and is consultant to the city's first authentic Sichuan restaurant, Bar Shu.

Dunlop is a superb descriptive writer as well as careful recipe-tester, and Georgia Glynn Smith's greed-inspiring photographs give you the visual clues you need ... A great read, too, which is why it's my book of the year. -- Paul Levy * The Observer * Fuchsia Dunlop has an amazing ability to entice the reader ... She brings the ancient culture and history of the cuisine to life, and gives the cook a greater understanding of and respect for each dish they are preparing. Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook: Recipes from the Hunan Province is not only a tremendously well-researched and informative recipe book, it is also a fascinating read. * Heston Blumenthal * Evocative...takes you on a wonderful journey. Buy your chopsticks now! * Image Magazine * Her knowledge of food from the southern province of Hunan is staggering and she will give you the confidence to explore this wonderful way of eating * Delicious * not only a fascinating read about gastronomy...it is also a challenge to our perceptions of Chinese cuisine...Enticing recipes are intertwined with stories of her travels to weave a rich tapestry of people and places....Try a taste of these bold, spicy flavours once and you'll be hooked. -- Time Out