Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Coyote Cafe or Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen

Coyote Cafe

Author: Mark Miller

When Mark Miller opened the doors of Santa Fe's Coyote Cafe in 1987, the face of American cuisine changed forever. Blending centuries-old culinary traditions with modern techniques, Miller pioneered the emerging Southwestern cuisine, earning praise and thrilling diners at the Coyote with his robust, inspired cooking. Nearly fifteen years later, with Southwestern influences entrenched in kitchens across the country, Coyote Cafe continues to impress diners and home chefs alike with its unique approach to Southwestern cooking. Featuring over 150 recipes, Coyote Cafe presents the bold, sumptuous creations from Miller's restaurant that have become classics of the Southwestern repertoire. Mexican, Hispanic, and Native American influences inflect such imaginative dishes as Wild Morel Tamales, Lobster Enchiladas, and Yucatan Lamb. Also included is detailed information on choosing and preparing over thirty-five fresh and dried varieties of chiles, as well as an in-depth glossary of ingredients. When you try the vibrant cuisine of Mark Miller's Coyote Cafe, you're experiencing one of America's most dynamic regional cuisines. If you can't be in Santa Fe every day for dinner, cooking from Mark Miller's book is the next best thing.



Book review: The Real Wealth of Nations or George Washingtons Leadership Lessons

Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen: Classic Family Recipes for Celebration and Healing

Author: Grace Young

The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen, with its 150 recipes culled from a lifetime of family meals and culinary instruction, is much more than a cookbook. It is a daughter's tribute -- a collection of personal memories of the philosophy and superstitions behind culinary traditions that have been passed down through her Cantonese family, in which each ingredient has its own singular importance, the preparation of a meal is part of the joy of life, and the proper creation of a dish can have a favorable influence on health and good fortune. Each chapter begins with its own engaging story, offering insight into the Chinese beliefs that surround life-enhancing and spiritually calming meals. In addition, personal family photographs illustrate these stories and capture the spirit of China before the Revolution, when Young's family lived in Canton, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.

The first part, "Mastering the Fundamentals," provides instruction on the arts of steaming and stir-frying; the preparation of rice, panfried, and braised dishes; the proper selection of produce; and the fine arts of chopping and slicing. Part Two, "The Art of Celebration," concentrates on the more elaborate, complex, and meaningful dishes -- such as Shark's Fin Soup and West Lake Duck -- that are usually made with rare ingredients, and sweets such as Water Chestnut Cake and Sesame Balls. The final part, "Achieving Yin-Yang Harmony," explores the many Chinese beliefs about the healing properties of ginseng, gingko nuts, soybeans, dong quai, and the many vegetable and fruit soup preparations that balance and nourish the body. The stories and recipes combine to demonstrate the range of Cantonese cooking, fromrich flavors and honored combinations to an overall appreciation of health, well-being, and prosperity.

In addition to the recipes, Young provides a complete glossary of dried herbs, spices, and fresh produce, accompanied by identifying photos and tips on where to purchase them. Unique traditional dishes, such as Savory Rice Tamales and Shrimp Dumplings, are also illustrated step by step, making the book easy to use. The central full-color photo section captures details of New Year's dishes and the Chinese home decorated in celebration, reminding one that these time-honored traditions live on, and the meals and their creation are connections to the past.

Library Journal

Although Young, a food writer, grew up in a traditional Chinese American home in San Francisco, until quite recently, she says, she took her culinary heritage for granted. She realized she knew more about other cuisines than the Cantonese cooking of her own background, and so she decided to set down her family's recipes. In the process, she learned much more about her parents, her ancestors, and her extended family than she'd expected, and the result is this lovely, very personal book. The first part includes recipes for the everyday dishes prepared for the family by both her mother and father, introduced by reminiscences such as "Going to Market with Mama" or mini-essays on topics like "The Meaning of Rice." The next section focuses on celebration, specifically the traditions and dishes of the Chinese New Year. The final part is devoted to "Cooking as a Healing Art," with recipes for tonics and soups. (This is the shortest section; Nina Simond's recent A Spoonful of Ginger, LJ 4/15/99, has more on Chinese holistic healing.) Some of Young's recipes are elaborate or require unsual ingredients, but she was interested in the authentic versions, not Americanized Cantonese food, and her instructions are clear and thorough. Well written and absorbing, Young's cookbook/memoir is highly recommended. Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.



Table of Contents:
Introductionxii
Notes to the Readerxvi
Remember China, Nan Chungxix
Mastering the Fundamentals
The Meaning of Rice3
Steamed Rice7
Flavored Sweet Rice8
Fried Rice9
Tender Chicken on Rice10
Tender Beef on Rice12
Chicken Porridge13
Stir-Fried Frog on Rice14
Savory Rice Dumplings16
Peanut Rice Dumplings18
The Breath of a Wok20
Chicken with Cashews24
Tomato Beef25
Stir-Fried Chicken with Baby Corn and Straw Mushrooms26
Stir-Fried Eggs with Barbecued Pork27
Baba's Stir-Fried Butterfly Fish and Bean Sprouts28
Stir-Fried Asparagus with Shrimp29
Stir-Fried Squid30
Beef Chow Fun31
Singapore Rice Noodles32
The Art of Steaming33
Steamed Oyster and Water Chestnut Pork Cake37
Steamed Pork Cake with Salted Duck Egg38
Steamed Egg Custard39
Steamed Tangerine Beef40
Steamed Spareribs with Black Bean Sauce41
Steamed Spareribs with Plum Sauce42
Steamed Sole with Black Bean Sauce43
Steamed Chicken with Lily Buds, Cloud Ears, and Mushrooms44
Steamed Rock Cod45
Steamed Sponge Cake46
Shreds of Ginger Like Blades of Grass47
Fried White Fish51
Drunken Chicken52
Braised Beef54
Braised Sweet and Sour Spareribs55
Nom Yu Spareribs56
Lemongrass Pork Chops57
Rock Sugar Ginger Chicken58
Lemon Chicken59
Seafood Sandpot60
Sandpot Braised Lamb62
Chestnuts and Mushrooms Braised with Chicken64
Chicken and Corn Soup65
Seafood Noodle Soup66
Clear Soup Noodles67
Fuzzy Melon Soup68
Cabbage Noodle Soup69
Family-Style Winter Melon Soup70
Hot-and-Sour Soup71
Sweetened Tofu Soup72
Going to Market with Mama73
Shrimp with Spinach and Tofu77
Braised Mushrooms78
Braised Cabbage and Mushrooms79
Sprouting Soybeans80
Grandfather's Stir-Fried Soybean Sprouts82
Stir-Fried Bean Sprouts and Yellow Chives83
Lotus Root Stir-Fry84
Stir-Fried Egg and Chinese Chives85
Stir-Fried Five Spice Tofu and Vegetables86
Stir-Fried Chinese Broccoli87
Stir-Fried Chinese Broccoli and Bacon88
Braised Taro and Chinese Bacon89
Stir-Fried Long Beans with Red Bell Peppers90
Long Bean Stir-Fry91
Stir-Fried Amaranth92
Stir-Fried Water Spinach93
Stir-Fried Cloud Ears and Luffa94
Eggplant in Garlic Sauce95
Stir-Fried Bitter Melon and Beef96
Vegetable Lo Mein97
Stuffed Fuzzy Melon98
Braised Fuzzy Melon with Scallops99
Cooking as a Meditation100
The Art of Celebration
The Good Omen of a Fighting Fish103
Poached Steelhead Fish108
Stir-Fried Bok Choy109
White-Cut Chicken110
Stir-Fried Clams in Black Bean Sauce111
Stir-Fried Snow Pea Shoots112
Glazed Roast Squab113
Shark's Fin Soup114
Oyster-Vegetable Lettuce Wraps116
Stir-Fried Garlic Lettuce117
Pepper and Salt Shrimp118
Sweet and Sour Pork119
Eight Precious Sweet Rice120
Stir-Fried Scallops with Snow Peas and Peppers122
New Year's Foods and Traditions123
Buddha's Delight126
Turnip Cake128
Taro Root Cake130
New Year's Cake132
Water Chestnut Cake134
Nom Yu Peanuts136
Candied Walnuts137
Sesame Balls138
Sweetened Red Bean Paste139
A Day Lived as if in China140
Fancy Winter Melon Soup143
West Lake Duck146
Braised Nom Yu and Taro Duck148
Stuffed Chicken Wings150
Savory Rice Tamales152
Sweet Rice Tamales154
Pork Dumplings156
Won Ton158
Pot Stickers160
Shrimp Dumplings162
Stuffed Noodle Rolls164
Spring Rolls166
Scallion Cakes168
Dutiful Daughter Returns Home170
Salt-Roasted Chicken173
Soy Sauce Chicken174
Chinese Barbecued Pork176
Barbecued Spareribs178
Roast Duck180
Chinese Bacon182
Uncle Tommy's Roast Turkey184
Mama's Rice Stuffing186
Turkey Porridge188
Achieving Yin-Yang Harmony
Cooking as a Healing Art191
Walnut Soup196
Green Mung Bean Soup197
Foxnut Soup198
Sesame Tong Shui199
Lotus Seed "Tea"200
Sweetened Red Bean Soup201
Peanut Soup202
Almond Soup203
Dried Sweet Potato Soup204
Sweet Potato and Lotus Seed Soup205
Dragon Eye and Lotus Seed "Tea"206
Double-Steamed Papaya and Snow Fungus Soup207
Double-Steamed Asian Pears208
Homemade Soy Milk209
Savory Soy Milk210
Fresh Fig and Honey Date Soup211
Soybean and Sparerib Soup212
Dried Fig Apple, and Almond Soup213
Ching Bo Leung Soup214
Green Turnip Soup215
Four Flavors Soup216
Chayote Carrot Soup217
Watercress Soup218
Yen Yen's Winter Melon Soup219
Herbal Winter Melon Soup220
Mustard Green Soup221
Gingko Nut Porridge222
Snow Fungus Soup224
American Ginseng Chicken Soup225
Baba's Mama's Dong Quai and Restorative Foods226
Dong Quai Soup230
Lotus Root Soup231
Korean Ginseng Soup232
Homemade Chicken Broth234
Double-Steamed Black Chicken Soup235
Chicken Wine Soup236
Pickled Pig's Feet238
Beef and White Turnip Soup240
Shopping like a Sleuth241
Glossary246
Index269

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