Chinese food is more than rice, three delights: four recipe books to celebrate the Chinese New Year

There is a Chinese street kitchen, another hotel kitchen and a very large kitchen from high-

end

restaurants .

In Spain, we barely know their extensive recipe book and on more than one occasion our nose wrinkles when thinking about certain dishes made, for example, with chicken feet, fish fins or insect larvae.

However, if we had to point out one of the great, varied and delicious cuisines of the world, it would, without a doubt, be Chinese.

“Food, for someone of Chinese descent, is both a source of happiness and a tool they use to build relationships and trust with others.

True and deep friendships always begin at a large table full of food to share,” writes Jeremy Pang in the book

Hong Kong Diner

, a culinary journey through the bites that can be tasted in the different restaurants, street stalls and markets of the island. from Hong Kong:

dumplings

street food stuffed with fish, vegetables or meat;

to the

pork rib

baos or the traditional lacquered duck in haute cuisine restaurants, usually located on the rooftops of hotels or buildings.

The book has colorful and beautiful photographs that reflect life always linked to the act of eating.

Without a doubt, it could be a good travel guide or an excellent recipe book or a complete manual that illustrates how to eat and drink in the country.

More information

Newbie's Pantry: 12 Basic Ingredients for Making Chinese Food

Pork, chicken and rice are three fundamental ingredients in Chinese cuisine.

The use of the

wok

and the steam cooking technique, some of the ways to cook them.

In the book

The complete Asian Cookbook

.

China

.

Edited by Hardie Grant Books and written by Charmaine Solomon, we will find a varied and traditional recipe book that will tempt us to get into the kitchen to try to reproduce Chinese dishes with some fidelity.

The book is in English and although it is austere, with hardly any photographs, in general, it is a book faithful to the country's traditions.

Here you can find the famous recipe for lemon chicken or how to make authentic

noodles

at home and accompany them with marinated fish, for example.

Marbled eggs, one of the preparations included in 'Chinese Home Cooking'.

70 representative recipes of Hong Kong gastronomy, by Suzie Lee (Editorial Cinco Tintas).Lizzie Mayson

“Ginger, garlic and chives are the three basic aromas of Chinese cuisine,” says Suzie Lee in the book

Chinese Homemade Cooking

(Editorial Cinco Tintas) to which she adds: “in Chinese culture, food and family are closely linked ( ...) Good food provides harmony and intimacy with friends, family and strangers.

“It is a principle of life.”

The author is a chef and presenter, winner of the 2020

Best Home Cook

award from the BBC.

That is her motto “to convey the truth of ancient home-made cuisine.”

This is how “this recipe book is designed for the home cook, so that he can use the ingredients he finds in the store or in his usual supermarket.”

It is very well edited and the recipe book is perhaps the best option for those who want to introduce themselves little by little to this cuisine.

It teaches how to make the most classic doughs such as bao

bread

,

baozi

or

Chinese

crepes ;

shows how to make authentic crispy pork belly;

and suggests dishes such as mapo

tofu

with eggplant (a typical dish from the Sichuan area, “very spicy, so much so that it makes the tongue go numb”) or steamed Cantonese salmon with beans, ginger and chives, among others.

Cover of 'Bubble Tea' (pearl tea), by Sandra Mahut (recipes and photographs) and Valentine Ferrandi (illustrations), edited by Blume.

To close the menu, the drink is missing.

And what's better than learning how to prepare one of the most surprising drinks?

Bubble

Tea

or pearl tea.

If you go to any Chinese neighborhood in the world you will find dozens of places where you can enjoy this curious drink where tea (green, black or white) is mixed with a vegetable drink or cow's milk, sugar or fruit syrup, and added either ice cubes and, the magic touch!, tapioca or fruit pearls.

The book Bubble Tea

has just been published

,

edited by Blume and

written and photographed by Sandra Mahut.

24 ideas to be the most original in your

Bubble Tea

creation and the secret to making the famous tapioca balls “These pearls, called 'bobas', come from the bitter cassava root.

They don't have much flavor, but their white and soft texture is very appreciated," writes the author, adding that to drink this drink you need "an XXL-sized straw and a large transparent glass (to be able to appreciate the beauty of this drink)."

Happy year of the Dragon.

Sara Cucala is a writer,

filmmaker

and journalist specialized in gastronomy.

The creator of one of the first gastronomy and travel blogs, she has written numerous books, coordinated the culinary content of TVE's afternoon magazine and directed several films and documentaries.

She is founder and co-owner of the food bookstore and cooking school A Punto.

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