{"product_id":"vegetarian-chinese-soul-food-isbn-9781632174543","title":"Vegetarian Chinese Soul Food","description":"\u003cb\u003eLearn to make vegetarian Chinese food with 75 soulful, plant-based recipes even the most basic cooks can make at home!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eChinese Soul Food\u003c\/i\u003e drew cooks into the kitchen with the assurance they could make Chinese cuisine at home. Author Hsiao-Ching Chou’s friendly and accessible recipes work for everyone—including average home cooks. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e In this new collection, you’ll find 75 vegetarian recipes divided into 9 chapters:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e• \u003cb\u003eDumplings\u003c\/b\u003e—Chou’s specialty!\u003cbr\u003e • \u003cb\u003eDim Sum and Small Bites\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e • \u003cb\u003eSoups and Braises\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e • \u003cb\u003eSteamed Dishes\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e • \u003cb\u003eRice and Noodles such as \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e • \u003cb\u003eTofu\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e • \u003cb\u003eEggs\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e • \u003cb\u003eSalads and Pickles\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e You’ll also find helpful information on essential equipment, core Chinese pantry ingredients (with acceptable substitutions), how to season and maintain a wok, and other practical tips.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Whether you’re a vegetarian or simply reducing the amount of meat in your daily diet, these foolproof Chinese comfort food recipes can be prepared any night of the week. As the author likes to say . . . any kitchen can be a Chinese kitchen!\u003cb\u003eNamed One of Delish's 10 Best Cookbooks of 2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"[Hsiao-Ching Chou's] sole regret about her first cookbook, [\u003ci\u003eChinese Soul Food\u003c\/i\u003e], is that she didn’t include more vegetarian recipes. Her second one—\u003ci\u003eVegetarian Chinese Soul Food\u003c\/i\u003e—comes right when we could use more vegetables after overdoing the COVID-19 stay-home holidays. [Chou] concentrates on accessible assistance: mostly straightforward recipes, wok-buying advice, a guide to pantry ingredients, a vegetable tutorial and more.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Seattle Times\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"Hsiao-Ching Chou’s new cookbook is an exercise in exceptional approachability.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—Seattle Met\u003c\/i\u003e magazine\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"In this compact book Hsiao-Ching Chou, a Seattle-area cooking instructor who’s particularly popular for her dumpling classes, demonstrates the astonishing diversity and appeal of Chinese vegetarian cooking.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Kitchen Arts \u0026amp; Letters\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Above all, \u003ci\u003eVegetarian Chinese Soul Food \u003c\/i\u003eis another example of the author’s passion for sharing China’s storied cuisine. She’s committed to encouraging people to try their hands at creating exciting home-cooked meals that will leave them satisfied and perhaps a little surprised at their own abilities. Once again Chou proves that any kitchen can be a Chinese kitchen—even a vegetarian one.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—International Examiner\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"The beauty of [this] cookbook, and Chinese cooking in general, is that it’s forgiving.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eHsiao-Ching Chou is an award-winning food journalist, a cooking instructor, and communications consultant. She is a member of the James Beard Foundation cookbook committee and Les Dames d'Escoffier. Chou has been a guest on local and national shows, including Public Radio's The Splendid Table, the PBS documentary The Meaning of Food, and the Travel Channel's Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. In her spare time, she teaches popular everyday Chinese home cooking classes at the Hot Stove Society. She lives with her family in Seattle.Vegetables are essential in Chinese cooking. Whether a mound of stir-fried greens,\u003cbr\u003ea burbling clay pot of tofu and cabbage, or a side of spicy pickles, vegetable dishes\u003cbr\u003eare put together with as much thought as any meat or seafood dish. Balance of\u003cbr\u003eseasonality, flavors, textures, and sometimes curative properties guides the preparation.\u003cbr\u003eEven those who eat meat are biased toward having an abundance of vegetables.\u003cbr\u003eMany dishes include meat only as an accompaniment.\u003cbr\u003eBeing vegetarian in the Chinese culture is not perceived as a character flaw. Not\u003cbr\u003eonly is vegetarianism accepted, but the industry for producing plant-based products\u003cbr\u003eand meat substitutes has a long history. That is due in large part to Chinese\u003cbr\u003eBuddhist monks and nuns who adhere to a vegan diet that also excludes pungent\u003cbr\u003eingredients, such as alcohol, garlic, onions, leeks, and chives. Not all followers of\u003cbr\u003eBuddhism subscribe to a vegetarian diet, however. But temple vegetarian cuisine\u003cbr\u003eis well known and even revered. Culturally, meat has always been considered a\u003cbr\u003eluxury because it’s expensive. During Lunar New Year, serving a broad selection of\u003cbr\u003emeats and seafood represents wealth, abundance, and good fortune. Historically,\u003cbr\u003ethe advent of meat and seafood substitutes made from plant-based ingredients\u003cbr\u003ehas meant that those who couldn’t afford meat or those who have chosen to be\u003cbr\u003evegetarian for health or religious reasons could also share in the symbolism, especially\u003cbr\u003ewhen it comes to “lucky foods” served during the Lunar New Year reunion\u003cbr\u003efeast. Using bean curd and wheat gluten to create meat substitutes goes back to\u003cbr\u003eimperial China and has been around for over a thousand years.\u003cbr\u003eI have noticed recently at the Chinese market where I shop here in the Seattle\u003cbr\u003earea that there are more products marketed toward vegetarians. For example, the\u003cbr\u003esame hoisin sauce that I’ve always used now has a bottle label listing it as vegetarian.\u003cbr\u003eIt’s the same naturally vegetarian sauce, just a different label. My mother\u003cbr\u003eand I scrutinized the label and finally surmised that the “vegetarian” designation\u003cbr\u003epotentially has to do with the fact that “hoisin” is hai xian in Mandarin, which\u003cbr\u003emeans “seafood,” and adding the word “vegetarian” was a clear message that the\u003cbr\u003ehai xian sauce does not contain seafood. Likewise, a bottle of Chinese black vinegar\u003cbr\u003ehad a sitting Buddha figure on its label that also proclaimed that the vinegar is\u003cbr\u003evegetarian. Again, we suspect it’s a direct way to signal to vegetarians, especially\u003cbr\u003eBuddhist vegetarians, that this vinegar is not flavored with any forbidden pungent\u003cbr\u003eingredients.\u003cbr\u003eFor me, a meal is never complete without at least one vegetable dish. My produce\u003cbr\u003edrawers are always stocked with Chinese cabbage, baby bok choy, gai lan\u003cbr\u003e(Chinese broccoli), Chinese mustard greens, yu choy, and a revolving cast of other\u003cbr\u003efamiliar vegetables—carrots, celery, kale, lettuce, cucumber, broccoli, cauliflower,\u003cbr\u003epotatoes, and such—that cater to our cravings. At a moment’s notice—or in the\u003cbr\u003etime it takes to make a pot of rice—I can have a sumptuous meal on the table with\u003cbr\u003eplatters of greens, eggplant, mushrooms, and tofu. Delicate, hearty, savory, pungent,\u003cbr\u003eand crunchy all coexist in their individuality and intersections.\u003cbr\u003eThe diversity of vegetables and plant foods is dizzying. On occasion, I teach\u003cbr\u003ean Asian greens cooking class, where I display a dozen kinds of uncooked leafy\u003cbr\u003egreens paired with their respective stir-fried versions. Students then sample each\u003cbr\u003evegetable, and the deliciousness is always a revelation. I will never not delight in\u003cbr\u003ethe looks on people’s faces when they taste discovery.\u003cbr\u003eIn the Chinese language, the word for “vegetables” is cai (also spelled tsai, choy,\u003cbr\u003eor choi). It’s a broad term that covers a world of greens as a category, as well as the\u003cbr\u003especific members of this succulent family: bok choy, yu choy, gai choy, qincai, ong\u003cbr\u003echoy, and so on. Cai is also a general term for “dish”—as in “What dishes should we\u003cbr\u003eeat today?” or “What dishes should I cook today?”\u003cbr\u003eI love the preciseness and expansiveness of the term cai: It means one thing and\u003cbr\u003eeverything, so context is important for determining whether you’re referring to a\u003cbr\u003especific vegetable or a meal. If you’re not used to such conciseness in language, it\u003cbr\u003emay cause confusion. To me, there’s freedom in this ability to shapeshift, which we\u003cbr\u003ecertainly can extend to the versatility of the Chinese way with all forms of vegetables\u003cbr\u003eand plant foods.\u003cbr\u003eWhen I talk about a way with vegetables, my intention is to convey an approach\u003cbr\u003erather than rigid rules and recipes. The alchemy of a searing wok, a splash of oil, a\u003cbr\u003emess of fresh greens, and a dash of soy sauce delivers a quintessential flavor that\u003cbr\u003eroots your palate in this approach. From that point of reference, a kaleidoscope of\u003cbr\u003edazzling combinations can emerge at the twist of inspiration. A recipe with specific\u003cbr\u003eamounts isn’t as important as understanding the nature of vegetables and the\u003cbr\u003esupport characters that make them sing.\u003cbr\u003eAs I’ve become more attuned to the wisdom that comes from lived experiences,\u003cbr\u003eI have realized that my taste preferences have shed thrill-seeking for more focused\u003cbr\u003eflavors. I do enjoy adding a dollop of fire from my menagerie of chili sauces to many\u003cbr\u003edishes, but I also understand the value of restraint. I will always encourage you\u003cbr\u003eto experiment with building complexity in your cooking, and I will also always\u003cbr\u003eremind you to appreciate the elemental. Subtle flavors in food are not boring.\u003cbr\u003eThe way to cook vegetables, for me, is about exploring flavors without heroics\u003cbr\u003eat the stove. I remain firm in my belief that everyday cooking should be accessible\u003cbr\u003eand forgiving. As with this book’s predecessor, my goal is to ground you in everyday\u003cbr\u003eChinese home cooking, with hopes you will consider developing your own\u003cbr\u003eChinese kitchen.","brand":"Sasquatch Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46304170606821,"sku":"NP9781632174543","price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781632174543.jpg?v=1767743393","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/vegetarian-chinese-soul-food-isbn-9781632174543","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}