A review by laurareads87
The Vegan Chinese Kitchen: Recipes and Modern Stories from a Thousand-Year-Old Tradition: A Cookbook by Hannah Che

informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

Absolutely fantastic -- a joy to read cover to cover.  The Vegan Chinese Kitchen has absolutely everything I could want in a cookbook: a diverse array of recipes predominantly comprised of fresh produce, beautiful photos, and interesting essays and reflections between chapters.  I enjoyed reading about the histories of veganism in China, the author's experiences in culinary school, and a number of individuals who work in various capacities in food-related businesses in China.  The book is well organized and easily navigable with tables of contents at the beginning of each chapter, and it contains everything someone new to Chinese cooking would need to know to get started (including recommended cooking equipment, types of tofu, and techniques for preparing common components like seitan from scratch).  I was initially a bit nervous I'd struggle with this cookbook due to being allergic to a food that is both common in Chinese cuisine and the theme of an entire chapter of this book (mushrooms), but I will be able to make the very very vast majority of the recipes.  Highly recommend.