Dr. Calvin B.T. Lee, managed his father's legendary New York Chinese restaurant, Lee's Restaurant, while earning his doctorate. Together, with his wife, an expert cook, The Gourmet Chinese Regional Cookbook, provides the recipes for 300 dishes from China's four main regions that center on Shanghai in the East, Peking in the North, Szechwan in the West, and Canton in the South.

It provides an introduction to the wide variety of cultures within China by describing and identifying the social and historical forces that have molded each region.

The authors explain why a particular region came to produce its own unique flavorings and culinary styles — from the mild dishes of Peking to the spicy dishes of Szechwan to the piquant dishes of Canton.

The recipes are organized by regions and by categories of food within these areas, enabling any recipe to be readily located. Each of the recipes have been carefully tested, with clear and definitive instructions for their preparation and cooking, along with the techniques and ingredients needed in preparing Chinese food.

New to the 2010 Edition

Electronic books have no page numbers, instead both the general index and recipe index have bi-directional hypertext links for each entry, as do the sample menus. Color maps and illustrations have replaced the original black and white maps and illustrations.

Quotes

“I have lived by only a few of its fabulous dishes — shrimp, eggplant, cabbage. Worth it for that alone. It is authentic and essential.” — Richard Stewart, Amazon book review

“It is terrific. The recipes are great and easy to follow, and the information about the regional cuisines is fantastic. It is my favorite Asian cookbook.” — SG, Amazon book review