293536 Sat Jul 19 11:24:39 -0700 2003 2 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1606569 All - I have been using Martin Yan's Chinatown cookbook and thought I'd give it a quick review. I like it very much - it has a great concept -travelling around the world and seeing what different Chinatowns offer. Nice pictures, too. In general, the recipes are a little too time consuming to make weeknights, but there is nothing you couldn't do in a Saturday afternoon. The clams and black beans were a hit, as was the Fujian freid rice (egg fried rice topped with stir fried asparagus, shrimp and chicken -tasted more Canatonese than Fujianese to me, but I'll defer to Martin on that point). On the other hand, the oysters were a disaster, but I have to confess, that may have been more due to my shortcomings as a cook than his as a writer/chef. In short, I think it may be a little complicated for a novice, but it makes a great complement to a Chinese cookbook collection. Matt Sat Jul 19 11:24:39 -0700 2003 0 Westy 1 1606572 I just tried his recipe for Fun Chicken and quite enjoyed it! Also liked reading about different Chinatowns I've been to over the years. Have plans to do his lemon duck. Sat Jul 19 11:48:21 -0700 2003 1606569 0 Coyote 1 1606574 I have had it out of our library and made a number of dishes from it. I liked it very much and will probably purchase it soon. Another book that I had from the library and did purchase right away is The Essentials of Asian Cuisine by Corinne Trang. Marvelous! It takes a recipe, say, like spring rolls and shows the many variations from country to country, very interesting. It is a little more focused than Hot Sour Salty Sweet. I also bought Dim Sum by Ellen Leong Blonder. This week I made the Scallop Dumplings and the Chinese Sausage Rice Flour Rolls. The rice rolls are essentially a steamed crepe. They were a litlte tricky but once the light went on I was successful with them. Both were quite tasty. Sat Jul 19 12:19:45 -0700 2003 1606569 0 Candy