Hunan: A Lifetime of Secrets from Mr Peng’s Chinese Kitchen

OK, Englisch sollte man können aber dann; so ein schönes und auch amäsantes Kochbuch habe ich selten gesehen. Wir kochen jetzt deutlich mehr Asiatisch. Wer es gerne scharf mag klare Empfehlung. Sollte in keiner Sammlung fehlen.

Love this book and enjoy the story very much

Having been a regular of Hunan for so many years now, I've picked the book the moment I saw it. It really makes a nice difference since Mr Peng has been cooking in London the whole time. All ingredients are readily available pretty much everywhere and the way they explain the processes is also very practical. Wouldn't make me stop going to Hunan but being able to cook some of the dishes at home will be great.

Have you been to Hunan's restaurant? If you have and have loved it as much as I did, you will want to buy this book. I got it for my boyfriend as a Valentine's present and he absolutely loves the recipes. It also looks beautiful, with a very unusual "naked" binding.

After a mouthwatering intro describing the London restaurant's no-menu policy and how what is served is decided each day based on what is available at the market, I was hoping this book would give me some insight into cooking Chinese dishes that are spontaneous and seasonally driven. However, the rest of the book is just a collection of recipes from the restaurant, many of which are rather complicated to make, with very little about what inspired the dish or how the dish can be adapted to varying ingredients. I believe this book is written more as a a homage to Mr. Peng from his son who put the book together, rather than a book to teach others about the restaurant's philosophy and techniques.