The Ultimate Chinese & Asian Cookbook: Enticing Stir-Fries and Sensational Aromatic Dishes from the East

by Linda Doeser

This beautiful book is a must for adventurous cooks. Step-by-step photographs guide you through all 400 recipes, and suggested variations.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Reference, Nonfiction

512 pages, Hardcover

First published January 3, 1998

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't actually know if this is the ultimate Chinese cookbook, but I want to make it all, the pictures of the process AND the final product are amazing, and this book could also be used as a weapon or to hold down a small home during a tornado. It has all the appearances of an ultimate cookbook in my opinion...

[Kirsten Karlen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know if it's the ULTIMATE cookbook, but it is pretty great. Great variety of recipes and simple instructions. We eat out of this regularly.

[Cheryl]

My library's copy has a different cover and doesn't have the words "and Asian" in the title. But it does have a lot of recipes from Fiji, Singapore, Thailand, etc.

Still, it's not what I need. I need something to teach me how to benefit from the new local Asian supermarket. The one time in my life I almost wish that I had a smart phone, so I could point it at the jar on the shelf and learn what I'm looking at....

Anyway, it seems like a worthwhile book if it's at your library and you're interested.

I do like the idea of Chinese Potatoes with Chilli Beans. Basically, stir red kidney beans into cooked cubed potatoes with sesame seed, oil, soy sauce, garlic.... I'll try something like that. I'll try to remember to stir kidney beans into German potato salad the next time that I make it, too.

June 2026

[Carissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful, comprehensive book of various Chinese and other Asian recipes. There are a few translations that did not happen, but it's easy enough to know what is being referenced. Based on this month's cookbook club, the recipes are all rather delicious, too.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent, comprehensive book on Asian cooking, complete with color pictures of the steps and finished dish

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay I was rooting around through cookbooks last night and I found this one. (I bought it at a Friends of the Library book sale for $4, sometimes I get lucky. ) I started going through it and read a couple recipes that I had to bookmark. Came across a good one for spicy Beef soup which was what I was looking for. Found several others that looked good. Thing I really liked is that it gives you choices on ingredients. It also has pretty good pictures. I don't usually follow instructions step by step unless I'm baking and that is rare. However, having said that I like these pictures. I've cooked enough that I can usually get a decent feel for something by the way it smells. Right now my spicy beef soup is smelling pretty darned good. Okay here's a hint, had a couple good beef soup bones (shank) with a lot of meat on them ... Brought that up to a boil, poured it off and added fresh water and these ingredients:


1 inch fresh ginger sliced
4 star anise
1 bay leaf
2 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tea fennel seeds
Orange peel
7 Chili pods

Now if you can imagine how that might smell as it simmers, you know why I gave this book such a high rating. And, well, there were those pictures.

[Bella Doerres · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this cook book and the picture layouts. This has to be one of my favorite cookbooks.

[SouthWestZippy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic selection of recipes with easy to follow directions. Has lots of pictures to go with recipes. Also has lots of step by step.