Exploring China: A Culinary Adventure: 100 Recipes from Our Journey by Ken Hom and Ching-He Huang

    • Categories: Appetizers / starters; Entertaining & parties; Chinese
    • Ingredients: Chinese dried black mushrooms; minced pork; Chinese chives; egg whites; sesame oil; wonton wrappers; chilli oil; spring onions; Sichuan peppercorns; sesame paste; light soy sauce; chilli bean paste
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Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Chengdu wonton

    • Ro_ on February 13, 2021

      The sauce just didn't quite work and I ended up with something that was tasty, but not dippable - it was like a kind of stiff paste. I can't work out what the issue was here as I followed the recipe precisely. I wonder if the quantity of sesame paste was erroneous, because this made it really seize up and thicken - maybe try with less next time. The filling of the wontons was really nice though. I steamed my wontons instead of poaching, as I was not confident I had a good enough seal to stop them leaking and falling apart, which worked fine.

  • Pickled cucumber with chilli

    • Ro_ on June 16, 2020

      I made this to store in a jar and eat throughout the week. The flavours of the cucumber, even after a day in the jar, were subtler than I expected - the chilli and vinegar really didn't come through that strongly, while the garlic on the other hand did. Next time I'd potentially use a bit more chilli, a bit more vinegar and less garlic. I still really enjoyed this though, it's a handy thing to have in the fridge and use for snacks or add to meals throughout the week.

  • Ginger and soy chilli-steamed scallops

    • Ro_ on May 05, 2021

      These were nice but the chilli was a little overwhelming. I hadn't steamed scallops before but this was actually a really nice cooking method, the texture and moistness of the scallops was spot on. Overall there was nothing wrong with this recipe per se, but I think it's just not my favourite flavour combo for scallops.

  • Ching's longevity noodles with garlic, sesame oil, salt and soy sauce

    • Ro_ on December 02, 2021

      Delicious and simple noodle dish. Could be used as a side or as a base for other additions like crispy meat, stir fried veg eg.

  • Chicken noodle salad (Ji shi liang mein)

    • joneshayley on April 27, 2019

      Healthy and tasty chicken noodle salad. I found that the dressing was slightly cloying- I’d use only 30g of peanut butter next time . Easy, tasty, healthy and very quick to make.

  • Ants climbing trees

    • KarinaFrancis on November 24, 2014

      This was just ok, doubt I would make it again

  • Hunan-style shredded pork with chillies and black beans on crispy noodles

    • JLDuck on February 22, 2020

      Delicious. For the noodle base make sure that the oil is very hot so they puff up immediately. Initially my oil was too cool and a very sad noodle nest resulted.

    • Ro_ on January 10, 2023

      I didn't fancy the crispy noodles so I made this with rice. The flavours were delicious. My partner requested to have it again. I feel like the pork didn't come out quite as crispy-looking as in the photo though, even though I deep fried it for longer than stated.

  • Hainan chicken rice

    • Ro_ on December 12, 2021

      I enjoyed this in many ways: loved all the little "bits and bobs", and the rice and chicken were both tasty. But I was a bit confused whether it was supposed to be served hot or cold (since the chicken was instructed to be left to cool, but the rice was hot, the soup was supposed to be reheated, and the garnishes were cold crudités). I ended up reheating the chicken before serving. The sauces were delicious, but there wasn't enough of them, I'd double the quantities next time and maybe add another sauce - it was lacking a tangy, sweet element, something with a bit of black vinegar and/or soy sauce and/or honey would have been good. I think I will make this again, but with some tweaks.

  • Stir-fried spinach with chilli-fermented dofu

    • JLDuck on May 29, 2022

      I was tempted to leave out the chilli fermented dofu. (Try your Asian grocery if you cannot find it). Very glad that I did not. Simple and tasty.

  • Buddha's mixed stir-fried vegetables with cashews

    • Ro_ on December 23, 2021

      Very tasty, more delicious than I was expecting. I didn't have bamboo shoots, but added some broccoli. I would make this again, it definitely stands up as a good vegetarian main.

  • Aubergine with sesame sauce

    • Ro_ on September 11, 2020

      I love aubergine, but I wasn't a huge fan of this dish. The flavours are lovely, but texturally it's basically just mush and I'm not mad keen on the room-temperature aspect either. I think maybe these are just my personal quirks.

    • JLDuck on February 22, 2020

      But yet another gorgeous eggplant recipe. I used peanut butter.

  • Battered shiitake and okra with citrus five-spice salt

    • JLDuck on February 22, 2020

      This was by way of an experiment, as I am not keen on okra. In this relatively easy recipe the okra is crisp and delicious. The mushrooms provided a nice contrast in texture.

  • Ching's mala crispy Sichuan sausage with pickled chillies and wood ear mushrooms

    • KarinaFrancis on June 16, 2014

      The flavour of this dish was great, as was the simplicity. The only problem is that even though I doubled the recipe it only made enough for 2 of us and still left us a bit peckish. Ideal as part of a banqet, but not ideal for a weeknight dinner for 2, even though its very quick and easy

  • Braised beef shank in Sichuan dressing

    • Ro_ on July 28, 2021

      Relatively simple to do, and you end up with something tasty and versatile that could actually be used in several ways. It could be reheated with some of the braising liquid and served with rice, or used cold and served with a noodle salad which is what I did (using some of the braising liquid as part of the dressing). You could also use it in a stir fry, it would probably go nice and crispy. It might even be good in sandwiches. Very nice, and handy to have on hand if you like to bulk cook stuff for the week.

  • Hunan-style crispy chilli beef with dried chillies and peanuts

    • Ro_ on February 07, 2023

      I had no idea how this would turn out, but it was delicious! I decided to serve it in little lettuce cups, with all the suggested garnishes and also some radish slivers for colour. Since it is a very sweet, rich dish, this kind of crunchy salad to go with it is a must. Would repeat.

  • Stir-fried lamb with leeks

    • Ro_ on January 16, 2023

      Nice enough but not exceptional. Not my favourite flavour combination (lamb, leek, hoisin, Sichuan pepper all things I like but not so much all together) so probably wouldn't make again.

  • Yu siang shredded chicken and aubergine

    • Ro_ on January 24, 2023

      I'm a big fan of fish-fragrant aubergines, and this was very similar but with added chicken and a bit less oily and sweet. All round a great dish, especially because my partner isn't an aubergine fan, whereas I am, but with the added chicken this dish pleased us both.

  • Steamed wined chicken with dried mushrooms, bamboo shoots and goji berries

    • JLDuck on May 29, 2022

      A very easy and a very tasty recipe. Goes well with the suggested spinach side dish.

  • Bang-bang chicken

    • Ro_ on October 01, 2019

      This is one of my favourite weeknight recipes ever, I make it so often. The spicy, velvety peanut sauce with the crunchy vegetables, soft noodles and poached chicken is a winning combination. And it's quite therapeutic to make as well: just get the chicken breasts poaching while you slice up the veg, take them out and leave them to cool while you cook the noodles, leave those to cool while you stick everything in the blender for the sauce, and combine it all at the end. Easy to prepare all the components ahead and assemble at the last minute.

  • Ken's Peking duck

    • joneshayley on April 28, 2019

      A lovely recipe- makes perfect Peking duck- just as you would order in a very good Chinese restaurant! I loved it.

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  • ISBN 10 1446417980
  • ISBN 13 9781446417980
  • Published Aug 14 2012
  • Format eBook
  • Page Count 272
  • Language English
  • Countries United Kingdom
  • Publisher BBC Digital

Publishers Text

Ken Hom and Ching-He Huang have transformed the way we cook and eat Chinese food. In this exciting new cookbook and TV series, they journey through China on a culinary and cultural odyssey to find the old, the new and the unexpected.

China's emergence as one of the world's most influential cultures has ignited our interest in this enigmatic country, but Ken and Ching also have their own quests to explore. They arrive in Beijing to explore the influences of the West on traditional Imperial cuisine and talk to cutting-edge chefs about their take on Peking Duck.

They cook with local families, en route to discover the influence of Buddhism on vegetarian food and whether the Chinese did actually invent tortellini in remote Kashgar before travelling to Sichuan Province, China's gastronomic capital.

But this is more than a culinary journey, this is a homecoming for Ken and Ching, and they make their own pilgrimages to Guangdong and Fujian to discover their personal and culinary roots.

Ching admires Ken's experience and knowledge, while Ken respects Ching's modern influences. Together they bring a unique and authoritative perspective on Chinese food that will surprise and inform.



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