Cooking South of the Clouds: Recipes and Stories from China's Yunnan Province by Georgia Freedman

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  • Kunming-style cold noodle salad (page 32)

    from Cooking South of the Clouds: Recipes and Stories from China's Yunnan Province Cooking South of the Clouds by Georgia Freedman

    • Categories: Salads; Side dish; Chinese; Vegetarian; Vegan
    • Ingredients: rice noodles; light soy sauce; Shanxi vinegar; chile oil; carrots; cucumbers; sesame oil; cilantro; vegetable oil; mushrooms; Sichuan peppercorns
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  • Mushrooms preserved in oil (page 34)

    from Cooking South of the Clouds: Recipes and Stories from China's Yunnan Province Cooking South of the Clouds by Georgia Freedman

    • Categories: Chinese; Vegetarian; Vegan
    • Ingredients: vegetable oil; mushrooms
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  • Maitake mushrooms with dried chiles (page 35)

    from Cooking South of the Clouds: Recipes and Stories from China's Yunnan Province Cooking South of the Clouds by Georgia Freedman

    • Categories: Side dish; Fall / autumn; Summer; Chinese; Vegetarian; Vegan
    • Ingredients: maitake mushrooms; dried Thai chiles; light soy sauce
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  • Fried rice with ham, potatoes, and peas (page 37)

    from Cooking South of the Clouds: Recipes and Stories from China's Yunnan Province Cooking South of the Clouds by Georgia Freedman

    • Categories: Rice dishes; Side dish; Chinese
    • Ingredients: peas; waxy potatoes; Yunnan ham; white pepper; cooked white rice
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  • Grandma's potatoes (page 40)

    from Cooking South of the Clouds: Recipes and Stories from China's Yunnan Province Cooking South of the Clouds by Georgia Freedman

    • Categories: Side dish; Chinese; Vegetarian; Vegan
    • Ingredients: red potatoes; dried Thai chiles; garlic chives; Chinese mustard greens ; chile flakes; Sichuan peppercorns; cooked rice
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  • Pea greens soup (page 41)

    from Cooking South of the Clouds: Recipes and Stories from China's Yunnan Province Cooking South of the Clouds by Georgia Freedman

    • Categories: Soups; Main course; Chinese
    • Ingredients: bacon fat; pea greens
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  • Yunnan grilled cheese slices with ham (page 42)

    from Cooking South of the Clouds: Recipes and Stories from China's Yunnan Province Cooking South of the Clouds by Georgia Freedman

    • Categories: Chinese
    • Ingredients: Yunnan ham; ru bing cheese
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  • Vegetarian grilled cheese slices (page 42)

    from Cooking South of the Clouds: Recipes and Stories from China's Yunnan Province Cooking South of the Clouds by Georgia Freedman

    • Categories: Chinese; Vegetarian
    • Ingredients: ru bing cheese
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  • Purple sweet potato pancakes (page 44)

    from Cooking South of the Clouds: Recipes and Stories from China's Yunnan Province Cooking South of the Clouds by Georgia Freedman

    • Categories: Pancakes, waffles & crêpes; Chinese; Vegetarian
    • Ingredients: purple sweet potatoes; all-purpose flour; eggs
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  • Steam pot chicken with ginger and goji berries (page 45)

    from Cooking South of the Clouds: Recipes and Stories from China's Yunnan Province Cooking South of the Clouds by Georgia Freedman

    • Categories: Soups; Chinese
    • Ingredients: dried goji berries; fresh ginger; half chicken
    show

  • Yunnan rice cakes stir-fried with ham and chives (page 47)

    from Cooking South of the Clouds: Recipes and Stories from China's Yunnan Province Cooking South of the Clouds by Georgia Freedman

    • Categories: Stir-fries; Main course; Chinese
    • Ingredients: Yunnan ham; scallions; pork broth; garlic chives; light soy sauce; Chinese mustard greens ; chile flakes; Sichuan peppercorns; medium grain rice; cooked rice
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  • Dali-style yellow stewed chicken (page 48)

    from Cooking South of the Clouds: Recipes and Stories from China's Yunnan Province Cooking South of the Clouds by Georgia Freedman

    • Categories: Stews & one-pot meals; Main course; Chinese
    • Ingredients: whole star anise; dried Thai chiles; half chicken; light soy sauce; black cardamom seeds; garlic; ground Sichuan pepper; scallions
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  • Dali-style cucumber with vinegar and chile sauce (page 49)

    from Cooking South of the Clouds: Recipes and Stories from China's Yunnan Province Cooking South of the Clouds by Georgia Freedman

    • Categories: Side dish; Chinese; Vegetarian; Vegan
    • Ingredients: cucumbers; cilantro; Zhenjiang vinegar; chile sauce; dark soy sauce
    show

  • Red-cooked beef (page 50)

    from Cooking South of the Clouds: Recipes and Stories from China's Yunnan Province Cooking South of the Clouds by Georgia Freedman

    • Categories: Main course; Chinese
    • Ingredients: beef shanks; fresh ginger; black cardamom seeds; suet; rock sugar
    show

  • Cold beef with cilantro, chiles, and vinegar (page 51)

    from Cooking South of the Clouds: Recipes and Stories from China's Yunnan Province Cooking South of the Clouds by Georgia Freedman

    • Categories: Main course; Chinese
    • Ingredients: beef shanks; fresh ginger; black cardamom seeds; suet; rock sugar; chile flakes; sesame seeds; Zhenjiang vinegar; light soy sauce; scallions; cilantro
    show

  • Stir-fried red-cooked beef with garlic, chiles, and scallions (page 52)

    from Cooking South of the Clouds: Recipes and Stories from China's Yunnan Province Cooking South of the Clouds by Georgia Freedman

    • Categories: Stir-fries; Main course; Chinese
    • Ingredients: beef shanks; fresh ginger; black cardamom seeds; suet; rock sugar; dried Thai chiles; garlic; light soy sauce; scallions
    show

  • Sugar-coated deep-fried peanuts (page 53)

    from Cooking South of the Clouds: Recipes and Stories from China's Yunnan Province Cooking South of the Clouds by Georgia Freedman

    • Categories: Snacks; Chinese; Vegetarian; Vegan
    • Ingredients: raw peanuts; granulated sugar
    show

  • Hui beef and vegetable soup (page 54)

    from Cooking South of the Clouds: Recipes and Stories from China's Yunnan Province Cooking South of the Clouds by Georgia Freedman

    • Categories: Dips, spreads & salsas; Sauces, general; Soups; Chinese
    • Ingredients: waxy potatoes; summer squash; Romano beans; beef broth; Chinese celery greens; scallions; Thai chiles; chile flakes
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  • White beans stir-fried with pickles (page 56)

    from Cooking South of the Clouds: Recipes and Stories from China's Yunnan Province Cooking South of the Clouds by Georgia Freedman

    • Categories: Stir-fries; Side dish; Chinese; Vegetarian; Vegan
    • Ingredients: dried white kidney beans; dried Thai chiles; Chinese mustard greens ; chile flakes; Sichuan peppercorns; cooked rice
    show

  • Yi-style squash with black cardamom (page 57)

    from Cooking South of the Clouds: Recipes and Stories from China's Yunnan Province Cooking South of the Clouds by Georgia Freedman

    • Categories: Side dish; Chinese; Vegetarian; Vegan
    • Ingredients: summer squash; waxy potatoes; dried Thai chiles; black cardamom seeds
    show

  • Kunming-style barbecue (page 58)

    from Cooking South of the Clouds: Recipes and Stories from China's Yunnan Province Cooking South of the Clouds by Georgia Freedman

    show

  • Grilled eggplant stuffed with spiced pork (page 61)

    from Cooking South of the Clouds: Recipes and Stories from China's Yunnan Province Cooking South of the Clouds by Georgia Freedman

    • Categories: Grills & BBQ; Stuffing; Main course; Chinese
    • Ingredients: eggplants; dried Thai chiles; ground pork; scallions; ground chiles; Sichuan peppercorns; white pepper; black cardamom seeds; ground cumin; Chinese 13-spice powder
    • Accompaniments: Kunming-style barbecue
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  • Stuffed lotus root with shao kao spices (page 62)

    from Cooking South of the Clouds: Recipes and Stories from China's Yunnan Province Cooking South of the Clouds by Georgia Freedman

    • Categories: Stuffing; Main course; Chinese
    • Ingredients: ground chiles; Sichuan peppercorns; white pepper; black cardamom seeds; ground cumin; lotus root; sticky rice; vegetable oil; Chinese 13-spice powder
    • Accompaniments: Kunming-style barbecue
    show

  • Home-style sweet and sour pork ribs (page 63)

    from Cooking South of the Clouds: Recipes and Stories from China's Yunnan Province Cooking South of the Clouds by Georgia Freedman

    • Categories: Main course; Chinese
    • Ingredients: baby back pork ribs; scallions; fresh ginger; vegetable oil; Shanxi vinegar; light soy sauce; dark soy sauce
    show

  • Home-style stir-fried pork with garlic chives (page 65)

    from Cooking South of the Clouds: Recipes and Stories from China's Yunnan Province Cooking South of the Clouds by Georgia Freedman

    • Categories: Stir-fries; Main course; Chinese
    • Ingredients: lean pork; light soy sauce; dark soy sauce; fresh ginger; dried Thai chiles; garlic; Sichuan peppercorns; scallions; garlic chives
    show

Notes about this book

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Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Home-style stir-fried pork with garlic chives

    • TrishaCP on May 17, 2022

      This was pretty easy to make and had nice flavor. (I used boneless pork chops.) I didn’t like the whole Sichuan peppers in this though. They were too strong for my palate. (Too much numbing, not enough citrus.)

  • Stir-fried beef with pickled greens and garlic chives

    • TrishaCP on October 14, 2022

      This was a fast and tasty dinner. I also used store-bought ya cai, and rinsed it- so I didn’t think the dish was too salty. I used a combination of garlic chives and scallion greens due to insufficient garlic chives, and also added carrots. (Was going to stir fry carrots separately, but laziness won out!)

    • jenburkholder on February 11, 2022

      I made this with regular ground beef (not grass-fed). Didn't have garlic chives so used extra garlic and scallions. Store-bought Sichuanese ya cai instead of her homemade recipe. Tamari instead of light soy to be GF. Hey, it's a homestyle recipe and I bet any Yunnan cook would use what's around too! It was tasty, super-easy, and I'd repeat it. Plenty of umami flavors (soy and pickled mustard greens!) and maybe too salty, though eating with lots of white rice of course cut it. Definitely needs plenty of veg sides. I'd probably go down to 2.5T tamari next time.

  • Pork with garlic scapes and Sichuan peppercorn oil

    • TrishaCP on June 24, 2021

      This was good but I agree with metacritic about the flavors. I thought it was really interesting that the garlic scapes really seemed to mellow when cooked in the wok. This was helped along by the addition of chile crisp.

    • kitchen_chick on July 20, 2022

      We thought this was on the bland side even with the Sichuan peppercorns and oil. A simple dish. Fast to prepare. I agree some lashings of chili oil with sediment or chili crisp helps. I might try adding some ginger, too, if I make it again.

    • metacritic on June 19, 2021

      Pretty good. I don't know if the flavors quite marry, but I liked it even as I don't know if I'll make it again. A light and simple dish, made by the garlic scapes.

  • Eggplant with garlic and chiles

    • chawkins on July 22, 2022

      Very good for such a simple dish but how could it not be when everything were garden fresh. I used a green bell pepper instead of the Anaheim chile and Italian eggplant instead of the Asian ones, even the scallion and garlic were from the garden. The only pantry ingredients were the little bits of oil and soy sauce.

  • Fried squash leaves

    • kitchen_chick on July 20, 2022

      While I didn't use squash leaves the recipe calls for, the egg dip worked really well with nasturtium flowers, squash flowers, and shiso leaves.

  • Stir-fried duck with ginger

    • metacritic on January 07, 2021

      I made this with boneless duck breast, a cut I don't like at all. Accordingly, I found this dish really disappointing. The flavors of the ginger and garlic didn't come out at all. I wonder if I would have liked this with duck legs instead.

  • Chicken and chestnut soup

    • metacritic on January 07, 2021

      Thiis is wonderful. The black cardamom provides smoke, the searing of the chicken gives depth, and the chestnut adds an earthy sweetness. This was a big hit.

  • Stir-fried beef with mint

    • abengal on December 29, 2021

      We liked this, even though I only had about 1/3 of the needed mint, next time I will buy a large bunch instead of trying to use the mint out of the garden, we didn’t have enough. The recipe doesn’t make much, so perhaps consider it the “one for the table” extra dish, rather then the main meat dish.

  • Fried kidney beans with fennel

    • jenburkholder on July 21, 2020

      These were tasty, but very rich due to the deep frying. Better as part of a diverse plate than a main component.

  • Pickled mustard greens

    • jenburkholder on September 21, 2020

      Very good, add nice flavor to lots of Chinese dishes.

  • Kunming-style cold noodle salad

    • jenburkholder on March 13, 2022

      Very nice. We did the wood ear mushrooms - just a small handful, thinly sliced. Also subbed a homemade chili oil that had Sichuan peppercorns for the couple requested in the recipe. Fresh and delicious.

  • Grandma's potatoes

    • jenburkholder on July 21, 2020

      These were very tasty and quite simple, a definite repeat.

  • Vegetable momos

    • jenburkholder on February 08, 2023

      These, while lightly spiced, were delicious. Dough was easy to work with, though I had to add more water. Served with a quick tomato sauce. Oh, and - first dumpling recipe I’ve ever made where it actually makes the right amount of filling!

  • Stir-fried shiitakes with chiles and Sichuan peppercorns

    • jenburkholder on October 31, 2020

      Really good. I omitted the chili flakes, presuming it was going to be hot enough (it was). The citrusy Szechuan peppercorns with the earthy shiitakes and the rich butter... mmm, so good. Definitely recommend - and so easy, and so pantry-friendly.

  • Stir-fried chrysanthemum greens with chile

    • jenburkholder on August 14, 2020

      I thought these were good, but not everyone was sold on the intense, vaguely carroty taste of the greens. That’s an issue with us, though, not with the recipe! A perfectly nice preparation, flavorful side.

    • DayOwl on March 28, 2021

      Well-written recipe, easy to follow, with a nice balance of flavors, not too salty or spicy. I happen to love the herbal taste of chrysanthemum greens and the snap of the hollows stems.

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Reviews about this book

  • Eat Your Books by Jenny Hartin

    Walk along with Georgia Freedman and experience the beauty and cuisine of the Yunnan Province.

    Full review
  • ISBN 10 0857834983
  • ISBN 13 9780857834980
  • Linked ISBNs
  • Published Sep 25 2018
  • Format Hardcover
  • Page Count 288
  • Language English
  • Countries United Kingdom, United States
  • Publisher Kyle Books

Publishers Text

Yunnan is the other China, the one you do not hear about on the news. It has been called the China "beyond the Great Wall."

Twenty-four of the country's minority groups call Yunnan home, each retaining their own traditions. Stretching from the Himalayan plateau down to the subtropics, Yunnan encompasses extremes from alpine meadows to rainforest. It is the most diverse region in China culturally, biologically, and meteorologically.

On a culinary level, this means Yunnan is one of the most delicious places on earth. The region is famous for its mushrooms, hams, pickles, edible flowers, its use of potatoes, and its love of chiles and Sichuan peppercorns.

Yunnan's food is exciting and unfamiliar, but much of it is actually quite easy to make, using simple techniques already familiar to Western cooks. Each chapter covers a different area featuring its cardinal recipes such as Tibetan momo dumplings, Dai cucumber salad with peanuts, the famed "crossing-the-bridge" noodles of Kunming, Eastern-style fried rice with ham, potatoes, and peas, and roasted eggplant salad from near the Burmese border.

Complete with profiles of local cooks, artisans, and farmers, as well as breathtaking on-location photography, Cooking South of the Clouds takes readers on an unforgettable journey through the land of Shangri-La and introduces a new world of flavors.



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