The Shun Lee Cookbook by Michael Tong

  • Barbecued spareribs

    from The Shun Lee Cookbook: Recipes from a Chinese Restaurant Dynasty The Shun Lee Cookbook by Michael Tong

    • Categories: Appetizers / starters; Chinese
    • Ingredients: pork spareribs; tomato ketchup; red fermented bean curd; rice wine; bean sauce; five-spice powder; honey
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Notes about this book

  • nicolepellegrini on May 13, 2017

    I have incredibly fond memories of eating at Shun Lee West when I was a child, and my mother was working/living in Manhattan. Finding this cookbook has been such a delightful trip back in time, learning how to cook some of those old favorite dishes of mine—some of the food that helped me develop a taste for many different cuisines early in life. The instructions are wonderful and take away a lot of the mystery/complexity of getting Chinese restaurant dishes to come out right in a home kitchen. Is it perhaps the most authentic Chinese food out there? Maybe not, but it certainly satisfies a specific craving when it hits.

Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Chicken soong in lettuce wraps

    • nicolepellegrini on May 25, 2026

      Quite good - definitely had that Chinese restaurant lettuce wrap flavor and appeal!

  • Steamed scallops with black bean sauce

    • nicolepellegrini on November 26, 2014

      Loved it. I did use a little more black beans than the recipe called for as I wanted a strong black bean flavor. This converted even my typically scallop-hating mother that they can be delicious!

  • Hot and sour cabbage

    • nicolepellegrini on February 20, 2015

      So. Simple. So. Good. I could sit here and just eat the entire bowl of this.

  • Heavenly fish fillet

    • nicolepellegrini on December 03, 2018

      A very mild and relatively simple dish from this book. I didn't have water chestnuts on hand (and I'm not particularly fond of them anyway) so I substituted celery for a similar texture vegetable.

  • Salmon fillet with scallions

    • nicolepellegrini on February 20, 2015

      Excellent fast, simple salmon dish with a teriyaki flavor, without the super sticky-sweet full teriyaki glaze which can easily burn or seize up after cooking. I left out the white pepper (personal taste) and served over some quick fried vegetable rice.

  • Lobster Cantonese with black beans

    • nicolepellegrini on November 26, 2014

      Very good. Made it with two lobster tails instead of one whole lobster, easy and fast.

  • Kung pao shrimp

    • nicolepellegrini on May 12, 2017

      Excellent. Another dish from this cookbook that just summons memories of classic Chinese restaurant cooking, a perfect blend of sweet and spicy and sour and crispy textures. Make sure your wok and oil are super hot to get the textures just right.

  • Lake Tung Ting shrimp

    • nicolepellegrini on January 29, 2021

      I always seem to forget that the recipes in this book tend to be more labor-intensive than anticipated, but the results here were worth it! Lots of steps from preparing the shrimp to slightly poaching then frying the egg whites...and lots of pots and pans to clean at the end of the night, too. But it made for a very delicate-tasting shrimp stir fry with lots of different texture and taste elements. Definitely something unusual and surprisingly delicious.

  • Shrimp with garlic and scallions

    • nicolepellegrini on November 26, 2014

      Simple, fast, and surprisingly delicate.

  • Crabmeat with snow peas

    • anya_sf on April 21, 2019

      I substituted 1 lb bay scallops for the crab, frying it a bit longer until cooked through. I probably used 12 oz snow peas. The dish was nice and light. We added a bit of soy sauce.

  • Chengdu chicken

    • nicolepellegrini on January 01, 2015

      Incredible. If you like General Tso's Chicken then you will love this dish, but it's not nearly as heavy and greasy as most restaurant versions.

  • Kung pao chicken

    • nicolepellegrini on September 10, 2015

      Definitely has that classic, Chinese restaurant Kung pao chicken flavor, and the chicken comes out nice and juicy, not dry. I added some thick-diced green bell pepper for a little color and veggies which gave it more dimension and next time I'd add some diced red bell pepper as well.

  • Sliced chicken with broccoli

    • nicolepellegrini on March 11, 2026

      I didn't have the canned straw mushrooms so I used thin-sliced baby bellas. This is a simple and comforting dish that hits just right if you get the craving for some classic Chinese takeout "Chicken and Broccoli". Can be bland, though, so be sure to season the chicken. Cooking the vegetables in a flavorful stock is a must as described here.

  • Beef with sugar snap peas

    • nicolepellegrini on May 12, 2025

      Not my favorite recipe from this book, I think I would have enjoyed it more just simply stir-frying the beef instead of doing the cornstarch-egg coating and then deep frying it (and also the snap peas). Even with draining both thoroughly it made the final dish far too oily.

  • Hunan steak kew

    • nicolepellegrini on May 28, 2019

      Delicious. I used more asparagus than the recipe called for to make it a more satisfying meal with rice.

  • Hunan lamb with scallions

    • nicolepellegrini on November 26, 2014

      Another winner from this outstanding cookbook. Pairs nicely with a spicy seafood dish and has a very satisfying flavor.

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  • ISBN 10 0062045911
  • ISBN 13 9780062045911
  • Published Oct 19 2010
  • Format eBook
  • Page Count 272
  • Language English
  • Countries United States
  • Publisher HarperCollins
  • Imprint HarperCollins

Publishers Text

Until the 1960s, nearly all Chinese food served in the United States was Cantonese. Egg Foo Yung. Barbecued Spareribs. Egg Drop Soup. But with the opening of his Shun Lee restaurants more than forty years ago, Michael Tong and his chefs introduced the spicy regional foods of Sichuan and Hunan and the red-cooked dishes of Shanghai to New Yorkers - and eventually to all of the United States. Crispy Orange Beef. Lake Tung Ting Prawns. Crispy Sea Bass. Dry Sautéed String Beans. Hot and Sour Cabbage. Scallion Pancakes. These dishes originated at Shun Lee, and are now on nearly every Chinese restaurant menu across North America.

Now, in his first cookbook, Tong shares his most popular recipes from the Hunan, Sichuan, and Shanghai regions of China. Who says Chinese food is difficult to prepare at home With The Shun Lee Cookbook, even novices have nothing to worry about. All the recipes have been tested and modified for home kitchens. If adapting a recipe for the home - like Beijing duck - proved to be impossible, Tong omitted it. The result is a collection of easy-to-make but dazzling dishes. And perhaps the best part is that they can all be made with ingredients found in supermarkets everywhere.

Chinese favorites such as Hot and Sour Soup, Sichuan Boiled Dumplings, Dry Sautéed Green Beans, and Kung Pao Shrimp are included. There are also new dishes such as Peppery Dungeness Crab, Singapore-Style Rice Noodles with Curry, Red-Cooked Beef Short Ribs, and Hunan Lamb with Scallions.

In addition to the recipes The Shun Lee Cookbook includes tips for stocking home pantries with Chinese staples, and there are more than fifty color photographs of the finished dishes throughout.

Why order take-out when you can take home The Shun Lee Cookbook

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