{Book Review & Giveaway} GARLIC-PEPPER CHICKEN with CASHEW RED CHILI RICE … The Mainland China Cookbook & a giveaway
On the downside, I wish the ingredient index had been a little more inclusive of ‘general‘ items. For e.g., I still wonder which noodles I should be using, as I am that much of a novice here! Also, maybe the ingredients listed per recipe could have been in weight as well as cup/tsp measures as most Indian kitchens lack a weighing scale. Having recently acquired one I can endlessly extol the virtues of owning one, but realistically I can see many puzzled faces trying to figure out 5gms of this and 10 of that! That said, having no patience to use the scale that very rainy day, I used my great Indian ‘andaaz‘, or eyeballed most listed ingredients and the end result was absolute joy!
There is plenty of choice within the 200 odd pages and it took me ages to decide which one I wanted to try first. Eventually zeroed in on the Garlic-Pepper Chicken because it rained all morning and it was too flooded to go to the market. I had all the ingredients at home, well sort of, so it was time to wok!! I ‘wokked‘ off on shaky grounds, very under-confident, but as time progressed it was a lot of fun! The book might seem daunting for beginners, yet we’ve all got to make a beginning someday, somewhere. I did, and am already looking forward to the next stir-fry.
As the author Anjan Chatterjee writes … all Chinese food follows the principles of yin and yang i.e of balance. Very few Chinese dishes consist of only a single ingredient, as it offers no contrast, and so lacks harmony. So, with a few exceptions, all Chinese dishes consist of a main ingredient {chicken, fish, tofu, Chinese greens, asparagus, aubergine}, with one or several supplementary ingredients like capsicum, mushrooms, carrots etc. in order to give the dish the desired harmonious balance of colour, aroma, flavour and texture.
This is my inherent food philosophy for everything I make. What is a foodie existence without a harmonious balance of colour, aroma, flavour and texture? Nothing!! The Garlic-Pepper Chicken was a celebration of colour and taste. Of course I was iffy about marinating chicken strips in egg, but I psyched myself completely to get over my eggphobia as chicken and egg come from each other! That done and the peppers chopped, the rest was a virtual breeze. I lined up all my ingredients in tiny bowls and enjoyed an afternoon of rainy day stir frying! I served the chicken over some Cashew and Chili Fried Rice. Both fabulous!! {I now have this long list of ingredients for Mr PAB to lug back from his next trip to HKG!!}
I could go on forever, but I need to stop. I enjoyed the book so much, that the good lady at Random House was happy to have me include a BOOK GIVEAWAY for my readers in India.I have1 copy2 copies to giveaway, and the only rule is that you must live in India or have an Indian mailing address.If you love good authentic Chinese food, and would like to experiment with Mainland China’s signature dishes, then leave a comment on this post to be considered for the giveaway by the 28th of August, ’10. Do make sure you include a contact. Thank you.
Garlic-Pepper ChickenFrom ‘The Mainland China Cookbook‘ by Anjan ChatterjeeThis dish typifies the style of cooking that has made Hunan food a strong contender for the best in China.~
200gms chicken leg, boneless, scores and cut into 1″ bite size piecesFor the chicken Marinade:1 egg, lightly beaten2 tsp light soy sauce1/2 tsp corn flour2 tsp groundnut oil~1 green bell pepper {capsicum}, diced into 1 ” pieces1/2 tsp chopped fresh red chili {I used roasted red chili flakes}2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced {I used 4}6 black peppercorns, crushed10gm red capsicum, diced into 1″ pieces {I used 1/4 each red,yellow & orange}For the seasoning:1 tsp dark soy sauce1 tsp light soy sauce1/2 tsp sugar1 tsp white vinegar1 tsp Shaoxiang wine, or white or rice wine {I used red wine vinegar}1 tsp cornstarch mixed in 1 tbsp water, for thickening1/2 tsp sesame oil1/2 tsp chili oilGroundnut oil for sautéingMethod:Mix the chicken with all of the marinade ingredients and set aside for 20 minutesMeanwhile, assemble th rest of the ingredients.Heat 30ml oil in a wok till moderately hot.Stir fry the chicken until golden-brown for 2-3 minutes. {Mine took a lot longer}. Remove with a perforated spoon, and drain on paper towels.Add another 30ml of groundnut oil to the wok. Heat and swirl the wok to coat the surface right around.Add the garlic and sauté till it turns brown, and then the chillies. Cook for 30 seconds.Return chicken back to the pan, and add the crushed black pepper and chopped bell pepper. Sauté well and add the seasoning ingredients, finishing with sesame oil and chili oil. Toss well for 10 seconds. Serve hot!Cashew and Chili Fried Rice500gm long grain rice, cooked2 tbsp groundnut oil50gms cashews, dry roasted2 tsp fresh grated ginger {I skipped this}1 clove garlic, roughly chopped {I used 3}2 spring onions, roughly chopped {I used a medium white onion}1 tsp chili flakes1 tbsp light soy sauce1 tsp salt {I skipped this as my cooked rice had salt}1/2 tsp white pepperMethod:Heat a wok over high flame, add the oil, swirling around to coat.Add the cashews, ginger, garlic, spring onions and chillies to the wok. Stir fry for 1 minute.Add the cooked rice and stir fry for 5 minutes. Add seasoning.Add the soy sauce, pouring it down the side of the wok. Stir fry for 1 minute and toss well.Remove from heat and serve.{Junior PAB, who thoroughly enjoyed the meal, grabbed the book soon after! His explanation, “That was really good Mama. Now I’m going to choose what you make next!“}♥ Thank you for stopping by ♥
78 Comments
Rosa's Yummy Yums
A beautiful dish! A great sounding book.
Cheers,
Rosa
Andy
Hi Deeba,
Came in now to look for one of your recipes for dinner tonite and saw this event.
We celeberated my hubby's bday at Mainland China last week. Just love their food….would love to have a chance to cook the same kind of food at home..hope I will win a copy!
Andy
Shirley @ Kokken69
Deeba, I can relate to the many points you have brought up in this post. I have started to travel to India very regularly and I always frown upon the Chinese food served there. What seems to be popular there,it seems are the so called 'international cuisine' restaurants where they will invariably feature a selection of Chinese dishes among the Indian dishes… I too, can understand what you mean by having a food author who is living in the same region to lend a local nuance to the recipes – making it more accessible to readers. I smiled when I saw you place the rice in the springform pan…how clever!
Sheetal
Hi Deeba,
We visit Mainland China almost every other week. The manager too knows us now :). Chinese == Mainland China for us. Would love to get this book from you.
Divya Kudua
Wow..you have done complete justice to the cookbook by writing such a great review and presenting us with even better pics!!I would like to own this book for the same reason..to learn Chinese cooking the authentic way!
P.S-Hope I win this one..hehe!!
Happy Cook
I still have to sayi do loveour indo-chinese dishes we get back home like the super spicy chillie chicken 🙂 when my sis came ehre she thought the chinese places here were bland compared to the indian once, but have to say the best chinese food i have ever ate is in the china town in London, it was so good that we went twice .
Book sounds really good, i am bookmarking for buyingthem in my trip to india next time.
Best Hamburger Recipe
yummy!! what a delicious recipe! 🙂
Debipriya Bhowmick
ohh man!! i just posted some thing and it doesn appear in the comment list! 🙁 WELL i am getting right down to biz 😛 i need the book! 🙂
hi deeba, am debi from bangalore and have been writing to you did mentor me with french fougase.. (does this qulaify to get a book, NO?? ok let me try another point) this is a fact, i have grown cooking chinese the chinese way and my love for cookign started with chilly chicken.. 🙂 does this qualify?!? 🙂
kidding! in case i dont win it can you tell if i coud get this book off the shelf from any of the stores?
Debipriya.bhowmick@gmail.com
jayashree
I'd love to lay my hands on this book to further my skills in CHINESE CUISINE !
Crossing my fingers & hoping it's meee…:))
Prathibha
I want to test my luck to own that book….Ofcourse Chinese in Main land is the best and would definitely to know the secrets of the authentic chinese food..Nice picture and nice review abt the book..
Deepa
Hi Deeba,
Love the way you have used the springform pan to create the visual appeal for the rice.
Mainland China does have some great vegetarian options in their menu – their okra and aubergine dishes are unique and very tasy. Wonder if the same can be made at home.
Deepa
Avanika [YumsiliciousBakes]
Mainland China is my favourite place to go for Chinese food. Love it 🙂 Looking forward to more Chinese posts 😉
Hanaâ
I hope you're doing well :o) Thanks for stopping by my blog. I would love it if you used your Droste pastilles the same way I did. I didn't know they also had orange. Must not have been carried by the store I bought mine at. Looking foward to seeing what kind of baked creation you come up with :o)
That Chinese dish you made looks wonderful and comfort food-ish. I love how you served the serve in a mini springform pan :o)
Caroline Rowe
Deeba! I'd love to read, and see if it's really real, and bring to life some of my favourite Chinese dishes!
Meanwhile you must come by and I shall cool some of the few I can remember!
Best,
Caroline – caroline2@gmail.com
punam
Hi Deeba, read your post on chinese cooking and about the new chinese cook book written by an indinan and that too a restauranter.I have eaten chinese in a number of differnt countries but nothing beats the chinese food we get here. Would love to have the book to try out new receipes.
pigpigscorner
Well done Deeba!
bunkycooks
The book sounds like a great tool for cooking Chinese food at home. I do Thai cooking, but not Chinese very often.
You have lots going on! Hope all is going well.
Aqua Blue
Great post Deeba! The ying and the yang are so perfectly balanced… Makes me very inquisitive about the book.
Rachel
I read about the book in the papers.. and have been wanting to get hold of it since then… I keep going back to Mainland China in Chennai for their crackling spinach.. just can't seem to get enough of it 🙂
lisaiscooking
It is great to have a book that comes from your local perspective. I do a fair amount of substituting too! Your garlic-pepper chicken looks amazing. The colors of the peppers are lovely!
browniegirl
Gosh, Im all goggle eyed just reading about it and looking at your stunning stunning pictures. What a beautiful post! Well done Deeba. Oh I wish I had an Indian mailing address so I could win that beautiful book, but alas, I live about as far away as anyone could hehe. Hugs and big love to you xx
bellini valli
I am so happy to hear about these events in India.It always seems from my perspective here in Canada that everything is geared towards the States. It sounds like a great book Deeba!!
Madhuri
Checking in very often to see the amazing food photographs and ur skills of presentation. Awesome job Deeba!
Nive
Wonderful presentation and the cookbook looks very interesting…count me in!!!
ramvinayak_81@rediffmail.com
An Open Book
im such a sucker for chinese and have started enjoying authentic chinese…
the recipe looks like a keeper and im def giving it a go…
Natashya KitchenPuppies
Beautiful! I love a homemade Chinese feast almost as much as I love a homemade Indian feast! ☺
Another book for the wishlist. Thanks!
Anusha
Hi Deeba, I love chinese and this sure looks awesome, even though I am a veggie 🙂 Are there good recipes for vegetarians in this cookbook, or will we have to substitute meat with tofu,soya,mushroom et all ? 🙂
meeso
Hey, It's not a dessert! It looks really delicious!
anjani
hello deeba 🙂
I'm Anjani,i've just started cooking a month back! and i've already bought a convection oven,a mini tandoor, an electronic weigh scale, a electric egg beater.. and baking pans of different shapes and sizes! for breads and cakes.. i just love your blog. my mom keeps asking whooo is inspiring you to cook that u keep cooking all the time!you never used to enter the kitchen even to make a cup of tea! i say "deeba".. she'll be like.. "who??".. "deeba.. she stays in gurgoan and cooks a lot of good looking food :D!" i forgot..i also got a camera!!! i'm totally inspired by your blog and the variety that your blog offers!i've have been shopping for ingredients all the time! and i have 4 shelves in the kitchen for myself now.. havent thought of buying any cook books.. coz i've been referring to ur recipes, i've tried your malai chicken tikka, mushroom bruschetta,swirl cake,cappucino muffins,paneer tikka,zebra cake, and i also tried a rainbow cake on the same lines with 3 colors ;)looked deadly!
how do you manage to stay fit when you cook such tasty food allll the time!?? 😉
i think i need to buy a tread mill next! 😀
My mom would want to say a big thank you if she could meet you 🙂
did i forget to mention about the mainland china book?? 😀
i also tried your macaroons!
Love
Anjani
Cina John Diby
Lovely yummy recipe especially the cashew rice. Awesome with a capital "A". 🙂
Love to have the book.Am sure it will have a lot more to experiment with.
Cina Diby
cina.dc@gmail.com
vinodh
There is always this craving for chinese food that comes from nowhere. Indian Chinese cuisine is an epiphany in itself. I am sure Martin Yan doesnt know about our Chicken Manchurian. But I am proud I love our take on chinese food. Its delicious and its true "comfort food" anyday. Its nice to have a book written locally. I am sure it will please all palates.
callvinodh@yahoo.com
Kamalika
Hi Deeba …LOved the review…Main land china is one my and my families favourite restaurants….Twice in a month we have to visit that place to enrich our taste buds….I loved their buffet more that the à la carte….as in buffet you will have the multiple tastes of delectable authentic chinese spread direct from the wok…
would surely love to try a luck to win the book….
My contact: kamalikac1@yahoo.com
Amanda
Looks and sounds so delicious Deeba! Love how you shaped the rice! 🙂
Nags
rice in a springform pan! only you could do something this crazy Deebs! The book sounds gorgeous 🙂
Gera @ Sweets Foods Blog
Wonderful chicken with garlic and pepper – impossible to not taste superb 🙂
Also great giveaway for your readers in India – good luck for them!
Have a great weekend.
Gera
Madhuli
oh..just ordered mine on thursday!:)the photos are awesome…
Biker BT
Yummy dishes !
Jane Ko
You have amazing pictures. This sounds so delicious.
I would like to invite you to participate in my $40 gift certificate giveaway
lakshmi
oohh lovely dish…chinese dish in indianised style is simply yum..wud love to win this giveaway..my email add lrkudva@gmail.com..
Anna Johnston
There is something just a little bit scary I agree in cooking Chinese recipes, you wonder if you'll ever really do it justice when cooking in a home kitchen. I really do like the sound of this cookbook, love the Garlic-Pepper Chicken recipe too.
s
The book sounds great although I havent been to mainland china..we LOVE chinese food as well as indo chinese. Ooooh I do hope i win the book!
Anh
the book sounds great and this dish looks yummy
Natasha
Hi Deeba,
Lovely dish, beautiful presentation, as always! Chinese food has to be about the light,fresh taste, the vibrant colors of the ingredients used, have to get the crunch of the veggies, the tender meat and the fine balance of the flavors. Happy to know this book is about authenticity of the food.
Will have to get the book!
Cheers
Natasha
Bhavana
I loooove chinese food and hope I win the giveaway..my email ID is bhavana.hanchinamane@gmail.com
eve's lungs
Hi love your presentations and your photography .Mainland China is an all time favourite with my family basically because the food they serve is so light and delicious . The book will be an added asset to people in demystifying what goes behind the dishes !
Pavithra
Wow beautiful dish with beautiful pictures as always Deeba… Nice to know about this book. I love chinese cuisine.. Awesome pictures again.
Wafah
fantastic pictures as always, and wat a clever idea to put rice in a springform pan, ha!
and oh how i wish to win that book!
wafahbeg at gmail dot com
Anonymous
hello,
I would looove to get my hands on that book and I am so happy there is a chance I actually win it as I have an address in India at the moment 🙂
Your faithful admirer,
Martina (Croatia)
martina dot hadrovic at gmail dot com
The Pipal
let me try my luck as well 🙂
Sayantani
Mainland china and Oh Calcutta are our favourite food joint for its wuthentic recipes and unique flavours. love the dim sums at Mainland china and that is the main reason I am here to try my luck in winning this book.
your dish is equally tempting…and at least I have one authentic recipe reproduced at your blog to try…if I dont win the book 🙂
love the way you creatively used the spring form cake pan. very unique.
my contact
ahomemakersdiary@yahoo.in
Maya
Lovely looking dish. Must try it.
bindiya
Oh Deeba I just lurveeeeeeee Chinese food, would be in heaven if I got that book!,Chicken looks awesome and so do all the pics, u have captured Delhi's rainy weather quite well 🙂
anjani
oooops! i forgot to mention! i also tried your walnut brownies and robert's best brownies! checked up my handwritten recipe book after i mailed you the post!
The same Anjani Again!
and its anjani.r@gmail.com 🙂
Happy cooking!
Pavithra
Love your site. The chinese food looks amazing. Always shied away from cooking chienese, but this is inspiring me to try !! Thanks 🙂
Satya
wow its a beautiful recipe with awesome clicks …love chines food …all time favorite
Satya
http://www.superyummyrecipes.com
d
i love authentic chinese food,
i live in india and have an indian address,
i love mainland china (and when we took a chinese colleague there for lunch once she said it was the most authentic chinese she had eaten in india)
i LOVE your blog
i love being at the receiving end of giveaways
🙂
d
div5213320@yahoo.com
Cracked
Hi,
I simply LOVE Chinese food. I have been to different places in South East and tried authentic Chinese. Obviously, I frequent various places which specialize in Chinese food in Delhi. Some places to name are Yum Yum Tree, Mainland China and the likes.
I would love to have 'The Mainland China Cookbook' by Anjan Chatterjee', and this would be prized possession, as I want to cook Chinese 'By the Book'.
Thanks.
Anukul
anukuls at gmail dot com
Barbara Bakes
I always learn so much from your posts. Love how you shaped the rice. The meal looks delightful as usual.
Ria Mathew
Ah! I am bowled over! I am a sucker for Chinese food, especially the Indo-Chinese version 😉
Mainland China was one of my firm fave for appetizers! I remember having one of their chicken wing/drumstick saucy fry sorta thing…it was just so good!
I really wish I'd win this book!
Pick me, D! I have never ever won a giveaway before 😀
Swagata
Hi Deeba,
Have been a regular visitor to your blog, but never got a chance to leave a comment. Who doesn't love chinese food?? Garlic pepper chicken looks yum! And pictures are awesome too!
Swagata.
Mags
Delicious recipe…. FANTASTIC photos!
Dhanya
Hi Deeba
Lovely lovely presentation…absolutely love the burst of colors in the picture…and super sure that the dish itself would have turned out to be lip-smacking to say the least :)!!! Having made the kung-pao chicken based on ur recipe (and earning rave reviews for it :D), I know what I'm dishing up this weekend :):)
Keep 'em coming…looking forward to more color feasts :):)
Love,
Dhanya
Anu
Thankyou Deeba for wonderful visual treats, I religious follow your blog but never left a comment. Just awwwhhh with everything you do..Hope I win this one..
Jessica
Great review! And beautiful pictures!
Jamie
Deeba, this is such a great cookbook review! I love the honest pros and cons. And the dish sounds and looks fabulous! I love Chinese food and rarely make it for the same reasons as you. This looks a winner, though, and worth the try! Glad sonny is better.
maria
My kids luv Chinese food…So may be I can experiment more Chinese food if I win a copy. 🙂
thank you for the review & giveaway Deeba
SS
Oh ! I would absolutely adore Mainland China. I haven't been there in almost a year now. Monosodium glumtamate (ajinomoto) is usually used in Indian Chinese fare. Was expecting and had my first baby (boy) in May, hence have stayed away..:-( Would love to lay my hands on this book and make all the yummy stuff at home!
Sneha
(shenoy.sneha@gmail.com)
Meher
Hi Deeba!
I have been obsessively following your blog ever since I stumbled upon it accidentally while looking for a date and walnut loaf recipe. Ever since then, I love to read about the exploits of your kids and family and your latest baking / cooking adventures!! A lot of the times I find a resonance in my daily life as I wait to unleash my latest baking exploits on my school-going son and unsuspecting husband! 🙂
I won't be exaggerating if I said, your food pictures are TO DIE FOR!! Such simple juxtapositions of food and colour and the frame just lights up! (like the redness of the cashew rice against the dull black of the springform pan! How utterly clever!)
Ever since I read about the launch of Anjan Chatterjee's book about the recipes and the secrets of Mainland China, I really wanted to lay my hands on the book. More so after making the recipes you wrote about on your site!! The result and adulation from the family was just amazing!! So if only my cooking inspired such raves everyday, what a joy life would be! Thats the reason I would love to receive a copy of the book! (Hopefully with a note in it from you!)
For our family Chinese food = Mainland China! And what better dedication to this fab place than to own copy of its best kept secrets! 🙂
Hope to get some good news from you soon!!
Much love!
The Caped Baker.
Pistakulfi
Very balanced review. Super Pics! Loved the rice against the springform pan.
Just wish there were more books available in India on authentic Chinese cooking (in India!!) like this one that actually informed us about ehtnic Chinese food rather than Indo-Chinese gunk.
Would love a copy! How else to get over the same fear as you of experimenting with cooking Chinese food at home ?
Big fan of the blog. Big on cooking your recipes.
Pistakulfi.
Nalini Hebbar
Seems quite easy…thanks…I make Chilli Chicken too, quite similar, and was happy to see that I am quite close…Your blog is a treat to the eyes…and cruel on the taste buds…They go on an overdrive!
MeetaK
what a senstational recipe. love garlic and pepper! i think i need to make this tonight!
Simran
You make rice and chicken look gorgeous!
Pick me for the book, so I can finally learn Indo-Chinese cooking 😉
Verandah
Chicken and rice… they look delicious… making me hungry again.
Wajiha
Indian-Chinese food tends to be a favorite of most new cooks. I'm pretty sure there is a lot in authentic chinese suitable for indian palate just waiting to be tried. lovely pictures btw.
Anonymous
Hi Deeba, love Chinese food, specially Indo Chinese. Would love to be added to the list for the book. Thanks. Angela (angeladias007@gmail.com)
Anand
that’s some interesting recipe you have here. Can you bake a sambar? !!!
Do you have an interesting Sambar recipe? I’m running a contest in my blog to find one. Check the link below if you are interested. No big prizes to offer, it’s just for fun, but seriously to find new ways to make Sambar!
http://sambarman.blogspot.com/2010/10/best-sambar-contest.html
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chowringhee
Wow! It is such an interesting guide to cooking good food.This recipe looks easy and one I will add to my list!