Having burnished his culinary skills in the kitchens of Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Nobu Matsuhisa, the chef Chris Cheung returned to the food of Manhattan’s Chinatown, where he was born and raised, to create his casual East Wind Snack Shops in Brooklyn. In “Damn Good Chinese Food,” his first cookbook, Mr. Cheung is your guide to Chinatown (as he was for Anthony Bourdain) and its vibrant markets. His book outlines equipment and techniques, and gives 50 recipes for dishes from the Chinese American canon, many with refinements. These include pungent sweet and sour pork Peking style; three cups cauliflower, which cleverly swaps out the usual chicken for the vegetable; designer egg drop soup; briny black bean clams; pork belly bao buns; and many, many dumplings, explaining the Chinatown pedigree and his personal take. Be prepared to use MSG; Mr. Cheung makes a cultural argument for it.
“Damn Good Chinese Food: Dumplings, Egg Rolls, Bao Buns, Sesame Noodles, Roast Duck, Fried Rice and More” by Chris Cheung (Skyhorse Publishing, $26.99).
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