Dim Sum: The Art of Chinese Tea Lunch

I was skeptical about the book because of the lack of photographs and fewer-than-usual pages, but I was happily wrong. The dim sum selection is comprised of authentic items found in restaurants, so you can use almost every recipe. The color illustrations are actually better than photographs because the details, such as how to wrap dumplings, are easier to see. The writing is very straightforward, and there are helpful tips along the way. This is a great book!

I've been burned by alot of promising cookbooks in the past. But the recipes in this book work, with great tasting and great looking results (okay maybe mine aren't the prettiest Dim Sum you've ever seen, but they taste FANTASTIC).Great little book. Simple, easy-to-follow instructions. I highly recommend it.

This `Dim Sum, The Art of Chinese Tea Lunch' is the second book from graphic artist Ellen Leong Blonder. The first three things which strike one about the book is that it is a smallish book for a fairly sizable subject, the author is neither a chef nor a culinary journalist, and that the design and illustrations in the book are exceedingly well done.I always have problems rating small books which commonly give half the value for about two thirds of the price of full sized books. Since this is Ms. Blonder's second book on a culinary subject, and since her first book won an IACP Cookbook award, her being an apparent culinary amateur should cause no concern about the quality of the book's contents.The book is divided into the following chapters:Steamed DumplingsBoiled and Pan-Fried DumplingsBreads and Baked DishesRice and Rice Flour DishesGreens and Pan-Fried DishesDeep-Fried and Bean Curd Sheet DishesMeatsSweetsSauces and CondimentsThe book also contains small sections on types of tea, planning a menu, equipment and supplies, resources, and bibliography.In a book this small, the bibliography becomes an important resource. The text states that some Dim Sum restaurants offer over a hundred dishes, yet this book has barely 110 pages devoted to often two page recipes. The book makes up for this sparseness in two very important ways.First, it spends much of its space dedicated to Dim Sum cooking methods and equipment for steaming and deep-frying. It also gives excellent recipes for dumpling doughs and wrappers plus methods for folding dumplings.Second, this book succeeds very well as a `feel good' book based on both the text and the color drawings, and the exceptionally good job of designing the book.The greatest personal attraction of the book is the fact that it includes excellent recipes for baked `char siu bao' dumplings, something I often got at New Jersey Asian Markets, but which seem totally alien to the backwater Lehigh Valley. Having taken up cooking, this is one of the first things I wanted to try. The instructions for these baked filled rolls is a clean and you may wish. I have seen recipes in other books, which seem to require instructions on how to read the recipe.If you love well-designed books or Chinese cooking, this book will warm your heart and your tummy.

This book saves me from the isolation and longing only a trip to Calgary or San Francisco satisfies. Now I can make these wonderful treats at home. Clear and beautiful instructions make this possible. I was lucky to find this book in our small town Montana library. I need it in my own.

I just recieved my copy of Ms Blonder's wonderful "Dim Sum: The art of Chinese Tea Lunch". As with the earlier "Every Grain of Rice - this book is a visual delight. Intrigued by the recipe for Char-Siu Pastries I decided to try them as an appetizer for a lunch party. After first preparing the pork, I was surprised at how clear the instructions were and how well the pastries turned out, warm out of the oven with a light flaky crust - I found the sweet taste of the Char-Siu and the hot meat inside made these irresistable. Next time I will know to make more.I'm going to have fun with this book.