China Moon Cookbook

September 28, 1992
In this wide-ranging collection of recipes from her famed Chinatown cafe, the doyenne of California Chinese cuisine offers a ``private cooking school'' for cooks who want to enter the ``world of traditional Chinese flavors combined with exclusively fresh ingredients.'' Beginning with the ``pantry'' chapter on basic condiments like five-flavor Oil and China Moon pickled ginger, Tropp ( The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking ) moves throughout the meal, offering signature recipes, like plum wine chicken salad with sweet mustard sauce, and Hoisin pork buns with ginger and garlic. An entire chapter is devoted to the meat that is ``symbolically central to the entire Chinese culture''--pork. Not surprising for a book that is as much a course in method and culture as a collection of recipes, instructions are detailed and descriptive. True to her hybrid East-West cuisine, Tropp reveals eclecticism in her observations about cooking: In one chapter she praises traditional Chinese seafood cooking and presentation practices for following ``the integrity of the fish''; a few pages later, she muses about that modern American invention, plastic wrap. Stylish illustrations that simultaneously recall a modern upscale restaurant menu and a 1950s Vogue are also true to the mixed nature of Tropp's cuisine. Author tour.

February 15, 1993
Tropp, author of The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking and chef/owner of San Francisco's China Moon Cafe, is a talented and passionate cook. Her new book is filled with hundreds of creative, unusual, and fascinating recipes. However, "homestyle" does not quite seem the word to describe them. Many have lengthy ingredients lists, and many dishes require components from other recipes for their preparation--not necessarily complicated on their own, but in the end somewhat daunting for busy home cooks. Nevertheless, the recipes are inspired and mouth-watering. Tropp's sidebars--on every page--are filled with information about Chinese cooking and food in general. This unique book is recommended for most collections. BOMC HomeStyle Books selection.

Copyright 1993 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 1993
What Russo and Lukins accomplished for secreted-away American ingredients and recipes, so will Tropp (with the help of her coauthors) achieve for Chinese foodstuffs and menus. In fact, her second culinary collection (the first was "Modern Art of Chinese Cooking") is laid out in much the same manner as the popular Silver Palate series: fun and funky line drawings, lots of personal narrative, and sidebars on subjects from choosing serrated bread knives to cleaning squid. She's quick to point out that her more than 250 recipes from her China Moon restaurant are, strictly speaking, not authentic. But the oriental romance lingers in mile-long names (Ma-La steamed poussin with roasted Szechwan pepper-salt), techniques (stir-fry, sandpot casseroles), and fresh, from-scratch ingredients (infusions, spices). First-timers might balk at the preparation times and occasional intricate techniques, but this is a compilation worth savoring. ((Reviewed Jan. 1, 1993))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1993, American Library Association.)