Cookbook Profile: Potsticker Chronicles

Potsticker Chronicles

by Stuart Chang Berman

Nothing goes with a terrific meal better than a warmly told story about family and friends. In Potsticker Chronicles, celebrated chef, restaurant owner, cooking teacher, and raconteur Stuart Chang Berman offers a generous supply of both, with a delightful collection of classic Chinese recipes and family tales.

Drawing on his culinary expertise and Chinese heritage, Chang Berman invites you to explore the many flavors of China in 160 recipes that range from hearty soups and tempting appetizers to delightful desserts, complete with a sumptuous array of potstickers, spring rolls, rice and noodle dishes, vegetable and tofu creations, and savory sauces.

There are recipes for favorite Chinese restaurant dishes as well as heirloom family dishes. You will discover the secrets to preparing unbelievably tender Drunken Chicken, crispy Shrimp Croquettes, luscious Moo Shu Pork, Lamb and Pine Nut-Stuffed Squash, Lobster and Scallop Potstickers, and more. For special occasions, Chang Berman offers extraordinary banquet dishes, such as Braised Venison with Quail Eggs and Bamboo Shoots and Marinated and Grilled Wild Birds.

Clear and easy-to-follow instructions demystify every key cooking technique, from passing food through oil for a grease-free stir-fry to crimping the edges of a potsticker. There is also advice on choosing equipment and ingredients to bring out the best in every dish.

Throughout, Chang Berman shares wonderful stories about his family, friends, and career, as well as Chinese history and culture. You will hear about the time he cooked a Chinese banquet in an Italian castle full of ancient Egyptian artifacts for the famous American poet Ezra Pound and his family. He also recalls the loving way his grandmother taught him how to cook, his mother's fabulous success in creating an upscale Chinese restaurant in Washington, D.C., and his own delight, as a child, in horrifying his non-Asian friends with outlandish descriptions of the ingredients in Chinese food.

Enchantingly illustrated with beautiful ink drawings by Chinese artist Dora F. Lee, Potsticker Chronicles takes you on an enticing journey of culinary discovery with an extraordinarily knowledgeable and personable guide to show you the way.

About the Author

Stuart Chang Berman became a professional chef at his family's first restaurant, The Court of the Mandarins, in Washington, D.C. He later served as chef/owner of two other Chinese restaurants. He has been a popular cooking instructor at L'Académie de Cuisine and in the Montgomery County Adult Education Program, both in Maryland.

Buy the Book!

Potsticker Chronicles
by Stuart Chang Berman
Line drawings by Dora F. Lee
Wiley
$27.50/hardcover
ISBN: 0-471-25028-7
Information provided by the publisher.