22 Best Chinese Cooking Books

Fuchsia Dunlop introduces everyday Chinese home cooking with vegetables at its center and modest amounts of meat and fish. Recipes accompany explanations of essential seasonings and techniques, showing how a stocked pantry and straightforward methods can produce varied meals.

Carolyn Phillips surveys thirty-five Chinese cuisines through hundreds of recipes and their historical and geographic contexts. Clear instructions, illustrations, and ingredient guidance connect regional food traditions with practical cooking, from everyday noodles to more elaborate dishes.

Fuchsia Dunlop revisits Sichuan cooking through recipes for dishes such as mapo tofu, twice-cooked pork, and gong bao chicken. Ingredient guidance, regional history, and accounts of her travels illuminate the flavors and traditions behind the food.

Eileen Yin-Fei Lo teaches Chinese cooking through lessons on ingredients, preparation and technique. Recipes develop that foundation into meals, connecting market knowledge and pantry staples with the practical skills needed to cook a varied Chinese repertoire.

This introduction to wok cooking combines stir-fries and dim sum recipes with advice on choosing, seasoning, and caring for a wok. Illustrated folding instructions, ingredient substitutions, and practical tips help home cooks prepare Chinese dishes and takeout favorites.

Irene Kuo presents Chinese recipes alongside detailed explanations of foundational cooking methods. Her instruction connects ingredient preparation, heat and technique, helping home cooks understand the processes behind dishes rather than following recipes without a broader foundation.

Bill, Judy, Sarah, and Kaitlin Leung share Chinese and Chinese-American dishes alongside their family’s food stories. The collection brings together traditional home cooking, restaurant experience, and the younger generation’s preferences, with recipes intended for home kitchens.

Jason Wang shares recipes from his family’s New York restaurants alongside their immigrant story and the food traditions of Xi’an. Instructions cover hand-ripped noodles, cumin lamb, chili oil, and other dishes shaped by western China’s diverse culinary influences.

Chris Toy introduces Chinese cooking through beginner-friendly recipes for restaurant favorites. Guidance on ingredients, equipment, and regional flavors accompanies dishes such as egg rolls, orange chicken, and lo mein, with planned menus and suggestions for quick meals.

Mr Peng shares recipes from Hunan, his London restaurant known for serving many small courses. The collection includes dumplings, lettuce wraps, and twice-cooked pork, emphasizing carefully chosen ingredients and the distinctive flavors of his Chinese cooking.

Kei Lum Chan and Diora Fong Chan present more than 650 recipes representing China’s regional cuisines. Familiar dishes such as dim sum and sweet-and-sour ribs appear alongside less widely known specialties, with additional contributions from chefs around the world.

Ken Hom brings together favorite Chinese dishes and recipes for exploring a wider range of flavors. Photographs and practical instructions accompany the collection, providing home cooks with a broad introduction to Chinese meals and the methods used to prepare them.

Georgia Freedman explores the food of Yunnan through recipes and accounts of travel in the province. The book introduces local ingredients and the cooking of diverse communities, showing how geography and cultural traditions shape regional meals.

Kristina Cho explores Chinese American bakery favorites, including milk bread, pineapple buns, barbecue pork buns, mooncakes, and cakes. Alongside sweet and savory recipes, she explains dough handling and shaping techniques and introduces the bakeries behind these traditions.

Grace Young and Alan Richardson explore wok cooking through recipes, photographs and encounters with cooks and artisans. The book connects practical instruction with the wok’s cultural importance, showing how equipment, technique and experience shape Chinese cooking.

López-Alt makes the wok feel useful, not mysterious, with clear lessons on heat, tools, prep, and motion. The book moves from fried rice and noodles to tempura and curries, showing how one pan can handle fast, flavorful cooking.

Hsiao-Ching Chou presents vegetarian Chinese comfort food using vegetables, tofu and other plant-based ingredients. Recipes include dumplings and familiar home-style dishes, with practical instruction that helps cooks bring a varied meatless repertoire into their kitchens.

Kwoklyn Wan shares recipes for familiar Chinese takeout dishes based on his experience in restaurant kitchens. The collection includes sweet-and-sour chicken, char siu, wonton soup, chop suey, and fried rice, offering straightforward ways to prepare these favorites at home.

Bee Yinn Low adapts family recipes and restaurant dishes for home cooks working with limited time and supermarket ingredients. Recipes range from dim sum and dumplings to kung pao chicken and noodles, accompanied by photographs and guidance on Chinese cooking basics.

Gok Wan shares Chinese home cooking inspired by his family, from dim sum and street food to simple suppers and dishes for gatherings. Recipes come with guidance on ingredients and equipment, making familiar flavors approachable in an everyday kitchen.

Fuchsia Dunlop explores Jiangnan, the Lower Yangtze region, through its ingredients, culinary traditions, and recipes. Guidance on techniques and pantry staples accompanies rustic dishes and richer specialties, including beggar’s chicken and Dongpo pork, with photography and regional stories.

Diana Kuan brings American Chinese takeout favorites into the home kitchen through recipes for stir-fries, noodles, dumplings, and other comfort foods. Pantry advice, cooking techniques, vegetarian variations, and food history accompany instructions for recreating familiar dishes.