Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
Feasts of Good Fortune is a well written and beautifully curated cookbook with recipes by mother/daughter team Hsiao-Ching Chou and Meilee Chou Riddle. Due out 3rd Dec 2024 from Sasquatch Books, it's 256 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.
There are festival and traditional Chinese American foods to prepare (and share) at home which are achievable by regular cooks. The recipes are well written and accessible and the book is gorgeous and colorful graphically with lots of photographs and illustrations in color.
The recipes are arranged thematically in chapters by seasonal celebrations and by culture, with the Chinese holidays: Lunar New Year, Lantern Festival, Qingming Festival, Dragon Boat, Mid Autumn, and Winter Solstice, followed by the American/fusion ones: Birthdays & party bites (noodles or cake?), stir fries, and hot pots.
The recipes are well selected and varied. Recipe ingredients are given in a bullet list sidebar. Each recipe includes some background info, yields, and step-by-step directions. Ingredient measures are given in imperial (American) units only. Nutritional info is not included for the recipes. Most of the ingredients will be available at any well stocked grocery store in North America; some will require a trip to a local Asian/international food store.
The recipes are also tagged with a difficulty rating, allowing readers to have an idea how long prep and cooking will take. The authors have done a standout job providing background and cultural info about the festivals and celebrations which are covered in the book, including personal family stories which add depth and warmth to the read.
Five stars. This would make a great choice for public or school library acquisition, for cookbook collectors, and for gift giving. Stellar job on writing and curating.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Reviewed by annieb123 on
Reading updates
- 9 November, 2024: Started reading
- 9 November, 2024: Finished reading
- 9 November, 2024: Reviewed