---
product_id: 18472011
title: "Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees: Essential Techniques of Authentic Chinese Cooking: A Cookbook"
price: "€ 78.83"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.be/products/18472011-phoenix-claws-and-jade-trees-essential-techniques-of-authentic-chinese
store_origin: BE
region: Belgium
---

# Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees: Essential Techniques of Authentic Chinese Cooking: A Cookbook

**Price:** € 78.83
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

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- **What is this?** Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees: Essential Techniques of Authentic Chinese Cooking: A Cookbook
- **How much does it cost?** € 78.83 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.be](https://www.desertcart.be/products/18472011-phoenix-claws-and-jade-trees-essential-techniques-of-authentic-chinese)

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## Description

Create nuanced, complex, authentic Chinese flavors at home by learning the cuisine's fundamental techniques. Winner of the 2016 IACP Julia Child First Book Award Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees offers a unique introduction to Chinese home cooking, demystifying it by focusing on its basic cooking methods. In outlining the differences among various techniques--such as pan-frying, oil steeping, and yin-yang frying--and instructing which one is best for particular ingredients and end results, culinary expert Kian Lam Kho provides a practical, intuitive window into this unique cuisine. Once one learns how to dry stir-fry chicken, one can then confidently apply the technique to tofu, shrimp, and any number of ingredients. Accompanied by more than 200 photographs, including helpful step-by-step images, the 158 recipes range from simple, such as Spicy Lotus Root Salad or Red Cooked Pork, to slightly more involved, including authentic General Tso's Chicken or Pork Shank Soup with Winter Bamboo. But the true brilliance behind this innovative book lies in the way it teaches the soul of Chinese cooking, enabling home cooks to master this diverse, alluring cuisine and then to re-create any tempting dish they encounter or can imagine.

Review: First-rate guide to proper technique. Excellent dishes, southern bias notwithstanding - Run, don't walk, to get a copy of this. It's a stellar reference that should raise the conversation (and your results) to the next level when it comes to technique. Mr Kho's wellspring of experience teaching an unusually wide array of traditional Chinese cooking techniques to non-Chinese students is on full display here. The detail systematically devoted to each separate traditional Chinese application of dry and wet heat (for example, three different sub-types of braising alone - 燜 (men), 燉 (dun), 煨 (wei) ) is beyond welcome. It closes a key gap in the English-language discourse around methods that either make or break a proper Chinese dish. For each sub-technique, there is at least one recipe. All are delicious. In terms of authenticity (as opposed to taste), the recipes are generally spot-on. In full transparency, however, I am rounding up from from 4.5 stars here - half a star was dinged for recipes representing China's West and North occasionally showing a bit of understandable filtering through a Cantonese/Hokkien sensibility. This never rises to the level of egregiousness in other cookbooks, such as Phaidon's pan-Chinese survey.
Review: Best comprehensive introduction to Chinese cooking - This is probably the most comprehensive introduction to Chinese cooking. The author puts special emphasis on ingredients, equipment, and technique. He wants you to understand the "how" and "why" behind everything, which makes him a wonderful teacher. The photography is also to die for, and it's obvious from the recipes and photos that the author is a real master of Chinese cooking. The types of recipes in this cookbook are for the types of dishes that you might find in a fine Chinese restaurant. Many of them are something quite special and better than the typical versions that one might eat at any small restaurant in China. Instead, these are the sort of dishes that would be available at an expensive restaurant or hotel. However, I should emphasize that the dishes are not so difficult. It just means that you may have to stock your cupboards with some extra spices and sauces (no big deal). For those who are looking for the very simple dishes that one might find in anyone's home in China, I would recommend "The Cultural Revolution Cookbook." That book does not have dishes that are so elegant and special, but they are more authentic to the type of simple home cooking found in kitchens all across China. Many of those recipes have only like 3-4 ingredients, and no special preparation, just as we would see from farmers out in the countryside. There is something beautiful about that type of simplicity too. For those who want to try making some really great and special Chinese dishes, including learning all sorts of neat techniques, I recommend this book. For those who just want to learn simple dishes for home cooking, I recommend "The Cultural Revolution Cookbook." Each book has its domain and does its thing perfectly. Finally, Kian Lam Kho's enthusiasm and passion for cooking really shine through in this book. The author genuinely cares about teaching you in the very best possible way, and teaching you everything you would need to know about the techniques and reasons behind everything. It's really an unbeatable comprehensive introduction to Chinese cooking.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #218,445 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #41 in Wok Cookery (Books) #77 in Chinese Cooking, Food & Wine #382 in Cooking for One or Two |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 202 Reviews |

## Images

![Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees: Essential Techniques of Authentic Chinese Cooking: A Cookbook - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81SFxCpbacL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ First-rate guide to proper technique. Excellent dishes, southern bias notwithstanding
*by H***R on July 21, 2025*

Run, don't walk, to get a copy of this. It's a stellar reference that should raise the conversation (and your results) to the next level when it comes to technique. Mr Kho's wellspring of experience teaching an unusually wide array of traditional Chinese cooking techniques to non-Chinese students is on full display here. The detail systematically devoted to each separate traditional Chinese application of dry and wet heat (for example, three different sub-types of braising alone - 燜 (men), 燉 (dun), 煨 (wei) ) is beyond welcome. It closes a key gap in the English-language discourse around methods that either make or break a proper Chinese dish. For each sub-technique, there is at least one recipe. All are delicious. In terms of authenticity (as opposed to taste), the recipes are generally spot-on. In full transparency, however, I am rounding up from from 4.5 stars here - half a star was dinged for recipes representing China's West and North occasionally showing a bit of understandable filtering through a Cantonese/Hokkien sensibility. This never rises to the level of egregiousness in other cookbooks, such as Phaidon's pan-Chinese survey.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Best comprehensive introduction to Chinese cooking
*by R***S on September 1, 2016*

This is probably the most comprehensive introduction to Chinese cooking. The author puts special emphasis on ingredients, equipment, and technique. He wants you to understand the "how" and "why" behind everything, which makes him a wonderful teacher. The photography is also to die for, and it's obvious from the recipes and photos that the author is a real master of Chinese cooking. The types of recipes in this cookbook are for the types of dishes that you might find in a fine Chinese restaurant. Many of them are something quite special and better than the typical versions that one might eat at any small restaurant in China. Instead, these are the sort of dishes that would be available at an expensive restaurant or hotel. However, I should emphasize that the dishes are not so difficult. It just means that you may have to stock your cupboards with some extra spices and sauces (no big deal). For those who are looking for the very simple dishes that one might find in anyone's home in China, I would recommend "The Cultural Revolution Cookbook." That book does not have dishes that are so elegant and special, but they are more authentic to the type of simple home cooking found in kitchens all across China. Many of those recipes have only like 3-4 ingredients, and no special preparation, just as we would see from farmers out in the countryside. There is something beautiful about that type of simplicity too. For those who want to try making some really great and special Chinese dishes, including learning all sorts of neat techniques, I recommend this book. For those who just want to learn simple dishes for home cooking, I recommend "The Cultural Revolution Cookbook." Each book has its domain and does its thing perfectly. Finally, Kian Lam Kho's enthusiasm and passion for cooking really shine through in this book. The author genuinely cares about teaching you in the very best possible way, and teaching you everything you would need to know about the techniques and reasons behind everything. It's really an unbeatable comprehensive introduction to Chinese cooking.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Kian Lam Kho has come out with a great introduction to making quality Chinese style food at home.
*by B***N on October 1, 2015*

Book arrived as I came home from a long day at the industrial bakery. Took a short unwind time and started to read the book. I didn't need recipes for chicken or duck feet, however, scanning the index we saw the the Mapo Tofu (p211) and the Steamed Stuffed Tofu (p261) made me run out to the Kogers and purchase what we didn't have at home. It was a welcome end to a long day and the beginning to more long missed Chinese dishes at home. Thank you Kian Lam Kho! We loved the Mapo Tofu using ground beef instead of pork, it was better than what we could order take out. The Steamed Stuffed Tofu made us think we were back at Hop Kee or On Luck back in NY Chinatown. Our Friend Duck Wong would smile on Braised Whole Duck on page 212. The book is very well written, shares culture along with the recipes.It has brought back many happy memories of eating with the cooks and wait staff at the end of the evening. This is a great companion to our collection of Huang Su Huei's of cookbooks from the 1970's. The recipes reminded me of the earlier day's when I would fix equipment in my friends Chinese Restaurants, where the cooks would teach me simple things after I finished the repairs. It is fair to say that my Wife and I enjoy the book and it's collection of recipes. Let me know if you agree with my feeling and opinion of this great book.

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*Product available on Desertcart Belgium*
*Store origin: BE*
*Last updated: 2026-07-05*