"I consider stir-frying a form of culinary magic in which ingredients are transformed," she writes in her introduction. "Their textures are enhanced, their flavors intensified and caramelized. The stir-fry dish brings food to life."
Young sees stir-frying as "a way of life, both timeless and timely," that has laced together Chinese communities around the world. So this book is much more than a collection of recipes. She follows the Chinese diaspora to places such as Peru, India, Libya, and the Mississippi Delta, and tells how the new immigrants adapted new foods to evoke familiar dishes. In her pages, the people she talks with come alive, as does their (and her) passion for good food.
There are more than 100 recipes here - from such Chinese stir-fry classics as ginger beef and kung pao chicken to Chinese Trinidadian shrimp with rum, Chinese Peruvian filet mignon, and Singapore-style duck with Chinese celery. Recipes are clearly written and detailed; you'll get the requisite hand-holding to stir-fry your way to a delicious dinner.
Young is passionately dedicated to doing the stir-fry right wherever she is in the world. She cares so much that she braves airport security to carry her wok aboard the plane.
At first, she wanted her own wok because it had developed a nonstick patina, ensuring that her demonstrations would go flawlessly. Then she realized the flavor and aroma of a stir-fry done right in her wok helped her students realize that "the hippest pan is the one that has been around for over two thousand years."
Much the same could be said about stir-frying. Young has done an admirable job showing how this ancient technique can be deliciously new and cool.
Chinese Jamaican Jerk Chicken Fried Rice
Makes: 4 servings
11/2 cups chopped green onions
1 tablespoon roughly chopped garlic
2 tablespoons ketchup
