Bao Family Cookbook: Recipes from the Eight Culinary Regions of China, written by Céline Chung & Team, features over 80 recipes for every time day and season inspired by the cuisines across China. A few highlights include Pumpkin Fries with Salted Egg, Charsiu Bao, Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup, Hongshao Squid, and Cantonese Fried Rice. I will also be sharing their recipe for Youtiao (Chinese Fried Dough) following the review.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Interlink Publishing in exchange for my honest review. All comments and opinions are my own. This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.
This book was first published in French in 2022 as Bao Family: La cuisine Chinoise entre tradition et modernité by La Maison Hachette Pratique.
Céline Chung
Céline Chung is an entrepreneur and restaurant owner. She was born in Paris to parents originally from Wenzhou in China’s Zhejiang province.
In 2019, she co-founded Petit Bao to highlight “authentic traditional Chinese cuisine made with French-sourced ingredients in a modern setting inspired equally by Paris and Shanghai.” The family has grown to four restaurants in Paris including Gros Bao, Bleu Bao, and Bao Express & Bao Bakery.
Bao Family Cookbook
Céline begins Bao Family Cookbook with an introduction to her family, experiences, and dreams which led to the opening of her restaurants. She even includes the portraits and stories of the individual chefs behind the food.
I especially love that the back inside cover highlights the Guangdong, Sichuan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Hunan, Anhui, and Shandong cuisines with descriptions and notable characteristics.
Along with this focus on the cuisines, there are cultural notes scattered among the recipes covering tea culture, a little history behind Bao and Dim Sum, how to eat Peking duck, and etiquette when using Chinese chopsticks.
For those new to Chinese home cooking, the guide to condiments, spices, staple ingredients, noodles, produce, and utensils with names, descriptions, photos, and uses will be incredibly helpful.
Chapters are divided according to the following: Introduction, The Bao Family Chefs, Ingredients & Utensils, Breakfast, Appetizers, Bao & Dim Sum, Soups & Noodles, Mains, Rice & Noodles, and Desserts. The beginning of each chapter has a list of the included recipes with page number for easy reference.
The photography is provided by Grégoire Kalt with styling by Agathe Hernandez. Every recipe is paired with a vibrant, full-page photo of the finished dish. There are also a few step-by-step photos demonstrating specific techniques such as forming Baozi and wrapping Siu Mai.
Measurements are listed in US Customary and Metric. Many of the recipes have a headnote with background information, helpful tips, and notes. Titles are written in English with Hànzì (Chinese script) across the top.
Youtiao (Chinese Fried Dough)
The recipe for Youtiao (油条, Chinese Fried Dough) was an absolute favorite for our family. I have been wanting to attempt Youtiao for quite a while and am so glad this recipe was included in the book to give me the final push to try.
This street food and breakfast staple comes together with only a handful of ingredients, but does require a couple of resting times to relax the dough.
After forming the dough and resting, the dough is rolled out in a sheet, cut into strips, and two strips are pressed together using a chopstick to create the notable, almost butterfly-like breadstick shape.
The strips are then deep-fried until golden and crisp with a light and airy interior.
They are delicious on their own dipped in hot/cold soy milk or rice porridge (Congee- recipe in book) or even as a filling for rice noodle rolls (Zhaliang) or sticky rice rolls (Fan Tuan).
A Few Youtiao Tips
Do not pack in the flour when measuring or you may end up with too much. To measure flour, gently spoon it into the measuring cup and level with a knife without pressing down. The most accurate way to measure is by weight.
If the dough is too crumbly and just won’t come together after mixing everything thoroughly, add some more cold water a splash at a time.
The dough should be very soft. Only add enough flour to handle.
A few of my dough pieces pulled back a little after cutting and forming into the strips. If they become too short, gently pulled the edges to stretch the dough before placing in the oil.
Keep the temperature of the oil around 350˚F (180˚C) and adjust as needed. Too low and the Youtiao won’t fry and will just soak in the oil. Too high and they will become too dark before the center has had a chance to cook.
Once heated, fry the dough in batches. Do not crowd the pan. They need room to rise in the oil.
The Youtiao are best served warm shortly after frying and within a day. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days or freeze in a freezer-safe bag for up to a month. Reheat leftovers in a 400˚F (200˚C) oven until heated through.
Other Dishes
I also made the Tomato and Egg Soup, Salt-and-Pepper Chicken, Stir-Fried Rice Noodles with Beef Ho Fun, and Fried Milk.
The Tomato and Egg Soup is such a comforting soup perfect for using up leftover summer tomatoes. It also comes together in less than 20 minutes. The broth is seasoned lightly and filled with tomato pieces and egg ribbons.
The Salt-and-Pepper Chicken was another favorite. Chicken pieces are coated in egg, followed by a flavorful potato starch coating. After deep-frying each piece until golden, the chicken is stir-fried briefly with bell peppers, ginger, garlic, and chili flakes for quite the incredible meal.
The Stir-Fried Rice Noodles with Beef Ho Fun also has a wonderful combination of flavors. Thick rice noodles are tossed with egg, bean sprouts, and a rich soy sauce. To finish, the noodles are topped with thinly sliced beef and onions.
The recipe for Fried Milk comes from the desserts chapter. I think this was my first time trying it and now I am completely hooked. After forming the thick and creamy milk base, it is refrigerated until completely chilled and cut into individual pieces. Each piece is coated in flour, then a cornstarch mixture before deep-frying just until crisp and golden.
Bao Family Cookbook is a fantastic pick for those interested in a Chinese regional cuisines. Many of the recipes come together in as little as 30 minutes, while others require resting times for dough or more intricate wrapping techniques. There is a nice variety of meat-based and vegetarian-based dishes for every time of day.
Having a market nearby with Chinese ingredients will be helpful in locating items such as century eggs, star anise, Shaoxing wine, fish sauce, fresh lotus roots, black vinegar, sweet potato vermicelli, Chinese sausage, daikon, dried mushrooms, pork belly, rock sugar, dark soy sauce, Sichuan pepper, and more.
Youtiao (Chinese Fried Dough) Recipe
Excerpt from Bao Family Cookbook
Youtiao (Chinese Fried Dough)
Ingredients
- 4 cups (500 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon (scant) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 egg
- 1 1/8-1 1/4 cups (280-290 milliliters) ice-cold water
- Vegetable oil for oiling and frying
Instructions
- Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl.
- In another bowl, whisk the egg and cold water together and gradually mix this into the dry ingredients until it comes together. Mix until a smooth dough is obtained, cover with plastic wrap, and leave in a humid place for 1 1/2 hours.
- Knead the dough until smooth, then let it rest again for an additional 45 minutes.
- In a pot, heat the frying oil to 350˚F (180˚C).
- Meanwhile, on an oiled work surface, roll out the dough to form a rectangle about 1/2 inch (1 centimeter) thick, then cut it into 1 1/4 x 3 1/2 inch (3 x 9 centimeter) strips.
- Stack two strips on top of each other and press down firmly all the way down the length using a chopstick.
- Holding both ends, carefully drop each youtiao into the hot oil.
- Turn constantly for 30 seconds so that they cook evenly on all sides, then remove and transfer to paper towels to drain excess oil.
- These are delicious served with hot or cold soy milk.
Irena
Love that I found this recipe! I tried these fried dough sticks at our local Laksa place but didn’t think you could make them at home. Thought they are all made in some factory to sell in restaurants, haha. So nice to try a homemade version.