A Tradition of Soup: Flavors from China's Pearl River Delta [Paperback]

Through recipes that use time-honored medicinal ingredients,A Tradition of Soupprovides a fascinating narrative of the Southern Chinese immigrants who came to the United States in large numbers during the last half century, the struggles they faced and overcame, and the soups they used to heal and nourish their bodies.

Following the Chinese approach to health, Teresa Chen, who was born into a family of food connoisseurs and raised by a gourmet cook, groups the recipes by seasons and health concerns according to Cantonese taxonomy:tong(simple broths, soups, and stews),geng(thickened soups),juk(rice soups or porridges), andtong shui(sweet soups), as well as noodle soups, wonton and dumpling soups, and vegetable soups. Also focusing ondahn(steaming) andlouhfo(slow-cooking) soups associated with good health, the book features fresh, natural, and seasonal food.A Tradition of Souphighlights recipes that serve a wide range of purposes, from gaining or shedding weight to healing acne and preventing wrinkles. While some ingredients may seem foreign to Western readers, most are available in Chinese grocery stores.

To help readers identify and procure these items, Chen provides a beautifully photographed ingredients glossary complete with Chinese names, pronunciation, and detailed descriptions.“For soup enthusiasts like me, this book is simply invaluable.”
—From the foreword by Martin Yan, bestselling author and host ofYan Can Cook

“[Teresa Chen’s] new book,A Tradition of Soup: Flavors from China’s Pearl River Delta, a collection of 144 recipes from southern China, is the result of years invested in health education…The recipes, intermingled with information about southern Chinese culture, traditional medicine, and immigration history, are grouped by seasons and health concerns, including gaining and losing weight, getting rid of acne, l3