A Chinese Street Food Odyssey

The authors, British-Chinese twin sisters who oversee the Sweet Mandarin restaurant in Manchester, England, traveled to China for this cookbook and returned with more than 100 dishes from the food carts and trucks of Beijing, Xinjiang, Shanghai, and other cities. The authors include several puddings, such as one made with mangoes, as well as another made with red beans, brown sugar, and rice flour. The authors also include a variety of meat, fish, and vegetarian options ranging from the familiar (e.g., chicken satay, noodles in sesame peanut sauce) to lesser-known regional specialties such as sea urchin from Qingdao, eaten raw and dipped in wasabe and soy sauce. Lisa provides the instructions, including how the soup gets into soup dumplings (it involves gelatin), while Helen contributes the serviceable narrative (a typical entry begins “Walking around Hangzhou and admiring the sights I was feeling slightly peckish”). Though more location photography would have been welcome in this intriguing cookbook, London photographer Clare Winfield’s recipe shots are lovely studies in circles, as with cylindrical spring rolls on a round platter and rice balls resting in cupcake liners. This is indeed a fun and enlightening culinary journey. (Oct.)