I bought this book due to its inclusion on various prestigious lists of great cookbooks. The first recipe I made from the book was good, really good. The second one was so good, I went ahead and cooked it again just to make sure it wasn't a fluke. Now a few months in, having made most of the recipes in the book that appealed to me I can honestly say that this is one of the best books that I own. Authentic or not I cannot say, (though it seems likely) however the litmus test is "does it taste good" and the answer is definitely yes. This is not fussy pretentious cooking, making it very achievable and in most cases very quick. The author has clearly ...  Read the complete review

Sichuan Cookery by Fuschia Dunlop is a cook book concentrating on the distinctive regional cuisine of south-west China. Chinese takeaway devotees may already be vaguely aware of the one (stereo-) typical Sichunaese dish that regularly crops up in restaurants over here, 'spicy Szechuan Chicken' - which, with its red chilli content I suppose is broadly representative of one of the prime ingredients important to the cooking of this region (the other is the Sichuan peppercorn). As outlined in the preface, this book is one result of Ms Dunlop's visit to the Sichuan Institute of Higher Cuisine (a cookery school in China), where she learned about the various cooking ...  Read the complete review