Every Grain of Rice

The Chinese cookbook that proves you do not need a specialty pantry or years of experience to cook extraordinary food. Fuchsia Dunlop strips Chinese home cooking to its essentials: a wok, a few sauces, and ingredients you can find anywhere.

Why Start Here

Every Grain of Rice is not Dunlop’s most famous book (that would be The Food of Sichuan), but it is the one you should cook from first. Where her regional cookbooks dive deep into specific cuisines, this book covers the full breadth of Chinese home cooking: stir-fries, braises, soups, cold dishes, rice, and noodles from across the country, all chosen for accessibility and flavor.

Dunlop holds your hand without patronizing you. Every technique is explained clearly. The ingredient lists are short. Many dishes can be on the table in twenty minutes. But nothing tastes dumbed down, because Dunlop understands the logic of Chinese flavor (the balance of salt, sugar, acid, heat, and umami) and teaches it to you as you cook.

What to Expect

A beautiful, well-organized cookbook with over 150 recipes. Clear headnotes explain technique and context. Comprehensive introduction to Chinese pantry staples. Recipes range from 15-minute stir-fries to slow-braised dishes. The ideal first Chinese cookbook for any home cook.