Chinese cooking makes use of some ingredients that you may not know. Sometimes special cookware is used, too, although the recipes in this book can easily be prepared with ordinary utensils and pans.

Through the centuries, Chinese cooking has also been adapted to an ever-present shortage of fuel. Because wood and other fuels for cooking have always been scarce, the Chinese have learned to spend a maximum amount of time on food preparation and a minimum amount of time on actual cooking.