168 Better Than Takeout Chinese Recipes - A Cookbook Hardcover – October 9, 2024

I bought this book because I had been following Souped Up Recipes on YouTube for quite a while and enjoyed Mandy’s enthusiasm and the look of the recipes. However, I had never felt like I had quite enough confidence to go out and find the right ingredients, nor actually try making anything just from watching a video. I actually bought the book as a way of supporting Mandy and thought that I might try to cook something with it written down.Well, I have to say that I am stunned by the amount of work that went into making this book!!! The pictures are great, the descriptions are great, the index is great. AND, if I want to watch the video to see a technique I just scan the QR code included with the recipe! Not only that, there is a complete section on ingredients and possible substitutes! I was able to go to an Asian market with pictures of some ingredients that had no English written on them and actually know what I was buying!!! I was also able to order a few off of Amazon that I couldn’t find locally. I’ve made some of the recipes and so far they have tasted great, but I have to admit that a couple haven’t been as pretty as the pictures in the book. I’ll have to keep practicing. Thanks for all your hard work in putting this book together, Mandy!

This has to be the most organized and user friendly cookbook that I have ever seen. I was tempted by the rave reviews to purchase it and I can not be more happy. It is designed and formatted in a very unique way and is 100% user friendly. It comes with loads of photo's , a QR code on each recipe page that links to her specific how to video on You Tube. There are also many noteworthy tips and a ton of shared knowledge that we seldom find available in other platforms.I am a seasoned cook of many disciplines and this book is a must have for anyone wishing to dive into making Chinese cuisine .....I am soooooooo impressed

This a great piece of work into which Mandy has put her whole heart. I discovered her through her YouTube videos and quickly became a fan. Despite being a passionate home cook (French and Italian cuisine) who’s been living in Asia for more than thirty years I had so far been shy of trying my hands at Chinese cuisine. The enthusiasm that Mandy puts into her cooking did a great job helping me put embarrassment aside and get cleavers and steaming baskets out. Mandy does not just deliver recipes like a boring teacher, seeing her followers succeed is very much at the centre of her preoccupation and she gives numerous tips some of which have been learnt the hard way through her own occasional kitchen failures which she honestly admits. The book is full of great step-by-step pictures and is a very pleasant read. I actually bought two, one for each of my kitchen in Singapore and Bangkok. With no fewer than 168 detailed recipes, this is a great deal too! Can’t wait for a kindle version. Thanks for everything Mandy, keep up the great work as well as your vibrant personality.

I love Chinese cuisine and the money I've spent on cookbooks over the years is really ridiculous when this book is head and shoulders above anything I've collected over the last forty plus years. Clear instructions, beautiful pictures, love the background information about the ingredients and as a plus the author has injected a bit of humor which just makes this book all the more terrific. Wish I had bought this one when it was first released, but now I have it and I'm loving every minute of all of the fantastic dishes. Value for the money? Definitely yes!

I’m a fan of the YouTuber-author and I use this book not so much for the recipes but really for the techniques, as I almost always make my (not always successful) adjustments to the recipes. The variety is great and very easy to follow and understand the reasons behind the preparation methods. My only point about this book (not a complaint or a problem at all as I understand what Mandy does and what the books purpose is) is that this is exactly not about Classical and traditional Chinese cuisine (for that I watch Chef Wang Gang), it is focused almost always on Americanized or internationalized Chinese cuisine, which is also very delicious. The books title says takeout, that should be enough of a clue, but I’m saying it here because I read misguided reviews from people who criticized the lack of “pureness” of the Chinese food in this book. Anyhow, I think Mandy did a great job and I use it a lot.

Great recipes that are easy to make.

This book is simply amazing. I've adored Mandy from her first video and was happy to see she'd released a book, but the quality of this was far above my expectations. It's full of gorgeous photography, clear instructions and even QR code links to the video walk throughs of the most popular dishes so you can see the process for yourself. You can really tell she put her heart and soul into this rather than just copy/pasting her already published works into book form.Absolutely recommend for anyone who loves Asian food and wants to be able to make their own.