An accurate name! Great read and wonderful history - enjoyable and delicious. Thank you for sharing.

A fun cookbook with great pictures and delicious sounding dishes. Not all are for day-to-day cooking - some recipes just sound like too much work for me, but it’s a good selection of useful recipes.

Love their restaurant and love this book! A great way to explore some of the delicious recipes that you know and love from Mei Mei.

This is a fun, well illustrated cookbook by three Chinese-American siblings who run a food truck and Chinese restaurant. It's full of information and recipes for basics and a variety of dishes. Our family is gluten free (I have a child who is very allergic to wheat and the rest of our family feels healthier without it, too) and I cook for vegetarians and vegan family members. Unfortunately, the book uses lots of meat and wheat, with few vegetarian or vegan recipes. Most of the recipes would not work for our family, so it wasn't a great fit for me. Folks who are looking for authentic Chinese recipes are likely to enjoy it.

My rating system:
1 = hated it
2 = it was okay
3 = liked it
4 = really liked it
5 = love it, plan to purchase, and/or would buy it again if it was lost

I read a temporary digital ARC of the book for the purpose of review.

My husband and I have a fave Chinese restaurant — a little hole in the wall across the river in Kentucky — that serves the best sweet and sour chicken over fluffy rice. I remember when we first dated the wintry night he brought home takeout. We watched the snow fall as we tucked into this luscious meal while deepening in love.

Reading DOUBLE AWESOME CHINESE FOOD elicits those happy memories and also kicks up the excitement level, as it offers the most delicious exotic recipes for meals sure to please him even more. It’s a new title from Roost Books, one of my absolute favorite publishers, with gorgeous design, how-to photos, and the best Chinese American fusion recipes from the famed Mei Mei Restaurant in Boston. I think we’ll celebrate his birthday tonight with Cranberry Sweet and Sour Stir-Fried Pork with Honey-Soy Glazed Roots, Carrot Chocolate Mousse for dessert, and a lovely Pinot to wash it all down. Gānbēi!

Pub Date 05 Feb 2019

Thanks to the authors, publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine. #DoubleAwesomeChineseFood #NetGalley

A beautifully composed book, full of recipes that sound absolutely amazing. A majority of the recipes seem like they are a bit out of my reach (not because of lack of specialized ingredients/equipment, more because I'm pretty lazy). This really just makes me want to venture up to Boston to visit the restaurant at the heart of this book. Definitely worth it for the cookbook enthusiasts out there.

This is a terrific look at Asian food that is healthy and simple (relatively) to prepare. The directions are clear and easy to understand and even though there's a certain amount of ingredients that may or may not be familiar to some home cooks, everything is carefully explained with gorgeous pictures that will help cooks figure it out. I can't wait to try some of these recipes!

I haven't made any of the recipes in this book yet, but they look absolutely amazing. This is a thorough tour through some truly awesome Chinese food. Plenty of substitutions for unfamiliar ingredients, making it accessible to people unfamiliar with Chinese cooking. I'm looking forward to trying out some of these recipes soon!

Double Awesome Chinese Food: Irresistible and Totally Achievable Recipes from Our Chinese-American Kitchen by Margaret Li, Irene Li, and Andrew Li is currently schedule for release on February 9 2019. This book is from three fun-loving, food-loving Chinese-American siblings--Margaret, Andrew, and Irene Li, the siblings behind Boston's acclaimed Mei Mei Restaurant and Street Kitchen--directly to your kitchen table. Their recipes take familiar dishes and add classic Chinese techniques, a fresh seasonal twist to beloved Chinese restaurant dishes, and layer of Asian ingredients into everyday family meals. Celebrate local veggies with a quick weeknight meal of Farmers Market Fried Rice or Summer Noodle Salad with Ginger Garlic Dressing. Invite all your friends over for an action-packed dumpling-making party featuring Sweet Potato, Feta, and Brown Butter Dumplings and the famous Double Awesome scallion pancake sandwich. Or go low-key and let the Five-Spice Pork Shoulder roast in your oven all day, transforming into a glorious meal for the whole family. The book offers a glimpse behind the scenes of a modern restaurant family, including start-up stories alongside go-to sauces to amp up any meal, and even vegetable-centric desserts. Packed with pro cooking tips, sustainable sourcing advice, and over 100 delicious recipes, Double Awesome Chinese Food will bring fascinating new flavors and crave-worthy dishes to your home kitchen.

Double Awesome Chinese Food starts with an introduction to the siblings that work, cook, and write together. I enjoyed reading about their family, philosophies, and how they got where they are. I also enjoy that they work so hard to be good to the environment and local food system, using local and sustainable ingredients. Including the use of quality and sustainable ingredients in their instructions to readers continues that trend. More experienced cooks might be tempted to skip the tips and tricks that are offered in the beginning of the book, but I highly recommend slowing down to read them. Some might seem obvious, like having a good knife and cutting board, but some others were so smart and simple I could not believe I was not already doing them. I found the information on finding the best ingredients useful as well, since have not been staples in my home and I want to make good choices when adding new things to the mix.

Now the important part, the recipes. I like that each section includes the story behind the dishes, and some options for changing things up a bit, as well as how to create the dish or sauce. The ingredient lists and instructions are easy to understand and leave readers hungry and willing to give it a try themselves. I have to admit to wanting to both run to the grocery store and get going in the kitchen as soon as I read each chapter, but had to hold myself back since I have to ease the picky eaters in my house into new flavors and trying new things. I do plan on spending my next free day mixing up some of the basic sauces, and trying out a few recipes. There are some dumplings, fritters, and noodle based dishes that are the most likely (hopefully) to go over well with my family that I plan on trying. There are some great recipes that will just be for me, that I will gladly take to work with me and enjoy. I also liked the additional resources at the end of the book to help readers find what they need to achieve the best results. Readers that are looking to expand their cooking knowledge and skill set to include Chinese-n American cuisine will find what they are looking for here.

Double Awesome Chinese Food is a well written and enjoyable cookbook to explore. I love Chinese-American food but have often felt too intimidated to give it a go. Even though I am no longer the primary cook in the house thanks to my work schedule, I fully plan on trying out a recipe (or two) for my next day off or inspired weekend of cooking.

What a fresh take on Chinese food!
I mean we had given the Beef and Broccoli recipe a try and it was hands down a fresh take on this entree. We have our share of favorite restaurants and this dish was Different, in a good way. I love learning new techniques and twists for this dish. Instead of a simple stir fry—they offered a new way to cook the broccoli in the oven. To top it off—a squeeze of lemon and optional garlic panko crumbs. I highly recommend the garlic panko crumbs and the squeeze of lemon as it just brings All the flavors together. I’m an Asian and this was a meal that I thought I knew all the tricks to—-this book I feel will be full of delectable surprises.

I love the family connections and stories interweaving through the pages. It makes this more than just a book full of recipes. There is a story, a memory, something personal that makes this cook book interesting. It stirs me to want to make memories that centers around the dinner table.

Double Awesome Chinese food does not disappoint in its illustrations. It not only has pictures of the final dish, but especially in the Dumplings section they have pictures that helps navigate some of the steps.

What I really appreciate in this book is the way they simplify the sauces that go into the different recipes. It is not simply a sauce that you purchase at the store, but for most of the sauces they provide a recipe that makes the recipe that much more authentic and not out of reach because I have to make a run to the grocery store for a bottle of 'sauce'.

I highly enjoyed this book and would make more family meals without reservations.

Thank you Roost Books for a copy of Double Awesome Chinese Food for review. Publishing February 5, 2019 this cook book is a must for anyone wanting to cook authentic Chinese food at home.

I will admit that I was intimidated by some of these recipes as I was flipping through deciding what to try. Some of the ingredients were not ones I knew where to find and some of the techniques were new to me. But the instructions were very easy to follow and they do go into what to substitute if you have to and what to make a special effort to obtain from specialty stores.

I ended up trying a couple of recipes and both were unique but very very good. I would definitely recommend this book if you want to step out of your comfort zone a little and try a different cuisine at home!

This book was phenomenal. A great story coupled with delicious looking recipes, impressive instructions to lead the way, and wonderful photography. Will definitely become one of my most recommended cookbooks.

Gorgeous photos showcase the beautiful food, and also give a sense of how this cookbook presents Chinese food that is different from the run-of-the-mill local Chinese joint. The authors, from the Mei Mei restaurant and food truck owners, discuss and encourage sustainable ingredients, so this will appeal to those who bring a social consciousness to their cooking. The ingredients are nearly all readily available, and there are recipes for sauces which might be harder to find. The gorgeous photos indicate presentations that are more "Western" in appearance. For instance, the beef with broccoli is a whole flank steak sliced in the center of a platter and surrounded with broccoli. The photos make this as much a coffee table book as a cookbook.

Double thumbs up for the Li siblings' Double Awesome Chinese Food! Full of flavor and soul, this cookbook would be a superb addition to any cooks arsenal.

Creative ideas and spins on different classics. Was Anu interesting read however many recipes were more for weekends as seem time consuming.

A perfectly balanced blending of Chinese and American cuisine comes loving made by the Li siblings. Beautifully photographed shots of food and family make you long to get home and cook with your loved one. The recipes are mouthwatering and will make your stomach rumble. If I ever make it to Boston I will be visiting the Li's restaurant and food trucks. I especially want to try a Double Awesome and any of the noodle dishes.

The cookbook itself is a must have for anyone wanting to try making Chinese cuisine at home for their family. Easy to follow instructions and ingredients that are easy to acquire make this book very accessible for the home cook.

The photos! What a beautiful book. These are recipes and well-told tales of three siblings who came together, pooling their individual strengths, to create a growing business that centers around their love of food and family. Though they push the healthy-growth and get a little holier-than-thou, I agree with their viewpoint so it wasn't offensive; it is not, however, feasible for many people in a lower income bracket or living in a less agricultural and eco-minded area. I really enjoyed this book. I will never, never, never try a single one of those recipes, though. In fact, any number of them I wouldn't even order off of the menu. Recommended for people who just enjoy reading cookbooks, not for anyone looking for new recipes to try.

What makes this cookbook “double awesome” is its international flavors that combine classic Chinese cuisine with a more eclectic word wide approach. This cookbook has me inspired and craving new gastronomical experiences with a solid framework to adventure out from.

Great Chinese cookbook, lots of recipes, good variety! Some dishes I have made before but plenty to keep me interested.

This cookbook was filled to the brim with delicious recipes, and some stunning photos! My mouth was watering, and I have been craving Chinese food ever since. I have always felt that cooking some good homemade Chinese food would always been too much work, but this book has changed my mind. With simple enough instructions, and easy to access ingredients, I really feel like I'll be able to tackle a few of these recipes without too much hassle. I would definitely recommend this to my more experienced chef friends, but also to my girlfriends who are novice in the kitchen, like myself.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I truly appreciate it!