I am a huge fan of Fuchsia Dunlop's, and if you aren't already, you will be once you've read this book. For a start, you can stop being frightened of cooking Chinese food, and it's a real excitement being able to create these authentic, deeply pleasurable flavours in your own kitchen. Take the plunge! I've chosen a recipe for Braised Chicken with Chestnuts, which seemed to me to be a great place to start.
Extract taken from Every Grain of Rice by Fuchsia Dunlop, published by Bloomsbury, £25, hardback. For more recipes from this book please visit http://www.cooked.com
Photography: Chris Terry