Land of Plenty by Fuchsia Dunlop has just come back into stock at Amazon after being unavailable for several months and costing as much as $100 on the used market. This is fantastic news and I recommend you grab a copy while you can.
Fuchsia Dunlop is an English journalist who studied Sichuan cooking at a full-time school for professional chefs in Chengdu. She has roamed the back alleys and countryside collecting authentic recipes and translating them into directions for home cooks. Many of these are from shuttered restaurants or legacy methods that are no longer practiced, so you may get a better introduction to Sichuan cooking by preparing dishes from this book than by actually visiting Sichuan province. (The exception being a food tour which Dunlop herself conducts, a couple of times a year.)
I have never been to China, sadly, but I can say the explosive seasonings and complex tastes mirror the very best dishes I’ve found at well-regarded Sichuan restaurants in the U.S. Be aware you will definitely need to expand your Asian food pantry to make these dishes. Most items should be available at a good Asian supermarket, but I would also recommend you take extra care in purchasing two key ingredients: doubanjiang sauce and Sichuan peppercorns. There is a range of quality levels and you want the best. I purchased mine from Amazon, which is where those links will take you.
Published in 2003, Land of Plenty is long on clear descriptions and well-written text but short on photos. There are several blocks of photo pages within the book but they are not up to today’s food porn standards. Get over it. Land of Plenty belongs in your cookbook collection and now that it is available again you should run, not walk, to the order button to get your copy. Check it out.
