Fuschia Dunlop has written 3 books of Chinese cuisine. All of them are excellent. However, if you cannot afford to buy all of them, buy this one! First of all, Every Grain of Rice (EGoR) has beautiful pictures of the dishes, ingredients, and equipment; nearly each recipe is followed by a photo, whereas Land of Plenty (LoP) has very, very few pictures and those pictures do not entice you to want to cook the dish. Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook (RCC) does have photos but not as many as EGoR. Second, the ingredients in EGoR are more widely available than the ingredients in LoP and RCC. While I was reading LoP, I often found myself groaning in disappointment when I came across some of my favorite dishes that required ingredients that I was still having a hard time finding even in California (sweet bean sauce, pickled mustard greens, pickled chili paste.) I had fewer reactions while reading EGoR. Third, EGoR contains some of the best dishes from both LoP and RCC, but for one of my favorite dishes, Fried Eggs and Tomatoes, the recipe in LoP is by far not as good as the one in EGoR. Fourth, the recipes here include a wider variety, not just one province, but recipes from southeastern China (Fujian, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Hangzhou) and Taiwan. I love that she includes Cantonese steamed fish, Cantonese stir friend leafy green vegetables, and oysters and scrambled eggs from Fujian.
All three of the books are wonderful, but this one is the best. I love her point of view and as someone who lived in China for many, many years, even living in Chengdu at the same time as Ms. Dunlop and eating at the same restaurants as she mentions in her book (the Bamboo Bar was indeed a great restaurant), I can relate to what she says about Chinese cuisine. I also trust her opinion and recipes.
If you can afford all three, buy them all. They are all worth it.
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