The Julia Child of Chinese cooking (San Francisco Chronicle), Barbara Tropp was a gifted teacher and the chef/owner of one of San Francisco's most popular restaurants. She was also the inventor of Chinese bistro, a marriage of home-style Chinese tastes and techniques with Western ingredients and inspiration, an innovative cuisine that stuffs a wonton with crab and corn and flavors it with green chili sauce, that stir-fries chicken with black beans and basil, that tosses white rice into a salad with ginger-balsamic dressing. Casual yet impeccable, and as balanced as yin and yang, these 275 recipes burst with unexpected flavors and combinations: Prawn Sandpot Casserole with Red Curry and Baby Corn; Spicy Tangerine Beef with Glass Noodles; Pizzetta with Chinese Eggplant, Wild Mushrooms, and Coriander Pesto; Chili-Orange Cold Noodles; Sweet Carrot Soup with Toasted Almonds; Wok-Seared New Potatoes; Crystallized Lemon Tart; and Fresh Ginger Ice Cream. Winner of an IACP/Julia Child Cookbook Award.;FIRST THOUGHTS THE CHINA MOON PANTRY: The better-than-store-bought basics that make China Moon food distinctive -- NUTS, PICKLES AND PRELIMINARY NIBBLES: Dishes of color and dash that stave off hunger and enliven main courses -- STOCKS AND SOUPS: The secrets behind our sauces, plus bowls of good-and-plenty, to eat with other dishes or as a whole meal -- POULTRY: Baby chickens, big chickens, duck, quail, and rabbit-for baking, smoking, steaming, deep-frying, and casseroling -- FISH AND SHELLFISH: Whole fish, fish nuggets, and shellfish from sea and river -- Hot and cold dishes to show off their flavor -- BEEF AND LAMB: Dishes from Mongolia and North China to warm you in winter -- PORK: The classic Chinese red meat, as savory as it is light -- Loins, butts, and ribs cooked to perfection -- DIM-SUM AND THEN SOME: Dumplings, buns, and other teahouse fare, along with platters of cold noodles and crispy springrolls -- RICE AND VEGETABLES: Rice, potatoes, vegetables, and salads to anchor and embellish a meal -- DESERTS: Tiny cookies of good fortune, fabulous tarts and tartlets, and inimitable ice creams -- GLOSSARY -- INDEX.