You found us! We are a family of four (Bill & Judy, and daughters Sarah & Kaitlin), and The Woks of Life is our way of sharing our recipes & travels with each other and the world.
What began in 2013 as a quest to document our family’s history through food has become a robust online community. Since then, our blog has been recognized as the online authority on Chinese cooking in English!
Whether you’re:
- A food lover interested in going beyond Cream Cheese Wontons and Sesame Chicken…
- A college student with a drawer full of wrinkled take-out menus and only rudimentary knowledge of how to boil an egg…
- Or just someone looking to make weeknight dinners a little more interesting…
You’ve come to the right place!
Allow us to quickly introduce ourselves:
- Judy (the family matriarch) regularly scours Chinese cookbooks for new ideas and wants to keep traditional recipes alive for new generations of home cooks.
- Bill (the patriarch) grew up working and cooking in restaurants, including years of experience at his own parents’ Chinese takeout joint, which is why you can be sure our American Chinese takeout recipes are legit!
- Sarah and Kaitlin are millennials who grew up cooking from a young age, learning from grandparents, their very cool parents, and of course, food TV.
Judy
Bill
Sarah
Kaitlin
The fact that we all cook can admittedly lead to the odd kitchen squabble. But we bond over and overanalyze our food, think about what to make for dinner before lunch is over, and are relentless about perfecting our favorite dishes.
The Beginnings of The Woks of Life
The Woks of Life was born in 2013, when half of our group (the parental half) relocated to Beijing. Kaitlin was in college stateside, and Sarah began moving between both China and the U.S. whilst figuring out the meaning of post-college life.
Between all the plane rides and intermittent Skype conversations, it became difficult to stay up-to-date on all our day-to-day comings and goings, let alone what we were each preparing for dinner.
We also realized that the kid-parent separation led to said kids eating a lot less of the Chinese food normally served up by said parents.
Because let’s face it…though the two daughters of this family could make restaurant-quality thin crust pizza like nobody’s business, they hadn’t exactly been studying up on dishes usually left to the older generation.
Our solution? This website and blog, where we could share recipes, kitchen exploits, and travels.
We’ve kept it going ever since, even now that we’re all back in the U.S. Our recipes represent our own culinary genealogy, from the simple to complex, the traditional to the reinvented.
So take a look around. Pour a beverage and find tonight’s meal. Pick up some travel tips, wok shopping advice, or an explanation of what the heck Chinese black vinegar is.
(It’s the nectar of the gods, is what it is.)
Happy Wokking!
Want to know more? Check out our bios here:
The Woks of Life Family Bios
Bill: Dad/Husband
Grew up in upstate New York, working through high school and college in restaurants with his father, a chef. Rose from modest beginnings as a Burger King sandwich assembler to Holiday Inn busboy and line cook, to cooking at the family’s Chinese restaurant, while also learning the finer points of Cantonese cooking from his immigrant parents. Specializes in all things Cantonese and American Chinese takeout.
Judy: Mom/Wife
Born in Shanghai, and arrived in the U.S. at age 16. Pretty much a boss when it comes to languages, being fluent in both English and three separate Chinese dialects. And boy, can she fold a spring roll (the rest of ours tend to just fall apart. It’s sad). Plus, she’s the only one in the family who’s actually good at reading Chinese, so she’s our professional menu-translator when we’re eating our way through China.
Sarah: Daughter/Older Sister
Born and raised in the Garden State, growing up on episodes of Ready Set Cook and Iron Chef. Writer, photographer, marketing professional, and daydreamer, with a penchant for Quick and Easy recipes that take less than 20 minutes to make. Like the rest of the family, she loves the outdoors and writing delightfully detailed posts about the Art of Cooking Outside.
Kaitlin: Daughter/Younger Sister
Notoriously unable to follow a recipe (usually preferring to freestyle it), Kaitlin’s the family artist, chunky-sweater-obsessed knitter, and keeper of an unreasonably detailed knowledge bank of Korean pop music. The master of all things sauces and condiments on the blog (her chili oil is legendary) and steward of our drool-worthy Instagram account.
STILL Wondering What We’re about?
Check out this “Behind the Blog” feature we made with Food Network!
Cookbook
Oh yeah, we also wrote a cookbook! It’s coming out November 1, 2022, is filled with personal stories and full color photos (one for almost every recipe), and includes 80 brand new recipes, in addition to 20 tried and true blog favorites!
Pre-order now to make sure you get a copy on or around pub day, and to avoid any potential supply chain snafus!
How to PRE-ORDER:
If you’re in the U.S., pre-order from any of the retailers below!
If you live outside of the U.S., pre-order at the Book Depository (link below), which ships for free worldwide, or check Amazon in your home country!
Photo credits: Sarah Yeoman
Hi- for your new book, is it possible to see a preview of the recipes so I can see how recipes are formatted and some sample recipe that will be in the book?
Thanks
Hi Yang, we will release some spreads before the book comes out, but it will be closer to publication, in accordance with guidance from the publisher!
I just found you guys I love to cook and I have a friend that asks me to make Chinese food all the time I do go to a few websites for recipes but the more the merrier looking forward to making some of your recipes When we go to Ogdensburg NY we have Chinese food every time.
So happy you found us Bonny! Happy cooking! :)
I lived in Guangzhou for three years and traveled in China and I soooo miss the food! I cannot understand why real Chinese cuisine cannot be found outside of Chinese enclaves I larger cities in the US. If people only knew how bad the typical American takeout food is compared to real Chinese food! I am going to try your recipes because they include some of my favorite popular dishes that I miss so much. Thank you for providing a conduit to some of the best eating on the planet!
Hope you enjoy the recipes, Tom!
Thank you for sharing your love of food and tradition. I watched you on Andrew Z’s ‘Family Dinner’ tonight. Your dishes all look delicious, and your love for one another and your culture is beautiful. You inspired me to think of my own rituals, stories and family traditions. First with a bit of sadness, for those lost. Then with as smile, for what could be reignited, and what new rituals are yet to be! Keep doing what you love!
Thank you so much for this comment, Andrew. We hope you go forth and nurture those memories and craft new ones! :) So glad you caught the episode and welcome to our family blog!
I love your site and your recipes. I’ve tried quite a few and they are all delicious. Thank you so much!!
You’re very welcome, Fay! Thank you for your kind words!
Just wanted to take a moment to thank you all for doing what you’re doing. This is much appreciated, please keep it up!
Thank you so much Peter!
My dad also worked at singers in the 1960s and 70s and would bring home the roast pork sandwich and other great Chinese food. I wonder if our fathers worked together. Dad was the deli guy in front. I’ve been looking to recreate those tastes from my childhood for years.
Hi Vanessa, I bet they did work together! It’s such a small world :)
Have been married to amazing Malaysian Chinese man for over 40 years! Going to surprise him with your recipes!
Hope he enjoys them Ros, and happy cooking!
You guys rock ! What a beautiful family you are!
I love Asian food and eating healthy is a huge must! Do you have any recipes for chocolate spring rolls and fried ice cream? Thank you for your amazing inspiration!
Hi Mineska! We don’t have those particular dessert recipes, but we’ll do some research and maybe come out with a recipe some day!
I am so glad I found you! Next year I will be mother to an American born Chinese girl who will marry my American son. I am learning so much about the difference in our cultures while embracing as much as I can. We have had two Chinese Thanksgivings and I do not think we will ever go back to the American style. I love Bill’s breakdown of seasonings, sauces, vegetables, et al. I am headed to H-Mart today to stock the pantry. I wish I had a gas stove for my wok. I am seriously thinking about getting a gas burner and a heavy duty wok. Thank you all very much for educating us!
You’re very welcome, Berenice! So glad our blog can be a helpful bridge across cultures and that you’re enjoying the recipes and info. :)
That’s a great idea I never thought of! I have found it absolutely impossible to use a wok on the electric stove in my current apartment, so I haven’t been doing any Chinese cooking since the first abortive try. It just never gets hot enough.