a culinary genealogy
Below, view all our posts in chronological order, starting with the most recent. To browse recipes by category, course, or collection, visit our Recipe Index. Also be sure to check out our How-To section and Chinese Ingredients Glossary.
This chicken and asparagus stir-fry recipe is a healthy dish that’s easy and fast to put together. Asparagus is in season right now, so it’s the perfect time to try this recipe out! A Simple Stir-fry Formula You’ll see that this recipe follows the same formula we use in most of our easy stir-fries: Velvet
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This dish of Seitan Puffs with Pea Tips was a happy accident I created when rooting around for ingredients in the fridge to make a meatless dish for myself. While we still indulge in meat, I’m slowly seeing myself go vegetarian on many nights of the week, for both health and environmental reasons! Who would
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So you have to debone chicken thighs. In this post, we’ll show you how to do it with step-by-step instructions (with photos) and a video! Use Cases for Deboning Chicken Thighs The biggest use case for this is when we want chicken thighs that are boneless, but still have the skin on, like in our
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Welcome to our Homemade Artisan Sourdough Bread recipe, and my journey from hapless home bread baker to getting consistently professional results! Mastering the art of baking breads has been on my list of things to do for a very long time. While I dabbled in no-knead bread, crusty dinner rolls, and Portuguese rolls, I’d only
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As many people seemed to agree, 2020 was the time to get a sourdough starter going and master the art of baking artisan sourdough bread! I will humbly say that to my surprise, after a year of research, testing, and experimentation, I succeeded in getting consistent artisanal results at home. Now, I’m ready to share
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Pao fan is a trick we’ve relied on many times over the years to get a fast meal on the table in minutes. You just gather up a few salty side dishes and some cold leftovers out of the fridge, and you’re ready to enjoy an effortless breakfast, lunch, or dinner! Also, nothing goes to
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As soon as I spotted this package of preserved radish, known as luóbo gān (萝卜干) at the Chinese grocery, I knew I had to blog this Stir-Fried Eggs with Preserved Radish recipe. This is one of those dishes that—if your family is Hakka—can transport you back to your childhood. An Egg Dish for Anytime of
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This ube bun recipe uses our signature milk bread, with an ube halaya-like filling that is light and coconutty, thanks to the addition of coconut oil instead of milk and extra butter. They’re our new favorite way to prepare milk bread! What is ube? Ube is a purple yam that hails from Asia. Biting into
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Sauteed Chinese Broccoli is a mainstay in our kitchen. It goes with just about everything as a side dish! To cook it, we use a Cantonese method perfected over the years from watching my parents cook at home and in the family Chinese restaurant. This version uses clear rice wine, plenty of ginger and garlic,
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We have another instant ramen upgrade for you! This time, it’s Soy Garlic Chicken Instant Ramen. Rather than a soup, it’s a dish in sauce, with crispy pan-fried chicken, inspired by our own Korean Fried Chicken recipe. We partnered with Maruchan to bring you this recipe. As always on The Woks of Life, all opinions
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This Chinese Braised Chicken with Mushrooms is a simple, home-cooked recipe, using just a few ingredients. Serve with rice and leafy greens for a quick and simple dinner. Note: We first published this recipe in August 2013. We have since re-tested it, re-photographed it, and added metric measurements with clearer instructions. A Recipe Inspired by
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Saozi Mian is a noodle soup from Shaanxi province made with a variety of colorful ingredients. The soup itself is spicy, fragrant, and slightly sour. The many textures make it uniquely satisfying, and it’s a balanced meal all in one bowl, with pork, mushrooms, potato, carrots, and bright green chives and scallions. What is Shaanxi-style
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If you love Hong Shao Rou (Red Braised Pork Belly) and Lu Rou Fan (Braised Pork over Rice), you will love Rou Zao Fan (肉燥饭), or Taiwanese Braised Minced Pork Over Rice, even more. It has the same great flavors, but uses ground pork instead of pork belly. Not only is ground pork more readily
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This spicy garlic tofu is quick and easy to throw together, taking just 10 minutes to cook. It’s and really tasty over rice, with a side of stir-fried greens. It’s sort of a variation on mapo tofu, a popular Sichuan dish. Garlic is the star in this version, however, and it’s also on the milder
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Chili Oil with Black Beans is exactly what it sounds like. Our tried and true technique for perfect Chili Oil + lots of tasty, salty fermented black beans. Recreating a Much-loved Classic If you love our homemade Chili Oil, you’ll love this Chili Oil with Black Beans. It’s an approximation of Lao Gan Ma (fondly
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This Simple Pan-Fried Belt Fish has endured from generation to generation because of its simple flavors, crispiness, and buttery texture. My grandmother and mother prepared it for me, and I’ve prepared it many times over the years for Bill, Sarah, and Kaitlin. What is Belt Fish? Belt fish, also called cutlass fish, or ribbon fish,
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Sizzling rice soup is an old Chinese American classic that has been all but forgotten. Made with a medley of seafood, tasty meats, and fresh vegetables in a light broth, it’s finished with hot crispy rice for an impressive sizzle right at the table. It’s a dinner in itself or a fantastic soup to start
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Visit just about any pizza parlor or casual Italian eatery in the United States. You’ll find a jar of crushed red pepper flakes on the table alongside the salt and pepper. This “pizza pepper” may come to mind when you hear the phrase “red chili flakes” or “crushed red pepper.” But the Sichuan chili flakes in
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