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.
Today, we’re making Vegan Ants Climbing a Tree—a vegan and vegetarian version of a beloved Chinese dish! Traditional Ants Climbing a Tree (蚂蚁上树 – mǎyǐ shàng shù) consists of glass noodles in a tasty, spicy sauce with bits of ground pork and scallions. The long strands of noodle represent the “tree,” while the bits of
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We rarely share restaurant experiences, but felt the need to share this one as a travel post. Because this restaurant? It’s a destination! Today, we’re sharing our recent experience dining at The Lost Kitchen, Erin French’s restaurant tucked away in the woods of Freedom, Maine. It was a 12-course tasting experience that lasted about 5
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This homemade english muffin recipe will blow any store-bought English muffin out of the water, guaranteed. I started making English muffins at home when we were living in Beijing, and I couldn’t buy them locally. And you know what? Now that we’re all back in the U.S.A, and once again have the luxury of buying
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This simple tomato potato soup is a summer staple, with just 5 ingredients (plus water). It’s a light snack or side dish that replenishes your body with fluids and salt on those sweat-inducing hot days! A Simple Childhood Soup from Shanghai In our cookbook, I shared stories of my childhood encounters with food while living
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Today, let’s talk about one of my favorite ingredients: Thai Basil. We’ll learn how to grow Thai basil in your garden, different varieties, and the many recipes we love using it in! Since Thai basil doesn’t take up much space, you can grow it easily in containers as well as in the ground, making it
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This quinoa rice mix is a great way to get the enjoyment of eating steamed white rice with your stir-fries and other dishes—but with the high-protein and fiber rich addition of quinoa! We do a 50/50 mix here. However, you can up the amount of quinoa for more fiber, protein, and nutrients, or ease into
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This home style tofu recipe is as delicious as it is comforting. With a small amount of ground pork, some aromatics, and a light sauce, it’s perfect over rice and so easy to make. Note: This recipe was originally published on December 26, 2015. We have since updated it with clearer photos, metric measurements, and
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Learn how to make Thai Iced Tea to go with your favorite spicy Thai dishes, or just as a delicious, cooling beverage to make in the warmer months! We have two versions: the Thai Tea Mix version that tastes exactly like what you get at a Thai restaurant, and an all-natural version (that doesn’t include
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This snap pea salad is easy, delicious, and refreshing. I made good use of our Asian pantry with go-to’s like sesame seeds, sesame oil, rice vinegar, coriander seeds, and a couple cloves of garlic for good measure, but this snap pea salad is versatile enough to serve with anything! A Spring/Summer Recipe for Sugar Snap
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This Hunan Chicken recipe references traditional Hunan flavors, including black bean, chilies, ginger, and garlic. Make it with chicken breast or thighs! This Hunan Chicken is *Not* a Chinese American Recipe… Like many Chinese recipes that have made the jump from China to America, the question, “What is it?” will vary, depending on who you
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Sesame beef is a Chinese dish made of fried crispy beef, tossed in a lightly sweet sauce with balanced acidity, toasted sesame oil, and sesame seeds. No wonder it’s a household hit! While it’s not as well-known as the iconic Chinese American sesame chicken—it has all the makings of a regular rotation recipe. Fried and
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A hearty meal of braised ground pork, potato, and Chinese flavors is our unique take on “meat and potatoes”! This easy and simple formula is one I turn to again and again when I want to exert minimal effort on dinner, but I am craving that long-braised taste. The best part is, I think it’s
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Welcome to the first 2023 post of our How to Grow Chinese Vegetables Series, which is now in its second season! Today, we’re talking about how to grow garlic, which is a key ingredient in Chinese cooking (albeit not exclusively so). We’ve found garlic to be pretty expensive at the grocery store these days. If
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Cool temperatures, sunny days, and crisp, colorful leaves? It’s time to make a break from Tri-state existence to VACATIONLAND: aka Maine! In this post, I’ll share our guide for what to do in Maine: what to see, what to eat, and some tips along the way! Planning your Trip to Maine – Updated June 26, 2023
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Now that we’ve officially moved from spring into summer, we’re recapping our spring season at The Woks of Life working mini farm—which is what we’ve decided to call this alpaca/chicken/duck/vegetable/fruit/honeybee endeavor. My dad came up with the term, which seems to encapsulate all that it is: There have been many developments since last spring, including
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It’s easy to create umami (the savory fifth taste) when you’re cooking with meat or seafood. But what about with vegan and vegetarian umami ingredients? In this post, we’ll talk about some key plant-based sources of umami that we use in vegan and vegetarian Chinese dishes every day. What Is Umami? If we have four
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We’ve been making this simple stir-fry of rice cakes and napa cabbage (白菜肉丝年糕) for years, so we couldn’t believe that it still hadn’t made its way onto the blog or our cookbook! It’s a straightforward and simple one-pan dish, and a great recipe to feed a crowd. Serve it for a satisfying lunch, a lighter
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This quick takeout-style Chinese chicken curry is so easy to make, with just 9 staple ingredients and 15 minutes in the kitchen. But that small investment in time yields big rewards—an incredibly flavorful stir-fry with lots of tasty Chinese curry sauce to serve with your rice! It’s a satisfying restaurant-quality meal. Note: We originally published
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