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.
One of the quintessential ingredients in Five Spice Powder, star anise (bājiǎo, 八角) is a unique spice with a variety of uses in Chinese cuisine. What Is Star Anise? How Does It Taste? Harvested from a small evergreen tree that grows mostly in southern China and Southeast Asia, star anise is a fruit with six
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When it comes to cinnamon, there remains some confusion about the different types (there are several) and their culinary applications. In this article, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about cooking with Chinese cinnamon. What is Chinese Cinnamon? When people talk about cinnamon, they are referring to a spice made by harvesting, drying,
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Hokkien Mee is a stir-fried noodle dish popular throughout Southeast Asia. With origins in China’s Fujian province, it may also be referred to as Hokkien Char Mee or Hokkien Fried Noodles. While there are several variations, this recipe is based on the Malaysian version you can find in Kuala Lumpur, with a sweet dark soy
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This Northern Chinese Sour Cabbage Stew with pork belly and glass noodles, or suāncài dùn fěntiáo (酸菜炖粉条) has become a new favorite in our house. If you’re a fan of pickled flavors, you have to try this recipe! A Northern Chinese Cold Weather Classic The mere mention of sour cabbage stew with glass noodles (酸菜炖粉条,
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Baked char siu bao (also sometimes spelled cha siu bao), or Chinese BBQ Pork Buns, consist of soft milk bread and a savory filling of Chinese BBQ Pork. They’re a favorite among kids and adults alike, and also happen to be one Chinese bakery bun that we really prefer homemade! Note: This recipe was originally
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Kangkung belacan, a Malaysian and Indonesian dish of stir-fried water spinach with fermented shrimp paste (belacan), is one of our favorite leafy green recipes. You can find it in much of Southeast Asia, but the first time we had it was at a Malaysian restaurant here in NJ. It was packed full of aromatic umami
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This bacon scallion milk bread is reminiscent of the bacon scallion buns you can find at Chinese bakeries. We’ve made it in the style of a pull-apart bread, which makes it great for sharing and fun to make with kids! A Variation On Our Famous Milk Bread Our easy all-in-one milk bread recipe has become
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Belacan sauce is a Malaysian-style sambal with dried shrimp, fresh and dried chili, and belacan, a fermented shrimp paste. With strong notes of garlic and shallots, this Malaysian-Chinese condiment is as addictive as some of our best sauces: chili oil, XO sauce, and ginger scallion oil. It may just join the ranks of your must-have
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Korean fried chicken comes in many different forms, and though I’ve enjoyed it many times, I’ve never tried to make it at home—until now. When it comes to eating out, my favorite Korean fried chicken comes from a South Korean international chain—Bonchon Chicken, a restaurant with over 100 stores in North America and more across
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We’ve all eaten fried rice more times than we can count. Certainly enough times to know that a good fried rice can be hard to come by, and even harder to make at home without the right technique. I hope this basic Golden Fried Rice recipe can demystify the process, and perhaps ease some lingering
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Chinese water spinach, known in our family as “hollow vegetable,” is one of our favorite Asian leafy greens. We love ordering it at restaurants as well as making it at home. In this article, we’ll talk about what this vegetable is, different types, and how to prepare it! What is Water Spinach? Water spinach is
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We worked with Lee Kum Kee to develop this Hot Pot at Home post. Enjoy! When fall and winter roll around, one big treat tends to pop into our minds—Chinese hot pot. It’s a warm, comforting, and social meal to have with a close-knit group of family or friends. Plus, because all the food gets
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Chinese stir-fried rice cakes with pork and leafy greens is known in Chinese as “chǎo niángāo” (炒年糕). It’s a popular dish that is also distinctively “Shanghai” to me, as my Shanghainese mom and grandmother would make it often for a quick lunch when we were growing up. Our entire family enjoys the delicious chewiness of
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With Thanksgiving just two weeks away, we’re rounding up ALL of our family’s favorite Thanksgiving recipes on the blog. Though we’re hosting much smaller gatherings this year, we think it’s important to still enjoy some classic Thanksgiving eats. We have a recipe for a full Thanksgiving dinner with gravy and stovetop stuffing using a turkey
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You’ve probably heard of Chinese Five Spice Powder (wǔxiāng fěn, 五香粉), which has been used in Chinese cooking for centuries. Though it is widely known, its origins are still a bit mysterious. Five Spice Powder seems to have roots in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It was believed that the mixture would foster internal harmony by
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Deep Fried Sesame Balls and me go a long way back—to when I was a little kid. We bought them in Chinatown bakeries, and snatched them fresh off of dim sum carts, where they were neatly cut in half for convenient sharing. They are made with a sticky rice flour dough, filled with a sweet
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Coconut buns, or “cocktail buns” are a beloved bakery favorite among locals in Hong Kong and Chinatowns everywhere. It combines the soft, buttery milk bread ubiquitous around Asia, with a sweet, rich coconut filling. Often, the filling ends up baked in a big hunk in the center of the bun. When I eat one, I
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I remember making Moo Shu Chicken at my first job at a Holiday Inn in upstate New York, and again in my parents’ Chinese restaurant in New Jersey. We made it the same way at both places. When we made this moo shu chicken again the other day (again, the same way)—this time documenting it
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