All Posts
by date
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.
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Spicy Garlic Tofu
Updated:View Post: Spicy Garlic TofuThis 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…
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Homemade Chili Oil with Black Beans
Updated:View Post: Homemade Chili Oil with Black BeansChili 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…
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Chinese Licorice Root (甘草)
Updated:View Post: Chinese Licorice Root (甘草)For most Westerners, licorice is synonymous with candy. It brings to mind Good & Plenty and black jelly beans. But licorice root has a long history of cooking applications beyond confectionery. Licorice (sometimes spelled liquorice) has been used as an…
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Simple Pan-Fried Belt Fish
Posted:View Post: Simple Pan-Fried Belt FishThis 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,…
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Sizzling Rice Soup
Updated:View Post: Sizzling Rice SoupSizzling 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…
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Sichuan Chili Flakes
Updated:View Post: Sichuan Chili FlakesVisit 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…
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Laksa Instant Ramen
Updated:View Post: Laksa Instant RamenWe partnered with Maruchan to bring you this Laksa Instant Ramen recipe. As always on The Woks of Life, all opinions are our own. Enjoy! This Laksa Instant Ramen is our new favorite way of leveling up instant noodles—that favorite…
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You Dunzi (油墩子)
Updated:View Post: You Dunzi (油墩子)You Dunzi (油墩子) are deep-fried crispy cakes of shredded daikon radish, cilantro and scallions. These fried radish cakes are an everyday breakfast or snack from the streets of Shanghai. Having grown up in and around that city, I’ve known them…
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Our Favorite Hummus Recipe
Updated:View Post: Our Favorite Hummus RecipeI’m ashamed to say that back in 2017, we posted a deeply flawed hummus recipe. Today, we right those wrongs with Michael Solomonov’s (of Zahav fame) great hummus—plus our personal tips for success. You can still reference that old post…
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Banana Bread
Updated:View Post: Banana BreadIt figures that after the year we’ve all had, the silver lining out of the kitchen is that we’ve FINALLY discovered our family’s go-to banana bread recipe. This one is courtesy of Joanne Chang of Flour Bakery & Cafe. It…
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Chicken and Broccoli with White Sauce
Updated:View Post: Chicken and Broccoli with White SauceThis Chicken and Broccoli with white sauce is the lighter, fresher cousin to the more recognized brown sauce version. This iteration of the dish is more akin to Cantonese cuisine, with a light, fragrant sauce that still let’s the flavor…
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Tan Tan Ramen (Spicy!)
Updated:View Post: Tan Tan Ramen (Spicy!)Tan Tan Ramen is a spicy, incredibly tasty Japanese ramen noodle soup. It also happens to be based on a Chinese recipe. Yep, Japanese “tantanmen” is actually based on Chinese “Dan Dan Mian,” or Dan Dan Noodles, a spicy Sichuan…
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Tang Yuan (Sweet Rice Balls with Black Sesame Filling)
Updated:View Post: Tang Yuan (Sweet Rice Balls with Black Sesame Filling)An important and auspicious recipe to make during the Lantern Festival is Tang Yuan (汤圆), or Yuan Xiao (元宵). It’s a food that symbolizes harmony and reunion. Note: This recipe was originally published in February 2016. It has since been updated with metric…
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Dried Chili Peppers
Updated:View Post: Dried Chili PeppersOriginally brought to China from the Americas by the Spanish and Portuguese via trade routes in the 15th and 16th centuries, chili peppers are now cultivated in countless varieties across China. Suddenly, Chinese cooks had a new source of spicy…
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Cantonese Mustard Green Soup with Pork Bones
Updated:View Post: Cantonese Mustard Green Soup with Pork BonesI’m not one to exaggerate about anything. To say that I’m in awe of this Cantonese Mustard Green Pork Bone soup is not an overstatement. It’s delicate yet flavorful, and it’s also incredibly simple, with just 8 ingredients! A Recipe…
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Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan)
Posted:View Post: Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan)Chinese Broccoli (芥兰, gai lan in Cantonese or jiè lán in Mandarin) is a leafy green vegetable you can use in a diverse range of dishes. Although they come from the same plant family, it is quite different from the…
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Chinese Year of the Tiger
Updated:View Post: Chinese Year of the Tiger1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022 The Chinese Year of the Tiger is the third year of the 12 year cycle of Chinese Zodiac animals. The old Chinese story behind this was that the Jade emperor ordered a…
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23 Chinese New Year Greetings (Mandarin & Cantonese)
Updated:View Post: 23 Chinese New Year Greetings (Mandarin & Cantonese)Happy Chinese New Year everyone! It’s time to brush up on your Chinese New Year greetings. You might think that the only greeting you need is a simple and polite, “Happy New Year!” But here at The Woks of Life, we’re…
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We’re Sarah, Kaitlin, Judy, and Bill– a family of four cooks sharing our home-cooked and restaurant-style recipes.
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