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.
We call this our “everyday” vegetable stir-fry, because all too often, when we’ve got a fridge full of veggies–bits and pieces we haven’t used throughout the week, we pull out this recipe and use whatever vegetables we have on hand to make an easy side dish. Feel free to use whatever you’ve got in the
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In 2007, we went on a family vacation to Shanghai. We had been there before, but only as young kids in 1997—I was in kindergarten and my sister was in second grade. Needless to say, I only have a few strong memories from that first foray: a delightful red umbrella with little ears on top,
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They’re cute. They’re cuddly. They sneeze and over 160 million people flock to YouTube to watch it happen. They’re the most spoiled animals at every Chinese zoo. 熊猫 Pinyin (i.e. the transcription of the Chinese words into Latin script): xiong2 mao1 (the numbers indicate what tone the words are said in.) Pronunciation: “shee-ong” (say it
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When we first came to Beijing, the idea of living in a city apartment (after years of weed-whackers, dog walking, and school buses) was exciting, to say the least. Our two girls were in college, Bill had gotten a job offer there, and it seemed like a good time to make a refreshing change. As
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So here we are (Dad and Kaitlin) in Beijing last summer, perusing assorted dish ware balanced precariously on the back of a wooden bicycle wagon. Putting aside the feat of sheer luck that none of the merchandise was broken, it was time to get busy looking for much needed bowls, plates, and cups. You’ll find a lot
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This is always the go-to side dish for any meal. It’s dead easy, and you can use the same method for any dark leafy green. Snow pea leaves have an amazing flavor, so we’d highly recommend trying to get your hands on some. You’ll find it at a Chinese grocery store. But if it’s unavailable,
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Have you ever traveled and woken up in unfamiliar surroundings, experiencing that millisecond-long feeling of panic when you realize you’re not at home? That happened to me the first week I relocated to Beijing for my international job assignment. But instead of being on a business trip, the realization set in that I was here
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We use these Chinese cooking tools in our kitchen every day. That said, you don’t absolutely need any of these items to cook from our blog. But if you’re interested in broadening your base of kitchen equipment, here are some of the basic tools that we use and recommend. Not everything here is specifically in
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If you’ve seen the movie The Joy Luck Club (the dinner scene anyone?), you understand that Chinese dining etiquette can be ambiguous to some. Now, the rules aren’t quite as strict as this list would have you believe. Let us remember that slurping of soup and/or noodles is totally allowed, as is very loud talking
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Hi everyone, Some of our followers have requested we expand information on exactly how to cook our recipes and we thought it would be good to start with some basic techniques and add more to the collection as we think of them r if ya’ll request them. Generally, we include step-by-step instructions and pictures in
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Hi everyone, Kaitlin here. I’m here to introduce the Asian or Chinese grocery store, and hopefully demystify a few things if you’ve never shopped in one. Here we go: When I was younger, the power and allure of the Chinese grocery store was so strong that I thought that the forty-five minute drive from our
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Chopsticks are probably the most versatile Chinese utensil ever. It’s a fork, knife, pair of tongs, a whisk, and a steamer stand (just place them in your wok and they’ll hold your bowl above water) all rolled into one. But for some, who maybe didn’t grow up using them, they can be a bit of
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It’s a cold night in the middle of winter, and we just don’t feel like washing, chopping and dropping things into the wok. Instead, we inspect the fridge and freezer. The question, “Should we have Chinese hot pot tonight!?” is always accompanied with a wide grin because this meal is not only fun but also
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When planning a trip to China, you may very well be tempted to sign up for a local bus tour. We understand. It’s convenient. Everything is paid for and taken care of: meals, “five-star hotels,” transportation, and tickets to all the attractions. It’s safe and painless to plan, because you’ll have a guide to do
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If you’re looking to stack on more layers than you’ve ever worn at one time and STILL be cold and maybe watch a very large, well-fed Siberian tiger tear into a chicken at close range, then Harbin is for you. Well, at least the Harbin ice festival and Siberian tiger preserve are great places to
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Hello Internet, This is Sarah, the life-confused recent college graduate who’s become the driving force behind this whole blog endeavor. As you may already know from our About page, we’re a pretty close-knit family of four who haven’t been seeing too much of each other in person over the last two years. It’s kind of
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