All Posts
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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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Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce (Gai Lan)
Updated:View Post: Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce (Gai Lan)This Chinese Broccoli with oyster sauce is an easy, ubiquitous vegetable side dish. You’ll find it at restaurants as well as on Chinese home dinner tables. If you’ve ever been to a dim sum place, this is often the only…
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The Woks of Life Home & Garden: Not pretty.
Updated:View Post: The Woks of Life Home & Garden: Not pretty.So a few weeks ago, we weeded all the walkways so that they looked pristine. Just like this: So of course, I was told to keep it that way. To make sure things don’t get out of hand, you know? And…
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Cold Tofu Salad
Updated:View Post: Cold Tofu SaladHere’s the next dish in our “Cooking with Grandma” series: Cold Tofu Salad. In a Chinese meal, you’ll often start with cold dishes. These often consist of cold veggies, tofu, or meat dressed with light sauces and dressings. They’re especially…
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Seared Asian Salmon with Caramelized Onions and Lemon-Cilantro Edamame Puree
Updated:View Post: Seared Asian Salmon with Caramelized Onions and Lemon-Cilantro Edamame PureeSo I made this last weekend for lunch, because I was feelin’ fancy, and I wanted something a little different from the lazy salads I’ve taken to eating for the past few days. I had some salmon and edamame in…
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Finding Beijing’s Best Dinner Deals
Updated:View Post: Finding Beijing’s Best Dinner DealsI am so excited with my recent discovery of 团购 (“tuangou”), which means “group buying.” It’s a Chinese version of Groupon, available in all of China’s big cities, plus some other popular vacation destinations in Asia. It works the same way as…
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Cooking With Grandma
Updated:View Post: Cooking With GrandmaEvery so often, my grandparents will come to the house to visit (i.e. check up on me), because my grandmother wants to make sure that I’m not slowly going crazy living solo (she also calls me daily…you know, just to…
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Blueberry Yogurt Scones
Updated:View Post: Blueberry Yogurt SconesMama had a hankering for some baked yummies so I checked out what we had in the fridge and found some dried blueberries. Inspired by the Summer Berry Pie, I whipped up a quick batch of blueberry yogurt scones. Check…
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ZHOUZHUANG: THE VENICE OF THE EAST
Updated:View Post: ZHOUZHUANG: THE VENICE OF THE EASTZhouzhuang is a town in Jiangsu Province that lies between Shanghai and Suzhou. This ancient town has more than 900 years of history, with many houses built in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The place has been called “The Venice of…
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Chicken and Thai Basil Stir-Fry in 15 Minutes
Updated:View Post: Chicken and Thai Basil Stir-Fry in 15 MinutesWhen dropping off Kaitlin back in Philly after the 4th of July Weekend a couple weeks ago, I decided to stay and hang out for a few days. Even Jakie came along: We whipped up a few dinners in her…
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Beijing Impressions
Updated:View Post: Beijing ImpressionsFound this picture from last spring break. Rockin’ the face mask because we were actually walking through a sand storm. (Hence the wild hair and slightly manic glint in my eye.) What better time to pause for a selfie and…
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Tropical Fruit: How Do You Eat These Things?
Updated:View Post: Tropical Fruit: How Do You Eat These Things?I’d never had a mangosteen until I came to China. I had no idea what it was, what it tasted like, or how to even eat it. Last year, during my first summer in Beijing, one of my colleagues at work…
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Easy Scallion and Ginger Shrimp Stir Fry
Updated:View Post: Easy Scallion and Ginger Shrimp Stir FryThis scallion and ginger shrimp dish is one of our favorite ways to prepare shrimp, and seafood in general. The combination of scallion and ginger in a hot wok really can’t be beat. Make sure your heat is pretty high for…
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Confessions of a 22-Year-Old Suburban Domestic (i.e. What the HECK Am I Doing in the Suburbs?!)
Updated:View Post: Confessions of a 22-Year-Old Suburban Domestic (i.e. What the HECK Am I Doing in the Suburbs?!)Hi all. So you may have heard from our About page, not to mention that little blurbidy-blurb down there at the bottom of this here page that I recently graduated from college and now find myself in a…confused sort of…
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Gambling On Rocks?
Updated:View Post: Gambling On Rocks?Chinese people love rocks. It’s also a well-known fact that Chinese people love gambling. (I hate losing so I don’t really gamble; my limit is maybe $20 at the slot machine and it’s never lasted more than 10 minutes.) If…
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Chinese Lesson: Drinking Tea
Updated:View Post: Chinese Lesson: Drinking TeaSo previously, we discussed how to use Chinese to reference beverages of an…alcoholic nature. Well if that’s not your thing, then we’ve got the next best one, at least in China. Tea. Natch. 喝茶 Pinyin (i.e. the transcription of…
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Summer Berry Pie
Updated:View Post: Summer Berry PieThis past 4th of July weekend, blueberries were on sale at 6 pints for about $7. Which can only mean one thing: pie. It’s one of the best things about summer. In the fall, you’ve got apple, pumpkin, sweet potato,…
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Stir Fried Fava Beans with Szechuan Peppercorns
Updated:View Post: Stir Fried Fava Beans with Szechuan PeppercornsIf you like fava beans (and not everyone in this family does… *i.e. Sarah*), then you will probably very much enjoy this Stir Fried Fava Beans dish. Fresh fava beans will cook faster than ones that have been frozen, so…
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From NJ To Finland To Beijing
Updated:View Post: From NJ To Finland To BeijingAfter a week at home in the States, I had the unique opportunity to visit Finland on business during the week of the summer solstice. The Finns value their summers, and I can see why, especially after living in Beijing for…

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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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