Tired of burnt rice? Mushy rice? Undercooked rice? Cooking rice seems simple enough, but a lot can go wrong! That may sound like the prelude to an infomercial, but it’s true! While Sarah’s already published her method for cooking rice without a rice cooker, I’ll teach you what I think is an even more foolproof […]
Cooking Methods
Our Cooking Methods category is part of our How-To section. Here, we talk specifically about the cooking methods and restaurant secrets that will make you a better cook!
How to Cut Whole Pork Shoulder
Are you confused at the meat counter when you want to buy pork for a stir-fry or Chinese BBQ pork (char siu––one of our most popular recipes)? We get questions all the time about what cuts of pork are best for Chinese cooking and which cuts make sense for different dishes. My quickest answer is: […]
How to Cook Zongzi in an Instant Pot
Today, we are talking about how to cook zongzi in an Instant Pot. Cooking freshly made zongzi can take 7-8 hours on the stove. In an Instant Pot, it will take about 90 minutes (1 hour under high pressure, plus time for the pot to pressurize and release naturally). What Are Zongzi? Zongzi are Chinese […]
How to Prepare Shrimp for Chinese Cooking
In this post, I’ll share tips on how to prepare shrimp for cooking. And for Chinese cooking in particular! We’ll go over tips on selecting and purchasing shrimp, how to peel them, how to process whole shrimp (with the heads on), preparing and marinating shrimp for stir-fries, and different methods of butterflying shrimp. (Shrimp shrimp […]
How to Velvet Chicken for Stir-fry
Velveting is a critical Chinese cooking technique. Meat or seafood is marinated and pre-cooked in oil (or sometimes poached in boiling water). Then, the cook adds it to a stir-fry with other ingredients. In this post, we will teach you how to velvet chicken to yield the most tender and flavorful results for your favorite […]
How to Fold Wontons
Wontons will always have a very special place in my heart. Like dumplings, we grew up with a bag of frozen wontons always in the freezer, ready to become wonton soup (breakfast, lunch or dinner), spicy wontons (a tasty snack or appetizer), or even fried wontons (a crowd-pleasing party favorite). We’ve posted several wonton recipes […]
How to Cook Dumplings 3 Ways
Growing up, dumplings (jiǎozi, 餃子) were practically their own food group in our family. A bag of dumplings was always in the freezer, ready to become an after school snack, quick breakfast, party appetizer, or lazy weeknight dinner. In this post, we’ll talk about how to cook dumplings properly, with three methods: steaming, pan-frying, and […]
How to Cut a Whole Chicken Chinese-Style
If you’ve ever prepared a whole Chinese chicken, you’ve probably gotten to the last instruction: “Cut up your chicken into bite-sized pieces and serve.” You look at the chicken you worked hard for, and wonder how you’ll get it to the table without making a mess! We understand that for some, it can be a […]
