This Shanghai Home-Style Noodle Soup (上海烂糊面 – shanghai lan hu mian) is a creation of clever mothers during desperate times. This comforting noodle soup is made from simple ingredients, with slightly over-cooked noodles that expand and therefore become more filling. Hear me out! Back in the (old) days, my grandmother would make this noodle soup […]
Winter Lamb Stew with Spicy Sausage
With most of the holiday decorations back in storage for the year and what seems like daily “gale warnings” popping up in my weather notifications this past week, it looks like that time of year is fully upon us here in the Northeast: full-on winter, without the holiday cheer to distract us all from the […]
Instant Pot Pho
Nothing satisfies my deepest cold weather food cravings like a big bowl of piping hot pho. Unless you have a favorite Vietnamese spot nearby, however, it can be difficult to get your hands on a bowl. Which is why I developed and posted a full pho recipe on The Woks of Life back in 2015. […]
Boiled Daikon Radish: A Healthy, Tasty Side Dish
Today, I want to introduce you to one of my favorite winter vegetables––the brilliant daikon radish, and an extremely easy and delicious recipe that Bill loves every time I make it, boiled daikon radish. (I’ve convinced the girls as well of how delicious it is!) This boiled daikon requires no oil, no wok, and no […]
Old-Style Shanghai Bread
The lightly sweet taste and fluffy texture of this Old-Style Shanghai Bread is so similar to our famous Milk Bread that even I have trouble telling them apart. The biggest reason I would give to choose this Old-Style Shanghai Bread is that, unlike Milk Bread, it can be made without dairy (for all of our […]
Roasted Chickpeas: A Versatile Recipe for Soups, Salads, & Pastas
I think I’m late to the party that is roasted chickpeas, but I recently discovered the many wonders that the simple combination of roasted chickpeas and capers can achieve for quick, but hearty weeknight dinners. …And especially quick and hearty vegan / vegetarian weeknight dinners! Like many people, I haven’t totally foregone my love for […]
The Top 25 Favorite Recipes of 2018
After 5 years of cooking, testing soy sauce ratios, re-seasoning, adjusting beef cooking times and cuts, arguing over chopstick placement, and figuring out that under no circumstances can we ever post a sesame ball recipe (let’s just say that everyone should leave that one to the professionals), we’re taking a formal look back at 2018 […]
Suan Ni Bai Rou (Sliced Pork with Garlic Sauce)
Don’t be fooled by the fancy look of this Suan Ni Bai Rou, or Sliced Pork with Garlic Sauce (蒜泥白肉) and think that it’s complicated. Although this is a restaurant quality dish, Suan Ni Bai Rou is actually very easy to put together: poach the pork belly, make the sauce, combine the two, and it’s […]
30 Holiday Recipes
Christmas is fast approaching, and we’ve got 30 holiday recipes, new and old, savory and sweet, that we’re thinking about for our table this year! If you’re like me, you may have been planning your menu for months now. I think it was a rainy day over the summer when I first wondered what we […]
Old-Fashioned Chinese Almond Cookies
Tis’ the season when bakers are secretly––and fiercely if I might add––competing with each other for the title of best holiday cookie. You know who you are! I know a few of these competitors in my small circle of friends and family…but I won’t name names. Regardless of whether you’re serious about your cookies or […]
Ma’s Spanish Chicken Stew
Spanish Chicken Stew is a hearty and comforting dish that we grew up eating all the time. Served on a bed of white rice, the sauce soaks right in, and a few dashes of hot sauce complement the richness of tender chicken thighs and the tanginess of the occasional green olive. In short, it’s perfection […]
Judy’s Homemade Brioche Recipe
Making brioche is one of those things that you probably just want to leave to the professionals. But after having successfully made Milk Bread, Whole Wheat Bread, Multigrain Bread, and English Muffins (three kinds––also see Multigrain English Muffins & Pumpkin English Muffins!), I wanted to up my bread-making game. I have to admit, this homemade […]
Shepherd’s Purse Tofu Soup
Shepherd’s Purse Tofu Soup is a very well-known and popular soup in Shanghai. This special vegetable is wonderfully fragrant, with a unique flavor that you may know well from our Pork and Shepherd’s Purse (Ji Cai) Dumplings. You might also have seen jì cài (荠菜) in the freezer section of a well-stocked Chinese grocery store. If […]
Chinese Sausage Fried Rice (Lop Cheung Chow Fan): A 20-Minute Recipe
Chinese Sausage Fried Rice or lop cheung chow fan is a quick and easy fried rice recipe that’s perfect for a weeknight meal. I remember this Chinese sausage fried rice was one go-to recipe that my sisters and I used to cook for our mom when we knew she was coming home from a long […]
Sukiyaki – A Japanese One Pot Meal
The first time I had Sukiyaki, I was living and working in Beijing. One of the things I miss the most about living there was the work lunches near my office in Sanlitun, an area filled with great restaurants and shopping. In China generally, lunchtime is serious business. There’s little concept of, “I was so […]
Easy Stir Fried Cabbage with Glass Noodles
“More vegetarian/vegan recipes, please!” is a request that we get often on our social media feeds. Today, we’re adding this Easy Stir Fried Cabbage with Glass Noodles to our extensive vegetarian/vegan recipe collection. This is one of those dishes that makes me think that if all vegetarian dishes tasted like it, I wouldn’t mind converting! […]
22 Recipes to Pull Off an Asian American Thanksgiving
As foodies, Thanksgiving is obviously one of our all-time favorite holidays. Thankfully, America has no shortage of holidays dedicated almost purely to eating (Lookin’ at you, July 4), but this perfect day dedicated to our wonderful, would-be national bird definitely takes the top spot in our hearts. This year (if you’re following along on Instagram, […]
Honey Glazed Cantonese Turkey
Cantonese people have been expertly roasting poultry of all kinds for thousands of years: duck, chicken, pigeon, the list goes on. So why not add a Thanksgiving Honey Glazed Cantonese Turkey to the list? Our Honey Glazed Cantonese Turkey is a non-traditional recipe for preparing your Thanksgiving turkey this year. Whether you’re entertaining Chinese guests […]
Classic, Easy Stuffed Mushrooms
When it comes to stuffed mushrooms, the classic version is easiest to make, and in my opinion, it’s the most delicious! Some early holiday party planning brought to mind these stuffed mushrooms, which for some reason I have not made in years! In my younger days working at the Holiday Inn in the Catskills, I […]
Peanut Butter and Jelly Scones
Peanut butter and jelly really need no introduction, but what about Peanut Butter and Jelly Scones? Hopefully, now I have your attention. Let me explain… Peanut butter and jelly make for an enduring combo that never fails to comfort, and when slathered between two slices of bread somehow has the ability to make for a […]
Beef and Mushroom Stir-Fry Rice Plate
Beef and Mushroom Stir Fry is a quick and easy dish that will have you thinking of your mom’s cooking, or your favorite Chinese restaurant’s effortless rice plate lunch. I remember we used to make this dish regularly when I was working as a teenager in upstate New York at my parents’ Chinese restaurant. Despite […]
Thai Chicken Salad with Red Curry Butternut Squash
This Thai Chicken Salad with Red Curry Butternut Squash is a hearty, yet lighter meal for fall days. Spicy butternut squash and bone-in chicken breasts are roasted with the same easy red curry marinade (just crack open a can of Thai red curry paste and mix it with some olive oil and butter), baked until […]
Steamed Tilapia: Hunan-Style Whole Fish
Hunan-Style Steamed Tilapia with Duo Jiao and Tofu is a classic whole fish dish from the Hunan province of China. This impressive dish is made with a fresh whole tilapia on a bed of silken tofu, topped with plenty of fresh ginger, garlic, scallions, and Hunan salted chopped chili peppers. The combination of the perfectly […]
Shanghai-Style Red Vegetable Soup (罗宋汤 – Luo Song Tang)
Every time I make Shanghai-Style Red Vegetable Soup (罗宋汤, luo song tang), images of well-dressed men and women dining in European-style cafes flash in my mind––scenes from many movies and TV shows about the old Shanghai. These fancy folks were either drinking coffee, eating a thin steak, or slurping this fancy red vegetable soup, maybe […]
Saucy Beef Chow Ho Fun Noodles
Saucy Beef Chow Ho Fun Noodles or “sup chow ngau ho” is for the sauce lovers out there and a nice change from the classic “dry fried” beef chow ho fun, or “gon chow ngau ho.” A proper Gon Chow Ngau Ho is all about extra high heat searing beef, noodles, and scallions to “wok […]
Easy Pork Belly & Mushroom Rice Bowl
Let me start by saying that I’m pretty certain this Easy Pork Belly Mushroom Rice Bowl will quickly be becoming a go-to crowd pleaser. If you grew up in an Asian household, you’ve probably eaten something at least vaguely similar to this, especially as a child. A bowl of tender pork belly and glistening saucy […]
Chinese Pineapple Buns with Roast Pork Filling
These Chinese Pineapple Buns with Roast Pork Filling are a mashup of two Chinese bakery favorites: the char siu roast pork bun, and the crispy-topped, golden yellow “pineapple” bun. Their powers combined create a magical pastry concoction that aren’t long for this world once out of the oven. For readers who may not have grown […]
Fried Shanghai Pork Chops
During our last trip to Shanghai, Bill and I went to enjoy some of the famous street food on South Yunnan Road (云南南路), specifically in search of these Fried Shanghai Pork Chops. This is something I remember when I was growing up in Shanghai, but it was a rare treat. Though I’m sad to report […]
Cantonese-Style Periwinkle Snails in Black Bean Sauce
Periwinkle snails and I go a long way back. I don’t remember exactly when I first had Cantonese-style periwinkle snails in black bean sauce, but it was when I was a kid growing up in the Catskills in upstate New York. In fact, back then I didn’t even know what they were called in English. […]
Instant Pot Braised Curry Beef
This Instant Pot Braised Curry Beef Is. Life. I haven’t been more excited about a recipe in a long time. Growing up, we would make regular trips into New York City for family gatherings––weddings, birthday parties, holidays, and dim sum brunches. It was always a food-centric affair, with meals at Chinese restaurants in either Chinatown […]
