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 […]
Vegetarian Singapore Noodles
Singapore Noodles are one of our go-to’s when we get a craving for Chinese takeout. With plenty of curry powder and thin rice noodles, it’s a family favorite. In fact, Singapore Noodles is one of the dishes we use to gauge how good a Chinese takeout joint is! But one of the best things about […]
18 Must-Try Chinese Pork Belly Recipes
In case you’ve been living under a rock, we’re here to tell you that pork belly is a wonderful cut of meat, and we have 18 must-try Chinese pork belly recipes to prove it! Pork belly is amazingly versatile, uber-flavorful, braises like nobody’s business, and is a key ingredient in many of our family’s perennial […]
Steamed Mussels from Prince Edward Island
We enjoyed steamed mussels often while traveling through Prince Edward Island, a top Canadian producer of this tasty bivalve. From what we’ve seen (other than the relaxing sightseeing on our trip), PEI mussels are high quality, clean and fresh due to the beautiful waters surrounding Prince Edward Island. We probably ate far too many PEI […]
Steak Bites with Miso Ginger Dressing
These Steak Bites with Miso Ginger Dressing started as a “healthy” endeavor and ended up being a glorious exercise in flavor. Soy butter steak bites are seared to perfection, served with rice and a handful of veggies of your choice, and drizzled with wonderful creamy miso ginger dressing. In short, it’s the best thing ever. […]
Red Bean Mooncakes (苏式月饼)
Su-Style Mooncakes (苏式月饼 su shi yue bing) are unique to Zhejiang, Suzhou, and Shanghai. As you can see, their uniqueness is in the crust, which is closer to pastry with multi-layered, flaky, crumbly yumminess. Since I grew up in Shanghai, Su-Style Mooncakes are the only kind of mooncake I ate when I was little. The […]
Sweet Red Bean Paste Recipe (In an Instant Pot)
If you love Chinese baked goods, and enjoy making them at home as much as I do, then it’s a must to master a basic red bean paste recipe (红豆馅, hong dou xian). Sweet red beans, AKA adzuki beans, are *the* preferred pastry filling in Asian sweets. In fact, come to think of it, I’m not […]
Char Kway Teow Malaysian Rice Noodle Stir-fry
Char Kway Teow (also sometimes spelled Char Kuey Teow) is a classic rice noodle dish from Malaysia, but it’s also very popular in other Southeast Asian countries like Singapore and Indonesia. A bit similar to Cantonese Chow Ho Fun Rice Noodles, Char Kway Teow is a hearty dish that’s filled with meat, veggies, and chewy […]
Instant Pot Braised Pork Buns
Instant Pot Braised Pork Buns are a revelation. Tender, fall-apart pork shoulder comes together quickly in an Instant Pot, based on my mom’s signature Hong Shao Rou (Red Braised Pork) recipe, and the whole thing is served in a fluffy Steamed Lotus Leaf Bun for the optimal pork-to-mouth delivery system. The thing about this braised […]
Lotus Leaf Buns: Homemade Steamed Buns Made to Be Filled!
Okay by now, maybe you’re tired of me talking about steamed buns. Buns, buns, buns. But before you avert your eyes, I will say that I’ve used the dough recipe for these Steamed Lotus Leaf Buns so many times that I just know it works. These steamed buns are super fluffy and slightly chewy—just the […]
Homemade Chicken Nuggets with Sichuan Spices
Is there a more nostalgic kid food than chicken nuggets? Growing up, chicken nuggets (and their closely related cousins, chicken fingers) were my sister’s go-to order from the kid’s menu of any restaurant our family walked into. There’s something about that crispy breading and tender, juicy chicken that takes us back to age 9, Nickelodeon […]
Bang Bang Chicken: The Authentic Sichuan Version
Sichuan’s famous bang bang chicken, or 棒棒鸡 (bangbang ji) is our latest addition to the Woks of Life repertoire. Bang Bang Chicken has been botched pretty badly over time by different chefs trying to replicate the original dish, but this recipe is our effort to revive the original! Bang Bang Chicken is a dish of […]
