Sichuan’s famous bang bang chicken, or 棒棒鸡 (bangbang ji) is our latest addition to the Woks of Life repertoire. Over time, this dish has been utterly transformed into something unrecognizable by different chefs, but this recipe is our effort to revive the original! What Is REAL Bang Bang Chicken? Traditionally, Bang Bang Chicken is a […]
Appetizers & Snacks
An appetizer course whets the appetite! We love serving tasty, fun appetizers when entertaining friends and family. Check out all of our appetizer recipes and snack ideas for your next party or gathering, including many Chinese and non-Chinese options!
Chinese Garlic Chive “Boxes”
Are you, like me, looking for recipes to use up the abundant chives in your garden? We already have recipes like our Chinese Chive & Egg Stir-Fry and Pork Chive Dumplings in our regular rotation, but today’s recipe is a bit off the beaten path. These Chinese Garlic Chive “Boxes” are hard to find in […]
Chinese Zucchini Pancakes
Pancakes are one of those foods that pretty much every culture seems to have figured out, whether savory or sweet. From American pancakes to Korean pancakes to these humble Chinese Zucchini Pancakes, the defining feature of the pancake is that it’s quick and requires very few kitchen skills, yet makes for a satisfying snack or light […]
Avocado Egg Rolls
Avocado Egg Rolls. A guilty pleasure proffered by that most guilt-inducing of restaurant chains––The Cheesecake Factory. A Food Blogger’s Guilty Pleasure As food bloggers, we get a lot of questions about where we like to eat, especially since we live in the NYC area. Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but […]
Shanghai Style Pork Zongzi (Sticky Rice Dumplings)
Zongzi, or sticky rice dumplings, are almost like a Chinese version of the tamale––sticky rice is wrapped in bamboo leaves with other fillings, and steamed. I’ll be using both the Chinese word “zongzi” and the term “sticky rice dumpling” interchangeably in this article. While enjoyed mostly during the 2000-year-old Chinese Duan Wu Festival (Duānwǔ Jié […]
Steamed Crystal Dumplings, a Dim Sum Classic
Crystal dumplings (水晶饺子, shuǐ jīng jiǎozi) got their name from the beautiful translucent look of the dumpling wrappers. Although not quite as common or popular as crowd favorite, har gow shrimp dumplings, you’ll see these beauties on carts in restaurants with a bigger selection of dim sum. Delightfully chewy and delicate in flavor, you’ll want […]
Shandong Pork and Fish Dumplings (Jiaozi)
In the Northern provinces of China, dumplings or Jiaozi are THE star of every family’s Chinese New Year’s Eve dinner. The most commonly seen dumplings for this special occasion are San Xian dumplings, Pork with Sour Cabbage dumplings, ground lamb with scallion dumplings, and these Shandong Pork & Fish Dumplings, often made with mackerel (ba […]
Shanghai Smoked Fish, Xun Yu (上海熏鱼)
To start, let me clarify that this Shanghai Smoked Fish (aka, Shanghai Xun Yu, 上海熏鱼) is not actually smoked in the usual sense. The “smoking” process takes place in the sauce. In Shanghai, this “Smoked” Fish is a cold appetizer loved by locals and visitors alike. The dark sweet soy sauce is a very Shanghainese […]
Chinese Pearl Meatballs with Sticky Rice (珍珠丸子)
It’s almost Chinese New Year, which means that it’s time to celebrate with the most delicious and impressive Chinese dishes. This year, we’re making Pearl Meatballs with Sticky Rice or zhēn zhū wán zi (珍珠丸子). These Pearl Meatballs originated in China’s Hunan/Hubei region, where they’re considered a holiday or special occasion dish. They appear often at […]
Cream Cheese Wontons
Cream Cheese Wontons––yet another marriage of American and Chinese cuisines in one addictive, hilariously retro appetizer. Until the fateful day on which I blogged this recipe, my relationship with cream cheese wontons had long been distant. When my family would indulge in the guilty pleasure that is a Chinese buffet (an American institution), I would […]
Shrimp Toast: A Chinese Takeout Classic
Shrimp toast is the latest addition to our compendium of retro Chinese takeout recipes. A flavorful mixture of ground shrimp seasoned with scallions, cilantro, and ginger is spread onto slices of white sandwich bread, and then pan-fried. I’d be hard-pressed to think of a more obvious fusion between Chinese and American influences than this crispy, […]
Blistered Shishito Peppers with Sea Salt
Blistered Shishito peppers are a simple treat and great appetizer for any occasion. Served slightly charred with crunchy bits of coarse sea salt, these peppers–like many of the best cocktail hour appetizers–somehow make your drink taste better. A Simple & Tasty Appetizer What’s great about these peppers is that they’re a snap to prepare, and […]
San Xian Wontons (Shrimp, Pork & Chicken Wontons)
The name, San Xian Wontons (三鲜馄饨) is hard to translate. Roughly, I guess one could translate it to, “Triple Delight Wontons,” because the filling contains three proteins—shrimp, pork, and chicken. Just don’t let the name fool you into thinking this is an Americanized takeout recipe. Far from it! San Xian Wontons have superior status in […]
Whole Wheat Dumpling Wrappers
Whole wheat dumpling wrappers are a healthier alternative to regular white wrappers. This recipe includes instructions for the wrappers only, but check out the post for links to our other dumpling recipes to make the whatever filling you like! Experimenting with Homemade Dumpling Wrappers Before starting The Woks of Life, we were a store-bought dumpling […]
Steamed Eggplant, Hunan Style
If you like eggplant, it can sometimes be tricky to find recipes that go beyond the standard fare. This Hunan Steamed Eggplant is a nice change over the usual, especially if you’re looking for a spicy dish with strong flavors. Chinese or Japanese purple eggplants are the best choice for this Hunan Steamed Eggplant. They […]
Asian Pickled Cabbage Restaurant Appetizer
When I published my Chinese Pickled Cucumber recipe, some of you asked for a pickled cabbage recipe. For those of you who may be unfamiliar, this is the dish that many Chinese restaurants will serve as a complimentary appetizer. Luckily, this isn’t one of those recipe requests that requires copious amounts of research and trial […]
Chicken Zucchini Dumplings
Coming off our peach pancake post from Wednesday, it’s time to talk about yet another summer crop that’s you’re probably scratching your head over what to do with. Zucchini and summer squash are bursting out of my mom’s garden right now, and it’s all we can do to keep up! If you’ve had enough of […]
Spicy Asian Meatballs
These are not your run-of-the-mill meatballs. These are special. I was inspired to make this Spicy Asian Meatball recipe after perusing the site for something to make on a weekend afternoon (yes, we do use our own blog sometimes!), and I rediscovered our old recipe for a Meatball Banh Mi that seemed to have gotten […]
Chinese Pickled Cucumbers (酱黄瓜)
Today I’m proudly adding this recipe for Chinese Pickled Cucumbers to our culinary genealogy. Despite being simple to make, these Chinese Pickled Cucumbers are delicious—and crunchy! It’s too bad these photos don’t provide much by way of conveying texture or sound, so you’ll have to take my word for it. These pickles are almost like […]
Vietnamese Summer Rolls with Seared Shrimp
These simple Vietnamese summer rolls with shrimp are a refreshing and tasty appetizer or light meal. Just get your hands on the rice paper wrappers, and make these yourself at home! Traveling Through Food When I was living in China, I got a few changes to travel around the country. I went to places like […]
Two Kinds of Pita Chips & Homemade Hummus
When it comes to satisfying my inner mindless snack addict, I love pita chips and hummus as much as the next hipster in denial, but sometimes the store-bought version can be pricey and laden with sodium. Lately, I’ve fallen victim to buying the processed stuff instead of making my own. So here’s a quick reminder […]
Shanghai Sesame Pancakes (上海大饼)
As you may know, we’ve undertaken the task of documenting recipes for Shanghai’s most beloved breakfast items––fondly known as The Four Warriors: Da Bing, or Sesame Pancakes (大饼), You Tiao (油条), Dou Jiang (豆浆), and Ci Fan (粢饭). I’m glad to say that this Shanghai Sesame Pancake recipe (上海大饼) concludes that mission. If this is […]
Hong Kong Curry Fish Balls
If you’ve ever walked along the streets of Hong Kong smelling the delicious smells of street food stalls hawking everything from seafood, to noodles, to Hong Kong egg tarts, you’ve undoubtedly seen these Hong Kong-style Curry Fish Balls. Fish balls of all kinds bob around in metal steam-heated trays of deliciously rich yellow and red […]
Steamed Vegetable Buns
Today, vegetarians and vegans, we’re talking to you! These Steamed Vegetable Buns are 100% vegan—and delicious. After our recent posts of the Perfect Prime Rib Roast and Bill’s Pernil-Style Pork Roast to name a few, I felt the need to put out something meatless and tasty for our vegan and vegetarian readers or anyone who […]
Kimchi Pancake (Kimchijeon)
Kimchi pancakes (aka kimchijeon) are as easy to make as their breakfast/serve-with-maple-syrup counterparts. Unlike Chinese scallion pancakes, which require you to make a dough, kimchi pancakes are made from a simple batter. Quick and Easy to Make My sister has a problem. A kimchi problem. She does this thing, where she walks into our local Korean-run […]
Japanese Gyoza Dumplings
I learned how to make dumplings at my grandmother’s knee. It took me years to master the perfect fold––probably because I got a rather early start, and it would take a while before my clumsy five-year-old’s hands got the hang of the whole gyoza and dumpling-making process. Today, my sister and I are machines when […]
Chinese Tea Eggs
I’m very particular about my food. No surprise there. I like my own cooking, that goes without saying, but when I eat out in restaurants, I have the worst luck. It seems the universe is out to test my fortitude. Somehow it happens to me all the time. When we go out as a family, […]
Chinese Curry Puffs with Beef
Curry Puffs are a classic Chinese bakery or dim sum item that has fallen to the wayside a bit. I can’t really remember the last time I saw or tasted a really good one while at a dim sum house or rolling through a Chinese bakery for a pineapple bun. Maybe it’s because they’re just […]
Shanghai Scallion Pancakes
Shanghai scallion pancakes were one of our favorite breakfast street foods among the many choices we featured in our recent Shanghai Breakfast post. I’ve eaten many a scallion pancake in my life, but what Judy and I had in Shanghai was by far the most decadent we have seen and also without a doubt the […]
Coconut Firecracker Shrimp
I was first made aware of the existence of firecracker shrimp rather late in life. Namely, uh…a month ago. When they were part of the Katie Chin cooking demo I participated in at Macy’s. Guess I’ve been living under a rock. We didn’t grow up making this appetizer, but I’ve come to know that it’s […]
