a culinary genealogy
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.
Fish fragrant eggplant or yuxiang qiezi (鱼香茄子) is a delicious Sichuan Chinese recipe that, incidentally, has no fish in it. The term “fish fragrant” actually refers to a flavor profile similar to certain Sichuan fish dishes. This recipe has a great balance of spicy, sweet, tangy, and savory flavors. We’re long overdue on sharing our
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After years of experimenting, soul searching, mashing, and whipping, this recipe for chive mashed potatoes is my perfect mashed potato recipe. Perhaps it’s too soon to say forever, but for me, there’s no reason to go back to the drawing board with this recipe in hand! After Decades of Tinkering, Our Favorite Mashed Potato Recipe
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This herb stuffing recipe is not just the perfect Thanksgiving side dish, you can enjoy it any time of year! Serve it with a roast chicken, oven-baked turkey thighs, or even something like a pork roast. This easy stuffing recipe with dill, parsley, and thyme is straightforward to make—and delicious! Our Favorite Thanksgiving Side We
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If you’re looking for a simple, go-to way to cook green beans without too much fuss—or the perfect side dish that goes with everything—this recipe is for you. Inspired by Chinese cooking techniques, this recipe for garlic green beans yields tender beans with a slightly blistered exterior, and golden, lightly fried garlic. The only ingredients
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Pan-fried tofu, the Chinese way, is much easier than you think to make—without much oil, no pressing or drying, and just 2 ingredients. It’s versatile enough to be used in a multitude of stir-fries, but you can also serve it on its own with a tasty dipping sauce, as we have here! As a Chinese
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Roast pork egg foo young is one of the most delicious egg foo young variations! I cooked countless egg foo young patties in my parents’ Chinese restaurant in the 80s and early 90s, so if you’re looking for a real-deal nostalgia-packed recipe—complete with luxurious brown gravy—this is it. We’ll show you how to fry these
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Tofu is one of our go-to ingredients—it takes on whatever flavor you add to it, and we love the variety of textures it can have. If you’ve got a block of tofu that you don’t know what to do with, we have tofu recipes for every kind—firm tofu, soft tofu, silken tofu and pressed tofu!
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Luxurious XO sauce is a fragrant mixture of dried scallops, shrimp, Chinese ham, and chilies that was made to go with rice. Here, we use it to make a Fried Sticky Rice with XO Sauce. It’s simple and delicious, and there’s no chance you’ll be left feeling dissatisfied once you’ve had a bowl! What is
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This easy Hot & Sour Cabbage stir-fry shines with thin slices of cabbage that cook down to almost noodle-like perfection, all coated in a hot & sour sauce. It’s our new favorite way to cook cabbage! This humble vegetable lasts forever in the fridge, is good for you, and it’s inexpensive. If you’re not cooking
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This is our guide for cooking tender pan fried salmon that’s perfectly cooked—with a crispy golden crust, and no more guesswork! Whether you’re enjoying your delicious fried salmon on its own, with salad or sides, or you’re adding a sauce or other flavors to it, this recipe is the perfect starting point. Perfectly Crisp, Tender
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Sweet black sesame soup (芝麻糊) is a traditional Chinese dessert thought to also have abundant health benefits. Have you ever questioned whether a supposedly “healthy” dessert is actually healthy? This one really is! If you’ve enjoyed other black sesame desserts, like black sesame tang yuan, black sesame ice cream, or black sesame cake, you will
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Today we answer all your questions about how to make a Chinese meal, from weeknight dinners for the family to a Chinese dinner party. What’s the traditional way to do it? How many dishes do you need? What types of dishes go together? Read on to become a master at Chinese menu planning and preparation!
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This recipe for braised pork with 40 cloves of garlic is a Chinese-inspired riff on the classic French dish. The garlic is meltingly sweet, and when combined with pork belly and steamed rice, it is simply delicious. Do You Really Use 40 Cloves? Yes! 40 cloves of garlic in one dish. That’s about 4 to
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In this post, we’ll talk about how to make rice flour to use in various recipes. All you need is raw rice and a powerful blender! Why Make Your Own Rice Flour? Rice flour is an ingredient that we use often in recipes like Turnip Cake (Lo Bak Goh), Taro Cake, and Nian Gao (Chinese
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This chicken flavored rice is toasted and cooked in chicken stock with a few aromatics to give it a delicious flavor. It’s especially good as a side dish for chicken, but would be delicious alongside anything that goes well with rice! A Revelation at a Restaurant The first time we tried chicken flavored rice was
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Seaweed with Peanuts, Ningbo-Style is a delicious recipe that can be served as an appetizer, snack, or side dish with a meal of pao fan (rice porridge). If you’ve ever had packaged seaweed peanuts, you know the combination is irresistible! The peanuts and green sea moss both have a delicious umami and are a match
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This simple coconut curry shrimp in a delicious red curry sauce will have you enjoying a restaurant experience at home on any day of the week. With just 9 ingredients (and 2 optional ones) and 30 minutes of time in the kitchen, cooking dinner might be easier—and certainly cheaper—than going out or ordering takeout! To
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These pumpkin cinnamon rolls are the ultimate fall treat. This recipe is a variation on our Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls, which many of you have deemed the best cinnamon rolls you’ve ever had! (Check out the comments to see how many folks who have long hunted for the perfect soft cinnamon roll love this recipe!) These
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