Hot and Sour Soup Hot and Sour soup was a childhood favorite of mine. I love the mildly spicy, salty and sour broth strewn with egg drops. Diving into it was a treasure hunt. What would I find? A bit of pork, a crunchy bamboo shoot, chewy black fungus or the elusive prawn? Living in…
Tag: Chinese
Asian Style Pork Ribs in a Spicy Garlic & Honey Sauce
Asian Style pork ribs! Sticky Sweet Spicy Garlic Crispy A child cries at the dining room table. Before her, a small plate of untouched noodles next to a small pile of sparkling clean rib bones. She demands more, more than the hefty portion she was given. Her request for more stems from an instinctive,…
Chinese Crispy Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry
Beef and Broccoli; a Chinese-American hybrid Growing up in Seattle, beef and broccoli was always my favorite go-to for Chinese takeout. I loved the tenderized beef with broccoli florets that so perfectly soaked up all that brown gravy. Ideal to eat when it was fresh and hot but still good cold the next day for…
Pork Shoulder and King Oyster Mushrooms Stir-Fry
How do I describe this pork and king oyster mushroom stir-fry? Well, it’s difficult to put in words. Have you ever eaten something that made you question why you don’t eat that exact same thing every day? A food that is so tasty, so layered in flavor, succulent, juicy, salty and just a little…
Saucy Oven-Baked Kung Pao Chicken Wings
I like Kung Pao Chicken and I like chicken wings but I absolutely love these Kung Pao Chicken Wings. Why? Well, for one thing they are delicious. Tender on the inside and coated in a mouthwatering salty, sweet and spicy sauce. They don’t take much prep or an extensive amount of time to throw…
Chinese Pork and Shrimp Wonton Soup with Bak Choy
Before I had my beautiful daughter, life was carefree! Sure, I’ll have another beer. Why not stay out late on a Saturday night? Hey, let’s go away for the weekend! I had so many opportunities to spend my extra money and extra time. Especially when I became sick. If I felt ill,…
Vegan Zha Jiang Mian (Chinese noodles w/soybean sauce)
Zha Jiang Mian translates to “fried noodle sauce” meaning that you must ‘fry’ or simmer the sauce and add it to the noodles later, almost like a Chinese version of spaghetti with marinara sauce. Although this dish is typically made with minced meat, I prefer the vegetarian version…
Tofu and Mushroom Stir-Fry in Soybean Sauce
Level up your tofu stir-fry In Asia, people know how to cook vegetarian dishes and tofu in particular. Vegetarian curries in India, hot stone bowl Bibimbop in Korea and all the various vibrant stir-fries of Southeast Asia. It’s difficult to pick a favorite. They know how to handle them and they have a plethora of…
Niurou Lamian (Chinese Beef Noodle Soup)
. . . . . . . Niurou lamian has a special place in my family’s heart. My husband ate niurou lamian every day for breakfast when he lived in Lanzhou, a city in Western China. He frequented his favorite noodle shop so often that they even gave him a go at throwing…
Chinese Szechuan Style ‘Beef Liver and Onions’
Liver is not just for dogs… I know beef liver can get a bad reputation. Some people say that it is gritty and has a strong metallic tang to it. However, when I remember my grandmother’s liver and onions, I don’t recall either of these traits. Why is that? Was it a special magic spice…
Pork Loin and Pickled White Radish Stir-fry
Never turn down pickled vegetables When it comes to pickled vegetables, nobody does it better than Asian grandmothers. They’ve spent years and years stuffing crates of pickled vegetables for their family whilst simultaneously slapping hands away and telling people, ‘You’re doing it wrong. Go sit down.’ If you ever have the opportunity to avail yourself…
Authentic Kung Pao Chicken (Foreigner Style)
An Ex-pat staple food Whenever sitting down to eat in any restaurant in China, the wait staff would usually turn the menu pages to the Kung Pao Chicken picture knowing that I, an American ex-pat living in Beijing, would insist on ordering the dish. It’s true. I will ALWAYS order Kung Pao Chicken. I can’t…
Pork Loin and Celery Stir-Fried with Hoisin Sauce
For over a decade, I taught preschool all around the world. Which means that I have seen kids’ lunches from Seoul to Seattle. Not only that but I’ve experienced the universal struggle of getting children to sit at a table and eat food. Whether each meal is delightful or dreadful really depends on what’s…
Fried Pork Belly in Chinese Black Bean Sauce
Let’s be honest, pork belly is one of the best things you could ever eat in your life. You can slow roast it in the oven for those tender and juicy layers of meat. Thinly slice and cure it to make bacon. Or thinly slice and stir-fry it like the Chinese do….
Sweet and Spicy Oven-Roasted Szechuan Peanuts
Snacks are for sharing One of the things I admire most about Chinese food culture is its love of snacks. Chinese people love snacks and it shows. No long travel journey in China would be complete without a plastic bag full of dried noodles, fruit, pickled chicken feet, peanuts, sunflower seeds or processed sausage tubes…
Amazing Chinese Pork Dumplings (aka Jiaozi)!!
Without dumplings, is it really Chinese New Year? Could it be celebrated without an onslaught of fireworks, red envelopes filled with cash and a big steaming plate of dumplings? No…它不能!!!! So, after 5 years or so of living in China, I finally asked a friend’s mother to come and teach me how…
Spicy Sweet and Sour Crispy Tofu Stir-Fry
Every once in a while I get a craving for sweet and sour pork. Truth be told, this is not one of my favorite Chinese dishes, it wasn’t particularly even easy to find on a menu in Beijing. It was more of a Westernized version of Chinese food than anything else. BUT with its crispy…
Sesame and Garlic Cucumbers (Chinese cucumber salad)
Always order smashed garlic cucumbers In China, no plate of dumplings would be complete without a side of sesame and garlic smashed cucumbers to go with it. It’s refreshing, it pairs well with a steaming plate of dumplings and since it is quick and easy to put together, this dish is always the fist to…