Tag Archives: Chinese

Recipe: Instant Pot Hot and Sour Soup

Yes, you can make Hot and Sour Soup in the Instant Pot that’s a pretty good facsimile of your favorite takeout Chinese. We started with this recipe from Jamie + Jacky and were initially disappointed but then we added lots … Continue reading

Posted in Eating, Recipes, Sides | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Food for thought: Chinese Food & History blog

After the Chinese culinary history class I reported on at my college reunion, Professor Maddalena Poli referred me to Miranda Brown’s Chinese Food & History blog which I suspect may have been an inspiration for her own course. The blog … Continue reading

Posted in Eating, Food for Thought | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Recipe: Improved Oyster Sauce

If you’ve simply drizzled oyster sauce straight out of the bottle on your gai lan (chinese broccoli) and been disappointed with the results, then it’s time for our Improved Oyster Sauce. Adapted with a couple of tweaks from the excellent … Continue reading

Posted in Condiments, Eating | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Chinese cooking in quarantine

Wall Street Journal has an article on how Shanghainese are currently coping with a city-wide lockdown due to COVID. Among the tools is a website that helps cooks prepare flavorful Chinese food in quarantine with very few ingredients, i.e. what … Continue reading

Posted in Cooking | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Recipe: Midcentury Chinese Pepper Steak

Elsie Lee says this Chinese Pepper Steak recipe, which appears in her hard-to-find Easy Gourmet Cooking, cannot be improved on. It’s a midcentury classic; if you grew up then you will immediately recognize the taste profile of celery flavored with … Continue reading

Posted in Mains, Recipes | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Recipe: Chicken Rice from Supermarket Rotisserie Chicken

Chicken rice is a Hainanese recipe in which tender poached chicken is served over rice cooked in a rich chicken and ginger stock. It’s supreme comfort food that has spawned a number of fast takeout places in the Bay Area … Continue reading

Posted in Mains, Recipes | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Recipe: Bok Choy with Mushrooms

Bok Choy with Mushrooms is wonderful comfort food: bite into the tender mushroom and the delicious braising liquid pours forth. We assumed it was Cantonese because of the emphasis on fresh vegetable flavor, but Woks of Life says it’s actually … Continue reading

Posted in Eating, Recipes, Sides | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Recipe: Chinese Coleslaw

Chinese Coleslaw is adapted from the Omnivore’s Cookbook. It’s a good side dish with Chinese and Thai mains which contain similar ingredients like Chinkiang vinegar, cilantro and sesame oil. It contains very little salt so it doesn’t cure over time … Continue reading

Posted in Recipes, Sides | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Recipe: Shanghai-Style Pickled Cabbage Appetizer

According to Woks of Life, Shanghai-Style Pickled Cabbage is often served complimentary in mainland restaurants. It’s a perfect palate-cleanser between courses of barbecued Chinese meats and would be at home with American BBQ as well (like maybe a smoked turkey … Continue reading

Posted in Mains | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Recipe: Cantonese Restaurant Salt and Pepper Squid

Salt and pepper squid is best eaten fresh and piping hot. If your favorite Chinese restaurant is only doing takeout because of the pandemic, here’s how to make it at home. Serves 4 as an appetizer with other foods. Ingredients: … Continue reading

Posted in Eating, Mains, Recipes | Tagged , , | 3 Comments