Pi Pa Bean Curd

Here, the mashed bean curd is shaped into halved pear-shape pieces resembling the celebrated Chinese musical instrument the pi pa. ...

Red-braised Gluten

During the slow braising of this dish, the dark soy sauce, enriched by sugar, permeates the boiled gluten and dyes it red. The bamboo shoots give a contrasting texture to...

Wheat Gluten

In Chinese, wheat gluten literally means the “sinewy essence” of wheat-flour dough. For Buddhist vegetarians in China, it is the substitute for meat and is thus an indispensable ingredient of...

Stuffed Chinese Mushrooms

A delicately flavored steamed dish much enjoyed by the Cantonese and Fukienese. The egg white lightens the pork, and the bamboo shoots or water chestnuts add just a bite to...

Braised Bamboo Shoots

In Fukien, this dish is made from fresh winter bamboo shoots, but in the West we have to be content with the canned product, which, fortunately, retains much of its...

Sautéed Stuffed Peppers

Tender yet still crisp pepper stuffed with pork that has a suggestion of the taste of shrimp. The black bean sauce, especially with chili, adds another dimension in taste. ...

Dry-braised Bamboo Shoots and Chinese Mushrooms

This is a classic Eastern vegetarian dish with a play-on-words Chinese title, which, literally translated, is Dry-braised two tung. The two tungs of the pun are tung-sun (winter bamboo shoots)...

Fish Fragrant Eggplant

In Szechwan, many dishes emulate the fragrance of fish because the condiments used to flavor them are the same as those traditionally used to flavor fish. This flavor is achieved...

Eight-treasure Vegetarian Assemblage

Eight is a significant number for the Chinese, for in Buddhism, which for many centuries exerted great influence in China, there are eight treasures in life: pearl, lozenge, stone chime,...

Stir-fried Chinese Broccoli with Beef

As is so often the case in Chinese cooking, meat is used here to complement the vegetables. The Chinese broccoli in this dish, with its distinctive flavor, similar to asparagus,...

Roast Pork Belly

In special Cantonese establishments, a whole pig is roasted to a rich red color in a specially built oven. A similar effect can be achieved at home by using a...

Red-braised Ox Tongue

A very down-to-earth dish, especially good during the autumn and winter. Ox tongue may be more readily available and cheaper but calf tongue has a more delicate flavor and texture,...

Ants Climbing a Tree

Don’t be put off by the name of this dish: it is characteristic of the Szechwanese sense of humor to visualize minced pork over cellophane noodles as ants climbing up...

Beef with Preserved Tangerine Peel

True to form, this Hunan dish is spicy hot, savory and slightly sweet. As if the flavors are not complex enough, tangy tangerine peel is added to provide a further...

Stir-fried Beef with Pickled Mustard Green

This Cantonese dish, with its mouth-watering combination of pungent, savory, sweet and sour tastes, comes from the area along the Eastern River in Kwangtung province. ...

Mu-shu Pork

Some Chinese dishes have a time-honored formula for the ingredients, and this Northern dish, consisting of golden needles, cloud ears, pork and egg, is one of them. Mu-shu is the...

Stir-fried Pork with Szechwan Preserved Vegetable

Since preserved Szechwan vegetable is a regional product and pork is the national Chinese meat, it is hardly surprising that a standard Szechwan dish combines the two. In fact, this...

Char-siu: Cantonese Roast Pork

As a contribution to Chinese gastronomy, this dish is arguably as notable as Peking Duck, and it’s certainly easier to make. When roasted, this fragrant and succulent pork looks reddish...

Pearly Pork Balls

It is a misconception to think that every Hunan dish is spicy hot. On the contrary, many are not, and this dish, that derives its name from the glutinous rice...

Stir-fried Pork with Red-in-snow

The preserved vegetable, red-in-snow, lends a special fragrance to the pork in this dish. As in many other Shanghai or Eastern stir-fried dishes, neither garlic nor scallions are used. ...