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Chinese + Chinese-Inspired

A view of an ancient building inside the Forbidden City in Beijing
I think it’s safe to say, we all appreciate delicious Chinese food. From our favorite take-out noodles to Shanghai soup dumplings and fried rice, this food has captured our hearts (and our stomachs).

Living in China allowed me to see a sliver of how much more there is to this ancient cuisine beyond our favorite Cantonese-style dim sum (which we love) and other westernized favorites like General Tso’s Chicken. You may come for the essentials like dumplings, wonton wrappers, or egg drop soup, but I hope you stay (and keep coming back) for some of the regional culinary treasures you’ve never heard of and can’t wait to try. And along the way, we’ll be collaborating with friends and family living in China to bring you authentic and super delicious food straight from the mainland, plus a few of my own Chinese-inspired dishes that we love to eat.


wonton chip in a shallow dip ramekin with Spicy Sichuan Party Dip drizzled with Sichuan chili oil

Spicy Sichuan Gold Cream Cheese Dip (w/Homemade Wonton Chips)

This spicy Sichuan party dip has everything we love about our favorite Chengdunese wontons in chili oil except in a totally unexpected creamy, spicy, crunchy dip that’s perfect for scooping up with homemade crispy-fried wonton chips (or any chips!) or crudité. I like to call this stuff Sichuan gold because […]

plump crystal shrimp dumplings drizzled with homemade sichuan crispy chili oil

Dim Sum Har Gow Shrimp Dumplings (虾饺) (The Ultimate Guide)

This easy steamed crystal dumplings recipe (also called xiā jiǎo or har gow) with its juicy shrimp filling and beautifully translucent wrappers is the queen of dumplings. They can be found at classic dim sum parlors around the world from Maxim’s Palace in Hong Kong (so delicious!) or Nom Wah […]

zigzagged square wonton wrappers cut out and ready to be filled

Easy Homemade Wonton Wrappers (Using Bread Flour)

This easy 3-Ingredient wonton wrapper recipe is my favorite one on the site. I use it to make all kinds of wontons (including Spicy Sichuan wontons), or sometimes potstickers — they’re especially delicious when fried to make crispy wonton strips for homemade egg drop soup. Plus, you can fill them […]

Classic Sichuan Long Wonton Soup in a bowl with homemade chicken broth glistening with bits of oil and fresh cilantro leaves and crispy fried homemade wonton strips

Easy Authentic Sichuan Wonton Soup (Long Chāo Shǒu 龙抄手)

Ready in just 30 minutes (if you use store-bought wrappers), this easy Sichuan wonton soup recipe is one of the most famous of all the Chengdu snacks and it’s one of the easiest things to make at home. Based on my Chengdunese friend, Vivian’s recipe, if you’re already familiar with […]

Chinese baozi pork and chicken bun after breaking it open (green and grey tie dyed bun dough wrapped around a pork and chicken filling)

BBQ Chicken & Pork Bao Buns (Bāozi 包子 Chinese Steamed Pork Buns)

This steamed chicken and pork buns recipe uses a featherlight tangzhong bao bun dough filled with a slightly sweet and savory Chinese BBQ pork and chicken thigh filling. Homemade Chinese pork buns are truly like the ones you’ll find being sold steaming hot from street trolleys in Chengdu, Chinatown, NYC, […]

homemade Sichuan Chili oil with the last of the oil added.

Chef Liu’s Sichuan Chili Crisp Oil Recipe (Xiangla Hongyou 香辣红油)

This is one of the best toasty Sichuan chili oil recipes you will ever make. I learned how to make this Xiangla Hongyou (香辣红油) from Sichuanese Chef Liu while living in Chengdu and it’s still one of my all-time favorite condiments (ever). This highly addictive sesame-flecked red chili oil is […]

An oval serving platter with Yangzhou House special fried rice filled with shrimp, chicken, ham, egg, and vegetables.

Easy Chinese Special Fried Rice 扬州炒饭 (Yangzhou Fried Rice)

This easy house fried rice recipe is what you’ll find at your favorite Chinese restaurant also known as, “Cantonese Fried Rice”, “Special Fried Rice”, “Chicken Fried Rice”, or even “Pork Fried Rice” — and you can make it at home in just 30 minutes. Leftover rice crisped to golden brown […]

A Japanese Pork Bun BLT on a vintage Italian plate with gold trim.

The Best BLT Bao Buns (Japanese-Style BLTs on Homemade Buns)

If you love BLTs and Japanese pork buns as much as we do, I think you’ll love this ultimate and very delicious BLT. One part American classic and two parts Asian deliciousness makes one of the best BLTs ever. Super-soft homemade bao buns, slathered with a quick sesame-soy spicy mayo, […]

a tray with four pork buns each with two pieces of braised pork belly, quick salt and sugar pickled cumbers, sesame-soy-mayo, hoisin sauce, and scallions topped with a little shredded lettuce

The Fluffiest Homemade Pork Buns (Tangzhong Pork Buns)

This Momofuku & Ippudo-style pork bun recipe includes the best, most tender soft homemade bao buns (Gua Bao or Baozi) with slow-braised pork belly. The brined pork is basically a set-it-and-forget-it pork belly with otherworldly deliciousness. As for the bao (the buns), I use a special ingredient combined with the tangzhong […]

two long pieces of golden brown braised pork belly in a white ceramic casserole dish

Easy Japanese Braised Pork Belly (Momofuku & Ippudo Style)

This easy braised pork belly recipe is perfect for making Japanese-style pork buns, but you can also use it as a topping for homemade tonkotsu ramen, or as a delicious side to your eggs for brunch. Brined overnight and slow-braised until super tender, you’ll never need another pork belly recipe. […]

an aluminum foil-covered sheet pan with baking soda spread out evenly over the entire top

Easy Baked Baking Soda (for Ramen, Alkaline Noodles & Pretzels)

You might be wondering what is baked baking soda and what’s it used for?  For starters, when you heat baking soda in the oven for a long period of time, it chemically alters it from being bicarbonate of soda into sodium carbonate which is an even stronger alkaline salt. This […]

an oval platter of Singapore Mei Fun noodles with shrimp, carrots, cabbage, scallions

20-Minute Singapore Mei Fun Noodles (Shrimp Mei Fun)

A takeout favorite you’ll find on just about every Chinese-American restaurant menu, Singapore noodles couldn’t be easier to make at home. These delicious rice noodles get their bright yellow color (and flavor) from curry powder and are filled with shrimp, eggs, carrots, Napa cabbage, onions, and scallions. Plus, it’s a […]