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459 recipes

Tomato and egg drop soup

Tomato and egg drop soup, fan qie dan hua tang, is one of the first soups Chinese home cooks learn, made from Shanghai to Chengdu in the ten minutes before rice is ready. Tomatoes cook down into a light, sweet-sour broth and beaten egg is poured in to set into fine yellow ribbons, finished with spring onion and sesame oil. The mistake that makes it cloudy is pouring the egg into a rolling boil and stirring hard; you want a gentle simmer and a slow, thin stream. Chef's tip: fry the tomatoes in a little oil before adding water, so the broth turns rosy and full of flavour.

17 minChineseSoupsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Hand-torn cabbage

Shou si bao cai is a Hunan restaurant classic that every Changsha family also cooks at home: cabbage leaves torn by hand, then flash-fried in a roaring wok with garlic and dried chillies and splashed with black vinegar until smoky, sweet and still crunchy. It goes alongside rice and a meat or tofu dish at dinner. The mistake is putting wet leaves into a lukewarm pan: the cabbage stews and goes limp instead of charring at the edges. Chef's tip: tear rather than cut, because the ragged edges catch the heat and the sauce better than clean knife cuts.

11 minChineseSidesVeganSpicy
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Dragon and phoenix cakesLotus seed paste wedding pastries

In Guangdong and among Cantonese families in Hong Kong and overseas, a groom's family sends boxes of 'lung fung beng', dragon and phoenix cakes, to the bride's relatives ahead of the wedding, and the cakes are shared out among guests as a token of the match. The dragon stands for the groom and the phoenix for the bride, and the cakes are stamped in red with the two creatures or the double-happiness character. Inside the many-layered, flaky crust is smooth, sweet lotus seed paste, sometimes with a salted duck egg yolk, served with tea. Older bakeries often use lard; this version uses butter and vegetable shortening, so it is vegetarian. Chef's tip: roll the laminated pastry lightly and evenly; uneven rolling is the common mistake that leaves thick patches of raw dough and torn, leaking sides.

138 minChineseBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Cucumber and egg stir-fry

Huang gua chao ji dan is a ten-minute dish from northern Chinese home kitchens, made in summer when cucumbers are cheap and nobody wants to stand over the stove. Soft, fluffy scrambled egg and thin cucumber slices are tossed with garlic and salt for just a minute, so the cucumber stays cool and crisp against the warm egg. Eat it with rice or steamed buns. The mistake is cooking the cucumber too long, which turns it watery and dull green. Chef's tip: take the eggs out while they are still a little wet; they finish cooking when they go back in.

10 minChineseVegetarianGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Chinese walnut cookies

Hap toh sou are a fixture of Cantonese bakeries in Guangzhou and Hong Kong, sold loose by the catty or packed in red tins for Lunar New Year visits, when walnuts stand for family happiness. They are wide, crumbly and slightly sandy, with a cracked golden top crowned by a walnut half and a gentle sweetness that suits a pot of oolong or pu'er. Traditionally they are made with lard, which gives an extra-short crumble; this version uses vegetable shortening or neutral oil, so it is vegetarian. The top is brushed with beaten egg for shine; milk mixed with a little honey or golden syrup is an egg-free alternative. A common mistake is pressing the balls flat: leave them domed and they crack open naturally in the heat. Chef's tip: toast the walnuts before chopping; it deepens their flavour and keeps them crunchy inside the soft crumb.

45 minChineseBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Hua dan xia ren (shrimp with silky scrambled egg)

Hua dan xia ren comes from Guangdong and the Hong Kong cha chaan teng, where it is spooned over rice for a quick lunch or set in the middle of a family dinner: prawns folded into eggs that are barely set, glossy and soft as custard. The classic error is stirring the eggs like a breakfast scramble over a high flame, which gives you dry little curds. Because the eggs are only just set, cook them a little longer for anyone pregnant, very young, older or vulnerable. Chef's tip: a spoon of cornflour slurry and a little oil in the beaten eggs keeps them silky even if you overshoot by a few seconds.

14 minChineseFish
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Qing jiao rou si (shredded pork with green pepper)

Qing jiao rou si is one of the first dishes a home cook in China learns, made in a few minutes from Sichuan to the north-east: thin strips of pork loin, velveted with a little cornflour, flashed in a hot wok with green pepper and garlic. This is a pork dish, and the marinade uses a splash of Shaoxing rice wine, which cooks off only partly; an alcohol-free swap is given below. The mistake most people make is cutting the pork too thick or overcrowding the wok, so the meat stews and toughens. Chef's tip: half-freeze the pork for 20 minutes before slicing and you can cut matchstick-thin strips easily.

23 minChineseMeat
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Zhacai rousi mian (pork and pickled mustard noodle soup)

Zhacai rousi mian is a breakfast and late-night bowl from Chongqing to Shanghai noodle shops: plain wheat noodles in a light seasoned broth, topped with shreds of pork stir-fried with crunchy, salty zhacai, the pickled mustard tuber from Fuling. This is a pork dish. The mistake to avoid is salting the topping before you taste it; zhacai is already very salty, and rinsing it briefly saves the bowl. Chef's tip: season the empty bowls with soy, sesame oil and spring onion first, then pour the hot stock over, the way noodle stalls do.

22 minChinesePasta & Noodles
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Hong dan (Chinese red eggs)

When a Chinese baby turns one month old, the family holds a full-month party and sends red eggs to relatives and friends: the round egg stands for new life and the red for luck and joy, and an even number is given for a boy in some families and an odd number for a girl in others. The eggs are shared by the guests and older children, peeled and eaten plain or with a little salt. This version dyes them with beetroot rather than food colouring. It contains egg. Chef's tip: dye the eggs while they are still warm and the shells take the colour much more evenly.

30 minChineseSnacks & StartersGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Liangban fuzhuTofu skin and cucumber salad

Fuzhu, the dried sticks made from the skin that forms on simmering soy milk, are a pantry staple in Guangxi and Sichuan and in Buddhist vegetarian kitchens across China. Soaked until soft and chewy, they are tossed in this cold dish with cucumber, carrot and wood ear in a dressing of garlic, vinegar and sesame oil, served in summer with rice or noodles. It is high in protein and very satisfying. A portion is about 170 kcal. Soak the fuzhu in cold water for 2–3 hours or overnight, not counted in the times. The common mistake is soaking in hot water, which leaves the outside mushy and the centre hard. Chef's tip: blanch the soaked sticks briefly; it cleans off the beany taste and makes them softer and juicier.

20 minChineseSaladsVegan
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Dong gua tangWinter melon soup

In the sticky summers of Guangzhou and Hong Kong, a big pot of winter melon soup is on the stove in many homes: slabs of the pale green gourd simmered until translucent and almost melting, in a clear broth. Cantonese families believe it cools the body and drains the "dampness" of the season. Usually it is made with pork ribs or dried shrimp; this version uses dried shiitake and ginger for a deep, savoury vegetarian broth, seasoned only with salt and white pepper. A bowl is about 40 kcal. The common mistake is cutting the melon too thin, so it disintegrates; cut it into 2 cm slabs and simmer gently. Chef's tip: keep the soaking water from the mushrooms and add it to the pot; it is full of flavour.

35 minChineseSoupsVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Bai zhuo xiaPoached prawns

Bai zhuo, "plain poaching", is how Cantonese cooks treat seafood they think is too good to sauce, and a plate of whole poached prawns is on the table at almost every family dinner and wedding banquet in Guangzhou and Shunde. The prawns are dropped into boiling water with ginger and spring onion for barely two minutes, then peeled at the table and dipped in a sizzling sauce of soy, chilli and spring onion. They are sweet, springy and very light. A portion is about 130 kcal. In Guangdong the prawns are often bought live; this recipe uses fresh or thawed raw shell-on prawns. Discard any that smell of ammonia, have black heads or slimy, soft shells. The common mistake is overcooking, which makes them rubbery and hard to peel; take them out the moment they curl and turn pink. Chef's tip: plunge the cooked prawns into iced water for 30 seconds; the flesh firms up and shrinks slightly from the shell, so they peel easily.

15 minChineseFish
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Xihu niurou gengMinced beef and tofu soup

Named after Hangzhou's West Lake, this soup was once on every banquet menu in Zhejiang and is now a favourite in Cantonese restaurants too: finely chopped beef, soft tofu and mushrooms in a broth thickened until silky, with egg white drifted in like mist on the lake and a handful of coriander at the end. It is light, warming and eaten as a starter. Eggs, soy and wheat (in soy sauce) are the allergens. A bowl is about 170 kcal. The common mistake is adding the beef in a clump, so it boils into hard lumps; mix it with a little water first and stir as it goes in. Chef's tip: turn off the heat before you add the egg white and pour it in a thin stream; it sets in delicate white wisps instead of rubbery bits.

25 minChineseSoups
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Pork floss bread rolls (rousong mianbao)

Every Chinese bakery, from Taipei to Guangzhou and the Chinese bakeries of Singapore, has a tray of pork floss buns, and they are a favourite thing for parents to buy at the school gate: pillowy milk bread with a sweet-savoury coat of mayonnaise and rousong, the dry, fluffy shredded pork. Children pick at the floss first. Home-baked, they make a weekend project and freeze well. They contain gluten (wheat), milk and egg. Chef's tip: let the buns cool completely before the mayonnaise goes on, or it melts and the floss turns soggy.

45 minChineseBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Zicai dan hua tangSeaweed egg drop soup

Zicai dan hua tang is the soup that a busy Chinese home cook can make while the rice is cooking: dried laver seaweed, which dissolves into silky dark green ribbons, and egg swirled into simmering water seasoned with a little soy, white pepper and sesame oil. It is on canteen trays in every Chinese university and on family tables across the country. Many cooks add a few dried shrimp; this vegetarian version leaves them out and uses a pinch of mushroom powder or vegetable stock instead. Eggs are an allergen. A bowl is about 50 kcal. The common mistake is stirring as soon as the egg goes in, which makes it cloudy; wait 10 seconds so it sets into flowers. Chef's tip: tear the seaweed into the bowls, not the pot, and pour the hot soup over; it stays tender and doesn't overcook.

10 minChineseSoups
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Xiao huntun (little wontons in broth)

Xiao huntun, 'little wontons' with wrappers so thin you can see the filling, are sold from breakfast stalls across Shanghai and the Jiangnan region, and their soft, slippery texture makes them a children's favourite for breakfast or supper. For toddlers from a year old the filling is seasoned with ginger and only a few drops of low-salt soy, and the broth is no-salt stock with laver and ribbons of omelette. It contains gluten (wheat wrappers), egg, soya and sesame. Chef's tip: use just half a teaspoon of filling per wrapper and scrunch it closed; that is how the little ones are made, and they cook in moments.

45 minChineseMeat
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Liangban mu'erWood ear mushroom salad

Every noodle shop and dumpling house in Beijing and Harbin has a fridge of liangcai, the cold dishes ordered alongside the main meal, and liangban mu'er is one of the most popular: black wood ear fungus, which grows wild in the northeastern forests, blanched and tossed with black vinegar, garlic, chilli and coriander. It has almost no taste of its own but a lovely crunchy, bouncy bite, and it soaks up the tangy dressing. A portion is about 60 kcal. The common mistake is soaking the dried fungus in hot water to save time; it comes out limp. Use warm water for 15 minutes, or cold water for an hour, for the best crunch. Chef's tip: plunge the blanched fungus straight into iced water; it firms up and stays snappy.

18 minChineseSaladsVegan
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Lian'ou paigu tangPork rib and lotus root soup

In Wuhan, the city of a hundred lakes, lotus root is dug from the mud in autumn, and every family simmers it for hours with pork ribs in a clay pot until the root turns pinkish and starchy and the broth is sweet and clear. This is the soup that welcomes home students at the winter holidays and comforts the sick. It is a pork dish, and it is seasoned only with salt, white pepper and ginger, so it is gluten free. A bowl is about 280 kcal. The most common mistake is using crisp, thin-holed lotus root, which stays crunchy; for soup, choose the fat, short sections with few large holes, which turn powdery and soft. Chef's tip: blanch the ribs and rinse them before simmering; the broth stays clear and clean-tasting.

135 minChineseSoupsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

BaijimoGriddle-baked flatbread

Xi'an street cooks describe a good baijimo with a three-part saying: an iron ring, a tiger's back and a chrysanthemum heart. That means a pale, firm rim, a top mottled golden like tiger stripes, and a spiral pattern in the middle. Inside it is fluffy and layered, outside thin and crisp, and it is split from the side while hot to make roujiamo, the famous Shaanxi sandwich of chopped braised pork. For a meat-free filling, use braised shiitake and tofu with chilli oil, or spicy shredded potato. The dough is only half-risen on purpose; letting it fully prove is the mistake that gives you a soft, bun-like bread with no crunch. Chef's tip: twist the coil as you stand it on end and press it flat, which is what draws the spiral into the chrysanthemum heart.

88 minChineseBreads & ParathasVegan
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Shou tao bao (longevity peach buns)

In Chinese tradition the peach is the fruit of long life, so birthday tables, from a grandparent's 80th to a child's party, carry a plate of shou tao bao: fluffy white steamed buns pinched into a peach shape, blushed pink at the tip and filled with sweet lotus seed paste. Children love helping to shape the creases and add the pastry leaves. This version is made without milk. It contains gluten. Chef's tip: steam over a gentle, not roaring, boil and wait 5 minutes before lifting the lid, so the buns stay smooth and don't wrinkle.

105 minChineseBakingVegan
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Steamed chicken with shiitake

Steamed chicken with mushrooms is one of the dishes Cantonese grandmothers in Guangzhou and Hong Kong put on the dinner table on a weeknight, steamed on a plate over the rice pot so the juices drip into a little puddle of sauce: bite-sized pieces of chicken thigh marinated with soy, ginger and cornflour, scattered with soaked shiitake and steamed until tender and glossy. It is light, savoury and clean-tasting, with rice and a green vegetable. A portion is about 240 kcal. Marinate in the fridge. The most common mistake is piling the chicken up in a deep bowl; spread it in one layer on a plate so it cooks evenly. Chef's tip: the cornflour in the marinade is the secret; it protects the chicken and turns the steaming juices into a silky sauce.

40 minChineseChicken
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Egg yolk congee for babies (dàn huáng zhōu)

Across China, egg yolk congee is one of the first protein foods a baby is given, often as a light supper once plain rice paste is going down well. A fully hard-boiled yolk is crumbled and mashed into soft, unsalted congee, turning it pale gold and creamy. It contains egg; there is no milk, gluten, peanut, tree nuts, soya, sesame or fish. Many families start with a quarter of a yolk and build up over a few days. Chef's tip: plunge the boiled egg straight into cold water; it stops a grey ring forming and the yolk crumbles more easily.

50 minChineseRice & GrainsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Ji dan gengSteamed egg custard

Ji dan geng is the first "real food" many Chinese children remember: a bowl of steamed egg so smooth it shivers, made by grandmothers from Shanghai to Chengdu for a toddler's lunch, a sick day or a quick side at dinner, and eaten with a spoon over rice. Eggs are beaten with warm water, steamed gently, then finished with a few drops of soy and sesame oil and some spring onion. Eggs are an allergen, and for toddlers under one, leave out the soy. A bowl is about 110 kcal. The most common mistake is using cold water and a fierce heat, which gives a pitted, spongy custard; use warm water and a gentle steam. Chef's tip: cover the bowl with a plate or cling film while it steams, so no condensation drips onto the surface and the top stays like glass.

17 minChineseSides
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Garlic bok choy

Order a plate of greens in any home kitchen or small restaurant in Guangzhou or Shanghai and it will most likely be this: baby bok choy or xiao bai cai tossed in a smoking wok with a heap of chopped garlic, a pinch of salt and a splash of water, on the table in four minutes. The stems stay juicy and crisp, the leaves silky, and the garlic sweet. It goes with every meal. A portion is about 50 kcal. The most common mistake is a wet, crowded wok, which stews the greens to khaki; dry them well and cook in batches if your pan is small. Chef's tip: add half the garlic at the start and half at the end; you get both mellow, toasty garlic and a fresh punch.

9 minChineseSidesVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

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