Chinese Cooking Guides
The techniques behind great Chinese cooking, explained clearly and honestly — the foundations that make every recipe easier. Learn the restaurant tricks, decode the jargon, and build real skills.
All cooking guides
Hong Kong Food: A Beginner's Guide
What Hong Kong food is — Cantonese roots plus East-meets-West cha chaan teng culture: milk tea, pineapple buns, wonton noodles, roast meats, dim sum, and claypot rice.
The Chinese Buffet, Explained
What's at a Chinese buffet and how to eat well — the classic all-you-can-eat lineup, which dishes are freshest, how to get your money's worth, and how to make the favorites at home.
Chinese Food: A Complete Guide
What Chinese food really is — the major regional cuisines, the most popular dishes, authentic vs American-Chinese takeout, the key ingredients, and how to cook it at home.
Chinese Food Menu: Popular Dishes, Explained
Decode the Chinese takeout menu — what every popular dish actually is, from General Tso's to lo mein to kung pao, organized by section, with what to order and how spicy each is.
Wonton vs Dumpling: What's the Difference?
Wonton vs dumpling vs potsticker, explained simply — the wrapper, shape, filling and cooking method that set each apart, and how to tell which is which on a menu.
What Are Bao Buns? A Beginner's Guide
What bao buns are, the main types — fluffy char siu bao, folded gua bao, pan-fried sheng jian — how they're steamed or fried, and the best fillings. A simple guide to Chinese buns.
What Is Moo Shu Pork?
What moo shu pork is — a quick stir-fry of pork, egg, wood ear mushroom and cabbage you wrap in thin pancakes with hoisin. Its origins, what's in it, and how it's eaten.
What Is Mei Fun? Rice Vermicelli Explained
What mei fun is — thin rice vermicelli noodles — how it differs from chow mein and chow fun, what Singapore mei fun is, and how to cook it without clumping.
How to Cook Rice (Perfect Every Time)
How to cook perfect Chinese-style rice: the right rice-to-water ratio, why you rinse, and foolproof stovetop, rice-cooker and no-peek methods. Plus how to fix mushy or crunchy rice.
What Is Char Siu? Chinese BBQ Pork Explained
What char siu is, what the name means, why it's red, how it differs from other Chinese roast pork, and the many ways it's eaten — from rice plates to bao to noodles.
What Is Hot Pot? A Beginner's Guide to Chinese Hot Pot
What Chinese hot pot is and how it works: the simmering broth, what to order, the Sichuan mala vs other broths, how to build the perfect dipping sauce, and hot-pot etiquette.
What Is Chop Suey? America's First Chinese Dish
What chop suey is, what the name means ('assorted pieces'), where the dish really came from, how it differs from chow mein, and how to make the formula at home.
Lo Mein vs Chow Mein: What's the Difference?
Lo mein vs chow mein, explained: same noodles, different cooking method. Why one is soft and saucy and the other drier or crispy, the regional styles, and which to order.
What Is Dim Sum? A Beginner's Guide
What dim sum is, where it comes from, the classic dishes to order (har gow, siu mai, char siu bao), how a yum cha meal works, and how to make dim sum at home.
What Is Szechuan (Sichuan) Food?
What makes Szechuan (Sichuan) food distinct: the málà mix of spicy heat and tingling numbness, the key ingredients, signature dishes, and how it differs from other Chinese cuisines.
How to Make Fried Rice (the Restaurant Way)
The technique behind great fried rice: why day-old rice matters, the heat and order of operations, and the fixes for mushy or soggy rice. Master it once and any fried rice works.
Cornstarch Slurry: How to Thicken Chinese Sauces
The cornstarch slurry ratio and method behind glossy Chinese stir-fry sauces: how to mix it, when to add it, why it clumps or fails to thicken, and gluten-free notes.
The Best Wok for Home Cooking: A Buying Guide
What actually makes a good wok — material, thickness, bottom shape and size — plus the best wok type for gas, electric and induction stoves at home. An honest, no-hype buying guide.
The Best Bamboo Steamer: Buying & Use Guide
What size bamboo steamer to buy, why bamboo beats metal for dim sum, and exactly how to set one up over a wok or pot. An honest buying guide with care tips and dumpling recipes to try.
Chinese Pantry Essentials: The Ingredients to Stock First
A no-fluff Chinese pantry checklist: the core sauces, vinegars, oils, and spices to buy first, what each one does, easy swaps, and where to buy them.
How to Velvet Chicken and Beef
Velveting is why Chinese restaurant stir-fry meat is so silky and tender. Here's exactly how to velvet chicken, beef and shrimp at home — the marinade, the ratios, and the baking-soda trick.
What Is Wok Hei?
Wok hei is the smoky, charred “breath of the wok” that makes restaurant stir-fries taste so good. What it actually is, why it's hard to get at home, and how to get as close as possible.
How to Fold Dumplings (and Wontons)
How to fold Chinese dumplings and wontons — the classic pleated fold, an easy no-pleat version, and the wonton bundle. Plus how much filling to use and how to seal them so they don't burst.
Chinese Stir-Fry Basics
Learn how to stir-fry like a pro: the order of operations, how hot the pan should be, how to keep it from getting watery, and how to build a glossy sauce. The fundamentals, decoded.
How to Season a Carbon Steel Wok
How to season a new carbon steel wok and keep it from rusting — remove the factory coating, build a natural nonstick patina, and maintain it. The simple method, plus how to fix rust.
Get our free Chinese Kitchen Starter Guide
The 12 pantry staples, the 5 techniques, and a week of beginner-friendly dinners — plus a new decoded recipe each week.