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.
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.
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 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.
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 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.
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The 12 pantry staples, the 5 techniques, and a week of beginner-friendly dinners — plus a new decoded recipe each week.