Notes about Recipes in this book

• Dumpling dough

  • southerncooker on April 14, 2018

    I used my kitchen aid to make this dough. Then used the dough to make the green onion pancakes.

  • mjes on November 05, 2019

    This is the dough that Hsiao-Ching Chou used in her PCC class - a soft dough that is easy to handle. See http://mychinesesoulfood.com/2018/04/17/how-to-fold-dumplings/ for her demonstration of folding techniques. And yes, a second book is on its way.

• Pork and Chinese cabbage dumplings

  • lkgrover on November 12, 2018

    Good Chinese dumplings, surprisingly easy to make.

  • mjes on November 05, 2019

    This is a very standard filling. A 3 year old is old enough to help make this filling and put it in wrappers. (Yes, the age is son and grandson tested). The resulting dumplings are excellent for company as they are what people expect.

• Soy-ginger dipping sauce

  • mjes on November 05, 2019

    This is one of those ubiquitous recipes that one can pretty much make out of whatever cookbook is open or wing it without a recipe. The cilantro is a bit less common than the other ingredients and provides a nice switch-up.

• Spinach, egg, and shiitake dumplings

  • mjes on November 05, 2019

    I'm of the opinion that dumplings are a family assembly line project that should produce multiple future choices from the freezer. The carrot and bean thread noodle make this filling a bit more complex than many but I really liked the results. However, it is very important that the ingredients be well mixed so that each dumpling gets a bit of each ingredient. I ended up making the wrappers a bit larger than I had for pork and lettuce.

  • Kduncan on April 02, 2021

    These were okay, the other dumplings we made at the same time we liked more. Would make again if I knew people who were veg were coming over.

  • h0lly on April 12, 2025

    This is my favorite dumpling/bun filling. The author says she can eat a bowl full of it. I could eat a bucket full of it. Caveat: I’m a vegetarian. But I’m sticking to my story. This filling is delicious. I make it on repeat.

• Balsamic-soy dipping sauce

  • mjes on November 05, 2019

    A super simple recipe that I spent much time on; I was mulling over what balsamic vinegar would work best. Which led me to mull over why balsamic was used rather than black vinegar. Which led to the obvious solution: make it with black vinegar, taste, then choose a balsamic vinegar that brought similar characteristics to the table. Only problem, I preferred the black vinegar version to the actual recipe's balsamic vinegar.

• Beef with Chinese mustard greens dumplings

  • mjes on November 05, 2019

    This filling of ground beef and Chinese mustard greens handles much like the "beginner's pork and cabbage" making this a very easy variation. The flavor of beef in my experience is uncommon in Chinese dumpling so I found this to be a delightful surprise bite.

  • sarahawker on October 21, 2025

    Loved these. Used premade wrappers so whole process start to finish was about an hour. Really lovely way to use mustard greens. Dipping sauce is wonderful. Served with egg drop soup.

• Smacked cucumber

  • southerncooker on April 14, 2018

    Loved these. I used the side of my cleaver to smack the cucumbers. I used baby cucumbers.

  • lkgrover on June 14, 2022

    Good cucumber side dish. I peeled the cucumbers so more of the sauce would soak into the cucumbers. I prefer this version with balsamic vinegar to others with Chinese black vinegar--maybe the extra sweetness appeals to me?

• Green onion pancakes

  • southerncooker on April 14, 2018

    I used the dumpling dough to make these pancakes. I used my french rolling pin to roll out the dough. I had a little trouble at first with rolling into a tight cylinder after putting on the green onions and then curling the rolled cylinder into a coil before rolling out again. I finally got the hang after a couple tries.

• Fried rice

  • infotrop on April 07, 2018

    Like other recipes in this cookbook, this one is homey, tasty, very adaptable. I added mushrooms, garlic. Served with egg rolls, p. 221

  • DFarnham on March 08, 2021

    super easy and delicious...very adaptable

• Chinese noodles in meat sauce (Zha jiang mian)

  • Frogcake on June 08, 2018

    Absolutely delicious. Loved the flavours here. I substituted the bean sauce with Korean bean paste (3 tablespoons). Will add some cubed tofu next time. Chinese spaghetti sauce is an appropriate description. I’ve flagged this one for my sons to make.

• Baby bok choy with chicken

  • southerncooker on September 25, 2020

    I used boneless thighs and the top of the green of the baby bok choy. Using bottoms in another recipe. We enjoyed this one.

• Wok seared corn and green onions

  • jenburkholder on September 15, 2020

    Really delicious with fresh sweet corn. More than the sum of its parts. Made again a year later and damn is it still so good! Put it with braised pork chops from Marcella. Used chives from the garden as the scallions that I had put into my grocery cart mysteriously vanished. This tastes in no way "Asian", just well seasoned and delish. I did add a little nub of butter to the oil for sauteeing.

• Tomato egg

  • lkgrover on May 25, 2018

    Chinese-style scrambled eggs with tomatoes: the soy sauce and sesame oil add an unexpected zing.

• Dry-fried green beans

  • DFarnham on March 04, 2021

    We did these a side dish so we eliminated the pork. They were tasty, although I would probably throw a couple of dried chilies in there in the future to up the heat. Easy to overcook, but definite repeat.

  • Jviney on August 05, 2021

    This was kind of iffy for me, very easy to overcook as mentioned before, but my husband and kids loved it. I had ground beef on hand, pork would be a better pairing, I think.

• Kung pao chicken

  • DFarnham on March 08, 2021

    Great recipe. I sought out the chile peanuts she referenced in her notes. I just poured peanuts from the package that happened to also contain some dried red pepper and sichuan pepper. I then also added the optional sichuan pepper. I think I overdid it a bit, and will definitely omit the extra pepper if using same nuts. Simple dish for a weeknight. Served it with fried rice and stir fried bok choy.

• Chicken with snow peas

  • cellenly on April 28, 2020

    Very good. Added water chestnuts. A little salty for my taste using normal kikoman. Would try light soy sauce next time.

• Orange beef

  • lkgrover on May 05, 2018

    Delicious with easy preparation. I used an extra orange (and its zest) instead of a tangerine.

  • jenburkholder on September 26, 2020

    Tasty and easy. I thought the Sichuan peppercorn was a little too much and would cut down next time. I also thought I'd try it more as a "regular" stir-fry rather than first frying the beef in a cup of oil. Would make again.

• Sweet-and-sour spare ribs

  • DFarnham on March 04, 2021

    Good--pretty easy to prepare. We did not cut ribs into riblets, just cut rack apart into individual ribs which worked fine. Definite repeat. Will probably throw in some heat next time with japones or crushed red pepper. Served dry-fried green beans on the side.

  • PickyPalateMom on February 26, 2026

    This was tasty and not difficult. However, the sauce didn’t thicken and become sticky. This was likely my fault as I made it in a 6 litre soup pot instead of a Dutch oven. Because the pot was deeper rather than wider the sauce didn’t boil off as quickly as it would have in a pot with a wider diameter.

• Salt-and-Sichuan pepper shrimp

  • southerncooker on April 14, 2018

    Delicious. I used headless shrimp with the shell on and split down back veins already removed. I used the cornstarch option for breading.

• Stir-fried rice cake with chicken and Chinese broccoli

  • sarahawker on April 07, 2022

    My firs time using rice cakes and this was simple and tasty. I had a load of asparagus that I substituted for the Chinese broccoli and it was a straight forward substitution. Would make again.

• Vegetarian's delight

  • southerncooker on April 14, 2018

    I used Chinese cabbage, snow peas, carrots, and baby corn. Served over Asian Rice with a little extra low-sodium soy sauce.

  • cellenly on April 28, 2020

    Would recommend low sodium soy sauce next time; used 1/2 the sauce. Used regular cabbage, snow peas, carrots.

• Mongolian beef

  • lkgrover on March 30, 2019

    Excellent beef stir-fry. The sauce is thick because of the cornstarch, which I like. I served over sticky rice (did not make the fried rice noodles in the photo).

• General Tso's chicken

  • Frogcake on February 28, 2018

    Very flavourful. My family really enjoyed this dish, which I served with buttered basmati rice and grilled vegetables. Will be making this one again.

  • lizbot2000 on May 20, 2018

    This was great and pretty easy. They're not playing around with the cornstarch, though - next time I'll go a little easier on it. The sauce was a bit too gloppy for my tastes.

• Beef with broccoli

  • cellenly on November 15, 2021

    Easy, basic & fast. I steamed broccoli in microwave to my preferred doneness accounting for more cook time later. Prefer beef & broccoli with black beans, but this is a great weeknight meal. Kids said definite repeater.

• Food in Jars

  Never before have your favorite takeout dishes been more accessible or delicious.

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• Eat Your Books

  Hsiao-Ching Chou has written a Chinese cookbook that is approachable to any level cook. Ditch take-out and buy this book.

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• Denver Post

  Chinese Soul Food, our April choice for the EYB Cookbook Club, is featured in the Denver Post along with two recipes.

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