Notes about Recipes in this book

• Shiitake and pork congee (Xiang gu rou xian zhou/Hiunn koo bah muai)

  • rmardel on January 11, 2025

    This was truly fabulous! I used my own bone broth, an asian-inspired version made from chicken and pork bones, with ginger and other aromatics, rather than the recipe in the book, which looks like it would be equally delicious. Although I love simple plain congee, this version is special and one that, aside from the pork, which is easy enough to procure, uses things always in my pantry. I will make it again.

• Cucumber salad (Liang ban xiao huang gua)

  • Yildiz100 on April 17, 2024

    Delicious. Love the texture. Maybe a bit sweet. I think it would be a but more balanced if it were a little spicier.

• Wood ear mushroom salad (Liang ban hei mu er)

  • bernalgirl on January 10, 2025

    I’ve used fresh wood ear mushrooms, which have a silky texture snd and a very mild flavor. I think I prefer wood ear mushrooms in combination rather than as the star.

• Beef noodle soup (Hong shao niu rou mian)

  • bernalgirl on March 17, 2025

    Wow is this good! I made the bone broth two weeks earlier and froze it, and cooked the beef the day before serving. I couldn’t find boneless beef shank so I bought an extra 1.5 lbs. to make up for the bones. I would absolutely make this again.

• Fried pork chop (Zha pai gu/Tsinn ti pai)

  • bernalgirl on January 10, 2025

    Delicious! This marinade includes some of my favorite flavors and with a four hour sit they really come through. The sweet potato starch fries up beautifully crunchy.

• Sweet potato leaves stir-fry (Chao di gua ye/Tsha han tsu hioh)

  • rmardel on January 11, 2025

    These were a revelation to me. I had tried sweet potato greens from my local Tennessee farmer's market but they were much larger and leathery. For this recipe I purchased greens at my local oriental grocery and the greens were small and tender, the stems crisp and light. The stems showed a hint of nuttiness and bitterness after cooking, but they were crisply tender and good. The leaves were light, buttery and had an almost floral fruitiness to them. They were bright, delicious and very refreshing with a more savory main course.

• Red-braised tofu (Hong shao dou fu/Ang sio tau hu)

  • bernalgirl on January 15, 2026

    This is a really nice recipe, the sauce isn’t too sweet and the frying step gives it great texture. I added a squirt of sriracha and a handful of leftover cooked edamame, and added the carrots with the tofu as I didn’t want them crunchy. Would do that again.

• Three-cup chicken (San bei ji/Sam pue ke)

  • bernalgirl on January 28, 2025

    While I don’t think this is my favorite 3-cup chicken, it is very easy (especially for this cookbook) and was a huge hit with my extended family. I can see making this again.

• Garlic sliced pork (Suan ni bai rou)

  • rouge8 on December 12, 2023

    Simplified sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tbsp soy paste, 1 tsp sugar, 1 garlic clove, and 2 tablespoons of water until the sugar is fully dissolved. Stir in the 1/2 tsp sesame oil and 1/4 tsp chili crisp, add more water and sugar to taste and set aside.

• Gua bao (Kuah pau)

  • rchewing on March 16, 2024

    Use leftover meat to make fried rice

  • bernalgirl on January 28, 2025

    This is absolutely delicious! The pork belly is straightforward—although I added ginger and a star anise to the poaching broth—and the chopped pickled mustard green topping was exceptional. The peanut sugar makes far more than is needed for this recipe. I steamed store-bought buns and would do so again.

• Pineapple cake (Feng li su/Ong lai soo)

  • Jeshaprekop on November 29, 2025

    This is a very good recipe. It came out beautifully.

• Taiwanese pickled cabbage (Tai shi pao cai)

  • bernalgirl on January 10, 2025

    So easy and a perfect foil for the fried pork chop. I cut the sugar by 1/3 and would do so again.

• Bone broth (Da gu gao tang/Tua kut thng)

  • bernalgirl on March 17, 2025

    This came out beautifully gelatinous but I cooked it overnight, it was barely flavored at the suggested cooking time. I’ll follow her ratios again, though, to make the beef noodle soup in the same cookbook.