Kitchen · 家常菜
Nainai's kitchen
Everyday home cooking, with real quantities and the substitutions you can find at an American grocery store. Every recipe scales, and "Start cooking" walks you through one step at a time with timers.
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番茄炒蛋
Tomato and egg stir-fry
Soft eggs, tomatoes cooked down to a sauce, rice underneath. Often the first dish people learn to cook.
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红烧肉
Red-braised pork belly
Pork belly simmered in caramel, soy and Shaoxing wine until it's tender and glossy. Shanghai style: dark and on the sweet side.
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葱油饼
Scallion pancakes
Flaky, chewy, salty and green. A hot-water dough rolled with oil and scallions, coiled and pan-fried.
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猪肉白菜饺子
Pork and napa cabbage dumplings
The northern classic for Start of Winter, the Winter Solstice and New Year's Eve. A juicy filling and a simple fold anyone can learn.
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黑芝麻汤圆
Black sesame tangyuan
Chewy glutinous rice balls with a molten black sesame center, served in warm ginger syrup. For the Winter Solstice in the south and the Lantern Festival almost everywhere.
Stock the pantry 调料
These twelve bottles and jars cover most home cooking. Find them at any Chinese or Asian supermarket, and increasingly at regular ones.
- 生抽
Light soy sauce
The everyday soy sauce for seasoning and dipping. Thin, salty and the one you use most.
Buying it: Look for "light" or "premium" on the label. Pearl River Bridge and Lee Kum Kee are easy to find.
- 老抽
Dark soy sauce
Aged longer, thicker and less salty. Mostly for color, as in red-braised pork.
Buying it: A small bottle lasts a long time. Don't swap it one-for-one with light soy.
- 香醋
Black vinegar
Chinkiang (Zhenjiang) vinegar: malty and mellow. The dumpling dip, and the sour in hot and sour soup.
Buying it: Balsamic is the closest stand-in, but use less.
- 绍兴酒
Shaoxing wine
Amber rice wine for marinades, braises and taking the edge off fish and meat.
Buying it: Dry sherry works. Avoid "cooking wine" with added salt if you can.
- 麻油
Toasted sesame oil
A finishing oil, not a frying oil. A few drops go into fillings, dressings and soups at the end.
Buying it: Buy the dark, toasted kind in a small bottle; it goes stale.
- 白胡椒
White pepper
Earthier and sharper than black pepper. Standard in congee, wonton soup and hot and sour soup.
Buying it: Ground is fine. Black pepper tastes noticeably different.
- 八角
Star anise
Licorice-sweet spice for braises, tea eggs and five-spice powder.
Buying it: Keeps for a year in a sealed jar. One or two pods per pot.
- 冰糖
Rock sugar
Gives braises their gloss and a rounder sweetness.
Buying it: Granulated sugar works; use a little less.
- 豆瓣酱
Chili bean paste
Fermented broad beans and chili. The base of mapo tofu and twice-cooked pork.
Buying it: Pixian (郫县 Pí xiàn) is the classic. Fry it in oil first to wake it up.
- 花椒
Sichuan peppercorn
Not hot but numbing. Pairs with chili for the flavor called 麻辣 (má là).
Buying it: Pick out the black seeds, toast in a dry pan, then grind.
- 腐乳
Fermented tofu
Salty, creamy cubes. Eaten with congee or stir-fried with greens.
Buying it: Comes in jars, red or white. A little at a time.
- 干香菇
Dried shiitake
Deeper flavor than fresh. Used in braises, fillings and New Year dishes.
Buying it: Soak in warm water for an hour, and save the soaking liquid for the sauce.