Fun With Chow Fun

Chow fun is a transliteration from the Cantonese, which means “stir-fried rice noodles;” the Mandarin transliteration would be “chao fen.” It does not have anything to do with the English slang word, “chow,’ meaning “food” and “fun”, meaning “fun.” No, it does not mean “food that is fun,” though I do think it is fun […]

A Noodle Shop Classic: Roast Pork Noodle Soup

In many cultures around the world, a steaming bowl of noodle soup is the next best thing to a mother’s embrace. Noodle soup can be spicy or mild, filled with vegetables, or meat, or seafood or tofu, or made of just broth and noodles–it can be simple and stark, or elaborate and dressed to the […]

Making Basic Chinese Chicken and Pork Stock

Normal people have cookouts on Labor Day weekend. They gather around the grill with their buddies for a day of beer, beach volleyball, and burgers. At least, that is what most folks did when I was growing up. I have long since given up on pretending to be normal; everyone who knows me terms me […]

Hunan Rice Noodles With Chicken and Salted Chilies

I found this recipe originally in Fuchsia Dunlop’s amazing Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook, which is the simply best book on the subject of Hunan cookery published in English. It uses salted chilies, a condiment which is ubiquitous to Hunan, but which is not available in stores here int he US; instead, Dunlop gives a simple recipe […]

Two-Sides-Brown: Pan-Fried Noodle Pancake

This recipe is not often found on the typical American Chinese restaurants, and that is a shame, because it is a delicious dish, filled with textural and flavor contrasts. I used to eat it at the Chinese restaurant where I worked, and I loved watching the chefs cook the pancakes; they used a large wok […]

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