This Cherry Tomato Pasta recipe is for when you have more cherry (or grape) tomatoes than you know what to do with, or simply when they’re in season and most enjoyable!  Little tomatoes, butter, garlic, and olive oil are simmered to make a deliciously effortless sauce that’s more than the sum of its parts. It […]

Thai Basil Mock Duck is one of my favorite dishes to order out at a Thai restaurant. I’m no vegetarian, but I love the way the savory mock duck tastes alongside Thai Basil, Thai soy sauce, and vegetables!   Our go-to Thai restaurant charges $19 for a small plate of their Thai Basil Mock Duck stir-fry. […]

Add this Zucchini with Garlic Sauce to your rotation when you have more zucchini or yellow squash than you know what to do with! Ground pork, plenty of garlic and scallions, and just a little heat from dried red chilies makes this a new summertime favorite at our house. For Anyone Who Loves Eggplant with […]

This tofu bánh mì is a vegetarian version of the delicious Vietnamese sandwich, with so much flavor you won’t miss the meat!  Whether you’re vegetarian or just looking for a reason to eat more bánh mì, this tofu version is the one. We pan-fry the tofu until golden and toss it in a garlicky glaze. […]

This Eggplant Stir-fry with Chicken is in the Cantonese style—the flavor of the eggplant shines through with aromatic garlic, scallions, ginger, and juicy chicken. It’s a delicious one-pan meal and my new favorite way to enjoy Chinese eggplant.  Do I Need to Use Chinese Eggplant?  Chinese eggplants have fewer seeds than the average globe variety […]

This Sesame Tofu is deliciously savory and has all the trappings of another takeout favorite,  Sesame Chicken! The tofu is crusted in sesame seeds and pan-fried until crispy and golden, then tossed in a classic sweet sesame sauce!  Our Perfected Sauce The key to a great sesame sauce, whether for sesame tofu or sesame chicken, […]

There’s something special about Pork Belly Char Siu that goes above and beyond a traditional roast pork char siu.  Super-tender and decadent, pork belly roasts up beautifully and just melts in your mouth! Serve it over a plate of steamed rice with a simple side of blanched greens, and you have a simple but outrageously delicious meal. It […]

The St. Paul Sandwich is a uniquely American creation, ironically originating in St. Louis, Missouri. It’s an Egg Foo Young patty sandwiched between white bread, with mayo, lettuce, tomato, and pickles, and it is glorious!  We recently decided to put The Woks of Life spin on it, with a step-by-step recipe and a new YouTube […]

Moo shu pork is an iconic Chinese restaurant dish of stir-fried pork, cabbage, carrots, and mushrooms, served on paper-thin, chewy pancakes with a sweet hoisin-based sauce. It is an absolutely delicious combination, and this moo shu pork recipe will yield that nostalgic flavor from American Chinese restaurants past.  Moo Shu Memories Fun to eat and […]

Beef with Snow Peas is a classic Chinese stir-fry that belongs in every home cook’s weeknight rotation. Tender, savory slices of marinated flank steak meet crisp, sweet snow peas in a glossy, umami-rich sauce. It all comes together in under 30 minutes! Serve it over a bowl of steamed white rice and you’ve got a […]

This vegetable stir fry tastes as good as it looks! It features perfectly fork-tender, seared vegetables in a glossy sauce that leans more savory than sweet. I love the vibrant combination of broccoli, bell pepper, carrot and red onion shown here, but you can change up the vegetables with the seasons.

Serve it as a simple side dish, or turn it into a full meal by adding rice and protein, like the crispy baked tofu shown here. Add a sprinkle of green onion and just-toasted sesame seeds, and this healthy homemade dish will taste much fresher than takeout.

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This Lap Cheong Mei Fun is a deliciously simple way to enjoy mei fun, or thin rice vermicelli, with Chinese sausage and a bright variety of vegetables!  We enjoyed a dish similar to this at a Chinese restaurant in Queens recently, and it snuck up on me how much I loved it. In a large […]

Ayam kecap is a popular Indonesian chicken dish made with kecap manis — a sweet dark soy sauce — and a unique blend of spices including fresh ginger, garlic, shallots, makrut lime leaf, galangal, coriander, and clove. Although we have never been to Indonesia, we love the flavors of Indonesian food, and many Indonesian dishes […]

What are pizza beans? They’re hearty white beans that taste like pizza, of course, simmered in a marinara-like sauce and topped with bubbling mozzarella cheese. Deb came up with the concept, and I’m a huge fan.

Today, I’m sharing my spin with canned beans, optional spinach, and a rich tomato paste-based sauce that tastes like it’s been simmering on the stove for hours. It’s cheesy and satisfying like baked ziti, but more wholesome and easier to make.

These pizza beans are so good and simple that this dish kinda feels like cheating. It’s an easy weeknight meal for cooler days. I bet you already have the ingredients in your pantry!

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Wor Shu Duck, also called Mandarin Pressed Duck or Almond Pressed Duck, was a popular Cantonese dish in Chinese and Polynesian-themed restaurants in the United States in the 1950s-1980s (right alongside the famous Pupu Platter).  Known as wor shu opp in Cantonese, this dish is now seldom seen on menus. We’ve gotten countless requests for […]

Beef chow mein is a delicious Chinese dish made with thin, chewy noodles, seared flank steak, and crisp-tender vegetables. Pull off restaurant-quality beef chow mein right in your own kitchen with our step-by-step recipe, all brought together by the rich savory depth of Chinese light and dark soy sauces! We also put together a YouTube video […]

Palak paneer is my favorite dish to order at Indian restaurants, and I’m excited to offer my homemade version to you! Palak paneer features tender cubes of paneer cheese in a well-seasoned, silky, spinach gravy. Palak literally means spinach, and this vibrant green dish is fully loaded. It’s vegetarian comfort food at its finest.

Palak paneer hails from the Punjab region in Northern India. I hope to visit India someday, but until then, I’m basing my version on the various Indian restaurants I frequent. I wanted to learn how to make my own palak paneer with organic spinach when I was expecting our son, since spinach is unfortunately higher in pesticide residues by weight than any other type of produce.

I made this dish over and over (no less than six times, to be exact) to ensure that the recipe offers maximum flavor while being streamlined from start to finish. Now you can make palak paneer for dinner any time you crave it. This recipe is ready in about 45 minutes!

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This Chicken with Lobster Sauce recipe takes that silky, savory sauce from our beloved Shrimp with Lobster Sauce and gives it a new home — nestled around tender chunks of chicken instead of shrimp.  Growing up, I was not a seafood kid, which meant I spent many years watching everyone ELSE eat shrimp with lobster […]

Nasi Goreng is the beloved national dish of Indonesia, an Indonesian fried rice with aromatic shrimp paste, sweet soy sauce, and savory elements like garlic and fried shallots. This Nasi Goreng recipe isn’t your average takeout fried rice, but a complex, smoky, and deeply satisfying dish. What Makes Nasi Goreng Different? Nasi goreng literally means […]

Stir-fried pressed tofu with peppers and black beans is an extremely simple and delicious Chinese dish. It happens to be vegan, but also protein-packed and flavorful!  A Restaurant-Inspired Recipe I had this dish at a vegetarian restaurant in Shenzhen. It was super tasty, but I still made a couple small adjustments to my own version. […]