Chicken Lettuce Wraps by Joanne Weir

This is one of those dishes that I have to order every single time I go to Chinatown and see them on the menu. I love the crunch of the lettuce, the saltiness of the soy sauce, and the sweetness of the oyster sauce. You can substitute turkey, pork or squab with equally delicious results.

Stir-Fried Broccoli with Chili-Garlic Sauce by John Spottiswood

My father-in-law has become an amazing cook, and he made this as part of our Easter lunch this year with the fabulous pork tenderloin recipe (see linked below). This version isn't gloppy with extra sauce like you find in many Chinese take out places. It's very flavorful but also relatively light and healthful. He made a TON of it,…

MANGO PUDDING by Linda Tay Esposito

A newer addition to the dim sum repertoire, the mango pudding is influenced by Western desserts techniques (since the Chinese are not too big on desserts! "Not too sweet" is always a sign of a good dessert for the Chinese!). Instead of heavy cream, you can substitute with coconut milk to give it a more tropical flavor.

CHA SIU BAO - STEAMED BBQ PORK BUNS by Linda Tay Esposito

The char siu bao is a dimsum staple. Sweet, juicy bits of Chinese bbq pork oozing out of the soft, sweet bun. The secret to creating that char siu bao taste is to use dried onions (McCormicks). Please look up the Basic Yeast Dough for Steamed Buns that accompanies this recipe. If you don't have steamer baskets, use a wok…

BASIC YEAST DOUGH FOR STEAMED BUNS by Linda Tay Esposito

This is a recipe for the dough of the fluffy white skins of the char siu bao and the shanghai cabbage buns. It's truly versatile -- you can use the same dough and fill it with sweetened mashed red beans or lotus seeds for a dessert treat. Or just steam it by itself to turn it into "man tou" essentially steamed white bread that is…

MINCED CHICKEN & LAP CHEUNG IN LETTUCE CUPS by Linda Tay Esposito

There are so many versions of Chicken in Lettuce Cups. This recipe features the classic trinity of chicken, lap cheung (Chinese wax sausages) and dried shrimp. If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, get the Wycen lap cheung (Washington/Stockton or Clement/7th) . They make their sausages locally and offer extra lean 100%…

Shirmp with Broccoli Stir Fry by John Spottiswood

This is a bit of a make-shift stir fry that came out great. I mixed some of the ingredients from my favorite chinese and thai dishes here, and the combination came out delicious.

Cabbage Stir Fry by Nancy Miyasaki

This is a wonderful dish with light but complex flavors. We typically serve this along with another dish as part of a Chinese style meal.

Garlic Ginger Green Beans by John Spottiswood

These are an excellent, healthy side dish to any grilled meat. I highly recommend them with the Chinese BBQ chicken recipe below, but honestly these would go well with just about anything. Unfortunately these were tapped out long before our chicken, so make more than you think you need. They are great the next day too!

Sesame Noodles by kathy vegas

Sesame Noodles can be found on just about every Chinese menu these days and for good reason, Sesame Noodles are wonderfully addicting just by themselves, served as a side dish with grilled chicken or served topped with crisp stir fried vegetables. They also travel well and are a perfect dish to take to a potluck or picnic. Fresh…

GOW CHOI GAU – SHRIMP & CHIVES DUMPLINGS by Linda Tay Esposito

Gow Choi - Chinese chives are stronger in flavor -- more garlicy taste than regular chives -- than regular chives. The flat-leaf, foot-long green is used as a vegetable rather than used as a herb. In this classic dim sum dish, the chives are mixed with shrimp and stuffed in a a dumpling. The crystal dumpling skin is made from…

Shrimp and Tofu with Black Bean Sauce by John Spottiswood

We're on a mission to create the ultimate black bean sauce. This recipe is getting pretty close I think. I took bits from a traditional Chinese recipe and combined those with another few bits that I got from a Martin Yan recipe. The result was not as sweet as Martin Yan's, but with just enough sweetness to fill out the flavor of…

Bamboo Steamed Salmon with Sesame Oil by Mihir Shah

This dish came out great. Very healthy and easy because of the steaming. Drizzling the sesame oil over the top at the end really makes the dish. Wonderful!

SHANGHAINESE LION’S HEAD by Linda Tay Esposito

They call it Lion's Head because the meatballs are ye big with manes of soft, tender napa cabbage...looking like a lion. Seriously, in Shanghai, the meatballs are the size of a tennis ball - let's call that a quarter pounder meatball. Slowly braise or steam to get a tender, melt-in-your-mouth meatballs. If you have a small…

Kung Pao Chicken by Dominick Chirichillo