While the most traditional versions don't include a sesame product, I've recently taken to adding a touch of tahini to my sauce, after having tasted it in Chichi's vermicelli with chili oil recipe. Not enough to bring a distinct sesame flavor to the dish, but just enough to lightly bind the sauce and add a touch of creaminess to help it cling to the noodles a little bit better.
The kung pao chicken you'll find in China is more intense than the dish we know by the same name in the United States. There are multiple ways to make it—you can try a funky, fiery version flavored with fermented bean paste, or this recipe, made with Sichuan peppercorns and dried red chiles, that's closer to how this dish is actually served in Chengdu. Cutting some of the more aggressive ingredients results in a simpler, more nuanced dish.
It's not as popular with the U.S. audience as it is with the British (yet), but it seems that as palates are shifting and folks are becoming more and more accustomed to spicier foods, jalfrezi is getting primed to win over this side of the pond as well. With its origins in China, jalfrezi is more similar in its cooking method to dry-fried Chinese dishes rather than the typical wet Indian curry. This one incorporates chickpeas, potatoes and spinach, and a simple chutney of cilantro, garlic, chile, and lime juice finishes it off.
As former Serious Eats editor Adam Kuban put it, crab rangoons, those little parcels of creamy filling surrounded by crunchy shell, are "just a big ol' excuse for crazy non-Chinese people to eat deep-fried cream cheese." And it's true—but that admission doesn't make them any less delicious. At your local Chinese-American joint, the crab rangoons are almost certainly made with surimi, those artificially colored sticks of reconstituted fish that you find in California rolls. Using real crab instead will give the dumplings a more assertive fish flavor; stick with surimi if you'd like to re-create the "crab" puffs of your youth.
This is the spicy slaw everyone at the picnic or cookout will love. Cabbage, red onion, cilantro, Thai bird chiles, lime juice, and salt combine for a side dish with a kick for grilled meats, fish, or vegetables.
Chilaquiles are a classic Mexican breakfast dish that can be pretty aptly described as a fried tortilla casserole. Crisp chips are soaked in salsa (in this case a bright and tangy salsa verde made from tomatillos) until just barely softened but still mildly crunchy. This recipe combines black beans with charred corn, along with a few slices of avocado and a handful of toasted pumpkin seeds for a meal that's not only balanced in carbs, protein, and high in good green vegetables, but is crazy delicious to boot.
The heat of a wok is the perfect vessel for turning cucumbers and mushrooms into a tender, juicy side dish free from mush. A blast from a kitchen blowtorch imparts an extra layer of smoky wok hei flavor on the cucumbers, which then get mixed with meaty king trumpet mushrooms and funky fermented bean curd. The result is a simple vegetarian stir-fry that doesn’t skimp on flavor.
Smoked low and slow on the grill, this chicken marinated with Scotch bonnet peppers puréed with other fresh aromatics and spices tastes incredible. It's an 11 1/2-hour process (about 10 of those hours are hands-off while the chicken marinates), but the flavor is beyond worth the effort.
On top of steak cooked on the stovetop, pile cold cucumbers, red peppers, and peanuts, then drizzle with a spicy sauce made with fish sauce and dried Thai chiles. Eat it right away or refrigerate it overnight because it's even better the next day.
A riff on tandoori-style chicken, these chicken kebabs are marinated in a yogurt mixture with smoked and hot paprika plus cayenne for at least four hours. Thread onto water-soaked skewers and grill for an easy chicken kebab dish you'll return to again and again.
If you only ever eat cucumbers raw or pickled, you aren't using the vegetable to its full potential. Salting and lightly cooking cucumbers tenderizes them, turning their crunch into a meaty bite. One of our favorite ways to cook cucumbers is in this easy stir-fry, Noodle game strategy|https://noodleinsight.com/ seasoned with marinated ground pork, soy sauce, and sesame oil.
Grind a combination of beef and smoky, spicy Cajun andouille sausage for burger patties. Grill, then top with blue cheese and a sauce of mayo, ketchup, hot sauce, mustard, parsley, lemon juice, cayenne, horseradish, and garlic for the most spicy and flavorful burgers.
"With Chinese food, my basic advice is to pick a wine that has great acidity that will get your mouth watering for all of the different textures within the cuisine. The foods can often be fatty or fried so wine with great acidity will cut through the fat and make for a great pairing. With spicy dishes in particular, I like a wine with great aromatics and a bit of residual sugar. A Riesling or Gewürztraminer is a great choice as the sugar helps with heat. With a sweeter Chinese dish that involves pork or duck, a red burgundy is an amazing option. I would not go with a Pinot Noir that is overly ripe and sweet as you can normally get that addition with a hoisin sauce; instead, I would choose a balanced red burgundy that has some mushroom flavors and girth to it. Make sure the red you pick has some tannin as it will help cut through a fatty meat. For an overall pick that will go with any of the dishes on the table, the best white is a Vouvray as it has nice aromatics. I really like the amazing value Vouvray from Bourillon Dorleans-- the pear and fig notes complement a variety of dishes. For a red that will go with anything, I like a nice fruity Gamay. My pick would be the Morgon from Foillard."— Natalie Tapken, Burger & Barrel, Lure (NYC)