For years, The Woks of Life has been my encyclopedic resource for all things Chinese cooking and the book is an amazing addition to their already vast selection of phenomenal dishes! If you’re interested in making Chinese food at home, but unfamiliar with some of the ingredients or techniques, they’ve got you covered.
Buy the book here.
Recipes made: 19/101 (18.8%)
SKIP TO CHAPTERS: Dim Sum – Starters – Noodles – Rice – Poultry & Eggs – Pork, Beef & Lamb – Fish & Shellfish – Vegetables & Tofu – Soups & Stocks – Sauces – Desserts & Sweet Things
Dim Sum
Pork & Shrimp Siu Mai
Book: The Woks of Life, page 27
Rating: 5/5
Version of recipe.
It isn’t dim sum without Siu Mai IMHO. To make these, I finally bought steamer baskets (The Wok’s of Life recommended KK Discount in Chinatown). Once the pork, shiitake mushrooms, and shrimp paste-like mixture is combined, you place a tablespoon of it on Hong Kong-style round dumpling wrappers and squeeze the sides around the filling – another technique I’ll keep working on. Ha! Topped with some finely chopped carrots, they are steamed in the basket until cooked through. These were a restaurant-quality treat! These can also be made ahead and frozen, uncooked.
Mini Char Siu Bao
Book: The Woks of Life, page 29
Rating: 5/5
Version of recipe here.
Made with milk bread dough, these are delicious morsels packed with diced char siu and shallot in a thick, sweet, and savory sauce! A brush of sugar water after coming out of the oven gives them a nice shine! The only mistake I made was stretching the dough on top a little too thinly on some resulting in a bit of the meat pushing through!
Hong Kong Egg Tarts
Book: The Woks of Life, page 31
Rating: 5/5
Version of recipe
So I may have mentioned that I’m what you might call a “rustic” baker – you’re always going to know my pie crusts are homemade. 😉 While these egg tarts look a little wonky, they were just as I remember from those dim sums in Cleveland when I was younger. A nice, not-too-sweet way to end the meal! Although my favorites were always the sesame balls with sweet bean curd!
Lo Bak Go Radish Cake
Book: The Woks of Life, page 38
Rating: 5/5
Version of the recipe here.
I always saw radish cakes on dim sum menus but wasn’t sure I’d be into them. But after trying them at Dim Sum Go Go and loving them, I immediately came home and made these and they didn’t disappoint.
Starters
Fast-Sizzled Cucumber Salad
Book: The Woks of Life, page 73
Rating: 5/5
Recipe not online
With all the meat in the dishes, I wanted to have a lighter, refreshing dish to help cleanse our palates between savory bites and this cucumber salad was the perfect dish! Stubby fingers of cool cucumber are doused in vinegar, sugar, and spicy oil made with garlic, Sichuan chili flakes, sesame seeds, and Sichuan peppercorns. It was cool/crunchy combined with spicy/hot and could not have been easier to make
Pork, Mushroom & Cabbage Dumplings with Perfect Dipping Sauce
Book: The Woks of Life, page 82
Rating: 5/5
Recipe not online.
I’ve never made dumplings before, and after watching numerous videos, I naively thought folding would be a piece of cake! After folding approximately 70, I can say my technique still needs a bit of work – but they stay sealed and were so delicious. Packed with ground pork, shiitake mushrooms, and cabbage, we pan-fried some (how I prefer my dumplings) and boiled others before dipping them in the Perfect Dipping Sauce. Yum! I loved that these can be fully assembled and frozen – ready-made homemade dumplings whenever our heart desires?! The dream.
Chili Oil Wontons
Book: The Woks of Life, page 87
Rating: 5/5
Version of the recipe here.
This was my second time making these wantons and they were just as amazing as I remember! To make the filling, ground pork is combined with cabbage, sesame oil, ginger, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and white pepper. The assembled wontons are boiled for a couple of minutes and served with a spicy, bright red sauce made of Chinese black vinegar, chili oil, soy sauce, sesame paste, and garlic. These are an absolute keeper! These can also be made ahead and frozen, uncooked.
Noodles
Shortcut Dan Dan Noodles
Book: The Woks of Life , page 97
Rating: 5/5
Recipe on SplendidTable.com
If I see dan dan noodles on a restaurant menu, I always order a bowl for the table to share – it’s one of my absolute favorites. So, there was a very high bar for this recipe, and (not surprisingly) it really delivered! It uses quite a few ingredients and since you need to make the Ultimate Chili Oil recipe it also requires an upfront time investment BUT this makes a ton of sauce so once you’ve made it you are set for quick easy meals for months! For those nights you don’t really want to cook, just quickly sauté some ground pork, garlic, and Sichuan preserved vegetables and toss with noodles, blanched spinach, and 2 tablespoons of dan dan sauce for a quick meal that can be easily scaled up! The initial effort is worth it as the sauce has an amazing depth of flavor and some nice heat with a zing from the Sichuan peppercorn. The only ingredient I struggled to find was the dried sand ginger which I just left out. Now that I have the sauce, I can’t wait to make this dish on the regular
Poultry & Eggs
Steamed Eggs with Chicken & Oyster Mushroom
Book: The Woks of Life, page 165
Rating: 5/5
Version of the recipe on here.
Pork, Beef & Lamb
Char Sui Roast Pork
Book: The Woks of Life, page 173
Rating: 5/5
Version of the recipe here.
Beef and Broccoli
Book: The Woks of Life, page 194
Rating: 5/5
Version of the recipe here.
The classic takeout dish, made at home and better than ever!
“Mongolian” Beef
Book: The Woks of Life, page 205
Rating: 5/5
Recipe on Woks of Life.
Fish & Shellfish
Oil-Crackling Shrimp
Book: The Woks of Life, page 217
Rating: 5/5
Recipe not online.
Coated in a thin layer of cornstarch and cooked at high heat results in tender shrimp with a crisp crust. The sauce caramelizes and clings to the shrimp for a flavor-packed main.
Vegetables & Tofu
Eggplant with Garlic Sauce
Book: The Woks of Life, page 231
Rating: 5/5
Version of the recipe here.
Everything we ate for brunch was phenomenal, but I think this dish may have been the crowd favorite! Tender, silky Japanese eggplant tossed with pork, ginger, red chilies, and scallions in a luscious umami-rich oyster/sesame/soy/Shaoxing wine sauce. This is definitely getting added to the regular rotation!
Restaurant Style Cauliflower Dry Pot
Book: The Woks of Life, page 235
Rating: 5/5
Version of the recipe here.
Another quick and easy meal layered with flavor and a nice heat from the red chilies.
Mapo Tofu with Fermented Black Beans
Book: The Woks of Life, page 250
Rating: 5/5
Version of the recipe on WoksOfLife.com
Soups & Stocks
Hot & Sour Soup
Book: The Woks of Life, page 259
Rating: 5/5
Version of the recipe here.
This was always my favorite soup when ordering Chinese food as a kid! The ingredient list is long for this one with several items like dried lily flower and dried wood ear mushrooms that may be hard to find – if you live close to an Hmart, they have all the ingredients. You’ll be rewarded with a deeply flavored and satisfying soup.
Sauces
Ultimate Chili Oil
Book: The Woks of Life, page 275
Rating: 5/5
Version of the recipe here.
I LOVE having this chili oil on hand as it’s a quick way to turn up the volume on any dinner! I struggled to find sand ginger so I just left that out!
Ultimate Dipping Sauce
Book: The Woks of Life, page 276
Rating: 5/5
Recipe not online.
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