Omnivore's Cookbook

You Tiao (Chinese Donuts) 油条 These homemade You Tiao are the Chinese breakfast donuts I ate on the way to school, crispy and golden on the outside and hollow and airy inside. My recipe fries them from a simple dough of flour, baking powder, baking soda, and egg white, no street-vendor chemicals in the bowl. You’ll love the salty, pull-apart donut that you can tear apart with your hands and dunk into warm soy milk or a bowl of hot congee.

Matcha Tiramisu (抹茶提拉米苏) This decadent Matcha Tiramisu is a Japanese inspired riff on the classic Italian dessert, swapping the espresso soak for a fragrant green tea brew and layering it through a rich mascarpone cream I make from scratch. I slice it cold from the fridge and dust the top with a fresh layer of matcha right before serving. It has become my favorite make-ahead dessert for dinner parties because all of the work happens the day before.

Drunken Chicken (醉鸡) Drunken chicken is a classic Chinese cold appetizer that I marinate overnight in a Shaoxing wine brine until the meat is juicy, fragrant, and lightly boozy. I slice it thin, serve it cold, and pour a little of the brine over the top. I have the whole dish ready the day before, which is why it is one of my favorite recipes for dinner parties and bigger family meals.

Sichuan Fried Rice with Ya Cai My Sichuan fried rice recipe borrows the classic combination of ground meat, green beans, and Sui Mi Ya Cai from Sichuan dry-fried green beans, transforming leftover rice into a deeply savory one-pan meal that's ready in just 20 minutes.

Korean Army Stew (Budae Jjigae) My Korean Army Stew (Budae jjigae) recipe is a fast one-pot stew that I cook using a gochujang-and-kimchi broth, layered with ground beef, sausage, Spam, tofu, mushrooms, baby bok choy, and instant noodles, finished with a couple of runny egg yolks on top. I love that the whole pot goes from prep to the table in 30 minutes.

Thai Fish Cakes I love making this 40-minute Thai Fish Cakes recipe when I want an appetizer that is crispy, flavorful, and easy to put on the table. I prepare it with white fish blended with red curry paste, fish sauce, and egg whites, then fold in green beans before frying the cakes until golden brown. This is a great appetizer to serve with a quick sweet chili dipping sauce.

Miso Glazed Carrots When I am craving a vegetable side that goes past plain salt and pepper, I roast a sheet pan of these miso glazed carrots brushed with a buttery white miso and maple syrup glaze that caramelizes into something more like candy than a vegetable. I serve them warm with a sprinkle of chopped chive, alongside a salmon main or a roast chicken on a weeknight.

Egg Katsu Sando My egg katsu sando is a copycat of the Shake Shack and I am obsessed with it! The sandwich layers a silky steamed egg patty, a crisp panko coat, and a miso honey mayo on soft milk bread. I rebuilt it for the home kitchen after Shake Shack pulled it from the menu.

Roast Lamb Shank (烤羊腿) This Roast Lamb Shank (烤羊腿) is the Xinjiang centerpiece I make for a weekend dinner or a holiday feast, with the meat falling off the bone after an overnight cumin marinade and a long slow roast under foil. I love serving it whole drizzled with the pan drippings and scattered with cilantro, alongside the spice-rubbed onions stir fried into a sweet smoky side.

Chili Crisp Noodles (Cold Noodles with Lao Gan Ma Sauce) When the weather is too hot to cook, these chili crisp noodles are exactly what I crave. They’re refreshing, satisfying, and tossed in a bold sesame chili crisp sauce that’s creamy, savory, spicy, and tangy.

Tofu Fried Rice (豆腐炒饭) This tofu fried rice is a satisfying meat-free one bowl meal made with marinated extra firm tofu, cold day-old jasmine rice, and frozen mixed vegetables tossed in a savory soy and oyster sauce. I love making it on busy weeknights because in just 40 minutes, I have a delicious dinner ready for my family.

Korean Fire Chicken (Cheese Buldak) Korean fire chicken, or cheese buldak, is a one-pan Korean main I make with boneless chicken thighs, chewy mochi rice cakes, and melted mozzarella over a fierce gochugaru and gochujang sauce. My recipe is ready in 25 minutes, the kind of restaurant-style Korean comfort food I cook when my family wants a spicy dish on a weeknight.

Silkie Chicken Soup (乌鸡汤) This Silkie Chicken Soup is a healthy and nutrient-rich soup with a touch of sweetness ideal for cooler weather or when you are under the weather. A whole black-skinned silkie chicken simmers for 2 hours in my Dutch oven with ginger, dried jujubes, shiitake mushrooms, goji berries, and a small ear of corn until the broth is savory, and lightly sweet.

Kimchi Fried Rice (Kimchi Bokkeumbap) This easy kimchi fried rice (Kimchi Bokkeumbap) is a quick one pan dinner I make with well-aged kimchi, cold day-old rice, and a short gochujang sauce that tastes incredibly delicious. It takes only 15 minutes to have it ready on the table and turns a nearly empty fridge into a satisfying meal for my family.

Bitter Melon with Eggs My stir-fried bitter melon with eggs only takes 5 simple ingredients and 15 minutes to make. It is a comforting homestyle side dish that brings nutrition and color to a Chinese meal, and the recipe works for vegetarian and gluten-free tables.

Mango Sago (杨枝甘露) My Mango sago is a chilled Hong Kong style dessert with a smooth ripe mango and coconut milk base, chewy tapioca pearls, and fresh diced mango on top. The dessert is naturally dairy free in my version, comes together in a few stages at the stove and the blender, and tastes like a Cantonese dessert shop in a bowl.

Chinese Pork Belly Bun (Rou Jia Mo, 肉夹馍) My Chinese pork belly bun, or Rou Jia Mo, is a Northern and Midwest Chinese street food where melt-in-your-mouth braised pork belly is minced with cilantro and chili pepper, stuffed into a fluffy yeasted homemade flatbread, and finished with a spoonful of the savory braising liquid.