Bok Choy

Chewy noodles, tinned fish, and hardy greens in an umami broth.

Mala dry pot may be hot pot’s soupless cousin, but don’t mistake this lack of soup for lack of flavor. 

Little pot rice noodles are so named because each serving is traditionally made to order in small individual copper pots, and the dish is beloved because it perfectly embodies the spicy and sour flavor profiles of Yunnan. 

A blend of tofu, bok choy, and shiitake mushrooms make for light and delicious dumplings.

In this bok choy recipe, you’ll stir fry the vegetables with soy sauce, ginger, and garlic, and drizzle with sesame oil.

Shanghainese enjoy rice balls in both sweet and savory preparations. I love both, so I included them here. All Shanghainese buns and pastries have simple identifiers for telling the difference between sweet and savory. Sweet versions are always round and smooth, while savory ones will have a tail hinting at the filling inside.

This mixed vegetable dish takes its inspiration from Buddhist vegetarian cooking and can include any combination of ingredients that represent good luck, prosperity, happiness, family wholeness, and longevity. 

Rice cakes are available sliced, marble-shaped, and in batons. There are dried versions, but the refrigerated version is widely available and easier to work with. You can use any combination of vegetables and seasonings here, so feel free to experiment with flavors.

Packed with greens, these boiled dumplings easily go vegetarian by switching out the ground pork for crumbled tofu.

Want showstopping presentation? Make homemade dumpling wrappers to stuff with a filling of spinach, hearty tofu, vermicelli, and fruity Sichuan peppercorns.

Toss large pieces of salmon in cornstarch before cooking and they'll develop a delicate crust that really grabs onto the spicy-sweet teriyaki glaze.

Meet your new favorite, cold-weather one-pan salmon dinner. It’s warm and creamy with coconut milk and just spicy enough with green curry paste, ginger, and garlic.

This garden wrap is stuffed to the brim with fresh, seasonal vegetables and herbs.