https://thewoksoflife.com/author/jleung/ a culinary genealogy Fri, 05 Dec 2025 02:06:22 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://thewoksoflife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/cropped-TWOL-favicon-4-32x32.png https://thewoksoflife.com/author/jleung/ 32 32 https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-duck-soup-recipe/?adt_ei=*|EMAIL|* https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-duck-soup-recipe/#comments Sat, 06 Dec 2025 14:06:00 +0000 https://thewoksoflife.com/?p=94162 A reader recently requested this Chinese duck soup, and as it happens, it’s been sitting on my ever-growing recipe list for a while now. There’s always a sense of urgency when one of you asks for something specific! With the chilly weather and a frozen duck sitting in my freezer, the timing finally felt right […]]]> https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-duck-soup-recipe/feed/ 4 https://thewoksoflife.com/how-to-prepare-chestnuts/?adt_ei=*|EMAIL|* https://thewoksoflife.com/how-to-prepare-chestnuts/#comments Fri, 21 Nov 2025 13:32:46 +0000 https://thewoksoflife.com/?p=93967 It took me a while to not be intimidated by chestnuts. For years, I’d see them at the market during the holidays and think, “Those look so good,” and then walk past them because I didn’t want to deal with peeling them.  The few times I tried, I’d end up with mangled chestnuts, sore fingers, […]]]> https://thewoksoflife.com/how-to-prepare-chestnuts/feed/ 14 https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-grilled-fish-kao-yu/?adt_ei=*|EMAIL|* https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-grilled-fish-kao-yu/#comments Thu, 13 Nov 2025 13:15:27 +0000 https://thewoksoflife.com/?p=93942 Chinese Grilled Fish, or kǎo yú (烤鱼), is a Sichuan dish that gained popularity in China some years ago. Consisting of a crispy grilled (or in our case, pan-fried) white, flaky fish and a spicy sauce with vegetables and other goodies to dig around for in the pan, it was one of my favorite “dining […]]]> https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-grilled-fish-kao-yu/feed/ 4 https://thewoksoflife.com/beef-daikon-soup/?adt_ei=*|EMAIL|* https://thewoksoflife.com/beef-daikon-soup/#comments Thu, 06 Nov 2025 17:32:19 +0000 https://thewoksoflife.com/?p=93762 This beef and daikon soup is a satisfying one-pot meal that is also very quick to put together, with slurpable glass noodles, fresh green herbs, and a warm white pepper heat. It’s well-balanced and so tasty, and unlike so many soup recipes out there, it’s done in under 30 minutes!  Using Thinly Sliced Beef for […]]]> https://thewoksoflife.com/beef-daikon-soup/feed/ 18 https://thewoksoflife.com/lamb-shoulder-chops-pan-fried/?adt_ei=*|EMAIL|* https://thewoksoflife.com/lamb-shoulder-chops-pan-fried/#comments Sat, 01 Nov 2025 14:07:20 +0000 https://thewoksoflife.com/?p=93731 These Pan Fried Lamb Chops are a quick and satisfying dinner that can go with a range of different cuisines and flavors, from Asian to Mediterranean. They’re nothing fancy, just 2 seasoning ingredients—salt and cumin—and they’re done in 15 minutes! No prep or marinating required.  Cumin is a classic spice pairing for lamb, across multiple […]]]> https://thewoksoflife.com/lamb-shoulder-chops-pan-fried/feed/ 7 https://thewoksoflife.com/lentil-rice/?adt_ei=*|EMAIL|* https://thewoksoflife.com/lentil-rice/#comments Wed, 22 Oct 2025 16:36:37 +0000 https://thewoksoflife.com/?p=93672 This lentil rice is a yet another healthier alternative to plain white rice, of which we have many (see our Quinoa Rice, Black Rice, and Millet Rice)! This one has the most protein of any previous recipes, with the addition of both red lentils and quinoa. But it still has a pleasant texture that you […]]]> https://thewoksoflife.com/lentil-rice/feed/ 26 https://thewoksoflife.com/pan-fried-cod/?adt_ei=*|EMAIL|* https://thewoksoflife.com/pan-fried-cod/#comments Mon, 20 Oct 2025 18:40:02 +0000 https://thewoksoflife.com/?p=93661 This easy pan-fried cod recipe is a simple, healthy, clean way to enjoy fish on a weeknight, with just a few pantry staples.  The Outsize Importance of Salt When Cooking Fish There is an old saying in Chinese, 咸鱼淡肉菜多油 (xián yú dàn ròu cài duō yóu), which means: more salt when cooking fish, less salt […]]]> https://thewoksoflife.com/pan-fried-cod/feed/ 18 https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-pumpkin-cake-nan-gua-bing/?adt_ei=*|EMAIL|* https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-pumpkin-cake-nan-gua-bing/#comments Tue, 14 Oct 2025 16:37:37 +0000 https://thewoksoflife.com/?p=93627 These Chinese Pumpkin Cakes, or nánguā bǐng (南瓜饼), are chewy like mochi, with a crispy exterior. They’re lightly sweet and so festive for the fall season.  What makes them even better is how quick and easy they are. No oven or steamer needed. Just pan-fry them, and get ready for a great snack or dessert!  […]]]> https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-pumpkin-cake-nan-gua-bing/feed/ 21 https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-chicken-chestnuts/?adt_ei=*|EMAIL|* https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-chicken-chestnuts/#comments Thu, 18 Sep 2025 15:45:23 +0000 https://thewoksoflife.com/?p=93336 This Braised Chicken with Chestnuts is a deliciously cozy dish to have bubbling on the stove this fall. Hearty and wholesome from rich chestnuts and deeply flavored with shiitake mushrooms, it feels just right when the temperatures go down! A Traditional Chinese Chicken Stew You’ll find variations of this braised Chicken with Chestnuts across China. […]]]> https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-chicken-chestnuts/feed/ 20 https://thewoksoflife.com/vegetable-pancakes/?adt_ei=*|EMAIL|* https://thewoksoflife.com/vegetable-pancakes/#comments Tue, 09 Sep 2025 18:40:58 +0000 https://thewoksoflife.com/?p=93213 This vegetable pancake recipe came from the need to feed my grandson more vegetables. He loves pasta, bread, and pancakes like any kid, so we decide to “hide” the vegetables in these crispy Chinese-style pancakes, and he loves them.  He kept asking for more, told me they are “yummy,” and he even whispered, “Grandma pancake…” […]]]> https://thewoksoflife.com/vegetable-pancakes/feed/ 25