The bold, vibrant flavors of Chinese cuisine have a way of elevating just about any meal. These easy Chinese side dishes are no exception-they’ll wake up your taste buds and bring balance to whatever’s on the plate, whether it’s chicken, steak, fish, or a plant-based main. Best of all, they’re simple to prep ahead or whip up alongside your main dish, making them as practical as they are flavorful....

If you’ve ever attempted teriyaki chicken breast only to end up with dry, stringy meat, you’re not alone! In Japan, teriyaki is traditionally made with chicken thighs for their rich, juicy texture-but with the right technique, you can achieve that same succulent bite using leaner breast meat. It all starts with a quick ginger-infused marinade that enhances the chicken’s natural flavor while locking in moisture. A gentle, low-and-slow pan-fry ensures the skin turns irresistibly crisp, and the homemade honey teriyaki sauce lacquers the breast in a glossy glaze....

One look in my fridge and the first thing you’ll notice is how many condiments I have. Some are homemade, while others are store-bought, but one thing that a lot of them have in common is chili peppers. I’m not a hoarder by nature, but when it comes to hot sauce, I have a weakness, and it’s hard for me to resist buying something new and novel, in addition to staples like Marie Sharp’s, sriracha, and yuzu kosho....

Raspberry coulis is the red sauce that pastry chefs often use to decorate your dessert plate with swirls. While it borders on overuse in restaurants, I don’t know why it hasn’t caught on more as a home condiment. I mean think about it… it’s like the fruity cousin of ketchup that turns ordinary sweets into something special. Drizzle it on breakfast foods like French toast ( Pain Perdu ), Matcha Oatmeal , granola , Matcha Pancakes , or yogurt for a vibrant start to your day....

Chirashi Sushi Bowl (ちらし寿司) Chirashi Sushi (ちらし寿司), also known as Barazushi (ばら寿司), is a traditional Japanese food that differs from nigiri sushi and maki sushi in that it’s freeform. There are many variations, but at its core, Chirashi is made by topping a bed of seasoned sushi rice with a scattering of colorful ingredients. Flexible and easy, it’s a favorite of Japanese home cooks using the ingredients you have on hand....

What is Pad Kraprow Gai? Pad Kraprow Gai (ผัดกระเพราไก่) literally translates to Fried Holy Basil Chicken and is a Thai street food dish that also happens to be one of my favorite dishes of all time. While there are countless reasons to love this dish, perhaps the most compelling is its incredibly good effort to taste ratio. Ten minutes is all it takes to pull this dish off, and for your pittance of effort, you’ll be rewarded with a soul-satisfyingly delicious meal that’s cheap to boot....

Ebi Fry (エビフライ) Ebi Fry, or panko fried shrimp, is a dish beloved by children across Japan, and it’s often included as an option for teishoku meal sets and bento box lunches. To be perfectly honest, among all the delicious Japanese shrimp recipes , I never really cared much for Ebi Fry. But while testing different techniques to develop this recipe, I found a winning combination that produces plump, juicy fried shrimp with the perfect ratio of ultra-crispy crust....

Lemon Curd is a delicious sweet and tangy custard that makes for a great condiment for toast, pancakes and desserts . My easy take on this classic comes together in minutes and steps up the flavor by using Meyer Lemons. I’m chronically impatient and unrepentantly lazy. Whether I’m navigating a city’s streets or planning a meal, I’m always seeking the quickest, easiest route. It’s not one of my best traits, but it has a tendency to make me more efficient....

In preparing for the second challenge of Project Food Blog, I came across a line in the prompt that says “We’re bypassing the French and Italian standards in favor of more challenging cuisines.”. The problem is, I’m Japanese, so cooking an “exotic” Asian dish felt like it was cheating. That’s why I decided to make a dish that’s ubiquitous and utterly simple, and yet it’s something that is made wrong ninety-nine times out of a hundred....

The first time I ever had zucchini bread as I child, it kind of blew my mind. “Wow, you mean you can turn a vegetable into dessert?!” I said. A few dozen years later, remixing notions of what ingredients go together is my favorite way to create new dishes. This week’s clearance basket from my local produce market, held a pair of battered (though still salvageable) zucchinis. Having gotten a little zucchinied out this summer, I resolved to turn them into a loaf of chocolate zucchini bread....

I’d be a liar and you’d never believe a thing I said if I told you that this vegan tofu spinach dip tastes exactly like the full fat, full cheese, full mayo version. But I’d be an equally big fibber if I neglected to convey just how ridiculously good this spinach dip is. To help you get the picture, let me start by sharing my mental dialog as I devour a normal batch of spinach dip at a party:...

I’m not a sandwich person, or at least I wasn’t… In high school, while my friends were piling into cars headed to Subway for lunch, I could be found walking alone to a nearby taco truck. For a long time, I just thought I didn’t like sandwiches. But as I grew up and had a chance to meet sandwiches from all walks of life, I gradually built a list of sandwiches I enjoyed: the Connecticut-style(is there any other kind?...

Good dashi smells like the sea on a calm morning: briny, faintly smoky, with a warmth that hits somewhere deep. It’s the invisible backbone of Japanese cuisine, present in everything from a humble bowl of homemade miso soup to noodle shop udon or soba, to the most refined kaiseki meals. Without good dashi, even carefully prepared Japanese food tastes flat. I’ve been making homemade dashi for over three decades now, and the ritual never gets old....

Japanese Keema Curry is a mouthwatering style of Japanese dry curry that combines the traditional South Asian preparations of Keema (such as Dum Ka Keema, Keema Aloo, or Keema Matar) with the unique tastes of Japan. The dish is made with ground beef or pork, with a blend of caramelized aromatics and spices that gives the Japanese version a sweeter, less spicy taste while packing boatloads of umami. Served over rice, it’s a comforting and satisfying meal that’s become a popular staple in recent years due to how quickly it can be made....

Kimchi, the fermented Korean staple, is a fiery and pungent addition to any dish. When paired with rich and savory pork in these kimchi noodles, it creates a flavor explosion that’s both bold and comforting. With thick, chewy noodles in a spicy umami-packed broth, these soul-satisfying spicy udon noodles are a testament to the versatility of kimchi, proving that it can be more than just a side dish but the star of a meal....

Getting together with friends and family is always a good time-but figuring out what to serve? That’s the tricky part. These days, more and more people are leaning into plant-based eating, whether for health, sustainability, or just because it tastes great. I’ve pulled together a list of crowd-pleasing vegan appetizer recipes that no one will guess are vegan. Think: crispy tofu bites that are golden and addictively crunchy, a lusciously creamy spinach dip(yet dairy-free), and flaky scallion pancakes that disappear fast....

Vegan Parmesan “Cheese” Parmesan cheese is one of those condiments that’s able to make almost anything it’s sprinkled on taste better. That’s because it’s loaded with fat, salt, and amino acids that get friendly with the taste buds in your mouth. Unfortunately, cheese is off the table for those following a plant-based diet. This inspired me to create a Vegan Parmesan “Cheese” that’s just as addictively tasty as the dairy version....

The term Soboro (そぼろ) is used to describe foods that have been crumbled, as in this Chicken Soboro Bento. It’s usually seasoned with a combination of soy sauce, salt, sugar, and sake and served over rice as a donburi, which is known as Soboro Don (そぼろ丼) Because of its low moisture content as well as the potential to make it in many different colors, Soboro is also commonly used in bento boxes to make Soboro Bento (そぼろ弁当) This Chicken Soboro Bento combines chicken soboro and egg soboro, along with a colorful assortment of vegetables that provide visual and textural appeal....

Toriten (とり天) is a beloved specialty of Oita Prefecture on the southern island of Kyushu. The name of this Japanese dish literally means “chicken tempura”. Unlike its more common relatives like shrimp tempura or kakiage, Toriten is made by marinating the chicken before coating it in an egg and flour-based tempura batter. This makes the meat juicy and flavorful, with an irresistibly crisp fluffy shell surrounding the tender meat. In this Chicken Tempura recipe, I’m going to show you all the tricks you need to know to make this Japanese fried chicken at home....

What Is Daigaku Imo? Daigaku imo literally means “university potatoes.” It’s a classic Japanese street snack with chunks of satsumaimo (Japanese sweet potato) fried until crisp, then tossed in a sticky syrup and sprinkled with black sesame. The glassy, crackly coating contrasts a tender, fluffy center, making it a favorite at matsuri stalls and traditional sweets shops. In my daigaku imo recipe I like to use a three-step process of steaming, frying, and glazing the sweet potatoes....