Heftier and chewier than chow mein, lo mein noodles are rarely accompanied by more than tiny bits of vegetables and meat when served takeout-style; what starts out delicious can wind up monotonous by the last bite. These stir-fried lo mein noodles get an injection of brightness from a mixture of crisp purple and Napa cabbage and julienned carrots. We soak the slivers of pork in baking soda before browning them, lending the meat a tender and juicy texture.

"It’s important to consider your main flavor and texture when pairing wine with Chinese food. If it is a dark sauce, like the plum sauces or soy based, these are high in sodium, so a wine that is high in fruit focus is best. Wines like Dolcetto, Barbera, Blaufrankisch for reds and Riesling, Sylvaner, Cortese, Prosecco and Champagne in general work best."— Molly Wismeier, Restaurant R’evolution (New Orleans)

Our original attempt at real-deal Chinese kung pao chicken , adapted from a recipe by a Sichuan chef working in Boston, gets its mouth-numbing heat from Sichuan peppercorns. So does the kung pao chicken from Kenji's book , based on the version he tried in Sichuan Province. This Chinese-American take, meanwhile, is much less spicy, with cubes of chicken in a thick, slightly gloppy sauce, permeated by a gentle heat. It's a quick and easy recipe, too: Just stir-fry marinated diced chicken with roasted peanuts, diced celery and peppers, ginger, and red Chinese or árbol chilies, then coat it all in a mixture of soy sauce, chicken broth, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, and cornstarch. Dinner's on the table in 30 minutes.

Speaking of that clinginess, I ran into my first issue with the vegan version of the dish. Traditionally, the sauce base gets mixed with some rich chicken stock, which adds some natural gelatin and body to the mix. Plain old water or vegetable stock is lacking in that body, making the sauce a little too thin. It runs off the noodles instead of sticking to them. The tahini helps a bit, but my base needed a little extra help.

Transfer noodles to serving bowl and top with pork mixture. Stir vinaigrette and spoon over and around the noodles (you may not want to use all of it). Sprinkle with roasted peanuts, Sichuan peppercorn, world noodle dishes|https://noodleinsight.com/ grated garlic, and scallion greens. Serve immediately.

Yes, these are derivative of jalapeño poppers, but jalapeños are great, refried beans are great, and golden brown and crunchy is great, so why not stick them all together? Crisp on the outside and creamy in the middle, they come out of the fryer super hot, so make sure you've got plenty of cold beer on-hand.

"With Chinese food, my basic advice is to pick a wine that has great acidity that will get your mouth watering for all of the different textures within the cuisine. The foods can often be fatty or fried so wine with great acidity will cut through the fat and make for a great pairing. With spicy dishes in particular, I like a wine with great aromatics and a bit of residual sugar. A Riesling or Gewürztraminer is a great choice as the sugar helps with heat. With a sweeter Chinese dish that involves pork or duck, a red burgundy is an amazing option. I would not go with a Pinot Noir that is overly ripe and sweet as you can normally get that addition with a hoisin sauce; instead, I would choose a balanced red burgundy that has some mushroom flavors and girth to it. Make sure the red you pick has some tannin as it will help cut through a fatty meat. For an overall pick that will go with any of the dishes on the table, the best white is a Vouvray as it has nice aromatics. I really like the amazing value Vouvray from Bourillon Dorleans-- the pear and fig notes complement a variety of dishes. For a red that will go with anything, I like a nice fruity Gamay. My pick would be the Morgon from Foillard."— Natalie Tapken, Burger & Barrel, Lure (NYC)

J. Kenji López-Alt

Recipes abound for General Tso's chicken, one of the most iconic dishes in the takeout canon. All of them, however, seem to consist of chicken fried in a crispy shell, then tossed in a sweet, glossy sauce flavored with garlic, ginger, dried chilies, soy sauce, and sesame oil, among other ingredients. Our biggest complaint about the formula is that overly sugary sauce, which we balance in this recipe with a good amount of vinegar. A couple of tablespoons of vodka and a little marinade added to the batter result in a supremely crunchy, well-textured coating.

I use my patent-pending, copyrighted Minced Mushroom Mix (A.K.A. M 3 ) to replace the ground meat in this vegan mapo tofu, giving it a chewy texture and a rich flavor all its own. I like it even better than the original.

The problem with so many steam-table iterations of this dish lies in the broccoli: It's too often mushy and bland. To keep it crisp and flavorful here, and get a good sear on the strips of beef without overcooking them, we stir-fry the ingredients over very high heat, using a wok or a wok insert over a grill.