Preserved mustard root like this (often labeled "Sichuan Preserved Vegetable") can be found in cans or jars in your Chinese market. Once opened, they'll last for months in a sealed container in the fridge. You don't need much to add big flavor to dishes.

Fish sauce adds saltiness and umami depth, and dried red chiles add spice to these garlicky, crowd-pleasing grilled chicken wings. Plan ahead—they need to marinate for 12 hours before hitting the hot grill.

Leafy greens like bok choy, gai lan, and Chinese spinach have a fresh, vegetal flavor that can easily be overshadowed. pasta cooking guide|https://noodleinsight.com/ them quickly and simply is the best way to preserve that flavor—here, we use a handful of aromatics and subtle seasonings to highlight the bok choy.

It's not easy making a vegan burger that doesn't come out mushy or bland or just plain boring. This one combines chickpeas, cashews, and barley along with fresh vegetables to form a complex, satisfying patty that will behave just like meat on the griddle or grill.

Who doesn't love empanadas, particularly when they're deep fried to a perfectly crisp, flaky finish? These pastry pockets are stuffed with a mixture of cooked potatoes and capers flavored with a touch of chipotle and a dash of madras curry powder. The flavor combo is perhaps a bit unusual, but it's pretty fantastic, especially drizzled with a spicy cilantro chutney.

"The one wine in the world that tastes good with most Asian food: German Riesling. If you have spice, there’s no better foil than a little bit of sugar. (I try to match the sugar with the spice—if you like it 4-star, get thee to an Auslese. The rest of us reasonable 2 star people will enjoy our Kabinett and Spatlese.) If you have sweeter dishes, try to get a Riesling that is just a tad sweeter than the dish in question. Even if the preparations are a bit simpler, there is often a salt component enhancing flavors. Generally stated, sweeter wines will cancel out the perception of salt without negating its positive effect on a dish. Consequently, the salt will also diminish the perception of sweetness in the wine, making everything just plain taste better. And if someone at the table says something snarky about sweet Rieslings, just flip it and order a Prosecco or slightly sweet Vouvray or Gewürztraminer—anything on the 'helpful side of dry'."— Chris Horn, Purple Cafe (Bellevue/Seattle)

On top of steak cooked on the stovetop, pile cold cucumbers, red peppers, and peanuts, then drizzle with a spicy sauce made with fish sauce and dried Thai chiles. Eat it right away or refrigerate it overnight because it's even better the next day.

"Riesling with some fruitiness and a bit of age pairs nicely with heavy and complexly spiced Chinese sauces. Riesling from older vintages can be hard to come by at an everyday wine store, but they do make appearances from time to time. Stock up when you see a nice Riesling with age and save it for a rainy Chinese takeout day! I did this with a Riesling Spatlese from Mosel, Germany 1997 for less than $20 that I found at my neighborhood wine store and enjoyed it with a few savory, dark-sauced Chinese dishes—the flavors balanced each other perfectly. Additional choices from the other side of the Rhine River are Alsatian Pinot Gris, Muscat, Riesling and Gewurztraminer—these all contain a lot of complex spice notes, and occasionally a touch of residual sugar, which allow them to work with Chinese food."— Caleb Ganzer, Eleven Madison Park (NYC)

"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)

This take on fried rice looks to the sea for inspiration—we make the dish with fresh crab (if you can get it; use canned if you can't) and season it with fish sauce. We tend to prefer jasmine, medium-grain white, or sushi rice for this and all our fried rice recipes. Long-grain rice works, but it doesn't get the same chewy-tender texture as shorter varieties.