Soy Rice Fire, inspirations from classic Chinese recipes and techniques - Part 18

Fresh green soybeans taste wonderfully sweet and tender, with a lovely snap when you bit into them. A quick stir-fry with chicken and tomatoes creates a bright and clean dish with savory (umami), sweet, and sour flavors.

Soybeans and tofu• Vegetables• [Stir-frying]

Stir-fried green soybeans with heirloom tomatoes and chicken

Steaming is one of the best ways to cook delicate and lean fish such as halibut, sea bass, and hake. Here, halibut marinated with Shaoxing wine and grated ginger is wrapped and steamed in savoy cabbage leaves.

Fish and shelfish• [Steaming]

Steamed halibut in savoy cabbage with ginger-scallion oil

Making a dish with a fun name like this is alawys intriguing. It also tastes great with the ground pork (the ants) and mung bean noodles (the twigs of a tree).

Meat• Rice, noodles, and grains• [Stir-frying]

Ants climbing a tree (ma yi shang shu 蚂蚁上树)

This is a popular home-style dish from Dongbei (东北), the Northeastern region of China. Smashing the cucumbers makes it easier for them to absorb salad dressing and creates a more interesting and varied texture.

Cold dishes and salads• Vegetables• [Pickling/Raw]

Smashed cucumber salad (拍黄瓜)

Once you know how to balance the tastes when cooking with bitter melon, you’ll find that it can be very refreshing, as in this dish where it's stuffed and steamed with ground meat.

Meat• [Steaming]

Stuffed bitter melon with ground pork, beef, and veal

Stir-fried head-on shrimp with black pepper, garlic, and Shaoxing wine, creating an explosion of peppery and smoky flavors on the outside and sweet, juicy, and tender flesh inside the shells.

Fish and shelfish• [Stir-frying]

Black pepper shrimp

These Shanghai-style cold noodles, with an assortment of toppings and a fragrant sesame and peanut sauce, are refreshing in hot weather.

Cold dishes and salads• Rice, noodles, and grains• [Boiling/Poaching]

Cold noodles with sesame and peanut sauce

The lotus roots are pickled with white rice vinegar and sugar. Ginkgo nuts and wood ear mushrooms add colors and textures. This cooling, feel-good dish is perfect for the summer.

Cold dishes and salads• [Pickling/Raw]

Pickled lotus root salad with ginkgo nuts and wood ear mushrooms