Chinese

You can also "grill" the steak in a ridged heavy-duty skillet set on the stove top.

Walnut Soup (Hup Tul Woo) is a favorite snack soup, often eaten in place of dessert. The Chinese believe that walnuts resemble the shape of the brain and, thus, are good for nourishing the brain. Any foods that resemble the shape of a body organ are said to be god for that organ. Walnuts are also associated with longevity, since walnut trees live for hundreds of years. Regardless, this is a delicious soup. The oven-roasting brings out the fragrance of the walnuts, and it is rich and creamy despite the fact that there is no dairy added. I think Walnut Soup is a wonder because it tastes so good while also being good for you. Be sure to use rice flour and not glutinous rice flour.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Preparation time: 25 minutes Cooking time: 5 minutes Sichuan cooking is popular throughout China, and in recent years, adventurous Chinese restaurant diners have discovered how delicious it can be. This is one of the best known dishes from that area.

The secret to this Chinese favorite is not to let the noodles sit in the sauce very long — toss them together a few seconds before serving.

These hors d'oeuvres—a dressed-up version of shrimp toasts—are adapted from a recipe by Chinese cooking authority Nina Simonds, a longtime contributor to our pages.

Shao mai are classic Chinese steamed dumplings. They make a nice starter or an innovative addition to a buffet.

In the forties and fifties, before the widespread popularity of fortune cookies, countless Chinese meals were brought to a close with traditional almond cakes like these. The customary all-lard base of this once very popular sweet is here lightened with vegetable shortening. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This chilled noodle salad from Zygot Bookworks & Cafe is loaded with crisp vegetables.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from chef Neil Perry's book Rockpool. Neil also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. For your convenience, we've converted the measures — with as much accuracy as possible — from Australian to American. For those who have metric equipment and wish to follow Neil's recipe to the milliliter, we've included the original measures too. This recipe is an accompaniment for Lobster, Soy Chicken, and Mango Salad . Master Stock Chicken is to me the Chinese equivalent of a beautifully roasted chicken with garlic. I find the best thing to do with the chicken the next day is to fry it.

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 4 hr In China, northern China in particular, pork belly — fresh (unsmoked) bacon with skin and bones — is cooked just like the rest of the pig. Chef Susur Lee simmers it, then steams it until its fall-off-the-bone-tender. Pork belly is available at Chinese meat markets and some butcher shops.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

These rice-coated meatballs, commonly referred to as zhen zhu, meaning "pearls" in Chinese, are often prepared at home in New York City's Chinatown. Steaming them on lettuce leaves helps prevent them from sticking to the steamer rack. They are traditionally made with sticky rice (sometimes called sweet rice), but we've used long-grain rice, which is easier to find.

"Wonderful!" was the comment scribbled in the margin of this recipe when my friend and colleague, Donna Adams, tested it. The dish improves if prepared ahead of time and reheated. The pork freezes very well, but the pineapple does not, so add the fruit just before serving. You must use fresh pineapple, as the acidity of the fresh fruit provides the balance needed in the sauce. Serve this dish with white rice.