To make these classic steamed rolls at home, you might pick up char siu—barbecued pork—in one of the myriad of Chinatown restaurants that have roast meats hanging in the window. Or you can make the Barbecued Pork (page 373) and the buns a day or two later. Fortunately, the buns themselves are easy to make, and they can be made as much as a month in advance: let them cool to room temperature after they’ve steamed (which should only take 15 minutes or so), then line them up on a baking sheet, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and freeze. Once they are frozen you can transfer them to a freezer bag or other airtight container. To serve, reheat the dumplings in a steamer over an inch of boiling water for 5 minutes. Serve these as a starter or a snack.
Bugak is the ideal light beer snack: It’s crunchy, salty, and the fresher it’s made, the better. Thin sheets of kimchi add an extra spicy savory layer.
Developed in the 1980s by a chef in Hong Kong, this sauce is all about umami.
This version of pork skewers is made in the oven, which tastes just as good, but you could always throw these on the grill for a version closer to the original.
Leftover rotisserie chicken finds new purpose in this endlessly comforting dish.
Kubez bread, a.k.a. kimaaj, is an Arabic flatbread or pita bread. It’s a staple in the Middle East used as an accompaniment for various dishes or as a wrap.
Crispy tots topped with savory-sweet sauce, mayonnaise, furikake, scallion, and katsuobushi.
“Soft and pillowy, custardy and light—they were unlike any other scrambled eggs I had experienced before.”
A satisfying weeknight dinner from Tiffy Chen. Serve with rice or noodles.