Do you love Chinese food? If you're a big fan of ordering Chinese takeout, what if we told you some of your favourite dishes are actually easy enough to make at home yourself? While there are definitely some delicate, complex dishes that require an expert hand, there are also plenty you can make right at home. Whether you want to save some extra money or just want to play around in the kitchen, here are 10 dishes to make at home yourself, and 10 difficult ones you should just order in.
1. Stir-Fried Noodles
Whether you prefer chow mein, lo mein, or whatever variety, stir-fried noodles are a Chinese staple that can be easily made at home. All you need are some basic ingredients like noodles, soy sauce, and your choice of vegetables and proteins, and you can create a delicious-tasting meal in minutes (as good as the ones in restaurants!).
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2. Fried Rice
Is there any Chinese dish more quintessential than the classic fried rice? Both easy to make and incredibly versatile, this is one of those dishes you can throw in whatever you have left in the fridge. You can use leftover rice, mix in your choice of vegetables, eggs, meat, or seafood, making it a tasty dish that has everything you want in it.
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3. Chicken with Cashew Nuts
Combining tender chicken with crunchy cashew nuts, this dish is a savory delight. It's surprisingly easy to prepare and offers a great mix of textures and flavours. You love it in restaurants, and now you can love it at home too!
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4. Egg Drop Soup
Comforting and simple to prepare, Egg Drop Soup is a classic homey Chinese dish. With just a few ingredients like chicken broth, eggs, and seasoning, you can easily make this warm and flavourful soup. So skip adding this one to the cart next time - just make it at home!
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5. Beef Stir-Fry
A quick and easy Beef Stir-Fry can be made with thinly sliced beef and your favorite vegetables, all coated in a rich and savory sauce. It's a nutritious and flavorful dish that can be tailored to your taste preferences, offering a homemade alternative to takeout. Who needs beef and broccoli when you can make this?
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6. Scallion Pancakes
It may look intimidating to make, but these crispy, flaky pancakes are actually really easy to make at home. Even you can do it! You just need basic ingredients like flour, water, and scallions to make an entire batch of these delicious snacks.
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7. Sweet and Sour Chicken
A homemade version of Sweet and Sour Chicken allows you to control the sweetness and tanginess of the sauce, ensuring it suits your palate perfectly. Using fresh chicken and bell peppers, you can recreate this classic dish in a healthier way than the often overly-battered takeout version.
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8. Moo Shu Pork
Moo Shu Pork is a flavourful and colourful dish that features thinly sliced pork, scrambled eggs, and vegetables, usually served in a thin pancake or served over rice. It's a fun, more underrated Chinese dish that you should try making at home - you'll be pleasantly surprised by the result!
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9. Sesame Chicken
Crispy, saucy, and coated in sesame seeds, Sesame Chicken is a favourite that you should try making at home instead of ordering in - it's easier than you think! When it's homemade, you can adjust the batter and sauce to better suit your taste preferences too.
10. Vegetable Spring Rolls
For a fun day of cooking, make some vegetable spring rolls with your family. It's a great way to enjoy this popular appetizer, but with so many more customization options! You get to add whatever you want into it, resulting in an even better eating experience.
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1. Xiao Long Bao (Soup Dumplings)
Xiao Long Baos are intricate, thinly wrapped dumplings that have a rich broth and meat filling inside. The technique to create these dumplings is very complex and requires precise skill, making it a dish best left to the experts.
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2. Char Siu (Chinese Barbecue Pork)
Preparing Char Siu involves marinating pork in a special blend of sauces and spices for hours, if not days, before roasting it to perfection. The process requires not just time but also a specific roasting technique to achieve the caramelized exterior and tender interior, making it challenging for home cooks. This is definitely one you want to just order in.
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3. Lion's Head Meatballs
These large pork meatballs have a delicate taste and tender texture once stewed in a savory broth with vegetables. The preparation of these meatballs themselves is rather difficult, especially when trying to achieve the right unique texture and flavour balance. Maybe just leave this one to the chefs.
4. Beggar's Chicken
Beggar's Chicken is a whole chicken marinated, stuffed with seasonings, wrapped in clay (or lotus leaves and dough), and slow-cooked to perfection. Not only does it have an intricate preparation and cooking process, you also need some specific materials to nail the dish, making it one that you probably don't want to spend your time on yourself.
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5. Peking Duck
Famous for its crispy skin and juicy meat, Peking Duck is best prepared by chefs who have mastered the art of cooking it. There are just so many steps! For one, it involves air-drying the duck before roasting it in a specific type of oven. The cooking process is simply too elaborate, making it a dish too hard to recreate on your own.
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6. Mapo Tofu
A staple of Sichuan cuisine, Mapo Tofu is renowned for its fiery spice and comforting, soft texture. The dish combines tofu with ground meat in a spicy bean-based sauce that's super bold with explosive flavour. Mastering the art of balancing Sichuan flavours is a difficult one, and if you're too worried about dealing with the spice levels, just leave it to a master.
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7. Kung Pao Chicken
Kung Pao Chicken is a stir-fried classic that combines chicken, peanuts, vegetables, and chili peppers in a savory, slightly sweet sauce. It's a dish known for its balanced flavor profile and satisfying crunch, making it a staple takeout choice that just tastes better when it's from a restaurant.
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8. Hand-Pulled Noodles (La Mian)
Making La Mian is no easy task. It requires a great deal of skill and practice, involving stretching and folding the dough numerous times to create thin, even noodles. The technique itself is an art form that takes years to master! That's why, some things are just better left to the experts.
Image by Dary Lam from Pixabay
9. Dim Sum
Half of the fun when it comes to dim sum is the social experience! Offering a variety of bite-sized goodies from steamed dumplings to buns and rolls, there are simply too many different things for you to make on your own. Not to mention, they all require expert skills! It's definitely more enjoyable to either order in or go to the restaurant yourself if you want dim sum.
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10. Hot and Sour Soup
A perfect starter or light meal, Hot and Sour Soup is a rich, tangy broth filled with mushrooms, tofu, bamboo shoots, and sometimes meat. Its distinctive flavor profile is what makes it so delicious, but also difficult to get right, meaning this is one you might want to consider just ordering instead of trying to make.
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