Chinese food tries to engage the mind, not just the palate. To provoke the intellect.
Nicole Mones
Focused on minimal fuss and maximum impact, Chinese recipes consistently incorporate seasonal, fresh vegetables, fish or meat, rice, and noodles. The result is perfectly balanced, flavourful, fragrant, and wholesome meals that keep you coming back for more — no matter how many times you've had them.
Much of China's cuisine has been cultivated over thousands of years, creating a rich melting pot of cooking styles, techniques, and flavours. This depth and variety are key reasons why Chinese food has gained such widespread popularity. Today, the Chinese takeaway is one of the Asian favourites on high streets around the world, including right here in Canada.
🧂Essential Ingredients for Homemade Chinese Food
Chinese cuisine is full of a diverse collection of unique flavours, which blend together and enhance each other to create the delicious Chinese recipes that we have come to know and love. When eating Chinese food, you may not always recognise the different tastes, but some of the essential ingredients as shown in the table below:
| Ingredient | Function |
|---|---|
| Dark Soy Sauce | Adds color and umami; slightly sweeter and less salty than regular soy sauce; made from soybeans. |
| Fresh Ginger | Adds heat, tenderizes meat, and deodorizes fish; also adds brightness and acidity. |
| Chilli Sauce | Adds spicy heat and a kick to dishes. |
| Toasted Sesame Oil | Key flavor enhancer, often drizzled sparingly as a garnish for aroma and taste. |
| Black Vinegar | Adds a woody, malty, and pungent flavor; used for balancing flavors. |
| Oyster Sauce | Adds a fragrant, savory, umami-rich flavor; often used in marinades. |
| Chinese Five-Spice Powder | Provides a powerful, aromatic mix of spices typically including star anise, cloves, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorn, and fennel. |
| Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) | Natural flavor enhancer that boosts umami taste. |
Chinese menus are full of delicious selections. The mix of diverse ingredients being turned into any number of new dishes has secured the flavourful Chinese food menu as a firm favourite on the tables of people worldwide. The rich flavours in Chinese food, which were once a mystery, difficult to obtain, and intimidating to cook, are no longer restricted to just Chinese restaurants, takeout, or the kitchen.
You can now buy various Chinese sauces, condiments, and ingredients at your local supermarket. Chinese pre-prepared meals and off the shelf products are fast and make it easy to recreate the takeaway experience at home.
Even if you are not a confident cook, the following four Chinese recipes are easy, quick and taste great. All of the ingredients will be available at your local supermarket or your local Asian supermarket, and after you have made it once, you will be able to gain confidence to make it time and time again. You will be the talking point of every dinner party when people taste your authentic Chinese food flavours and want to know your 'secret'.
🥣 Chinese Chicken And Sweetcorn Soup Recipe
Nothing warms our heart and stomach like a hearty, sweet-savoury Chinese chicken soup, especially when you are having a family meal.
The cooking time is under 10 minutes, and this recipe is adapted to serve two people. Fun fact: If you want to be creative, you could also use this as a Chinese sauce for veggies or rice.
🍳 Recipe
- 1/2 of a boiled or steamed chicken breast
- 1 can of Green Giant sweetcorn
- 1 beaten egg with a pinch of salt
- 300ml water
- 1/4 cup of cornstarch
- Salt, pepper and/or MSG to taste
- Optional: Garnish with Spring onions (scallions) and toasted sesame oil
- Optional: Add some rice noodles to have more of a noodle soup
🔥 Instruction
- Add a tablespoon of oil to a hot wok or frying pan over high heat.
- The chicken should be stir-fried but not browned.
- Add the water to make a broth.
- Add the sweetcorn and the seasoning, then boil for 3-5 minutes.
- Add the cornstarch very slowly until it becomes a loose, thick paste. Stir well.
- Add the egg bit by bit, stirring infrequently until egg ribbons are formed. Remove from the fire.
- Top with spring onions (scallions) and drizzle a few drops of sesame oil on top.
🍜How to Make Chicken Chow Mein Like the Takeaway
Chicken chow mein (which is fried chicken noodles) is one of the most ordered takeaway Chinese dishes in Canada due to its blend of juicy chicken and varied vegetables in a noodle dish.
Having said that, the Canadian chicken chow mein has several regional variations, which have different ingredient adaptations such as the Newfoundland-style chow mein and the original Canadian Cantonese-style chow mein.
The locals in Newfoundland substitute noodles with thin shredded cabbage when they are making this dish because noodles were hard to find back then.
Now, let's look at the ingredients and instructions to make the original Canadian Cantonese-style chow mein. The cooking time of this dish is less than 30 minutes, and serves 2 people.
🍳 Recipe
- 400g cooked egg noodles or rice noodles
- 1/2 small white onion
- Chop a vegetable or two (optional)
- 1 boiled or steamed chicken breast
- 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of MSG (or 1 small spoonful of light soy sauce)
- A handful of bean sprouts
- Vegetable oil
- Chilli flakes to garnish
🔥 Instruction
- Add oil to a hot wok or frying pan over high heat.
- When you have hot oil, add the onion and make sure it is stir-fried well.
- Add the chicken. Fry for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the salt and the noodles.
- Fry for a few minutes until loose.
- Add soy sauce or MSG and the bean sprouts.
- Garnish with spring onions.
🍍 Best Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe
Next up, we’ve got a crowd-pleasing pork dish with that classic sweet and sour flavour — just the food to enjoy with white rice when you need a comforting meal after a long day.
It requires a few more ingredients to prepare, thanks to the special sauce that makes all the difference. But trust us, it’s well worth the time in the kitchen.
Before getting started, check out our guide!
Pork
marinade
- 250 grams of your favourite cut of pork
- 1 tbsp of dark soy sauce
- 1/4 tsp of salt
- 1/2 tsp of baking powder
- Best to prep this overnight
Stir-fried ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup of plain flour
- 1 tbsp of garlic
- 1 cup of your chosen vegetable
- 2 cups of a colourful bell pepper
- 2 cups of pineapple
Sweet and sour sauce
- 1/4 cup of ketchup
- 1/4 cup of water
- 1/4 cup of sugar
- 1/4 cup of vinegar
- 2 tbsp of plum sauce
- 1 tbsp of cornstarch
- Pinch of salt or to taste
- Chilli (to make it spicy)
Now, let's review the cooking instructions for this dish, which takes less than 10 minutes to cook and serves 2 people.
🥘 Egg Stir-Fried Rice - Vegetarian Style
If you think Chinese cuisine is all about meat and noodles, you are certainly missing out on the beauty of egg stir-fried rice. Fans of Uncle Roger, you probably know what we're talking about. It is a classic dish that is featured in many YouTube channels and Asian-focused food blogs.
The standard Chinese egg stir-fried rice is well known for being vegetarian-friendly (for those who include egg in their diet), and most importantly, full of wok-hey (literally means the breath of wok in Cantonese that exudes a smoky aroma).
Here is the recipe and cooking instructions for egg stir-fried rice (cooked in vegetarian style).
🍳 Recipe
- 250g of Leftover rice
- Dark Soy Sauce
- Your choice of chopped vegetables (usually peas and carrots)
- Eggs ( 1 to 2, depending on your taste)
- Tofu (optional)
- Salt, pepper and/or MSG to taste
- Cooking Time: Less than 10 minutes
- Serves 2 people
🔥 Instruction
- Add some dark soy sauce to your day-old rice. Mix very well until all of the leftover rice is coated.
- Whisk your egg and add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to a hot wok (frying pan) over high heat.
- The pan needs to be extremely hot for the best results.
- Add the egg and scramble it quickly. Then, add your rice and chosen veggies.
- Stir fry everything energetically for 5 minutes, make sure all of the rice gets heated by moving it actively in the pan. Then, remove from the fire.
Meanwhile, don't forget to explore other Asian wok dishes.
Sweet Potatoes Ginger Dessert Soup
You'll be surprised to learn that there is a wide range of Chinese desserts that are easy to make too. One of the most popular types of Chinese desserts is none other than 糖水 (Tong Sui), a liquid-based dessert that is either served hot or cold.
We've chosen the Sweet Potatoes Ginger Dessert Soup that is not only tasty, but nutritious — everyone in the family will love it, especially during winter.
🍳 Recipe
- 500 g Orange Sweet Potato
- 700 g Purple Sweet Potato
- 400 g Yam
- 300 g Sugar
- 35 g old ginger (smashed or sliced)
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- 130 g rock sugar
- 1 knot Pandan Leaves (optional for fragrance)
- 1 packet of coconut milk (optional for milky flavour)
- Water ratio is 2:1 (2 is water, 1 is for sweet potato and yam)
- Cooking Time: About 30 to 40 minutes
- Serves 5 people
🔥 Instruction
- Peel and cut the potatoes and yams into uniform cubes. You may cut them smaller for kids.
- Put the ginger first in a cooking pot with water and start boiling the water (medium heat).
- Then add the sweet potatoes and yams to the cooking pot
- Boil all the ingredients, and simmer for about 30 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
- Add in the rock sugar and salt. Stir them for an even taste.
- Remove from the heat
- You may add a dash of coconut milk before serving.
🍽️ Why Cook Chinese Food at Home Over Ordering In?
Many of the Chinese dishes and recipes can be made in less than 20 minutes, so it is perfect for a treat after a hard day at work, because it is so easy. Or why not surprise your family or friends, no matter what the occasion?
Cooking Chinese food at home posts many benefits, especially when it comes to being cost-effective and healthier in the long run. There's no need to pay extra for the delivery fee for specific servings because you are handling all the customization at home. Not only that, you can get all the ingredients that you want for a cheaper price at your local Asian supermarkets too.
Cooking at home is healthier because you get to choose a better quality of ingredients (organic and fresh ones) and also control the amount of salt, sugar or sauces that you plan to include while you're preparing the dishes.
For instance, you can swap brown rice for normal white rice while you're cooking egg fried rice. You also get to eliminate unnecessary flavorings and additives for home-cooked food.
At the end of the day, cooking is all about cultivating creativity, one ingredient at a time. Just like how the Newfoundland-style chow mein is famous for its thinly sliced cabbage, you can always come out with various food combinations when it comes to Chinese cuisine.
Thinking of improving your Chinese cuisine cooking skills? Connect with an experienced cooking tutor who specialises in Chinese cuisine in Canada through a reliable tutoring platform like Superprof. Just head to the homepage to start browsing a wide selection of tutors' profiles and book your first lesson. We guarantee that you will learn many easy Asian food recipes in no time!
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