Chinese

This recipe incorporates two popular foods from the Toi San region of southern China: One is the Chinese boneless barbecued pork strips known as cha siu, and the other is fresh rice noodles. The latter are sold in 1-pound packages, either as rumpled sheets that must be cut into strips or as precut 1/2-inch-wide strips.

Beefy shiitake mushrooms stand in for the standard ground pork in this version of ma po tofu. What to drink: The bit of heat here calls for a spicy white wine with ripe fruit and crisp acidity, such as a Riesling from Alsace or Germany's Rheingau.

Char Siew This succulent meat is traditionally cooked hanging on hooks inside a smoking barbecue oven. This easier and faster method cooks the pork on a charcoal grill. Char siew can be sliced and used as a garnish over rice or noodles, or stir-fried with vegetables.

In this recipe, tortillas are a supermarket stand-in for mandarin pancakes. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 35 min

This recipe calls for Chinese leeks or baby leeks, which are available at some Asian markets. Chinese leeks are thinner and longer than regular leeks, with tubular greens that are edible, like those of scallions. Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 2 hr

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 30 min

Nearly everyone has tasted a Spring Roll, as they are served in dim sum houses and Chinese restaurants all over America: But a homemade Spring Roll is a rare treat. The roll should have a crackling crisp skin with a filling of fine shreds of mushroom, barbecued pork, celery, cabbage, and just a touch of bean sprouts. Most restaurant spring rolls are full of bamboo shoots, celery, and bean sprouts; have a chewy or soggy wrapper; and are seldom fried in fresh oil. The wrapping dough is available in most Chinese markets, sold as spring roll wrappers, and should be as thin as possible. There are about ten wrappers per package, although most packages do not indicated how many they contain. Keep the dough covered with a slightly damp cloth as you work with it, to prevent it from drying out.

Canned red bean paste is an acceptable product, but the homemade kind is obviously much tastier. In Chinese markets, you'll find small, plump dried red beans called _hoong dul,_not to be confused with adzuki beans, _zeck siu dul,_also small red beans that are oblong in shape. This recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups of red bean paste, just enough filling for Sesame Balls. Use regular brown sugar for this recipe.

Just add steamed rice for a complete family-style Chinese dinner.

The intense flavors come from the marinade, which caramelizes on the chicken as it is deep-fried in foil packets. Jee bow gai, the name of the dish in China, is a house specialty at Yank Sing in San Francisco. Have your butcher split the thighs in half for you.

The long noodles in this soup — representing longevity — are meant to be slurped up. In Chinese culture, cutting them would symbolize cutting one's life short. This recipe requires a whole chicken for its rich broth and makes double the quantity necessary. Reserve 1/2 cup stock for the Broccoli Spears in Garlic Sauce and freeze the remainder. After setting aside the breast meat for the soup, save the rest of the chicken for another dish. The reserved cilantro leaves can be used for the Steamed Striped Bass with Ginger and Scallions. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 3 3/4 hr

(Chicken Wing Braised with Soy Sauce, Cinnamon, and Star Anise)

In classic Chinese cooking, noodles destined for soup are cooked separately and added at the last minute so that the starch from the pasta doesn't cloud the broth. Because we were aiming for a rib-sticking dish, we broke with tradition and cooked the noodles right in the stock, allowing the starch to thicken the soup slightly.

This variation on the Chinese classic incorporates jícama, which retains the crisp texture of water chestnuts even when cooked.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.