A few years back, some friends and I got into a real Saturday night routine. We'd gather at someone's house, order Chinese food, and bring out the games — Settlers of Catan, Risk, Monopoly (old-school!), you name it. When the food arrived, we'd take a break and fill up our plates. I'm thinking it's time to bring back these Saturday game nights — but this time, I'll do the cooking!

I first became aware of the British writer and cookbook author Fuchsia Dunlop when her book Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China was published in the US back in 2008. It's a fascinating tale of how she discovered and fell in love with a culture much different than the one she grew up in, mostly through eating and preparing and educating herself in their cuisine. Shark's Fin is still high on my most recommended book list, so I was very excited to speak with Fuchsia Dunlop about her take on the 5 essential things a good cook should know, with a Chinese twist.

Q: I was raised in Hong Kong and grew up eating desserts with Chinese and European/British influences. A lot of the cakes back home had this hard layer at the bottom, almost like a cardboard cake round, but edible. There was a thin jam brushed between the cake and the edible round. 

Congee, jook, okayu. Asian-style rice porridge has many names and countless variations, but in every instance it is a simple, comforting dish for breakfast or any time of day. This extra nutritious version includes brown rice, shiitake mushrooms, handfuls of greens, and warming ginger. More

There's nothing like that moment when you taste an Asian dish you made at home and pump your fist in the air because it tastes just like take-out! It's not hard to get that authentic flavor; all it takes are the right ingredients. Fully stocking an Asian pantry can seem intimidating, but with just 15 basic ingredients, you can make a wide variety of recipes from China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, and beyond.

We've talked about the folks over at Perennial Plate here before but it's been a while since we've stopped by to see what Daniel and Mira are up to. Although Perennial Plate started three years ago as a very local project featuring the foodshed of northern Minnesota, they've gone global this year with visits to Japan, China and India. The stories about the people and the food they grow, cook, and eat are absolutely not to be missed. More

Q: Can you suggest some simple and delicious recipes to celebrate Chinese New Year? I'm not Chinese, but I love Chinese food and I want to get some insight on the traditional food for this holiday.

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Recently Serious Eats featured "pestle tea," a Hakka Chinese drink made from tea leaves pounded with nuts and seeds. Intrigued by the sound of this creamy, nourishing tea, we explored further and realized this is the lei cha that we've found in packets at Asian markets — but so much better when made from scratch. More

Q: I recently bought Grace Young's Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge and have been making delicious stir-fries for dinner several times a week. I'd like to share my newfound skills with dinner guests, but most of the recipes serve 3 to 4 as "part of a multi-course meal." More

A friend reminded me yesterday of an old trick used to get the correct water-to-grain ratio when cooking rice. It's simple: pour the rice into the pan you're going to cook it in. Level it out and place your index finger so that it is touching the surface of the rice. Add enough water so that it comes up to your first knuckle — I usually use the crease on the palm-side of my finger. Do you use this method? More