Chinese on Bruce loves to cook

Egg roll bowls

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

All the flavour of egg rolls without the wrapper: ground pork with cabbage, carrot, ginger, and sesame. Low-carb, quick, and highly riff-able.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled ginger
450 g ground pork
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
¼ head green cabbage, thinly sliced
½ yellow onion, thinly sliced
110 g shredded carrot
60 ml reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon sriracha
Kosher salt
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Method

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Pork dumpling bowls

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

All the flavour of pork dumplings, ground pork, shrimp, cabbage, and green onions, tossed with chewy wheat noodles instead of wrapped. Weeknight-friendly.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
340 g ground pork
115 g shrimp, peeled, deveined, finely chopped
¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
450 g Napa cabbage, coarsely chopped
450 g Shanghai or thick-cut wheat noodles
225 g shiitake mushrooms, rinsed, thinly sliced
5 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, divided
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
3–5 green onions, sliced
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons finely grated peeled ginger
60 ml Chinese light soy sauce
½ teaspoon white pepper (optional)
Black vinegar and chili oil, for serving

Method

Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a large wok or high-sided skillet over high heat. Cook pork, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until just a little pink remains, 3–5 minutes. Add shrimp and cook, stirring frequently, until opaque, about 2 minutes more; season with ½ teaspoon salt. Transfer to a large heatproof bowl.

Marinated pressed tofu

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I ate a handmade wide noodle dish with this tofu that had chew, and depth. This is my version, which I usually use in Japanese-style dishes.

Mechanic

Freezing tofu (the Chinese dong doufu technique) expels water and restructures the interior into a sponge. Freeze solid for at least 48 hours, then thaw completely before slicing. The result is chewier and absorbs marinade far more readily than fresh tofu.

Velveting (pork)

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This technique is surprisingly effective for the effort, producing soft, savoury bites.

Mechanic

Baking soda raises the pH of the meat surface, which inhibits protein cross-linking and keeps the exterior tender and silky even at high wok heat. Massage for 3 full minutes before resting: contact time matters. Cornstarch forms a light coating that seals in moisture.

Garlic broccoli

Sat, 10 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Classic takeout garlic broccoli is very simple, and delicious.

Ingredients

400 g broccoli (about 4 cups), cut into florets
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon neutral oil
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
250 ml vegetable stock, chicken stock, or dashi
⅛ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch + 1 tablespoon cold water, combined into a slurry

Method

Heat a wok over high until smoking. Add the oil and garlic; stir-fry until fragrant and just starting to colour, about 30 seconds.

Weeknight ginger beef

Sat, 10 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is a quick version of ginger beef, great in rice bowls.

Mechanic

Drizzle soy around the edge of the hot wok, not into the centre. It caramelizes briefly as it hits the metal before reaching the meat, adding depth without extra ingredients.

Sichuan quick noodles

Mon, 01 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

A one-pan work-from-home lunch built on a precooked protein base. Twenty minutes, cleanup included.

Mechanic

The noodles cook in the sauce. Start them in just enough water to cover in a wide pan, and add the aromatics and base halfway through; the starch from the noodles thickens the reducing liquid into a sauce that coats them. Add water a spoonful at a time, not all at once. If it ends up as soup, use less water and more heat next time.

Char siu marinade

Tue, 01 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000

A sweet and warming marinade for chicken and pork.

Mechanic

A ratio-based marinade where “1” equals ¼ cup (60 ml). Doubling or tripling scales cleanly. The marinade finishes as a reduction glaze: boil the remainder down until thick and sticky while the meat roasts.