My problem is finding good recipes for ONE person. Hubby does not like and everything mskes rnough for a crowd!

I may be able to give you some ideas.

Are leftovers acceptable to you? Or eating the same dish twice in a row or in the same week? This helps because markets seldom sell 1/2 chicken wing <kidding a bit>

Also, do yo tend to like precise recipes, or are you comfortable winging it a bit — estimating? For example, do you measure out an exact tablespoon, or can you eztimate straight from the bottle?

One challenge I have with cooking Chinese and Southeast Asian food is the amount of shelf and refrigerator space required the the many ingredients I keep on hand ;)

PS What sort of things do you like (or dislike)? Noodles? Seafood? Veggies?

Thanks Pelique,

No leftovers. There is only one day a week, Thursday, he does not eat supper. I have an entire lower shelf of bottles of stuff in the garage fridge, lol. I may try this one next week, if I can figure out how to cut to one. I am trying to copy the food I got from a little hole in the wall place that went out of business.

Triple Hunan

https://recipemenubook.com/triple-delight-chinese-food/#recipe

I am making Shrimp Scampi tonight. He likes shrimp, but not this, too much fresh garlic!

I do need to get a wok. I have a gas Camp Chef cook stove outside. I cannot really get hot enough inside, sets off the smoke alarms.

Yes, I tend to follow recipes that are not Southern, precisely until I get comfortable with them. Southern, I never use a recipe! I have been cooking that since 1964 or so.

Carbon steel wok is best. There are online directions for how to season it nd keep it nice so that it essentially has a non-stick surface.

I hope your mate cooks and isn’t too fussy. I feel bad(ly) for spouses who have to cook two separate meals. If I were in that situation, one non-cooking spice meal would end up being canned or frozen ;)

DH has gotten to be a pretty good cook — he makes great from scratch buckwheat pancakes, rice, steak, cabbage rolls, bran muffins, lots of things, including great spaghetti and meatballs. Yesterday, I was going to make Chinese chicken with broccoli but was so sleep. He’d never made it but watched Bill’s video at The Woks of Life. It was really good.

Sometimes you can ”cheat” and Chinesify parts of certain meals. For example, Bake his chicken and yours, then maybe add some Chinese sort of sauce and a side of quick stir fry veggy to yours.

Here is a You-Tube short of chicken with vegetables.

https://youtube.com/shorts/Z1hJRzfojwI?si=ZulGFPSFaafdNTgV

BTW, are you saying that he doesn’t like any Chinese or Asian stir fry food? If so, what’s his issue? The vegetables? garlic? soy sauce? Mixed up food?

Does he eat casseroles? spare ribs? fried chicken? Is he a meat and potatoes guy?

One of my college classmates was married to a guy who pretty much only liked canned vegetables. His mother worked and was not able to cook homemade meals when he was growing up in the 1950s. He did learn to love corn on the cob and used to hrown his own.

Wild kung pao chef

https://youtube.com/shorts/xXFOu3CJ0RY?si=yXMVPdxkAFcbXZhQ

He will cook an egg if he is starving, otherwise, no.

I do not cook two meals, ever. I like basic Southern, just other stuff also. He eats Mexican, Italian, and seafood, fried, now. He did not in 1970 when we married. He had never ate a shrimp, it is nothing you ever had in North AL in that time. My grandmother lived just outside Mobile, Al, which is where the seafood conection comes in. We never had it unless we visited them. There were no restaurants other than Southern meat and three. He really does not like spices. I cannot make myself like Indian curry and coconut? If you do mot like a spice, well ?? Think of all the people that think cilantro tastes like soap? Not me!

I will run a wok I have been looking at past you. It is carbon steel.

Here is an easy fix for you that doesn’t require a wok. I make things like this — easy and hits the spot. You do not have to add any chilies or chili flakes, bt maybe a speck or two just to get you on your way.🌶️

You can use the seasoning pack, or create your own. You can opt for bok choy or baby bok choy; chopped greans at the end; sugar snap peas….

Instant Ramen Dumpling Hack

▪️ https://youtube.com/shorts/GKwTPXH63nY?si=reeQwq0PthpmPNgr

Just typed out a nice little note, bumped something and goo ole GW Houzz vaporized what I was working on.

BTW, You can cook some very good Chinese food without a gas burner.

I have always had electric. Now a nice Samsung glasstop. I get the large burner screaming hot and the overhead exhaust fan ON. I move the wok on and off the burner as necessary. Have everything in place (Mise en place). Things move fast. I prefer a slotted spoon to a wok spatula (but have tongs handy).

Of course! I have a core of Cajun and Swedish I like. If I can add a few Chinese, that will fix me up. I do not have a good exhaust fan.

My favorite was the Triple Hunan from the small Chinese place with Hot and Sour Soup and Vegetable Egg Rolls. I found frozen eggs rolls that are sorta pretty good. If I master the Triple Hunan and the Hot and Sour soup, I will be fixed for the rest of my life!!!! I can buy the sweet and sour sauce or mustard for the egg rolls.

You’re easy to please. I will look up the Triple Hunan, or you can describe it. Maybe it’s like ”Triple Delight”.

Hot and Sour soup I’ve made before. Did you say you are not fond of spicy or hot? And you do not care for curry or coconut (milk, cream, or coconut)?

Most main street Chinese restaurants have dismal egg rolls. You can make them, but it might take more fiddling around than you’d care to do. (Although you could vacuum pack and freeze)

This is a good, solid basics cook book.

▪️ https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=3164759099&cmtrack_data=cm_abecat%3D100200009&searchurl=

Is this what you mean?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikbpZczLiEc

NOTE: I just began watching this video (5:45 pm).

Caveat — He is using a non-stick pan over medium high heat. Hmm. I cannot recommend using a non-stick pan with more than low-medium heat, and not empty. Those chemicals, molecules are nothing you want to make a habit of inhaling — particularly dicey if you do not have a robust exhaust fan.

Sherry, if you think you will only be cooking for yourself (until the hubby guy converts) you might want to get a smallish carbon steel wok. I left my 12” one in Maine and don’t know if anyone held onto it for me. It had a dent on the flat bottom and thus rocked a bit, so I may just get another. Except I’ve since gotten and been using a 14” wok. It’s fine, BUT my old 12” wok hung off a hook next to the cookstove, and the 14” wok will not fit. It hides under a table in the kitchen. (I hate my F’ing kitchen — built by a non cook bachelor old man builder, sigh).

@petalique - Thanks for the link. I haven’t had timr to get far into it, but the beginning oart about regional trends was compelling enough for me to save it for later.

Here is a recipe for ”Hot and Sour Soup” but I think probably the Rose Cheng book has a better one. I usually monkey around with recipes (family trait), so I likely messed withany recipe for H&S soup in my library.

But it is such a flexible recipe, you can’t go wrong. As with all cooking, knitting, boating, furniture refinishing, you have to play around, test things out and practice makes for the better.

There are a lot of very good Chinese cooking blogs and video / YouTube channels. Some of my favorites include:

🔹 The Woks of Life (love that Bill!) — https://thewoksoflife.com

🔹 Mandy — Souped up Recipes — https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=souped+up+recipes

🔹 Jason Farmer at ▪️https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Jason+Farmer

(I am growing old, moldy brained…can’t recall or was not payingattn to the blog name, just their yummy food!)

Vegetable egg rolls (I guess they’re good, but a bit of meat — shrimp or pork or chix make it even better, IMO.)

🔹 https://thewoksoflife.com/vegetable-egg-rolls/

When I attended Ohio State I took a series of evening classes in Chinese cooking from a woman married to a man from there. She took us to stores that sold condiments and other ingredients that are still rare to find in mainstream grocery stores. We moved from Ohio to Massachusetts after we finished college and I was lucky enough to live in the same town that had a store that Joyce Chen's daughter-in-law managed. We became good friends. I continued to learn from her.

I have a flat bottom carbon steel wok with symmetric wooden grab handles - bought in 1979. Scrubbed and scoured to an inch of it's life by my mother-in-law back in the 90's but it survived.

One of my most treasured cookbooks is "The Key to Chinese Cooking" by Irene Kuo. Also recommend Nina Simonds, a food writer for the Boston Globe. She has terrific recipes in her book "Asian Noodles'

Kuo’s book apears to be a classic. Simond’s book sounds interesting. She wears a lot of hats.

I think There was a Joyce Chen store in Acton, and there was a JC restaurant in Cambridge (I never went to it.) Nice that you developed a friendship with JC’s DIL and learned some cooking techniques from her.

I fooled around with getting into this starting some years ago. I got an authentic hand hammered steel wok and accompanying tools and dove into it. While we found the results from most recipes were quite tasty and enjoyable, the effort seemed disproportionate to the benefit, considering alternatives.

My area, its people and the popular cuisines have been strongly influenced for over 150 years by Chinese immigrants. Like all immigrants, they've arrived with their culture and their cuisines. Excellent and affordable restaurants of most kinds of regional styles (and they differ greatly) are easily found. There's no reason to work up a sweat and make a mess to clean up when more variety professionally prepared is just a short drive away.

I liked her and the info was shared in a non-boring way. Thanks for sharing.

You’re welcome.

Elmer, you are fortunate to live where you do and to have your resources. I am envious.

I just made some curried lentil soup with chicken. Much easier than cooking most Chinese meals, especially since I forgot about it and DH did the last half.

As with many hobbies, when you enjoy the process then cost, convenience, and even end product start to get weighed differently.

Boating is like this. A speed boat may get you there faster, but sailing, rowing or paddling is a delightful trip.

I’m not sure that’s a perfect analogy but ownership vs the practicality of renting/chartering might come closer.

" when you enjoy the process then cost, convenience, and even end product start to get weighed differently "

This is a good insight that applies for many cooking hobbyists. And hobbyists of other kinds. For me (and also for my wife), with cooking, the end result is more important than the process experience. A means to an end, rather than the journey being more important than the destination.

What we make at home tends to be things not easily found in a restaurant or shop. Or, not easily found when we have the urge to have something specific. If I can conveniently enjoy something in a way that's easier, better and with no work involved, then better to go out.

There used to be a fantastic Chinese and Vietnamese restaurant nearby. Sad to say, it was too sophisticated for this area.

It is difficult to find quality Chinese, Thai or Vietnamese restarants anywhere near where we live. It’s pathetic. It seems a lot of them have to flavor down to American palates. That’s one reason I cook a lot of what we dine on. Oftentimes when we go out of town toward the city, we make a side trip to a decent Chinese restaurant a ways away.

Here is a similar dish to one that one of those good restaurants made. Flavorful, simple ? Cantonese-like, not spicy. I’d be hard pressed to locate a restaurant that made anything like this — Mandy’s “Sizzling Rice Soup” — we used to order similar. Not at all spicy, but very flavorful and satisfying. Served on a hot cast iron platter resting on a wooden board.

I may try to find the time to make Mandy’s recipe.

I think the restaurant we went to used to call it something like War Bar or Guoba (?sp)

The latter is the name for the bits of hard, crispy overcooked rice at the bottom of the rice pan, considered a delicacy. These days you can buy those dried overcooked rice pieces. They sizzle and crack when broth hits them.

▪️ https://www.chefsresource.com/what-is-sizzling-rice/

Lunch today. Can’t get anything more Authentic or better prepared/ tasting than DH’s Chinese Wok cooking. After over 5 decades he is a master.

Pork and Japanese eggplant with yellow peppers and his sauce. Fresh gingerroot pickled in White Balsamic Vinegar and one hot chili diced ( for him) Picture of bottles is easier than typing 😊.

His 16” wok. He used his outdoor 100,000 BTU Chinese cooker

Lunch in the gazebo.

Sauce makings+ cornstarch and 1Tbsp sugar

What I want to dulucate among other vegetables had those flat snow peas and baby corn. I can find the snowpeas fresh, but the corn is only canned.

Would you use the corn or just leave out?

definitely leave out if you can’t find the baby corn ( I assume you mean canned regular corn as a substitute) The canned baby corn is awful and I have never seen it fresh in any Chinese market so I wouldn’t use it at all. c

No, it is canned baby corn.

Frozen baby corn is widely available here. I'm sure you can get it in the States. I wouldn't be surprised if that's what restaurants use. How else could they serve it year round? To be honest I don't think it contributes much other than crunch. I'd prefer bamboo shoots myself.

Wow I never knew I could buy baby corn other than canned. Found out one my supermarkets sells fresh, bought some and it’s many times better!

Thanks floral and Food. I will look for it. I seldom use that canned baby corn, but it helps to rinse rinse and rinse the stuff.

Caroline, your stir fry looks good. Yum!

When it stops raining, I may try to find the wok burner we bought and forgot about — cooking outside is good.

Sherry, I no longer use the thin snowpea pods, but fresh Sugar Snap Peas instead. Better flavor. They look pretty when cut at an angle (bias).

@petalique we use those too. They are so crisp and delicious We cut them that way as well. c

" I do have to say that almost all Chinese food is horrible the next day as leftovers. "

That hasn't been my experience at all. While crispy, al dente veggies can lose some of their crunch, for many other dishes, the time allows the flavors to blend and improve. As with Western concoctions like stew, chili, many soups, pasta sauce, etc., many Chinese preparations can be much better the next day(s).

I'm thinking of my consistent experiences with food prepared by good (and not necessarily fancy) Asian (Chinese, Thai, etc) restaurants. Maybe there's something about your husband's techniques or ingredients that cause them to degrade in a fridge?

I live on leftovers. They don’t call me Doggy Bag Delilah for nuthin’

I don’t like leftover cotton candy, but then, I do not care for cotton candy.

We do NOT like leftovers, except for turkey and dressing at Thanksgiving. That is why my first post said my problem is recipes for ONE!!! Not books, not ideas, just cooking what I want. I know HOW to cook it, I just need to cook one meal for one person with NO leftovers! No, my husband does not and will never eat Chinese or anything else Oriental. That is fine! I will never eat India Indian. It is not the heat. I love spicy. Cajun is great, bring it on. Every book and every recipe is for 4 to 6 to 8 or more!

A stir fry for one is easy. You don't need a recipe. I often have it if I'm cooking for myself only. Stir fry some onion, garlic and ginger with a bit of star anise or five spice. Add chopped veggies. Add any sauces you like. Add a bit of meat or an egg if you fancy.

I have to follow an exact recipe, I did not grow up cooking anything except Southern fried and meat and three. It was 1967 before I even tasted Italian. This weird restaurant opened up that served something called ”pizza”????

ETA: There are some Mexican and Italian I can wing, but not anything else. Cajun is fine, my grandmother cooked Cajun, although she did not call it that, lol.

" my husband does not and will never eat Chinese or anything else Oriental. "

The word "oriental" is considered impolite and even pejorative these days.

"Asian" is a better choice.