39 recipes using rice — Dim sum, Peking duck, kung pao chicken and the world's richest culinary heritage.
These 39 chinese rice recipes are ready in about 77 minutes on average, with 80–820 kcal per serving, and 44% are rated easy enough for a weeknight. Every recipe includes exact ingredient quantities, step-by-step instructions and full nutrition per serving.
Chinese cooking balances texture, heat and the harmony of flavours — fast wok work and slow braises drawn from a vast regional repertoire. When Chinese cooks work with rice, they reach for soy sauce, ginger, garlic, spring onion, Shaoxing wine and sesame oil, and the techniques that come up most across these recipes are simmering, frying, boiling and steaming.
The everyday grain for half the planet — a neutral base that soaks up the flavours around it, from pilafs to fried rice. In this collection it's most often cooked with soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, scallions, fresh ginger and light soy sauce. The dishes here span chinese classics ready in as little as 15 minutes to slower, more involved cooking that rewards a relaxed afternoon.
Crispy battered chicken in a bright, tangy sweet and sour sauce — the classic Chinese-American takeaway favourite made fresh at home. This easy sweet and sour chicken recipe is better than takeaway in 35 minutes.
Better-than-takeaway egg fried rice with wok hei — fluffy rice, scrambled egg, spring onions and soy sauce cooked over maximum heat. This 15-minute egg fried rice recipe is the perfect quick meal and the best way to use leftover rice.
Hand-folded Chinese dumplings filled with pork and cabbage — boiled, fried or steamed to perfection.
Silky pork and prawn wontons in a fragrant golden broth with spring onions and sesame oil — Chinese comfort food at its finest.
Fluffy, pillowy steamed milk buns filled with sticky braised pork belly, pickled mustard greens and crushed peanuts.
Tender sliced beef and crisp broccoli in a glossy, savoury sauce — better than takeout and ready in 20 minutes.
Gut-friendly stir-fry with chicken, bell pepper, and bok choy.
Stir-fried broccoli in ginger-garlic sauce over nutty brown rice.
Lacquered, crimson-edged Cantonese roast pork with a deeply savoury-sweet glaze of hoisin, honey, soy and five-spice. The definitive Chinese BBQ.
Silky, ultra-smooth Cantonese rice porridge cooked low and slow until the grains dissolve completely into a comforting, nourishing base. Topped with ginger, spring onion, sesame oil and your choice of protein.
Cantonese honey-glazed BBQ pork — caramelised, sweet, tender pork neck with a lacquered red crust. The essential Cantonese roast.
China's most celebrated roast — lacquered, crispy-skinned duck served with thin pancakes, spring onion, cucumber and hoisin sauce.
Beijing's beloved noodle dish: thick wheat noodles topped with a rich, savoury soybean paste and pork sauce, with crisp fresh vegetable garnishes.
China's most celebrated braised pork — meltingly tender pork belly lacquered in a deep, sweet-savoury sauce of soy, sugar, Shaoxing wine and star anise.
The essential Chinese fried rice — day-old jasmine rice stir-fried with eggs, spring onions, and a simple soy seasoning over extreme heat for proper wok hei.
Tender chicken pieces wok-tossed with dried chilies, Sichuan peppercorns, and crispy fried aromatics.
Silky rice noodles in a hot aromatic broth with raw protein that cooks table-side — a legendary Yunnan dish.
Lacquered whole duck with paper-thin crispy skin and tender, juicy meat — a Cantonese roasting classic.
Shanghai's translucent soup dumplings — pleated pouches holding pork, gelled broth, and 18 perfect folds.
The legendary square of pork belly named for Su Dongpo — braised whole in Shaoxing wine, soy and sugar until trembling.
Sichuan Ginger Tofu Rice Bowl brings chinese flavor into a practical home recipe with chicken thighs, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and Shaoxing wine, and a finish of scallions.
Cantonese Soy Chicken Soup brings chinese flavor into a practical home recipe with white fish, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and Shaoxing wine, and a finish of scallions.
Shanghai Scallion Mushroom Skillet Dinner brings chinese flavor into a practical home recipe with lamb mince, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and Shaoxing wine, and a finish of scallions.
Yunnan Chili Potato Salad brings chinese flavor into a practical home recipe with roasted carrots, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and Shaoxing wine, and a finish of scallions.
Classic Chinese fried rice studded with shrimp, egg, char siu and peas, tossed hot and fast in a well-seasoned wok.
Silky rice porridge simmered until creamy, topped with century egg and shredded pork, a comforting Cantonese breakfast classic.
Silky tofu and ground pork simmered in a fiery, numbing Sichuan sauce of doubanjiang and Sichuan peppercorn, a beloved regional classic.
A fluffy Chinese-style omelet packed with shrimp, bean sprouts, and scallion, pan-fried until golden and topped with a savory gravy.
A silky, slow-simmered Chinese rice porridge, plain and comforting, ready to be topped with pickled vegetables, egg, or shredded meat.
Flaky, layered Chinese pancakes made from a laminated dough studded with scallion, pan-fried until crisp outside and chewy within.
Smashed cucumbers tossed in a garlicky, chili-oil dressing with vinegar and sesame, a refreshing and quick Chinese cold appetizer.
Chewy glutinous rice cakes pan-fried until golden with a crisp exterior, sometimes wrapped around egg, a Lunar New Year favorite.
Chewy glutinous rice balls, some filled with sweet black sesame paste, simmered in a warming ginger-sugar syrup, a Winter Solstice treat.
Wok-fried day-old rice with egg, char siu, shrimp and a hit of red chile for a quick weeknight dinner.
A Sichuan-style rice bowl of chile-garlic ground pork, chili oil and pickled greens over steamed rice.
Wok-fried rice with shrimp, squid and scallop in a fragrant ginger-scallion sauce.
A soothing rice and mung bean congee finished with crispy garlic oil and scallions.
Rice slow-cooked in a claypot with marinated chicken and lap cheong until a crisp golden crust forms.
Crispy fried chicken thighs glazed in a bright, tangy lemon sauce, served over rice with steamed greens.
Choose by use: long-grain (basmati, jasmine) for fluffy, separate grains; short-grain for risotto and sushi where stickiness is wanted. Aged basmati cooks longer and fluffier.
Rinse until the water runs clear to wash off surface starch and prevent clumping. The absorption method — a fixed water ratio, lid on, then a 10-minute steam off the heat — gives reliable results.
A gluten-free carbohydrate staple; brown and wild varieties keep the bran for extra fibre, B vitamins and minerals.
Most of these 39 Chinese rice recipes are ready in around 77 minutes from start to finish. The quickest, Easy Egg Fried Rice Recipe — Chinese Takeaway at Home, takes about 15 minutes, while the slower-cooked dishes run up to 630 minutes.
Across this collection they range from about 80 to 820 kcal per serving, averaging 421 kcal — Liangban Huanggua (Chinese Smashed Cucumber Salad) is the lightest option at 80 kcal.
Easy Egg Fried Rice Recipe — Chinese Takeaway at Home is a great place to start — it's rated easy and comes together in about 15 minutes. 44% of the recipes here are beginner-friendly.
In these recipes, rice is most often paired with soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, scallions, fresh ginger and light soy sauce. Chinese kitchens also lean on soy sauce, ginger, garlic, spring onion, Shaoxing wine and sesame oil.
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