Natalie’s brilliant post on Sarah’s recipe for Singapore Mei Fun the other day got me thinking about homemade versions of Chinese takeout favorites. There are quite a few that we always get every time that craving hits, and I’m glad it doesn’t hit more often than it already does because I’d be in big trouble.
Homemade versions are usually a bit healthier, plus there’s the satisfaction of having made it yourself. And I get my share of cool points when my son’s friends come over for a meal.
So let’s talk Chinese takeout favorites! Tell us:
What’s your favorite Chinese takeout dish that you wish—or already can—make at home?
My absolute favorite is salt and pepper squid, and if someone shares a recipe for that, I will love you forever. I have many other favorites too, especially when we throw dim sum into the mix, but I’ll save that for another day.
Our contributors here in the Tasty Kitchen Blog seem to love Chinese takeout too, because we’ve had quite a few featured here before, as you can see from the photos above. Just click on any image and it will take you to the guest post. Feel free to get lost in there; I know I did.
Okay, now it’s your turn! What’s your favorite? Is it a noodle dish? Egg Foo Young? Fried rice? Those sweet and sticky ribs? Crab rangoons? General Tso’s Chicken? (Poor general. Everyone wants his chicken.) Share your favorite below, and as always, feel free to include a recipe if you have it!
26 Comments
Comments are closed for this recipe.
Raman Soi on 9.7.2014
Hot and sour soup! Love the stringy black mushrooms in it
Vicki in NC on 9.7.2014
I know I spelled Mein wrong…shame on me, I’m a retired English teacher, too.
Vicki in NC on 9.7.2014
General Chicken or anything, actually. I moved to a very rural area where there are no good Chinese restaurants unless I drive for hours to Atlanta. Then, I don’t know where to find a good restaurant in the city.
I would be happy with a big big bowl of Tomato Chow Mien.
slammie on 9.5.2014
Cantonese roast duck – tried making it at home and just not the same. Or roast pig – haven’t even attempted that one.
John on 9.5.2014
Fried rice, and all it’s variations is so cheap and easy to do at home. I use Carolina Gold rice from Anson Mills, eggs from the farmers mkt. You can control the amount of fats and the quality of your ingredients, use whatever is available at the mkt. even in winter with frozen vegs. If you have leftovers you can put them in a microwave container and take them to work or school, good cold or hot. I can’t thnk of many better ways to eat cheap, healthy, and good. You don’t need martha Stewart for fried rice, one of the easiest, most forgiving recipes out there.
Beverly Howard on 9.4.2014
I am so lucky to have a sister-in-law from Okinawa. Though Okinawa is part of Japan, Okinawa food is very similar to Chinese. My favorites are seaweed & miso soup.
Anne Murphy on 9.4.2014
I make baked egg rolls all the time. Try this site – http://pandaexpressathome.blogspot.com/2012_08_01_archive.html for a GREAT recipe (as well as other great chinese recipes). Just bake for 20 min at 425 – flipping at 10 min.
Here’s another great recipe for baked egg rolls.
http://www.skinnykitchen.com/recipes/panda-express-egg-rolls-made-skinny-yum/
Kathy H. on 9.4.2014
My favorite is General Tso’s Chicken, and the spicier, the better!
Marsha M.-SOCAL on 9.4.2014
I’d love to be able to make good Hot & Sour soup, and chicken fried rice, both of which I brought home for my husband today, but it’d be fun to be able to make these myself.
AlysonRR on 9.4.2014
I’d love to be able to recreate the Egg Foo Yung from a restaurant that’s too far away for me to visit more than twice a year… It’s not thin, skimpy pancakes – it has pancakes filled with vegies and shrimp which are at least three inches thick – yum!
angela radke on 9.4.2014
Lately my favorites have been Thai dishes which is basically the same cooking technic.
My wish is to find a way for a wok to sit over a burner on my gas stove correctly and get real hot like it is supposed to. Also, for those who have electric stoves. There is such a thing as a bowl shaped burner but don’t know where to get one.
Patricia @ ButterYum on 9.4.2014
I make a number of take-out dishes, but I have yet to find a decent recipe for chinese restaurant pork fried rice.
Doris on 9.4.2014
I love the sauteed green beans and the hot sour soup.
Lezlie on 9.4.2014
Fried Crab Cheese Wontons – They are the best!
Kelly H. on 9.4.2014
I make General Tso’s Chicken at least once a month. Love it so SO much.
grandmajohnnie on 9.4.2014
I LOVE to make Chinese at home – I love the time in the kitchen, and the wonderful smells drive the family crazy. All my recipes are HITS, and all have come from the Tasty Kitchen site – from the General Tso’s chicken (a NEW family favorite!!!), sweet and sour chicken, down to the stand by – fried rice options. The bonus I’ve found for us is the gluten free side of it! Savings are tremendous from eating out and I get my kitchen time! I love this site!
hiswife on 9.4.2014
Orange Chicken and then egg rolls. Why does it all have to be deep-fried?! Would someone please invent these recipes in a “baked, you can eat 37 of them and not gain a single ounce, heck, you’ll even lose weight” version, please? Also love my mum’s sweet and sour pork and that General’s chicken.
lena on 9.4.2014
I love almost all of it. All that hot and sweet and salty and sour and cold and steamy and slurpy and fragrancy goodness. I would like to learn how to make a good seafood noodle soup.
I make a fairly decent anything fried rice. I add a tad of fish sauce.
Anne Weber-Falk on 9.4.2014
New China in Fox River Grove, IL makes the best pork fried rice. I have always wanted to make it like they do at home but no dice. I haven’t found a recipe that comes close either. It really is that good. Nothing compares. Sighhh…well, it looks like I’m gonna have to go out for dinner tonight!
marlab on 9.4.2014
My favorite is Orange Chicken. I can’t wait to check out the link Elaine posted. I’ve tried a couple of recipes I’ve found in the Tasty Kitchen and they are great. I too would love a good easy recipe for hot/sour soup if anyone has it.
Elaine on 9.4.2014
My husband is a FANATIC for Orange Beef from our favorite Chinese restaurant. I found this recipe for Orange Chicken – https://tastykitchen.com/blog/2014/03/chinese-orange-chicken/ – from halfbakedharvest here on Tasty Kitchen. Even using beef, it is fab.u.lous!!! Completely unhealthy because of all the oil in frying the meat, but the flavor is out of this world. My husband would eat this every week if I made it for him (but I won’t)!
Leslie S on 9.4.2014
I would Love to be able to make Moo Shu Pork that tastes like my favorite restaurant.
Shawna C on 9.4.2014
You know who has a great recipe for sweet, sticky stirfried chicken? Gwenyth Paltrow, in her cookbook “My Father’s Daughter”. It’s posted a few places online, but I don’t know if it was done so with permission so I don’t want to link – Google will lead you there. I was dubious about the quarter-cup each of ginger and garlic (and I LOVE both), but it is fabulous. Is there nothing this woman can’t do? The only change I’d make is to add some veggies/greens (carrots and broccoli perhaps?) and cut back the amount of meat; that is a LOT of protein on its own.
Linda F on 9.4.2014
We love a baked sweet and sour chicken with fried rice recipe I found on line. I would love to have a good recipe for hot and sour soup, but haven’t had much luck finding one I like. Any suggestions?
mnheather on 9.4.2014
Sesame Chicken is what I’ll go to every time (also like bourbon chicken). I learned to make it at home – and to be honest, it is now hard for me to have it out. MY sesame chicken is so much more tender. This is the recipe I use – it’s super easy and delicious:
http://www.budgetbytes.com/2013/08/easy-sesame-chicken/
Nan DV on 9.4.2014
I **LOVE** General Tso’s Chicken and hot and sour soup. Also sesame noodles. Thanks for asking!