Chinese recipes

Popular Chinese dish from the Sichuan region containing bean curd cooked in a spicy pepper and black bean sauce. Fermented black beans have long been used to boost digestion and support immune function. The process of fermentation also increases the vitamin B and omega-3 fatty acid content of the beans. Adding fermented foods to one’s diet is one of the best ways of creating a protective environment in the gut against harmful pathogenic bacteria and other organisms.

A scrumptious rice dish made with coconut milk, vegetable stock and a pinch of turmeric.

Here, beef brisket takes on an Asian flare. Slices of meat are braised in an aromatic stock seasoned with star anise, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, red pepper and dark molasses. As a final step, pureed eggplant is stirred in, for flavor and thickening.

Nothing is more fascinating and delicious than eating at the open- air street hawker centers in Asia, particularly in Singapore. Each stall serves a specialty, typically an honest, unpretentious, home-style dish for $1 to $3 a plate. This rice noodle dish is hawker food at its best. If done right, its fragrance will tell you how good it's going to be as soon as it arrives at your table.

This one isn't for the barby, but I thought I'd pass it on anyway. Don't be deceived by the simplicity of this recipe. It's one of the very best sweet and sour rib recipes I've run across as well as being one of the easiest. The taste of the ribs shines through rather than being overwhelmed as it often is with more complex sweet and sour recipes.