white pepper

Joyce Chen put moo shu (or “moo shi,” as she calls it) pork on the menu of her restaurant in Cambridge, Mass., in 1958. The classic version of this Chinese-American restaurant staple combines slivered pork with scrambled egg, wood ear mushrooms and day lilies, stir-fried together, then served with paper-thin Mandarin pancakes and hoisin sauce. For this version, I like to flip the ratio of mushrooms to pork on its head, loading up with an assortment of mushrooms and just a bit of pork. For the fresh mushrooms, I love using a mix of Asian mushrooms like shimeji (beech), shiitake, enoki, oyster and maitake (hen of the woods), aiming for a mix of flavors and textures, but cremini or button mushrooms will also do in a pinch. If you cannot find dried day lily buds, you can substitute canned bamboo shoots in their place; use 4 ounces sliced bamboo shoots and omit the soaking step.

Moo Shu Mushrooms

Chinese wood ear mushrooms (about 10 grams)

Shaoxing wine

soy sauce

cornstarch

white pepper,

Kosher salt

pork loin, pork sirloin, chicken breast

sesame oil

eggs, thoroughly beaten

ginger

mushrooms

MSG (optional)

Mandarin pancakes flour tortillas

Hoisin sauce or sweet bean sauce

Rehydrate the dried ingredients for the filling: Place wood ear mushrooms and day lily buds in two separate medium bowls or measuring cups large enough to allow for them to expand about fourfold. Cover with very hot water, and set aside until rehydrated, about 15 minutes. (I use hot tap water, but you could also use water heated on the stovetop or in the microwave.) Drain thoroughly. Remove tough centers from the wood ears, then thinly slice them. Cut day lilies into 2-inch pieces.

While wood ears and day lilies rehydrate, prepare the pork marinade: Combine 1/2 teaspoon Shaoxing wine, 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch, 1/4 teaspoon white pepper and a pinch of kosher salt in a medium bowl, and whisk with a fork to combine. Add pork and stir roughly with fingertips or chopsticks until thoroughly combined, then continue stirring for 10 seconds. Set aside for 15 minutes at room temperature.

Meanwhile, make the sauce: Combine remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine, 2 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch and 1/4 teaspoon white pepper in a small bowl and whisk with a fork until no lumps remain.

Cook the eggs: Heat wok over high until lightly smoking. Add 2 tablespoons oil and swirl to coat. Pour the beaten eggs into the center and cook without moving for 10 seconds. Continue to cook, breaking up the eggs with a spatula until they are barely set, 30 to 45 seconds. Transfer eggs to a large bowl.

Wipe out wok and return to high heat until lightly smoking. Add 1 tablespoon sesame oil and swirl to coat. Add 1 ginger slice and let sizzle for 5 seconds. Immediately add pork and stir-fry until pork is no longer pink and mostly cooked through, about 1 minute. Discard ginger slice, then transfer pork to bowl with eggs.

Wipe out wok and return to high heat until lightly smoking. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and swirl to coat. Add remaining ginger slice and let sizzle for 5 seconds. Immediately add the fresh mushrooms and stir-fry until mushrooms are lightly browned around the edges, 2 to 3 minutes. Add scallions, sliced wood ears and day lilies, and stir-fry until softened and fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the pork and eggs back to the wok. Stir sauce to combine again, then add it to the wok along with the MSG, if using. Stir-fry everything to combine and season to taste with salt and more white pepper, if desired. Discard ginger. Transfer moo shu mixture to a serving platter and serve immediately with Mandarin pancakes and hoisin sauce.

This comforting stew is loaded with lemongrass, ginger, garlic, catfish, turmeric and fish sauce, and then thickened with toasted rice powder.

Burmese Breakfast Stew

For the Ground Toasted Rice:

jasmine rice

For the Broth:

water

black pepper

dry bay leaves

lemongrass—peeled,

ginger,

Kosher salt,

catfish

For the Soup:

vegetable oil

lemongrass,

garlic,

paprika

turmeric

red onions,

fish sauce

For serving:

rice noodles

cilantro, divided

eggs,

limes,

½ medium (6 ounces) red onion, thinly sliced

Wake Up to This Burmese Breakfast Bowl

Forget the takeout and make this spicy pot of Chinese beef, chicken, fish and vegetables.

Chinese Dry Pot

For the Spice Oil:

Sichuan peppercorns

cumin seeds

black cardamom, crushed

fennel seeds

allspice

nutmeg

cloves

½ teaspoon green cardamom

garlic cloves, smashed

star anise

bay leaves

orange zest

scallion, roughly chopped

For the Chile Paste:

(2 ounces) red Thai chile peppers

salt

garlic

For the Dry Pot:

(12 each) chicken wings

glass noodles

spice oil

(1 fillet) tilapia,

(6 small) prawns

chile paste

garlic cloves, thinly sliced

scallions, thinly sliced

red Thai chile peppers

short ribs

shiitake mushrooms,

bok choy, roughly chopped

Cilantro leaves,

rice,

Sichuan Dry Pot

This spiced fried chicken is a staple in the night markets of Taiwan. You can order the chicken in cutlet form or small bites like these, which are served in paper bags with wooden skewers. This recipe uses a few spices that cannot be skipped: five-spice powder and white pepper. The Sichuan peppercorns are a bonus, adding a little numbing tingle. If you can’t find Sichuan peppercorns, use black peppercorns instead. You won’t get the same tingly feeling, but the chicken will be just as good. This fried chicken recipe happens to be gluten-free thanks to the tapioca flour, which imparts the dish’s signature crunch.

Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken With Fried Basil

chicken

sugar

five-spice powder

Sichuan peppercorns or whole black peppercorns

tapioca flour

basil leaves

In a large bowl, season chicken thighs with soy sauce, sugar, five-spice powder, white pepper and 2 teaspoons salt. Set aside to marinate about 1 hour at room temperature, or refrigerate it overnight.

When ready to cook, fit a medium pot with a cooking thermometer and heat vegetable oil over medium to 350 degrees. Coarsely grind the peppercorns in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle and mix with the remaining 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Set aside.

Wet your hands and toss marinated chicken with tapioca flour and about 1 tablespoon water until the tapioca flour looks like small beads and clings to the chicken. (Adding a little moisture to your chicken helps the tapioca flour form small beads that will also stick to the chicken and give it a very crunchy crust.)

Working in batches, add the battered chicken to the hot oil and fry until golden brown and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. With a slotted spoon or spider, transfer fried chicken to a paper towel-lined plate and season each batch with peppercorn mixture.

Fry basil leaves until translucent and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes, then scatter over the fried chicken. Serve with leftover peppercorn mixture for sprinkling to taste.

Instead of steaming these dumplings in water, we simmer them in a vinegary cornstarch and flour slurry that creates a lacy, crunchy golden crust as the water evaporates and the dumplings brown. The vinegar adds tang, but also creates the lightest and crispiest skirt, a pro move we borrowed from Dumpling Galaxy in Flushing, Queens. If you don’t have rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar work too. If you don’t have cornstarch, just use all flour.

Pork and Scallion Dumplings With Crispy Skirt

pork (not lean)

scallions

kosher salt, divided

½ tsp. freshly ground white or black pepper

3½"-diameter wonton wrappers

Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar, divided

all-purpose flour

chili oil (optional)

If the words crispy dumpling skirt don't send you running to your stove, we don't know what will. Instead of steaming these dumplings in water, we simmer them in a vinegary cornstarch and flour slurry that creates a lacy, crunchy golden crust as the water evaporates and the dumplings brown. The vinegar adds tang, but also creates the lightest and crispiest skirt, a pro move we borrowed from Dumpling Galaxy in Flushing, Queens. Let's talk swaps: If you don’t have rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar work, too. If you don’t have cornstarch, use another starch like tapioca, arrowroot, or potato, or use 100 percent flour. You can use beef or lamb in place of the pork; if you use a leaner protein, like chicken or turkey, add 1 Tbsp. oil to the mixture to compensate. Watch Sohla makes dumplings in her home kitchen here.

Bon Appétit

Place 8 oz. ground pork (not lean) in a medium bowl. Trim roots and 1" from tops of 8 scallions; discard. Thinly slice; transfer 2 Tbsp. scallion to a small bowl and set aside for dipping sauce. Coarsely chop remaining scallions and add to bowl with pork.

Peel 1" piece ginger with a spoon and finely grate into bowl with pork using a Microplane.

Add 2 tsp. soy sauce, ¾ tsp. kosher salt, and ½ tsp. freshly ground white or black pepper to pork. Rake through pork with chopsticks or your hands to quickly but thoroughly combine ingredients.

Get ready to form the dumplings: Place twenty-four 3½"-diameter wonton wrappers on a work surface and cover with a damp kitchen towel to prevent them from drying out. Place a small bowl of water nearby.

Place 1 wrapper in the palm of your nondominant hand. Scoop out a rounded teaspoonful of filling and place into center of wrapper. Use teaspoon to nudge filling into a football shape. (This will make it easier to fold the wrapper around it.)

Dip a finger on your dominant hand in water and lightly moisten the half of the wrapper that is closest to you. Using your dominant hand, fold wrapper in half over filling and pinch closed using both of your hands. Using your fingers, make 6–7 pleats along the edge, pressing each pleat closed after you form it. Repeat process with remaining wrappers and filling.

To make the slurry for your crispy skirt, whisk 3 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar, 4 tsp. all-purpose flour, 4 tsp. cornstarch, remaining ¼ tsp. kosher salt, and 2 cups water in a large measuring glass to combine.

Now you are ready to cook your dumplings. Heat 2 tsp. vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Arrange 6–10 dumplings in pan (steam fewer at a time if you want a more crispy skirt) and cook until they start to sizzle, about 1 minute. (You don’t want them to take on any color at this point.) Stir slurry well and add a generous ½ cup to pan. Cover and steam dumplings 5 minutes. Remove lid. Dumplings should be plumped and cooked through and most of the water should have evaporated, leaving a thin lacy layer of slurry beneath them. Cover and cook a minute longer if needed.

Uncover dumplings and cook until all the liquid evaporates from slurry and it becomes a crisp, golden brown skirt, about 2 minutes. You may need to rotate your pan as some areas will brown faster than others.

Invert a plate over pan and flip dumplings out onto plate. (You can also slide them out onto a plate if that’s more your comfort level.) Repeat cooking process with remaining dumplings and slurry (stirring well before each batch) in 2–3 more batches, adding 2 tsp. vegetable oil to pan after each batch.

While the dumplings are cooking, make the dipping sauce. Add 2 tsp. chili oil (if using), remaining 2 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar, and remaining 2 Tbsp. soy sauce to reserved sliced scallions and mix well.

Do ahead: Filling can be made 1 day ahead; cover and chill. Dumplings can be formed 3 months ahead; freeze on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet until firm, at least 12 hours. Transfer to an airtight container and keep frozen.
Cook from frozen (time will not change).

Blanching the citrus peel in several changes of boiling water removes bitterness while still leaving plenty of bright flavor behind.

Ginger-Citrus Cookies

cardamom

cinnamon

Tbsp. baking soda

Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt

½ tsp. white pepper

Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature

½ cup (packed) light brown sugar

eggs

¾ cup mild-flavored (light) molasses

“My grandmother Helga and I used to make a version of this recipe together every holiday season,” writes Marcus Samuelsson, chef of Red Rooster in Harlem, New York, and author of the cookbook Aquavit and the New Scandinavian Cuisine, where these cookies were first published. The fragrant spices in the gingersnap dough against the bitterness of the chopped candied orange peels are exactly what I want this time of the year.” Blanching the citrus peel in several changes of boiling water removes bitterness while still leaving plenty of bright flavor behind.

Place citrus zest in a medium saucepan and pour in cold water to cover. Bring to a boil; drain. Repeat process 2 more times.

Combine sugar and 2 cups water in same saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add citrus zest and bring just to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer very gently until peels are translucent, 30–45 minutes. Remove from heat and let citrus zest cool in syrup.

Drain citrus zest and finely chop. Spread out on a rimmed baking sheet; let sit until dry.

Preheat oven to 350°. Toast ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Sift toasted spices, flour, baking soda, salt, and white pepper into a medium bowl or onto a sheet of wax paper.

Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and both sugars in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in molasses. Gradually add dry ingredient in 2 batches, beating on low speed to incorporate after each addition. Stir in 1 cup candied citrus peel.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoons between 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 2" apart. Bake cookies until tops feel firm when lightly touched, 10–12 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets about 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

There's an art to eating pork soup dumplings—and an art to making them.

Pork Soup Dumplings

½ lb. pork skin,

lb. pork bones

pig's foot

scallions,

3" piece ginger, peeled, thinly sliced

Tbsp. Shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine)

pork shoulder (Boston butt; 20% fat)

scallions, finely chopped

garlic clove, finely grated

kosher salt

Shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine)

¾ tsp. white pepper

all-purpose flour,

2" piece ginger, peeled, julienned

black vinegar

Napa cabbage

Nonstick cooking oil spray

There's an art to eating pork soup dumplings: Nibble a bite, cautiously slurp the soup, then eat the rest. Check out the step-by-step process here and a video here.

Place pork skin in a small stockpot or large saucepan and add cold water to cover. Bring to a boil; drain and rinse with cold water. Slice skin lengthwise into 1"-wide strips, trimming any fat, then slice strips crosswise into about ¼"-wide pieces. Return skin to same stockpot and add bones, foot, scallions, ginger, wine, and 8 cups cold water. Bring to a boil, skim surface of any foam, and reduce heat. Simmer, skimming often, until liquid is almost opaque and reduced to 2 cups, 60−75 minutes.

Strain liquid into a 13x9" baking dish; discard solids. Season with salt and chill until set, at least 2 hours and up to 3 days. If making ahead, cover soup with plastic wrap once jelled.

Mix ground pork, scallions, garlic, soy sauce, salt, wine, sugar, oil, ginger, and pepper with chopsticks in a medium bowl, stirring in one direction until it all comes together and a light film forms on the sides of bowl, about 20 seconds.

Cut a fine crosshatch pattern in jelled soup to create very small pieces (about ⅛" squares). Scrape into bowl with filling and mix to combine. Cover and chill until ready to use.

Place 3 cups flour in a medium bowl. Slowly drizzle in 1 cup very hot tap water, mixing constantly with chopsticks or a fork, until dough starts to hold together in shaggy pieces. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rest 15 minutes (this allows flour to hydrate).

Add oil and mix until dough comes together and forms a shaggy ball. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking, until dough is very soft, smooth, supple, and just a little bit tacky, about 10 minutes. Dust dough lightly with flour and wrap in plastic. Let rest 1 hour.

Mix scallions, ginger, vinegar, and soy sauce in a small bowl; set aside.

Place several large cabbage leaves in steamer, leaving about a 1" border around the sides for steam to travel through. Lightly coat cabbage with nonstick spray (a dumpling that sticks is a dumpling that tears) and set steamer next to work station.

Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time and keeping other pieces covered with plastic wrap, roll out dough with your palms to make 12"-long ropes.

Cut each rope into twelve 1"-pieces with bench scraper. Using a ruler as a guide means all your pieces will be the same size, resulting in uniform dumplings. You’ll look like a pro!

Working with 1 piece of dough at a time and keeping other pieces covered in plastic wrap (it’s important to keep the dough covered while you work because it dries out very easily), press your thumb into cut side of dough to flatten.

Dust very lightly with flour and use dowel to roll out into thin rounds, about 4" in diameter—work from the center moving outward, applying slightly more pressure as you reach the edges to make them a little thinner. Cover with plastic.

Lay a wrapper across the upper part of your palm and bottom half of the fingers of your nondominant hand. Spoon 1 Tbsp. filling into wrapper, making sure to get some pieces of jelled soup.

Lightly spread out filling with the back of the spoon, leaving at least a ½" border. Spoon a couple more pieces of jelled soup into center of filling. Slightly cup your palm around dumpling and gently grasp edge of wrapper between your thumb and index finger. Position your other thumb and index finger ½" away in the same fashion.

Using fingertips on one hand, gently pull and stretch wrapper outward before bringing it in to meet opposite fingers. Carefully fold stretched area in on itself, creating a pleat. Pinch to seal.

Rotating dumpling as you work, repeat process to create a series of 18 pleats, leaving a small hole in the center. You’ll probably get only 10 or 12 pleats the first few times you do this; as your skill increases, so will your folds.

Cradle dumpling in your palm, gently rotating it and working filling upward so dumpling is shaped like a fig. This step elongates the dumpling, eliminating air between wrapper and filling.

Pinch edges together and gently twist to seal. Place dumpling in prepared steamer and cover with plastic wrap.

Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling. Work relatively quickly to keep edges of wrappers from drying out while you work.

Remove plastic wrap. Place steamer over a large skillet of rapidly boiling water, making sure water doesn’t touch steamer, and cover. Steam dumplings 8 minutes (10 if frozen). Serve directly from steamer with reserved dipping sauce alongside.

Do Ahead: Make and freeze dumplings 1 month ahead. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets that have been coated with nonstick spray. Cover with plastic wrap lightly coated with nonstick spray and freeze solid. Transfer to resealable plastic freezer bags. Steam directly from freezer.

Thinly sliced flanken-cut short ribs, packed with rich flavor, are the key to this Thai stir-fry.

Phat Sii Krong Neua

cilantro root

Tbsp. oyster sauce

Tbsp. fish sauce

tsp. white pepper

2½ lb. ¼"–½"-thick crosscut bone-in beef short ribs (flanken-style)

oyster sauce

onion,

red Thai chiles, thinly sliced

scallions, sliced into 1" pieces

Thai basil leaves

jasmine rice (for serving)

A mortar and pestle

Thinly sliced flanken-cut short ribs, packed with rich flavor, are the key to this Thai stir-fry. (Ask your butcher to cut them if you can’t find them because flanken-cut ribs have to be cut across the bone using a butcher’s saw.) You’ll want a big helping of rice to go along with it. This recipe is from chef Parnass Savang of Atlanta’s Talat Market.

Smash garlic and cilantro root with a mortar and pestle to a smooth paste. Scrape paste into a small bowl and whisk in oyster sauce, fish sauce, and white pepper.

Cut short ribs between the bones to create flat pieces that are about 2" wide. Season lightly all over with salt, place in bowl with marinade, and toss to coat. Cover bowl with a large plate or plastic wrap and chill ribs at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours.

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Top Tags

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The most viewed white pepper recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine