27 Chinese-Inspired Sunday Dinner Recipes

November 22, 2020

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Make one of these Chinese-inspired recipes for a delicious and filling Sunday dinner. These tasty recipes are full of vegetables and proteins like pork, tofu and chicken. And the best part is that you can take any leftover proteins and make fried rice to enjoy later in the week! Recipes like Spicy Pork & Green Bean Stir-Fry and Kung Pao Chicken with Bell Peppers are flavorful and satisfying.

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Spicy Vegetable Lo Mein

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Skip takeout and make a healthier Chinese lo mein at home that's packed with vegetables. Make sure you drain your noodles well before adding them, as wet noodles will turn your stir-fry into a soggy mess. For a less spicy option, omit the sriracha hot sauce.

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Lapsang Souchong Chicken with Bok Choy

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In this healthy chicken recipe, dried Chinese Lapsang Souchong tea lends a smoky flavor to the meat. Look for it near other teas or in the bulk section. Grind it in a spice grinder before using. Serve with steamed brown rice or rice noodles drizzled with sesame oil.

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Kung Pao Broccoli

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Broccoli florets soak up the flavors from Chinese five-spice powder--a combination of sweet spices including anise, cinnamon, cloves and subtly spicy Szechuan peppercorns. Serve over black rice.

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Vegan Cauliflower Fried Rice

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Substituting riced cauliflower for rice trims calories and carbs in this veggie-packed dish. Use the vibrant flavors of traditional fried rice--ginger, scallions and tamari--to create a low-carb fried rice version of the classic take-out meal.

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Kung Pao Chicken with Bell Peppers

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Here's an easy chicken recipe you'll definitely want to add to your dinner repertoire. A quick marinade tenderizes the chicken and infuses flavor in this healthy version of a take-out favorite. Adding a little oil to finish the marinade coats the chicken and helps keep it from sticking to the pan.

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Chinese Sweet & Sour Tofu Stir-Fry with Snow Peas

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This healthy sweet and sour tofu stir-fry is easy to whip together on weeknights. Just be sure to plan ahead so that you can freeze the tofu in advance. It gives the tofu a meatier texture and helps it absorb the sauce.

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Spicy Pork & Green Bean Stir-Fry

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This vibrant, lip-tingling Sichuan stir-fry is ready in just 20 minutes. Reddish-brown Sichuan peppercorns--which are technically a dried berry husk--have a tart and slightly woodsy flavor beneath their slow-burning heat. Look for them in Asian markets or the bulk section of natural-foods stores.

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Shrimp & Chinese Chive Wonton Soup

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This recipe for homemade wontons makes it easy to make a healthy version of the famous Chinese wonton soup at home. Look for wonton wrappers in the refrigerated section of your supermarket near the fresh noodles or tofu and go for the square ones (not round). Leftover wrappers can be wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 1 month.

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Baked Tofu Stir-Fry with Cabbage & Shiitakes

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This healthy vegetarian tofu stir-fry recipe is made with less oil by cooking the ingredients on two large sheet pans in the oven instead of in a wok. Flavored with savory black bean-garlic sauce, toasted sesame oil and Chinese rice wine, this quick stir-fry recipe makes a delicious, low-fuss weeknight dinner.

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General Tso's Chicken

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In this healthy version of a General Tso's Chicken recipe, we cut the fat and sodium in half from the original version by not frying the chicken and by using half as much soy sauce in this Chinese-takeout favorite. Serve with steamed baby bok choy or sautéed spinach and steamed brown rice.

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Chinese Pork & Vegetable Hot Pot

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The richly flavored red braises characteristic of Chinese cooking make warming winter meals that can be adapted to a slow cooker. Typically, seasonings of anise, cinnamon and ginger distinguish these dishes. Pork shoulder becomes meltingly tender during the slow braise. Serve over noodles or brown rice, with stir-fried napa cabbage.

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Chinese Ginger Beef Stir-Fry with Baby Bok Choy

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All of the ingredients for this easy beef stir-fry recipe are cooked in one wok (or skillet), so not only is the meal-prep fast for this healthy dinner, cleanup is quick too. Look for Lee Kum Kee Premium oyster-flavored sauce in the Asian-foods aisle of your grocery store. It has the most concentrated oyster flavor.

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Chinese Barbecue Pork with Bok Choy

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The barbeque marinade in this Chinese-inpsired recipe is easy to make and does an amazing job flavoring the pork tenderloin. For optimal flavor impact, allow the meat to marinate for at least 12 hours.

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Quick Shrimp Fried Rice

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Skip the takeout and make this lightened-up, veggie-packed 30-minute recipe instead.

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Sweet & Sour Pork with a Sesame Crust

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You'll recognize the classic Chinese flavor pairing of sesame, soy and white pepper on these sweet and sour pork chops. White pepper is more mild and earthy than black pepper, but either will work here.

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Sesame Noodles with Baked Tofu

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Chinese hoisin sauce gives this healthy sesame noodle recipe just a touch of sweetness. Be sure to rinse the noodles until they're cold, then give them a good shake in the colander until they're well drained. Are you a spiralizing pro? Swap 5 cups of raw zucchini, carrot or other veggie “noodles” for the cooked pasta.

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Sichuan-Style Tofu with Mushrooms

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Because of the high moisture content of tofu, it can go from a stir-fry to a braise in seconds. We also recommend salting and drying the tofu in paper towels so oil doesn't splatter during frying.

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Clementine & Five-Spice Chicken

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This chicken recipe gets intense, complex flavor from tangy clementines, five-spice powder and pungent Sichuan peppercorns. This dish is a marvel for entertaining: it takes just 35 minutes of prep and a handful of ingredients, but it looks and tastes super-special. Feel free to use mandarins, honey tangerines or oranges here instead of the clementines.

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Dan Dan Noodles with Pork & Snow Peas

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In this Asian dan dan noodle recipe, lean pork loin and snow peas are stir-fried and tossed with a chile-soy sauce. Topped with peanuts and sesame seeds, this Chinese noodle recipe is a healthy, homemade alternative to takeout.

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Spicy Tofu Hotpot

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Warm up a chilly evening with this light but satisfying one-pot meal. The tofu absorbs the flavors of this fragrant, spicy broth, making it anything but bland. Look for fresh Chinese-style noodles in the refrigerated case of your supermarket alongside wonton wrappers.

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Turkey Ma Po Tofu

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Ma Po Tofu is a traditional Chinese recipe usually made with ground pork. This delicious, healthy version uses ground turkey to cut saturated fat and calories and adds mushrooms for extra veggies. Serve with brown rice and make it extra special with a drizzle of sesame oil just before serving.

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Classic Sesame Noodles with Chicken

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Classic sesame noodles become a healthy meal with lean chicken and tons of veggies in this quick recipe for Asian noodles. Be sure to rinse the spaghetti until it's cold, then give it a good shake in the colander until it's well drained. Are you a spiralizing pro? Swap 5 cups of raw zucchini, carrot or other veggie “noodles” for the cooked pasta.

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Rice Noodles with Butternut Squash & Five-Spice Shrimp

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Noodle dishes like this one are often served as part of a Chinese New Year's celebration to symbolize a long, healthy life. In this easy recipe, butternut squash adds another layer of meaning with a golden color evocative of a prosperous year to come.

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Tangerine Bok Choy & Beef Stir-Fry

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Tangerine juice and savory oyster sauce are the foundation of the stir-fry sauce in this healthy recipe for Chinese orange beef. Don't skip the orange zest sprinkled over the stir-fry at the end--it delivers the biggest flavor punch. Serve over brown rice or quinoa.

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Salt & Pepper Prawns

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Spice-crusted stir-fried shrimp top a cool, crisp Asian-style slaw for an easy supper. Many traditional versions of this recipe use Sichuan peppercorns. We've opted to use Chinese five-spice powder, which contains Sichuan peppercorns and is more readily available. Make it a Meal: Serve with rice noodles or brown rice and a sprinkle of chopped cilantro.

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Pork & Snap Pea Lo Mein

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Lo mein is a Chinese restaurant takeout favorite that's easy to make at home. This lo mein recipe features lean pork loin chops and snap peas, but snow peas or asparagus work well too. Serve with shredded radish and cabbage tossed with rice vinegar.

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Szechuan Tofu & Green Bean Stir-Fry

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This spicy vegetarian stir-fry is a great way to use green beans when they're bountiful and inexpensive at the supermarket. You can also try it with other vegetables, such as broccoli or peppers, just make sure to cut them into small pieces so that they cook quickly. Coating the tofu in cornstarch before you cook it gives it a light crust.

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