Qianlong Cabbage (Napa Cabbage with Sesame Sauce)

Qianlong Cabbage (Napa Cabbage with Sesame Sauce)

Difficulty:★★☆☆☆ 150 kcal

Qianlong cabbage is a classic Beijing cold dish: hand-torn cabbage hearts tossed in a thick sesame sauce, sweet-sour, crisp, rich and appetizing. Napa cabbage is rich in vitamins and dietary fiber, and sesame paste brings quality fats and calcium, refreshing, cutting grease and nutritious. There's no frying or boiling, just mix the sauce and toss, very beginner-friendly, and it usually reaches the table in just 10 minutes.

Traditional Soup Baby Bok Choy (Shang Tang Wa Wa Cai)

Traditional Soup Baby Bok Choy (Shang Tang Wa Wa Cai)

Difficulty:★★☆☆☆ 158 kcal

This Traditional Soup Baby Bok Choy is refreshing, sweet, and delicious with a soft and tender texture. It is a classic home-style vegetarian dish that is especially suitable for weight loss. Baby bok choy is rich in vitamins and dietary fiber; low-fat and low-calorie. It pairs with a century egg and luncheon meat to add flavor without increasing the burden on your diet too much. The difficulty is moderate; beginners can try it, and the whole process only takes about 20 minutes from prep to serving.

Red-Braised Fish

Red-Braised Fish

Difficulty:★★★★☆ 570 kcal

Red-braised fish is a classic home-style dish with rich flavor: savory, fresh and slightly sweet, with tender fish that soaks up the sauce, a much-loved Chinese braise. Fish is rich in quality protein and unsaturated fatty acids, and its nutrients are easily absorbed. You need to handle raw fish and pan-fry it, and there are quite a few steps, so it is a bit of a challenge for beginners, but following the recipe you can succeed. From prep to serving it takes about 40 minutes.

Japanese-Style Beef Bowl (Gyudon)

Japanese-Style Beef Bowl (Gyudon)

Difficulty:★★★★☆ 774 kcal

A classic Japanese home-style rice bowl, with sliced beef and white onion simmered in a savory-sweet sauce until flavorful. The meat is tender, the onion is sweet, and the sauce is rich. Beef provides high-quality protein and heme iron, while onion is rich in dietary fiber and various antioxidants. It's not too complicated to make; beginners can easily follow the steps, and the stir-frying and simmering process takes about 30 minutes.

Pork Shumai

Pork Shumai

Difficulty:★★★★☆ 1485 kcal

This is a refined Jiangnan-style dim sum: wrappers thin as paper, filling plump and juicy. Biting in, the pork, fresh bamboo shoots and the broth from the melted aspic come together, savory with a hint of sweetness, tender and springy. Pork and shrimp provide quality protein, bamboo shoots and shiitake add fiber and minerals, and the low-fat version further cuts saturated fat. Wrapping takes a little patience, but the steps are clear and beginners can master it with practice; from mixing the filling to serving takes about an hour.

Fuzhou Lychee Pork

Fuzhou Lychee Pork

Difficulty:★★★★☆ 681 kcal

Lychee pork is a sweet-and-sour, crispy, fragrant traditional Fuzhou (Min cuisine) dish: crisp-outside, tender-inside pork chunks coated in a glossy red sauce, with fruit adding a refreshing aroma. Lean pork is rich in quality protein, and pineapple contains dietary fiber and vitamins that help whet the appetite and cut richness. It involves cutting, battering and double frying—a bit challenging, but the steps are clear—so it suits food lovers with some cooking experience. It's on the table in about 45 minutes.