Although written especially for American cooks in American kitchens, the recipes on these sites are every bit as authentic as old-fashioned recipes because we try to represent characteristic Chinese flavors and traditional cooking methods - steaming, stir-frying, deep-frying, and simmering. In addition, to the classics, there's a whole lot of recipes from Chinese American restaurants - take out favorites you can fix at home. And every now and then - just to add a dash of East-West blend - we included a recipe that combines Chinese ingredients with popular American foods.

Try a few recipes and you'll  we've taken the mystery out of cooking with a show-and-tell approach that identifies unusual ingredients and simplifies unfamiliar cooking or preparation techniques. And, if you need help putting it all together, we've planned some hassle-free menus to give you practice in cooking and eating the Chinese way. How you choose to include Chinese cuisine in your culinary repertoire is up to you. But here are a few suggestions to get your started.

If you want to throw yourself whole-heartily toward the Orient, eat the traditional Chinese way, Start the menu with rice - plenty of it. Rice is the star of a Chinese meal and the perfect complement to the variety of savory, salty, spicy, and sweet dishes served at the same time. Add a vegetable dish, several meat or seafood specialties (or both!), and maybe even steamed buns. Don't forget the soup - a mealtime staple and thirst quencher. Put all the food on the table at once; give each person a rice bowl, a set of chopsticks, and a soup spoon. Then let all help themselves. Save the tea for after dinner. If you must have desert, serve fruit. (in China sweets usually are reserved for banquets or afternoon snacks.)

No time or taste for traditional ways? Take the bits and pieces from Chinese cuisine that best suit you. Maybe just cook the Chinese way - with a steamer or wok. Or try out a recipe with exotic ingredients such as lily buds, sweet bean paste, Chinese radish, or oyster sauce. Serve an entire meal with Chinese food but do it Western style - eat in courses and use forks. Or make a soup, steamed buns, or Chinese sweet to add an Oriental touch to an Occidental meal. So - chopsticks or forks - create you own style using the best of West and East.