Tofu (bean curd): Pressed soybean curd, from custard-soft (for mapo tofu and soups) to firm (for stir-fries and braises). Fried tofu puffs soak up sauce; tofu skin (yuba) is the sheet lifted off simmering soy milk, rolled and braised or fried as a "vegetarian duck". On this menu as: Green Onion with Tofu · Fish Love Tofu · Beef Love Tofu.
Fried rice: Day-old rice stir-fried with egg, scallion and whatever the kitchen adds. Yangzhou (Yang Chow) style means shrimp, char siu and peas, and is the version most menus mean by "house special". Good fried rice is dry and separate-grained, never wet. On this menu as: Fried Rice and Noodle · House Special Mixture Fried Rice / Mian.
Sweet and sour: Battered pork, chicken or shrimp in a bright glaze of vinegar, sugar and ketchup or hawthorn, with pineapple, onion and bell pepper. The Cantonese original (gu lao rou) is tangier and less neon than the takeout version. On this menu as: Sweet Sour Cucumber · Sweet & Sour Fish · Sweet and Sour Ribs.
Dry-fried green beans: Green beans (or shredded beef) flash-fried in oil until blistered and wrinkled, then tossed with minced pork, preserved vegetable, garlic and chili. "Dry-fried" (gan bian) is the technique: no sauce, just a hot wok and seasoning that clings. On this menu as: Dry Fried Intestine · Dry Fried Green Beans.
Hunan-style: Hunan (Xiang) cooking is as hot as Sichuan's but leans on fresh and pickled chilies, smoked meats and sour notes instead of numbing peppercorn. Steamed fish head with chopped chili and Chairman Mao's red-braised pork are the signature dishes; "Hunan beef" on American menus is a chili-and-vegetable stir-fry inspired by the style. On this menu as: Hunan Style.
Orange chicken: Fried chicken (or crispy beef) in a sticky citrus glaze. Sichuan "orange-peel" (chen pi) beef uses dried tangerine peel for a bitter-aromatic edge; the American fast-casual version is sweeter and uses orange juice and zest. On this menu as: Orange Chicken · Orange Beef.

How these dishes compare

Fried ricetypically $13.99 across 406 menus
Hot and sour souptypically $7.95 across 221 menus
Sweet and sourtypically $15.73 across 196 menus
Kung paotypically $16 across 183 menus
Mapo tofutypically $15.95 across 169 menus
Salt-and-peppertypically $15.95 across 150 menus
Mongolian beeftypically $16.95 across 136 menus
Cumin lambtypically $17.75 across 119 menus

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WokMenusChinese menus, with a glossary of Chinese dishes

Cooking Girl

Menu

Specialty of the House

Appetizer

Fish Entrees

Pork Entrees

Shrimp Entrees

Lamb Entrees

Chicken Entrees

Beef Entrees

Tofu Entrees

Vegetables

Dumplings

Noodles

Soup

Fried Rice and Noodle

House Special Dessert

House Special Drinks

Regular Drink

How these dishes compare

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