[1] The most popular Chinese dish in America, per GrubHub results: General Tso’s Chicken (here’s the recipe from Spicy Southern Kitchen).

[2] Crab Rangoon, a made-in-america concoction of cream cheese and imitation crab. Here’s the recipe (photo © Rasa Malaysia).

[3] Check out this baked egg rolls recipe from Chef Martin Yan (photo © National Pork Board).

[4] Wonton soup. Here’s the easy recipe (photo © Recipe Tin Eats).

[5] Check out your Chinese horoscope here.

[6] The original 1894 container was solid white. The red decorations were added in the 1970s (photo © Fold Pak Store | Amazon).

It’s Chinese New Year, more properly called the Lunar New Year, celebrated in Asia far beyond China.

The celebrations will start today and continue through February 2nd.

It’s the Year of the Rooster, the animal sign for those born in 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, and 2017 (the next Rooster year is 2029).

We’re not much into horoscopes, but we are into food and celebrating. Numerous Chinese restaurants feature special dishes or menus, if you don’t want to celebrate at home.

We find this a good occasion to take a look at the most popular everyday Chinese dishes in America.

GrubHub analyzed a year’s worth of ordering data from its 30,000 participating restaurants in more than 800 cities, serving 172,000 take-out orders and 4.57 million diners (survey data from 2015).

The most popular Chinese dish, General Tso’s Chicken, is also the fourth most popular dish among all the cuisines ordered on GrubHub. And the first and second aren’t even based in China: They are Chinese-American creations.

> The year’s 15 Chinese food holidays are below.

> Also below is the history of Chinese food takeout container.
 
 
THE MOST POPULAR CHINESE DISHES IN AMERICA

1. General Tso’s Chicken (deep-fried chicken chunks with hot chiles and sweet and sour sauce—photo #1)

2. Crab Rangoon (fried wontons stuffed with cream cheese and [usually imitation]—photo #2)

3. Egg Roll (photo #3)

4. Sesame Chicken

5. Wonton Soup (photo #4)

6. Fried Rice

7. Sweet and Sour Chicken

8. Orange Chicken (made with orange peel)

9. Hot And Sour Soup

10. Potstickers (leftover steamed dumplings that are fried)

Are your favorites on the list?
 
 
HOW REPRESENTATIVE IS THE LIST?

While you can’t argue with the data, note that the results may be skewed.

 
 
OUR OWN TOP 10 FAVORITE CHINESE DISHES

In alphabetical order, we hunger for:

 
We very much like Hot And Sour Soup, Orange Chicken, a good egg roll and fried rice, but kept our list to 10 to match GrubHub’s.

This has made us so hungry, we can’t wait until dinner. We’ll be calling GrubHub to deliver lunch!
 
 
THE YEAR’S 15 CHINESE FOOD HOLIDAYS

 
Plus

Not surprisingly, the Chinese food takeout container was invented in the U.S. More surprisingly is how far back it appeared.

Frederick Weeks Wilcox, an inventor from Chicago, patented the Chinese takeout container on November 13, 1894. He called his invention a “paper pail.” It was made from a single piece of paper folded into a leak-proof container with a wire handle.

The design was inspired by Japanese origami and oyster pails, which were wooden containers used to transport raw oysters.

The red pagoda and the words “Thank you” and “Enjoy” were added to the boxes in the 1970s (photo #6) by a graphic designer at Fold-Pak, whose name has been lost to history.

Most people don’t realize that the container unfolds into a plate.

The Chinese takeout container is not used in China [source: Google AI 2024-11-13].

Chinese food came to California in the mid-1800s with an influx of Chinese immigrants during the Gold Rush (1848–1855). It didn’t become mainstream in the U.S. until after World War II [source: Google A.I. 2024-11-13].

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

Asians drink soup for breakfast: Japanese miso soup and Thai pho, for example. Americans looking for something quick, hot, nutritious and comforting should consider the option.

Both can be packed with vegetables, and carried in a travel mug or thermos.

Your soup supply can also be part of a low-calorie, healthful lunch or snack.
 
 
EASY BREAKFAST MISO SOUP

Miso soup for breakfast? Sure: That’s how millions of Japanese people start the day.

All you need to make a bowl of miso soup is hot water and a spoonful of miso paste, available in many supermarkets as well as in Asian food stores. Seriously, it’s as easy as instant coffee.

You can have it plain, add tofu cubes as served at Japanese restaurants, or add vegetables of choice, as shown in this video.

The tofu can be cubed in advance; in fact, the whole soup can be made in advance and microwaved in a minute, which is especially convenient if you want your soup with cooked veggies.

There are also instant versions in packets with freeze-dried tofu cubes, which just require water and heating.

We were heartbroken when Pacific Organics discontinued their terrific pho soup base. It was so easy to whip up a delicious, nutritious noodle and egg soup that can be served for breakfast, lunch or a light dinner.

Pho is one of our favorite foods in the world, especially when the broth is cooked for days to extract amazing layers of flavor (go to a Vietnamese restaurant that makes it from scratch, not from a commercial base. It may be one of your life’s memorable food moments.)

Since then, we’ve discovered Nona Lim’s flavorful broths: pho, miso ramen and spicy Szechuan.

All can be drunk straight or enhanced with noodles, eggs and vegetables. You can add meat for a hearty lunch or dinner dish, and top it with fresh herbs for color and more flavor.

Savory Choice, which for years has been our go-to chicken broth base, now makes pho concentrate packets in beef, chicken and vegetable.

You can also find powdered concentrates in Asian food stores and online.

So what’s stopping you from making a delicious Asian breakfast?
 
 
RECIPE: PHO & RAMEN BREAKFAST

Ingredients For 4 To 6 Servings

 
Preparation

1. ADD water to the the broth concentrate per package directions, then heat. When it boils, add noodles and cook for 2-3 minutes.

2. ADD the greens and scallions and simmer for another 3-5 minutes, until the greens are bright and tender but still have texture.

TIP: If you have wilting veggies in your crisper, or a piece of uncooked chicken or fish that needs to be used, this is a perfect way to use them up. Just shred/slice and toss ‘em in!)

3. BRING a small pot of water to a boil, then add the eggs and simmer for 7 minutes and 20 seconds. Remove from water and place in an ice bath; peel when cool.

4. LADLE out bowls of noodles and broth, adding a handful of fresh herbs and a halved egg to each.

________________

*The Nona Lim package plus the water equals 16 ounces of broth.

[2] Ready to heat: Nona Lim’s pho base.

[3] We alternate using both Nona Lim and Savory Choice concentrate packets (photo © Grub Market).

[4] A quick substitute: instant miso soup packets. There is also a version with tofu and spinach (photo © Kikkoman).

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

[1] Don’t sauce pasta like this. It may look neat, but it doesn’t cover all the pasta, and eating it can be a mess (photo courtesy International Pasta Association). [2] The correct way: Toss the pasta and sauce in a pot or bowl to fully cover each strand (photo courtesy All-Clad). [3] Authentic saucing (photo courtesy Davio’s Boston.

Every great pasta experience requires a great sauce. It’s not just the flavor of the sauce that matters, but when and how the sauce and pasta get come together.

Correctly saucing your pasta is the difference between cooking authentic Italian and following an incorrect culinary path.

Americans have been trained to place a pool of sauce in the middle of a plate of pasta.

No! No! Do not pour sauce on top of un-sauced pasta, as in the top photo. According to DeLallo, an importer of Italian foods, a dish of pasta served in this manner in Italy would be a disaster.

Americans have been accustomed to serving pasta as a mound of undressed spaghetti or other noodles in a bowl or on a dish, topped with a ladleful sauce.

We couldn’t track down how this practice originated, although it is definitely an American practice. It likely began in Italian-American restaurants, and our guess is that the first cook who topped pasta with sauce this way did it for aesthetic reasons. It does look prettier.

But it isn’t as functional.

In authentic Italian cuisine, the sauce is always incorporated into the pasta before serving. Every strand of pasta is thus coated with sauce, and the eater doesn’t have to work to coat his/her own—many of us creating drips and spatters in the process.

Plus, the amount of sauce used is just enough to coat the pasta—not to create a sea of sauce. Authentic Italian pasta dishes do not swim in sauce.

SAUCE YOUR PASTA THE CORRECT WAY

1. Heat the sauce by the time you add the pasta to the boiling salted water. Keep the sauce on a low simmer until the pasta is ready. Your pasta shouldn’t wait for your sauce to cook; the sauce should be awaiting the pasta.

2: Moderation is everything. Use at most a quarter cup of thick sauce per person (such a tomato- or cream- based sauce), or two to three tablespoons of an oil-based sauce. The ratio is 1.5 cups sauce to 1 pound of cooked pasta, or 1 cup of oil-based sauce to 1 pound of cooked pasta.

3: Reserve some of the pasta water in another container when you drain the pasta (we use a cup). Never rinse the pasta: That will eliminate important starches that help the sauce stick.

4. Return the empty saucepan to the stove, over high heat. Add the drained hot pasta and the heated sauce, and toss to coat evenly (hot pasta will absorb more sauce and flavor). This quick toss in a hot pan allows the two components to meld and and create a beautiful flavor and texture. The starches from the pasta will slightly thicken the sauce.

Tip: We’re a bit messy, so rather than clean sauce spatter from the stove, we first toss the pasta and sauce in a large bowl; then add it to the pan.

5: Add a couple tablespoons of the reserved hot pasta water to the pan, to smooth out the sauce. Reserved pasta water contains starch that can be used to thicken the consistency of the sauce, so add another couple of spoons if you like. Total time of the pasta and sauce together on the stove is about 2 minutes.

6: Transfer the pasta to a warm serving bowl or individual plates.

Pasta terms and shapes: a glossary of explanations with photos.

Ingredient substitutes: What to do when you don’t have sauce or parmesan.

Leftover pasta for breakfast: You’ll love it!

Make stir-fried pasta with leftover pasta.

Turn leftover pasta into an antipasto.

More recipes for leftover pasta, from green salad to cole slaw.

How to sneak veggies into pasta: Your family won’t complain!

Breadcrumbs on pasta: a Southern Italian tradition.

Dessert pasta: from berry lasagna to chocolate pasta.

Toast uncooked pasta for a toasty, nutty flavor.

The history of pasta: It began in China.
 
  

January 26th is National Green Juice Day.

Not everyone is a fan of blending kale and spinach, so here’s a green juice that takes a different direction: sweet and minty.

Ingredients Per 8-Ounce Serving

 
Preparation

1. PLACE the ingredients in a blender and blend to the desired consistency.
 
 
CHECK OUT THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CUCUMBERS.

 
One portion contains 38% DV of vitamin C and 66% DV of vitamin K, plus 31% DV of fiber.

January 26th is Australia Day, the official National Day of Australia.

It marks the anniversary of the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet of British Ships at Port Jackson, New South Wales, and the raising of the Flag of Great Britain at Sydney Cove by Governor Arthur Phillip.

In modern Australia, celebrations reflect the diverse society* and landscape of the nation, and are marked by community and family events, reflections on Australian history, official community awards, and citizenship ceremonies welcoming new members of the Australian community.

*Editor’s note: Some indigenous Australians, may not be celebrants Australia Day. Having been pushed aside by the British, they label Australia Day as “Invasion Day,” and stage protests instead. Here’s the history.

Honor it by eating something Australian. Suggestions:

 
Also Look For…

 
WHAT EXACTLY IS VEGEMITE?

As with Shake ‘n Bake, a product created as a way to use up Grape-Nuts crumbs that were sifted out during production, Vegemite was born of the desire to use, rather than toss, manufacturing leftovers.

In 1922 an Australian businessman commissioned a young chemist, Cyril Callister, to develop a spread from used brewer’s yeast that was dumped into the trash. The British had a similar, successful product, Marmite.

The name Vegemite was drawn from a hat of entries from a national naming competition.

The spread was marketed as “delicious on sandwiches and toast, and improving the flavours of soups, stews and gravies.” Since then, it has become a go-to spread for breakfast toast and for sandwiches.

More modern additions include Vegemite-cheese sandwiches, Vegemite and avocado toast, Vegemite pizza, and Vegemite scrolls, rolled biscuits with Vegemite and grated cheese.

The “Happy Little Vegemites” jingle was first heard on the radio in 1954. The subsequent television commercial is below.
 
AUSTRALIA TRIVIA

[1] The most recognizable Australian food in the U.S. is the kiwi, which is available in both green and gold varieties (photo of SunGold kiwi courtesy Zespri). [2] Lamington is a sponge cake topped with chocolate icing and desiccated coconut. Here’s a recipe from Jaime Oliver. [3] Pavlova is a meringue ring filled with fruit, created to honor the ballerina Anna Pavlova (here’s the recipe from Jamie Oliver). [4] Vegemite: as important to Australians as peanut butter is to Americans (photo courtesy Dean-Wilmot-Bauer Media).

*The original Vegemite television commercial, which the person who posted it on YouTube calls
“possibly THE all-time classic Aussie TV ad.”