Eat Drink Man Woman

Pour before the movie

The Sunday table fills with dishes and the tea and warmed Shaoxing go round with them from the first pour — the quiet accompaniment that's there before anyone sits down.

PrepRinse and steep the tea leaves and warm the Shaoxing gently just above body temperature — have both ready to pour as the banquet opens the film.

Start before the movie·Serve ~0:02

One of the opening montage's showpiece cuts — a whole fish scored diamond-fashion and dropped into hot oil, where it curls and fans out like a squirrel's tail.

PrepThe scoring, sauce, and cornstarch dredge can all be done ahead; the fry itself needs full attention and a screaming-hot wok right before serving.

Start before the movie·Serve ~0:02

One of the lacquered, slow-cooked dishes on Chu's opening Sunday spread — the kind of plate that takes half a day of love and ten silent minutes to eat.

PrepThe braise runs an hour and a half on its own — this dish is already on the table in the film's opening minutes, so it needs to be fully cooked and glazed before the movie starts.

Start before the movie·Serve ~0:02

Chu's hands fly through the pleating in the opening montage — the fine handwork of a man who can shape a dumpling but not a conversation.

PrepDough rest, filling, folding, and steaming add up to real time — this dish appears in the film's first minutes, so have it steamed and warm before you press play.

Start before the movie·Serve ~0:02

The centerpiece of Chu's opening banquet — the fish scored, steamed, and finished with a sizzle of hot oil right at the table.

PrepSteaming and the hot-oil finish only take minutes, but this dish lands in the film's first two minutes — have it ready to plate before you press play.

Start before the movie·Serve ~0:15

Chu is called in mid-crisis to save a wedding banquet after the shark fins turn out to be counterfeit — the master brought in to fix what a lesser kitchen couldn't. Bring the soup to the table once the story of the rescue is told.

PrepThe stock needs hours of gentle simmering well ahead of time; the fin (or its substitute) only needs a final warm-through in the finished broth.

Start ~0:15·Serve ~0:18

Chu sends his granddaughter home with a batch of his own crab dumplings — the specialty that carries his name. Have a plate ready to hand over as a gift, not a course.

PrepMake the filling and fold the dumplings ahead of time; steam them fresh just before serving so the wrappers stay glossy, not gummy.

Start ~0:35·Serve ~0:41

Jia-Chien turns up at her ex's apartment with groceries and cooks a full dinner from the dishes she first learned in her father's kitchen, starting with this one — apologizing that he doesn't own a bamboo steamer, then telling him to taste it anyway.

PrepThe chicken-tofu mousse needs to steam low and slow until it sets into its honeycomb texture, then rest in the ham broth — budget real time before the rest of the meal comes together.

Start ~0:38·Serve ~0:41

Jia-Chien explains the philosophy behind her own cooking — one duck, two dishes, balance of energy and flavor. Serve the duck and the pea sprouts together, the way she plates them.

PrepRender the duck fat and cook the duck itself ahead of time; the pea sprouts are a two-minute stir-fry, so save that step for right before the plates go out.