FREE SAMPLER · 5 OF 40 DISHES · NEW ZEALAND EDITION · OCT 2026
Aisle to Wok
超市买得到的中国家常菜
Real Chinese home cooking, made with what your local supermarket sells. Every dish tells you what to grab at Woolworths, New World or Pak'nSave, what is worth a trip to the Asian grocer, and what it costs per serve.
Shelf tag = cost per serveWorked out from the amounts in the recipe, not the whole packet. Pantry items like soy sauce count only for what you use.
S supermarket · A Asian grocerMost dishes need zero or one Asian grocer item. If you can't get there, the Swaps box tells you what to use instead.
Your kitOne frying pan or wok, one pot, a rice cooker if you have one. Spoons: 1 tbsp = 15 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml.
Tomato & Egg Stir-fry
番茄炒蛋
The dish every Chinese kid learns first. Soft, just-set egg folded into tomatoes that have cooked down into a tangy sauce. Savoury in the north, sweet in the south. Spoon it over rice.
SERVES 215 MINEASYVEGETARIAN2 REGIONAL STYLES
per serve$3.48+ rice $0.26
| You need | Amount | Where | Cost |
|---|
| Tomatoes, ripe | 2 (about 360 g) | S produce | $3.60 |
| Eggs | 3 | S | $2.95 |
| Neutral oil (canola, rice bran) | 1 tbsp | S | $0.06 |
| Salt and sugar | see North or South | S | $0.01 |
| Spring onion (optional) | 1 stalk | S | $0.34 |
NORTH · 北方 · savouryHow it's done around Beijing, Shandong and the northeast. Tastes like a fresh tomato sauce with egg.
- Salt ¾ tsp (4 g), no sugar or just a pinch
- 1 tsp light soy at the end
- Spring onion, and 1 clove of garlic fried for a few seconds before the tomatoes go in
- Great over noodles: 西红柿鸡蛋面
SOUTH · 南方 · sweetHow Shanghai, Jiangsu and many Cantonese homes make it. Glossier, sweet first, salty second.
- Salt ½ tsp, sugar 1 tbsp (up to 1½)
- 1 tbsp tomato sauce and 80 ml water for more sauce
- Optional: 1 tsp cornflour in 2 tbsp water at the end for a shiny coat
- No garlic; spring onion optional
Which one is "right" is a real online argument in China (甜咸之争). Cook whichever your family made, or try both. Same method, only the seasoning changes.
Method
- Cut the tomatoes into wedges no bigger than 4 cm. For a smoother sauce, score a cross on the bottom, pour boiling water over them for 30 seconds, cool in cold water and slip the skins off first.
- Beat the eggs with a pinch of the salt. A few drops of vinegar make them puffier.
- Heat the oil until it shimmers. Pour in the eggs and stir slowly. Take them out while they are still a little wet and only just turning golden. Don't wash the pan.
- Tomatoes go into the same pan. Press them with the spatula and keep stirring until they soften and turn juicy, about 20 seconds for very ripe ones, longer for firm ones.
- Return the eggs and season the North or South way: soy and spring onion for North; sugar, tomato sauce and water (and the cornflour if using) for South. Toss until coated, then serve.
Swaps
- Winter tomatoes taste flat. Use a 400 g tin of chopped tomatoes (about $1.50), drained a little.
- No spring onion: skip it, it's only for colour.
Shortcut
- Scramble the eggs straight into the softened tomatoes in one go. Less fluffy, one less step.
Based on the open HowToCook recipe (public domain, Unlicense), rewritten and costed by Aisle to Wok.
| You need | Amount | Where | Cost |
|---|
| Cooked rice, cold (day-old is best) | 4 cups (from ~300 g raw) | S jasmine or medium grain | $1.05 |
| Eggs | 3 | S | $2.95 |
| Ham, diced | 150 g | S deli or packet ham | $3.73 |
| Carrot and cucumber, diced (optional) | 60 g each | S | $0.58 |
| Neutral oil | 1½ tbsp | S | $0.09 |
| Light soy sauce | 1 tbsp + 1 tsp | S Asian aisle | $0.14 |
| Salt, white pepper | 1 tsp, ½ tsp | S | $0.07 |
| Spring onion | 2 stalks | S | $0.67 |
Method
- Break up the cold rice with your hands or a spatula so there are no big lumps. Dice the ham and veg.
- Separate the eggs into two bowls and beat each one. No salt yet.
- Get the pan very hot, add the oil, pour in the whites and cook until mostly set. Lift them out.
- Cook the yolks in the same pan (add a little oil if it's dry). When they set, turn the heat to medium and add the ham and veg. Stir for 10 seconds until fragrant.
- Return the whites, then tip in all the rice and turn the heat back up. Keep pressing and tossing until every lump is broken and the grains look dry and separate. This takes a few minutes; it's the whole trick.
- Turn the heat down, season with the salt, pepper and soy, and toss again. When a few grains start to jump in the pan, add the spring onion, toss 10 seconds and serve.
Swaps
- Chinese ham sausage (A, 火腿肠) is the classic. Saveloys or cocktail sausages work too.
- No leftover rice: cook it a bit dry, spread it on a tray and chill it for 30 minutes.
Shortcut
- Frozen mixed veg ($0.40 a serve) instead of chopping. Whole eggs instead of separating: a little less golden.
Based on the open HowToCook recipe (public domain, Unlicense), rewritten and costed by Aisle to Wok.
| You need | Amount | Where | Cost |
|---|
| Telegraph cucumber | 1 (about 400 g) | S | $2.65 |
| Garlic | 6 cloves | S | $0.38 |
| Sugar | 1 tsp (5 g) | S | $0.01 |
| Vinegar (black vinegar if you have it) | 1 tbsp | S or A | $0.08 |
| Soy sauce | 2 tsp | S | $0.07 |
| Oyster sauce | 1 tsp | S Asian aisle | $0.06 |
| Sesame oil | 2 tsp | S Asian aisle | $0.20 |
| Salt | a pinch | S | $0.00 |
Method
- Trim the ends and taste one: if it's bitter, trim a bit more. Peeling is optional but gives a cleaner bite.
- Lay the flat of a big knife on the cucumber and hit it with your palm until it cracks open. Cut into 3 cm chunks.
- Toss with the sugar and leave for 15 minutes. It keeps the cucumber crisp and bright.
- Crush and chop the garlic. Stir in the vinegar, soy, salt, oyster sauce and garlic, then the sesame oil last.
Swaps
- *Vegan: leave out the oyster sauce or use a mushroom "oyster" sauce.
- Black vinegar (A, 镇江香醋 or 陈醋) tastes deeper; white or rice vinegar is fine.
Keeps
- Covered in the fridge for up to 8 hours. After that it goes limp.
Based on the open HowToCook recipe (public domain, Unlicense), rewritten and costed by Aisle to Wok.
Hot & Sour Shredded Potato
酸辣土豆丝
Potato as a crunchy stir-fried vegetable, not a mash. Rinsed matchsticks, dried chilli and a splash of vinegar. One of the cheapest dishes in the book.
SERVES 1–220 MINMEDIUM KNIFE WORKVEGAN
per serve$4.621 big serve
| You need | Amount | Where | Cost |
|---|
| Potato, waxy or all-purpose | 240 g (1 large) | S | $1.07 |
| Capsicum, green and red | ½ each | S | $2.75 |
| Garlic | 4 cloves | S | $0.25 |
| Dried chillies | 3 | S spice aisle or A | $0.06 |
| Spring onion | 1 stalk | S | $0.34 |
| Black vinegar | 2 tsp | A | $0.05 |
| Light soy sauce, salt, oil | 1 tsp, ⅓ tsp, 1 tbsp | S | $0.10 |
Method
- Peel the potato and cut it into thin matchsticks, or use the coarse side of a grater-slicer.
- Rinse the shreds in several changes of water until it runs clear. Skip this and they glue together. Blanch in boiling water for 10 seconds, drain well.
- Chop the spring onion, splitting white and green. Mince the garlic into two piles. Snip the chillies into short pieces and slice the capsicum thinly.
- Warm the oil over low heat and fry the spring onion whites, half the garlic and the chillies until they smell good.
- Add the capsicum for a few seconds, then the potato. Turn up the heat and stir-fry until the shreds turn translucent but still crunch.
- Add the soy, vinegar, salt and the rest of the garlic, toss quickly, scatter the green onion and get it out of the pan.
Swaps
- No black vinegar: malt vinegar plus a pinch of sugar gets close.
- Only one capsicum colour: use a whole one, it's just for colour and sweetness.
Why it works
- The garlic goes in twice: early for depth, at the end for a sharp, fresh hit. Get it out fast once the salt is in.
Based on the open HowToCook recipe (public domain, Unlicense), rewritten and costed by Aisle to Wok.
Kung Pao Chicken
宫保鸡丁
The real Sichuan version: tender thigh, toasted chilli and Sichuan pepper, peanuts, and a glossy sauce that is a little sweet, a little sour and tingly. Nothing like the takeaway.
SERVES 230 MIN + 1 HR MARINATINGMEDIUM
per serve$6.98+ rice $0.26
| You need | Amount | Where | Cost |
|---|
| Boneless chicken thighs | 350 g | S meat chiller | $9.28 |
| Roasted peanuts, unsalted | 150 g | S nuts aisle | $2.10 |
| Leek, or 6 spring onions | 180 g | S | $1.49 |
| Ginger | 10 g | S | $0.09 |
| Dried chillies | 10 g | S or A | $0.16 |
| Sichuan peppercorns | 5 g | A | $0.30 |
| Shaoxing wine, dark soy, black vinegar | 1 tbsp, 1 tsp, 1 tsp | A (dark soy: S) | $0.15 |
| Cornflour | 25 g | S | $0.11 |
| Oil, sesame oil, salt, sugar | 20 g, 2 tsp, ⅓ tsp, ½ tsp | S | $0.29 |
Method
- Tap the thighs all over with the back of the knife, cut into 1.5 cm cubes and soak in water for 10 minutes. Drain well.
- Put the leek greens and half the ginger in a bowl with 50 ml boiling water: this is your aromatic water. Cut the leek whites into 1.5 cm rounds. Dry-toast the peanuts in the microwave on high for 5 minutes if they aren't already crisp.
- Mix the chicken with the salt, dark soy, Shaoxing wine and 15 g cornflour until it looks a bit dry, then work in a little of the aromatic water until it feels tacky. Cover and chill for an hour.
- Snip the chillies into pieces. In a dry pan over low heat, toast them until just darkening, scoop out, then toast the peppercorns until fragrant and scoop out.
- High heat, add the oil, and when it's hot enough that a chopstick fizzes, add the chicken. Leave it until the underside turns white, flip, give it 30 seconds, then stir.
- Add the leek, then the rest of the aromatic water topped up with hot water to about 100 ml. Lid on, medium-low, 2 minutes.
- Back to high heat. Add the peanuts, chillies, peppercorns, vinegar and sugar. Stir the last 10 g cornflour into 50 ml water, pour it in and toss until the sauce is as thick as you like.
- Off the heat, drizzle the sesame oil and serve.
Swaps
- Shaoxing wine (A): dry sherry works, or leave it out.
- No Sichuan pepper: still good, but you lose the tingle. Worth the one Asian grocer trip; a bag lasts months.
- Chicken breast: skip the tapping and soaking.
Heat level
- Fewer chillies, or shake the seeds out, for mild. The chillies flavour the oil; you don't have to eat them.
Based on the open HowToCook recipe (public domain, Unlicense), rewritten and costed by Aisle to Wok.