Got leftover ham from Easter dinner? Put it to use in these Chinese recipes using leftover ham. For example, Winter Melon Soup is made with ham and sweet winter melon, available year-round at Asian markets. (If winter melon is unavailable, you can substitute a whole cucumber). For a quick and easy meal during the week, try Curried Turkey (or Ham) Dinner: the recipe calls for cooked turkey but cooked ham can be substituted. And of course, there is always fried rice. Here is a basic fried rice recipe, made with cooked ham, peas and seasoned with oyster sauce. For something a bit more fancy, try Shrimp Fried Rice, made with shrimp, cooked ham and two types of onion.

_{Chinese Creamed Cabbage photo, Copyright © by Rhonda Parkinson, licensed to About.com, Inc}

Planning to serve lamb for dinner? Here are several lamb recipes, from an asparagus and lamb stir-fry to Mongolian Lamb (with scallions), Mongolian Hot Pot and lamb recipes from other ethnic cuisines, including a Lamb Curry, Greek meatballs made with ground lamb, and tips for grilling lamb chops.

While in many areas it's not quite warm enough to get out the barbecue and start grilling, you can get a taste of what's to come with Chinese Steak with Peppers. Steak and sweet bell peppers are stir-fried in a spicy barbeque sauce flavored with Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce. Sheila gives this recipe 5 out of 5 stars and writes: "The recipe is totally delicious! I've been looking for a steak recipe for a long time and when I tried this one, I truly found the recipe that I was looking for. The taste and the aroma is just right and it's easy to prepare." Thanks!"

• Retro Pepper Steak
• Basic Beef Stir-fry
• More Chinese Beef Recipes

The exact origins of this spicy Szechuan stir-fry, made with peanuts and hot chili peppers, is lost to history. While Kung Pao Chicken is named after an official or "Kung Pao" the exact identity of this person or when he lived is unknown. Some believe he was a crown prince who discovered this dish while traveling and brought it back to the Imperial Court, while others claim he is a general who lived during the Ching dynasty. Whatever the case, the stories demonstrate the Chinese belief that naming a dish after an important figure gives it more prestige, so much so that during the Cultural Revolution, Chinese revolutionaries renamed the dish "Gong Bao Ji Ding" or "fast-fried chicken cubes."

Sheila gives this recipe 5 out of 5 stars and writes: "This is so easy to make and fantastic. It's a keeper.".

• Deep-fried Kung Pao Chicken
• Kung Pao Shrimp
• Top 10 Szechuan Recipes

_{Kung Pao Chicken photo © by Alan Chen, Emperor's Garden Restaurant, Las Vegas Nevada, licensed to About.com, Inc.}