In most Asian families, food and cooking are very much central to our lives. We celebrate many special occasions using food as symbolism. But it’s the everyday cooking that grounds us, giving much comfort. This post is a book review of Katie Chin’s Everyday Chinese Cookbook, 101 Delicious Recipes from My Mother’s Kitchen. Just in …
Making your own sesame buns sounds really intimidating. But, my girlfriend Winnie has simplified it to an art! This filling has only two ingredients, well, three if you count the salt. Daikon or Japanese radish and green onions. That’s all! She used frozen pastry sheets and it was a breeze to make. Don’t believe me? …
It’s become more and more evident that we need to increase our green veggie intake to our diet for better health. I love Winnie’s quick recipe for gai-lan, Chinese broccoli, also known as kai-lan, depending on where you shop. Gai-lan has large dark green leaves, a thick stem, and often has tiny yellow flowers. Once cooked, the stems …
Growing up in Hawaii, we used to eat Chinese sausage, or lap cheong, just thinly sliced and fried with plain white rice. I liked that sweet taste. It brings back memories of our childhood. Lap cheong is a fatty sausage, that’s a little sweet, not savory. It’s pretty readily available on the West Coast, and …
I first came across chayote in Costa Rica, as it’s commonly sold on the street. It tastes like a mild squash. The outside green skin is thin and can be peeled using a peeler. The inner white flesh is rather firm, but very mild in flavor and reminds me of a cucumber. It also has a …
I’ll be doing a few more recipes from Winnie here. I like recipes that I can use for everyday meals. These do the job as they are all delicious, easy and definitely keepers. Today’s recipe is Chinese Style Pork Chops. Chinese Style Pork Chops Author: Winnie Recipe type: meat Cuisine: Chinese Serves: 4 Prep …
Back in 2002, we moved to our home, located in a very small cul de sac in the suburbs. The neighborhood included a variety of ethnicities and professions, which was a good fit for our family. After a few years of settling in, I found a couple neighbors who had a common interest in cooking: Winnie, from China and …
Cooking Club and Sharing Recipes – Chinese Fragrant Eggplant Recipe Read More »
Bite sized tofu stuffed with lightly seasoned prawns showcases both seafood and the deep fried tofu. In many Asian cuisines, deep fried tofu is a dinner staple and often used as a good source of protein, especially for vegetarians. However, not all deep fried tofu are exactly the same. Japanese atsu-age, is quite dense and …
In a previous post I introduced Chrysanthemums leaves, shyungiku, an edible leaf that is commonly used in Asian cuisine. With a very high iron content, it’s a great vegetable to add to your diet. My qi gong teacher, Dr. Wang, explained how iron is good for many things, one of which is our eye-sight. Tofu …
Little wonton dumplings are simple to make, very versatile, and fun to eat! They can be boiled, steamed, or fried and are most commonly enjoyed in a hot bowl of soup! My Chinese girlfriend taught me her easy homemade quick version wonton using ground pork and an unusual green Chinese vegetable called Shepherd’s Purse. She …
Mu Shu Pork is a Chinese vegetables and pork stir-fry that is wrapped in a Mandarin crepe with hoisin sauce. It’s what I would call a Chinese burrito. This “home-style” version was taught to me by my Chinese girlfriend, who is a fabulous mother, professional and cook! She simplified this tedious traditional recipe rather drastically, …
In Asian cooking we use many different types of clear noodles. In English, if one hears vermicelli you automatically think of Italian pasta, but in Asia there are two types of common vermicelli used in cooking. One is a made out of rice and the other is made from mung beans. In Japan, the rice …
Normally, I really enjoy cooking but once in a while when I have too much going on in other areas of my life, it really starts to take a back seat and I don’t give enough time to prepare and think about our meals. When you have many mouths to feed, this isn’t the best …
