We enjoyed steamed mussels often while traveling through Prince Edward Island, a top Canadian producer of this tasty bivalve. From what we’ve seen (other than the relaxing sightseeing on our trip), PEI mussels are high quality, clean and fresh due to the beautiful waters surrounding Prince Edward Island. We probably ate far too many PEI […]
Steak Bites with Miso Ginger Dressing
These Steak Bites with Miso Ginger Dressing started as a “healthy” endeavor and ended up being a glorious exercise in flavor. Soy butter steak bites are seared to perfection, served with rice and a handful of veggies of your choice, and drizzled with wonderful creamy miso ginger dressing. In short, it’s the best thing ever. […]
Start Your Chinese Pantry with 10 Essential Ingredients
Whether folks out there are beginners in the kitchen or experienced home cooks looking to try their hand at Chinese cooking, the single most common question we get here on the blog concerns substitutions––mostly for some of the seemingly less common Chinese ingredients. What’s a substitute for Shaoxing wine? Will it taste the same without […]
Red Bean Mooncakes (苏式月饼)
Su-Style Mooncakes (苏式月饼 su shi yue bing) are unique to Zhejiang, Suzhou, and Shanghai. As you can see, their uniqueness is in the crust, which is closer to pastry with multi-layered, flaky, crumbly yumminess. Since I grew up in Shanghai, Su-Style Mooncakes are the only kind of mooncake I ate when I was little. The […]
Sweet Red Bean Paste Recipe (In an Instant Pot)
If you love Chinese baked goods, and enjoy making them at home as much as I do, then it’s a must to master a basic red bean paste recipe (红豆馅, hong dou xian). Sweet red beans, AKA adzuki beans, are *the* preferred pastry filling in Asian sweets. In fact, come to think of it, I’m not […]
Char Kway Teow Malaysian Rice Noodle Stir-fry
Char Kway Teow (also sometimes spelled Char Kuey Teow) is a classic rice noodle dish from Malaysia, but it’s also very popular in other Southeast Asian countries like Singapore and Indonesia. A bit similar to Cantonese Chow Ho Fun Rice Noodles, Char Kway Teow is a hearty dish that’s filled with meat, veggies, and chewy […]
12 Things to Do in SF
Earlier this year, I headed to San Francisco with my cousin for a little long weekend getaway for Memorial Day. Feeling restless, I didn’t want to spend the long weekend staycationing, so we hopped on a plane and headed west. Here’s a list of 12 things to do in SF. What we saw, did, and, […]
Instant Pot Braised Pork Buns
Instant Pot Braised Pork Buns are a revelation. Tender, fall-apart pork shoulder comes together quickly in an Instant Pot, based on my mom’s signature Hong Shao Rou (Red Braised Pork) recipe, and the whole thing is served in a fluffy Steamed Lotus Leaf Bun for the optimal pork-to-mouth delivery system. The thing about this braised […]