a culinary genealogy
Below, view all our posts in chronological order, starting with the most recent. To browse recipes by category, course, or collection, visit our Recipe Index. Also be sure to check out our How-To section and Chinese Ingredients Glossary.
So after we munched on the glory that was our first Frizzled Chive Flower Flatbread, we were definitely looking for other ways to cook our in-season chive flowers. And what could be better than a little chive flower Japanese tempura? We were inspired by the fried zucchini blossoms of the Mediterranean, and it turned out
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For the last couple of weeks, I found myself back in Beijing with the family. This always means food, food, food–lots of it and super cheap! We always have the list of places we go back to time and again, but this trip we discovered something new at our local wet market. Chive flowers! And
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This Hunan Steamed Fish, or “Duo Jiao Yu” in Chinese, is a famous Hunan-style dish. Traditionally, this dish is served using the upper part of the fish including the fish head (or sometimes ONLY the fish head. Uh, a really big fish head), but we have seen it served with a whole fish also. This
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Is there a dreamier dessert out there than banana cream pie? Yes there is. Boozy banana cream pie. That is all. Bourbon Banana Cream Pie: Recipe Instructions Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Stir the crushed cookie crumbs with 6 tablespoons of melted butter until the texture resembles wet sand. Press the mixture into
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This week, my sister and cousin Kim have been here in Beijing visiting, which means it didn’t take long before we were on our obligatory pilgrimage to a local Peking Duck joint for what is arguably Beijing’s most well-known dish. Accompanying the crispy bird was an assortment of other very filling dishes, which led to the
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I remember the first time I had beef rendang. I was about eleven years old, sitting in a Malaysian restaurant in a NJ strip mall, and it was one of the most amazing things I’d ever eaten. I figured that it would be an extremely difficult dish to make, considering the complexity of the flavors
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It was a long time ago now that I first discovered the epic, umami-laden combination that is butter and soy sauce. I first tried it in a Japanese restaurant in New Jersey, of all places, when I was still in high school and didn’t like sushi (*gasp!*). Eschewing all of the raw fish on the menu,
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Clams seem to go hand-in-hand with summer, and we have gone way too long on this blog without dishes involving bivalves! These clams in black bean sauce were so good; I know Judy has a particular weakness for them. We haven’t had a good black bean recipe yet either so this should cover at least
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In China–Beijing especially, it seems, you’ll see a lot of things served with bread–pillowy soft steamed buns, doughy pancakes, and small hollowed-out bread “cups” that you can fill up with meat and vegetable fillings. Yes, here in China, the carb fest extends far beyond just rice and noodles. In the spirit of blissful carbohydrate intake–with a
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This noodle soup with pork and pickled greens (xuecai rousi mian / 雪菜肉丝面）is one of my absolute favorites. It’s an easy, satisfying comfort food meal in Chinese households everywhere, where all you need is a few items from your pantry. My grandmother used to make this for lunch when she’d come to visit, and now it’s
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Chinese eggplant with garlic sauce, or “fish fragrant eggplant” (yuxiang qiezi) is a familiar dish in many American Chinese restaurants and buffets these days, but it’s also a dish with many authentic variations in China, and we’re long overdue on sharing our version of this much-loved classic. In most cases, Chinese restaurants make this Chinese eggplant with garlic
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We weren’t being witty or anything with the word “drool-worthy” in the title of this recipe. In fact, the Chinese name of this chicken dish is “kou shui ji” which literally translates to “saliva chicken.” Okay so to an English speaker looking at a menu here in China and seeing that very Chinglish-y menu translation, they might
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Roast duck pizza–fancy schmancy, snooty, celebrity chef material? Or easy to make at home? I’ll give you one guess… Speaking of celebrity chefs, I was watching an episode of Jamie at Home a couple weeks ago–the pizza episode, and yes, I did get this sudden urge to dress some fresh greens, whack ’em over a piping
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Ok, so this one may sound a little complicated, but it’s really quite simple, and probably best cake I’ve had all summer. It’s a cake that—with vibrant fresh fruit, semolina, and extra virgin olive oil—conjures images of peaceful orchards and sun-soaked rooftops. Greece? Italy? A faraway somewhere I’d like to be right now. This is my first
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Zha Jiang Mian (炸酱面), or “Fried Sauce Noodles…” So famous in China that the mere mention of it immediately makes people think of Beijing. It’s sold everywhere—from street vendors to restaurants in five star hotels. Prices can vary from 10RMB (about $1.60) to 100RMB, but trust me: higher prices don’t necessarily guarantee better taste. A dish
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Chicken fingers tend to bring back childhood memories of meals at the museum, picnic tables at Disney World, and weekend stops at local diners–our daughters’ childhoods, that is. Judy and I remember the chicken finger request often, whether it was standing at the snack stand at the town pool, or glancing over the kids’ menu at almost ANY restaurant in
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As summer winds down (scary that were getting into August already), every year I inevitably start thinking about my summer checklist: Have I gone to the beach? [not yet.. :( ] Did I go camping/hiking/fishing? [check! see my post here!] Have I had enough BBQ/grilled foods to last me through fall and winter? [burgers? lamb
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I’ve always been fascinated with the concept of cooking with tea. I always think…tea? Food? Meat?! Really? I mean, you’re sort of pushing it with the matcha green tea powder, so you think: how could all of those gritty leaves in your food possibly be good? But. And this is an important But. Tea-based dry rubs
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