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.
Hey everyone! Let me bring your attention to a new community: the young food bloggers’ set… i.e. those of us who probably have no qualms about baking & taking down entire batches of cookies by ourselves (rather than baking them for our presumably ravenous, rambunctious, and oh-so-nonexistent children), those of us who may still be
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So a few weeks ago, we weeded all the walkways so that they looked pristine. Just like this: So of course, I was told to keep it that way. To make sure things don’t get out of hand, you know? And that means periodically taking evening strolls around the yard and plucking out new weeds before
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Here’s the next dish in our “Cooking with Grandma” series: Cold Tofu Salad. In a Chinese meal, you’ll often start with cold dishes. These often consist of cold veggies, tofu, or meat dressed with light sauces and dressings. They’re especially great in the summer, when you want to eat food that’s light and cooling. Here’s
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So I made this last weekend for lunch, because I was feelin’ fancy, and I wanted something a little different from the lazy salads I’ve taken to eating for the past few days. I had some salmon and edamame in the freezer, and thus began the birth of this dish, which I will now be
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I am so excited with my recent discovery of 团购 (“tuangou”), which means “group buying.” It’s a Chinese version of Groupon, available in all of China’s big cities, plus some other popular vacation destinations in Asia. It works the same way as Groupon: you prepay at discounted prices for meals, personal care services, hotels, vacation packages, household
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Every so often, my grandparents will come to the house to visit (i.e. check up on me), because my grandmother wants to make sure that I’m not slowly going crazy living solo (she also calls me daily…you know, just to make sure). She also seems to be under the impression that I am somehow forcibly
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Mama had a hankering for some baked yummies so I checked out what we had in the fridge and found some dried blueberries. Inspired by the Summer Berry Pie, I whipped up a quick batch of blueberry yogurt scones. Check these babies out. I’ll put this recipe up against any one out there! Preheat the
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Zhouzhuang is a town in Jiangsu Province that lies between Shanghai and Suzhou. This ancient town has more than 900 years of history, with many houses built in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The place has been called “The Venice of the East,” and it does kind of remind me of a Chinese version of Venice,
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When dropping off Kaitlin back in Philly after the 4th of July Weekend a couple weeks ago, I decided to stay and hang out for a few days. Even Jakie came along: We whipped up a few dinners in her tiny apartment kitchen… And this Chicken and Thai Basil Stir-fry was one of the fastest
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Found this picture from last spring break. Rockin’ the face mask because we were actually walking through a sand storm. (Hence the wild hair and slightly manic glint in my eye.) What better time to pause for a selfie and a little Asian peace-sign lovin’?
I’d never had a mangosteen until I came to China. I had no idea what it was, what it tasted like, or how to even eat it. Last year, during my first summer in Beijing, one of my colleagues at work sent me a batch of these fruits via mail order (I was surprised that they
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This scallion and ginger shrimp dish is one of our favorite ways to prepare shrimp, and seafood in general. The combination of scallion and ginger in a hot wok really can’t be beat. Make sure your heat is pretty high for this one; that’s how you get the great seared flavor we’re looking for. Recipe Instructions
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Hi all. So you may have heard from our About page, not to mention that little blurbidy-blurb down there at the bottom of this here page that I recently graduated from college and now find myself in a…confused sort of situation. Of course, it’s common for a lot of recent grads to move back home
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Chinese people love rocks. It’s also a well-known fact that Chinese people love gambling. (I hate losing so I don’t really gamble; my limit is maybe $20 at the slot machine and it’s never lasted more than 10 minutes.) If you’ve been to Vegas during Chinese New Year, you know what I am talking about. The
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So previously, we discussed how to use Chinese to reference beverages of an…alcoholic nature. Well if that’s not your thing, then we’ve got the next best one, at least in China. Tea. Natch. 喝茶 Pinyin (i.e. the transcription of the Chinese words into Latin script): he1 cha2 The numbers indicate what tone each word
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This past 4th of July weekend, blueberries were on sale at 6 pints for about $7. Which can only mean one thing: pie. It’s one of the best things about summer. In the fall, you’ve got apple, pumpkin, sweet potato, etc. etc. But once summer hits, you get all these fresh peaches, blueberries, and strawberries
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If you like fava beans (and not everyone in this family does… *i.e. Sarah*), then you will probably very much enjoy this Stir Fried Fava Beans dish. Fresh fava beans will cook faster than ones that have been frozen, so take that into consideration! Recipe Instructions Heat oil in wok over medium-high heat. Add garlic,
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After a week at home in the States, I had the unique opportunity to visit Finland on business during the week of the summer solstice. The Finns value their summers, and I can see why, especially after living in Beijing for a while. Just getting off the plane and taking a deep breath was a real treat,
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