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.
Paella is a fickle food–a food that inspires questions. Lots of questions. Such as: What kind of rice do I use? How do I achieve that perfectly crisp, but not burned rice bottom? Do I adjust the cooking time based on what I’m putting in it? Do clams release more moisture than mussels? Seafood or meat? Or both? In what order
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We made these Thai red curry lime wings on a smoggy Saturday afternoon, stuck inside watching way too many episodes of The Naked Chef on DVD (incidentally, we’d been cooking out of this cookbook long before we ever saw the show). I love having the ability to whip up a meal with whatever is in
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Salt and Pepper Pork Chops are a must-order for us at Cantonese restaurants. This is the blog version of our recipe, but we also have a wonderful version in our cookbook! Chinatown Reminiscenses Chinese Salt and Pepper Pork Chops are the best! I remember this dish from when I was a chubby kid growing up
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Bill bought back a bag of amazing Korean Kimchi from our local wet market the other day so what could be better than a beef and kimchi fried rice? This wet market has really gotten a lot bigger and better since we’ve gotten here. They moved the meat vendors and fish mongers to a newly
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The idea for these tofu tacos was 1) My dad’s, and 2) Of the rather harebrained variety. When he first suggested it to me–distant memories of dry, cardboard tofu cubes from the barren wasteland that was my college dining hall’s “Vegan Station” suddenly resurfacing–my initial gut reaction was just… “no.” When he threw out the idea
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What are all the things that we love about risotto? The creaminess. The silkiness. The intense flavor achieved from constant stirring and copious amounts of chicken broth and cream. These things are all achievable in your kitchen. And they’re achievable without standing at the stove stirring for what seems like an eternity. Because we have more important things to
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After getting off work last Thursday, I jumped on the subway, a shuttle bus, and then a tiny plane, which sped me away to weekend in Buffalo, NY. My youngest cousins on our dad’s side were graduating from high school, so I thought I’d bear witness to the ceremony that officially ushered the youngest amongst us
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Classic Scallion Ginger Shrimp stir fry is great for the summer and lightning fast to make and prepare. Shrimp defrosts easily, cutting the ginger and scallion is a snap, and and with a hot wok, you could be eating within 10 minutes if you’re skilled in the art of stir-frying! Ok, so if you want
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Two days ago, Jake–our saggy, lovable Labrador–turned 14. According to the fine folks at PetMD, that puts him somewhere around 88 years old in human years. We have to tap him on the shoulder to get him to turn around these days, and his joints are kind of creaky, but he still flips out whenever
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The July 4th holiday calls for some frozen drinks…now an easy affair thanks to our new friend the Nutri-Bullet (we weren’t paid to say that. We’ve just had too many crappy blenders in the past!) and the abundance of fresh fruits now in season. These peach mango margaritas are tasty and refreshing, perfect for a hot summer
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For many Chinese and ABCs (American-born Chinese), this Cantonese chicken and salted fish fried rice dish is an absolute no-brainer. When it’s on the menu, you must have it, no matter whom you’re eating with and how disgusted they may or may not be by your meal choice. Feel no shame, my friend! As for
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No Churn Ice Cream–i.e. homemade ice cream without one of those newfangled electronic machinery thingies taking up counter and/or cabinet space. Am I the last one to hop on this particular bandwagon? Yup. In an environment where a small pint of Haagen-Dazs can run you approximately $15 (living in Beijing does have its downsides), homemade
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Confession: I’ve never had cherry pie before. I know it’s weird. I LOVE pie. I bake pies. How have I never had cherry pie? I guess it comes from the fact that when I think of cherry pie, I think of neon red concoctions from a can and a surfeit of high fructose corn syrup. Once,
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I’m kind of obsessed with the orange dressing at Japanese restaurants. I will always want the salad, despite the fact that they’re charging $5 for no more than iceberg lettuce, a few carrot sticks, and maybe a couple of cherry tomatoes thrown on top. I’m essentially paying five bucks for orange dressing. So I’m sitting there, enjoying my
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Inspired by a street stall we ate at in Xi’an, I knew the minute I sank my teeth into this crispy treat that I had to add this stuffed pancake to our recipe collection. It’s a layered, rolled, crispy pancake with spiced pork and cabbage in the middle. Watching the vendors put this snack together was
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With summer comes the flood of grilling advice, burger permutations, and neighborhood block party fare. A couple weeks ago (yes, it’s taken me a while to get to posting this one), Sarah and I decided to get into the seasonal spirit, dust off the grill, and celebrate the approach of summer with a couple of
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We love a good stir-fried choy sum, but this choy sum recipe is a little different. An eccentric. Born of the desire to explore the hitherto under-explored possibilities of the overflow of Chinese greens in our market right now. Our usual employment of such vegetables usually involves either a hot pan of garlic and oil, a bowl
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Stir-fried shrimp and eggs (虾仁炒蛋) is a common Cantonese dish that we’re always sure to order when we go to Chinatown back in New York. There’s just something about those silky scrambled eggs, scallions, and tender shrimp that makes it a must-order. There is a great little Cantonese restaurant located at 11 Division Street in New York Chinatown
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