I’m doing my best to focus on the positive during these days of pandemic uncertainty. Collectively, we seem to be doing a lot of panic shopping, hysteria cooking and doomsday prepping. The upshot is many of us are cooking, experimenting and trying new things in the kitchen. Hell, I’ve found more recipes for sourdough starter than I’ve seen in my lifetime.
I’ve been doing my bit to “fatten the curve” by creating the extra indulgent things I love. I figure we all need to nourish our collective spirit while we wait for the day we can come out of our hiding places. Continue reading Learning Chinese cooking from the best: Stir fried pork with celery and dried tofu →
A happy consequence of spending time with my mother-in-law is continuing to learn her recipes. During my last few visits to the Bay Area, I had zha jiang mian on my brain. It’s what I consider to be Chinese comfort food. My husband loves it, my brother-in-law makes it regularly for my nieces, who love it, we eat it at family gatherings, and everyone loves it. Zha jiang mian is universally loved in the family. Continue reading learning chinese cooking from the best: zha jiang mian →
I recently spent some time in California in my mother-in-law’s kitchen. Her kitchen is a familiar place for me. Prior to moving to Portland two years ago, I spent a lot of time in my mother-in-law’s kitchen. It’s in that kitchen that we would stand side by side and I would make sure she was measuring everything she was making so I could properly document her dishes and turn them into written recipes. It’s in that kitchen that I learned so many of my husband’s family dishes. Continue reading tsui family’s spicy vinegar sauce →
I have a friend who shares the same name as my husband. Both first and last name. Confusing? Sometimes. Hilarious? Definitely. I’ve accidentally tagged them incorrectly on Facebook and I have a note in my phone differentiating the two so I won’t embarrass myself with an inappropriate text to the one who’s not my husband. Continue reading knife-wielding children and tofu →
Lion’s Head, or shi zi tou is a rustic home cooked Chinese dish that evokes tasty memories for my husband. Over the years I’ve heard about his mom’s Lion’s Head, and I’ve also heard my husband’s numerous requests for her to to make it for him. So when my mother-in-law suggested we make it together, I was excited to learn. The pork meatball and cabbage dish is slow cooked in a pot. The meatballs are meant to represent a lion, and the shredded greens its mane. Continue reading learning chinese cooking from the best: lion’s head →
My mother-in-law is notoriously hard to nail down in the kitchen. And by that I mean she doesn’t measure or document any of her recipes. I asked her a while ago to make her eggplant salad so I could trail her around the kitchen with camera, pen and paper and finally capture one of my favorites from her repertoire. Continue reading learning chinese cooking from the best: eggplant salad →
I share many interests with my mother-in-law. We both love her son, we both love to travel, and we both love cooking, eating and talking about food. She is a woman who has instilled in her two sons an appreciation for food and cooking. They are both skilled in the kitchen, and they both love their mama’s Chinese cooking. I remember a story my husband told me back when we were dating. When his extended family gets together, their daily routine consists of eating breakfast, then immediately discussing and planning their next meal. Needless to say, I adore my husband’s family. Continue reading learning chinese cooking from the best: green onion shao bing →
exploration in the kitchen, and restaurants near and far.
planks and sticks 