I’ve actually never seen Mongolian chicken anywhere in China. It’s an American Chinese food in my mind, but it’s inauthenticity doesn’t make it any less delicious. It’s a deeply umami, slightly sweet, sleek and sticky lick-your-fingers flavor bomb as well as a textural journey of crunchy chicken mingling with tiny pops of green onion, effectively offset by a fluffy cloud of white rice. In the absence of a vegetable, this dish could be a bit cloying, which is why I upped the amount of ginger; it adds just the right amount of freshness so as not to detract from the well known flavor profile of this dish, but to just hum in the background as a way of harmonizing the other strong flavors.
Read MoreThis is one of my favorite dishes to order at restaurants in China, so last year when I was obsessed with recreating experiences from my travels, I decided to give it a go. It was everything I remembered.
Read MoreThe first time I ate this Chinese tomato and egg dish was at a café next to the Nanfeng ancient kiln in Foshan, China. I learned later that this is a common home-cooking meal in China - indeed, throughout Asia. After tasting it in Foshan, I could absolutely see why. It is the epitome of comfort food.
Read MoreYou should all know by now that Kung Pao Chicken, which I refer to simply as KPC, is my favorite meal on the planet. Obviously I love all food, but I could eat KPC for every meal and be perfectly happy. Unfortunately, the numbing sweetness of Sichuan peppercorn is crucial to my enjoyment of the dish, and since moving to the Bay Area, I’ve actually had a surprisingly hard time finding it in the Asian markets. I’ve been thus unable to satisfy my KPC cravings since before Covid started - the Chinese restaurants in my area don’t include Sichuan peppercorn in their KPCs for some reason. Maybe they also find it difficult to source? Anyway I finally went to work a few weeks ago for the first time in over a year and stopped by some obscure Vietnamese market near the office, about 40 minutes from my house, and omg they had some in stock! I rushed home and made as many Chinese dishes as I could think of. Obviously KPC came first.
Read MoreIt’s been a while since I’ve posted any original dishes because I’ve been obsessed with making other people’s Chinese home-cooking recipes. I’ve been spending a lot of time sourcing Asian ingredient brands and figuring out the right balance to create Chinese flavor profiles that I find palatable. To kick things off, I’ve focused a lot on vegetarian dishes - I figured if I was going to be trying new things, I should try and keep them affordable so my failures could be less costly. Up first - Spicy Chinese Cauliflower!
Read MoreKung Pao Chicken has been an obsession of mine for several years - I even considered writing a cookbook called Kung Pao Kitchen - and I finally found a good recipe for it. Obviously there are tons of regional variations of this classic Chinese dish, and this actually isn’t my favorite version (no Sichuan peppercorn - huge bummer), but it’s by far the best I’ve made with ingredients which are readily available in most US supermarkets. It really tastes like something you might find in an American Chinese restaurant, like, a good one too. I’ve made it probably 8 times in the past two months, and I’m really happy with the little tweaks and improvements I’ve made over that time. I made it for dinner tonight actually, and I couldn’t think of any way to make it better, which almost never happens.
Read MoreI’ve made these about 4 times in the past two weeks, and I think I’ve come up with some helpful tips to get them just right: crispy on the outside but still with that great chew in the middle, that perfect flake, screaming green onion flavor, and the perfect accompaniments. I also spent about 11 months in Taiwan over the past 2 years, and I can say with confidence that these come pretty close to the flattened variety of scallion pancake (as opposed to 爪餅, which is a fluffed up version with barely connected layers) that can be found at at least one street cart in every neighborhood there. The flavor and textures really reminds me of my time in Taiwan, but the best part is the smell, which fills the whole house every time I make these completely mood-changing, mind-altering, tummy-filling treats. You asked for it, and now here it is - my recipe for scallion pancakes!
Read MoreI've always been super afraid of cooking this dish because it really is so good when done right, and it can be completely overcooked or greasy or slimy if done wrong. Also, my mother in-law will not hesitate even for a second to tell me I completely ruined the cuisine of her motherland. That being said, when she showed me how it was done, I couldn't even believe how simple it was!
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