Snap Peas with Chives and Bamboo Shoots

One time I over-bought chives for a recipe and ended up with a leftover bunch. I happened to also have snap peas and a jar of seasoned crispy bamboo shoots, which I threw together in what came to be a favorite go-to veg dish that I’ve made again and again. Super simple to make, but…

Spicy Long Beans

Long beans are sort of like green beans, but super long! You can get them at the Asian market. They have a bit more crunch and firmness and hold their color better when stir-fried, so if you can get them it’s nice to mix things up every now and then. But if you can’t, green…

Orange Chicken Sauce

The only time I’ve had Orange Chicken is in those Americanized Chinese restaurants you often find in mall food courts, but I have to admit there’s a time and place where “Chinese” fast food hits the spot. Occasionally I get that craving, and I’ve found it’s easy enough to make Orange Chicken sauce at home….

Spicy Sweet Cabbage and Noodles

This spicy sweet noodle dish is a great side dish, but also hearty enough to be a main course. You could add fried tofu or your favorite meat to make it even more robust. I love meat, but when I’m in a pinch and don’t have any on hand, this dish still does the trick….

Creamy Corn Fish

There was a homestyle Cantonese restaurant my family used to go to, where my favorite dish was fried fish smothered in a creamy corn sauce. When I moved away, I missed this dish so much I decided to recreate it. Guessipe 1 lb light white fish filets, cut into 2-inch pieces 1 tsp salt 1…

Dry-Fried Green Beans

This was the only way I’d ever eaten green beans for a long time, so I kind of thought it was the only way Chinese people ever cooked them. Even if it’s not the only way, I’m pretty sure it’s the most common way. And for good reason – it’s simple and delicious. Guessipe 1…

Broccoli in Creamy Garlic Sauce

My grandma taught me this Chinese method for making a creamy garlicky sauce using cornstarch and egg. I love it on broccoli that has been parboiled so it’s bright green and still crunchy. It’s a quick and easy dish that tastes rich and full of flavor. Guessipe 1/2 lb broccoli florets 3 cloves garlic, minced…

Ginger Scallion Steamed Fish

Growing up, one of my absolute favorite things was Chinese steamed fish with ginger and scallions. We would get a whole steamed fish at restaurants, or have a steamed filet at home. This recipe works for either – it just depends how comfortable you are pulling the meat from the skin and bones. While I…

Kimchi Beef Dumplings

Cookbook Club – Hey There, Dumpling! For March’s Cookbook Club, we used Hey There, Dumpling! by Kenny Lao. I made the Kimchi Beef Dumplings. You can see the whole dumpling and dipping sauce mix and match extravaganza on my Cookbook Club site. For now – my dish! The kimchi beef dumplings caught my eye because…

A Traditional Yannukah Stew

This story begins with a holiday called Dirktoberfest – an annual celebration thrown around the time of Oktoberfest by my cousin Yan’s German roommate, Dirk. The highlight of Dirktoberfest was a contest to present Dirk with a beer he’d never had before, the winner of which would receive a specially reserved piece of Dirk’s homemade…

Eat-Olympics 2018

This year was the 2018 Winter Olympics. The Olympics is a competition all about bringing people from around the world together. And what better way to bring people together and celebrate diverse cultures than through the window of food? So we had a party to watch the opening ceremony, and everyone brought food from a…

Far East Plaza Restaurant Review

Gold Dig #44 Similar to Grand Central Market, Far East Plaza brings a bunch of eateries together in a Chinatown shopping center. The plaza as a whole is on Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list. While I’m conflicted about the notion of including a grouping of restaurants that vary in food type and quality onto…