Top Asian Food Blogs

Some of my friends have said that they are “over” pork belly. How could one ever fall out of love with fat? That would could not happen to me. I recently slow cooked pork belly and now, with that cut of bone-in pork belly that I got from the Chinese...

Some of my friends have said that they are “over” pork belly. How could one ever fall out of love with fat? That would could not happen to me. I recently slow cooked pork belly and now, with that cut of bone-in pork belly that I got from the Chinese...

Grocery stores fascinate me and it’s common for me to spend a couple of hours wandering the aisles, even in markets that I frequent often! It can be frustrating to my husband when he accompanies me on shopping trips, but my default explanation is: “I’m doing research!” Over the years,...

Grocery stores fascinate me and it’s common for me to spend a couple of hours wandering the aisles, even in markets that I frequent often! It can be frustrating to my husband when he accompanies me on shopping trips, but my default explanation is: “I’m doing research!” Over the years,...

I poked and examined the blown up, scalded and tanned duck several times a day to see if it (1) felt dry to the touch and (2) looked like parchment. Those were the tactile and visual cues that I had gathered from a number of recipes. When the duck arrived...

I poked and examined the blown up, scalded and tanned duck several times a day to see if it (1) felt dry to the touch and (2) looked like parchment. Those were the tactile and visual cues that I had gathered from a number of recipes. When the duck arrived...

The Oscars may be a few days away but in the world of food publishing, we have just entered the throes of the cookbook award season. Today, the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) announced its list of 2010 nominees. Guess what? Asian Dumplings is one of the finalists! If...

Homemade Peking Duck: How to Scald and Give the Duck a Tan

The Oscars may be a few days away but in the world of food publishing, we have just entered the throes of the cookbook award season. Today, the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) announced its list of 2010 nominees. Guess what? Asian Dumplings is one of the finalists! If...

I hope you didn’t blow up a duck over the weekend and wait for me to let you know what to do with it next! If we were together in real time, I would have blown up the duck with my exercise ball pump and then moved right into this...

Homemade Peking Duck: How to Scald and Give the Duck a Tan

I hope you didn’t blow up a duck over the weekend and wait for me to let you know what to do with it next! If we were together in real time, I would have blown up the duck with my exercise ball pump and then moved right into this...

Market Manila

Mrs. MM was watching a program with Heston Blumenthal on his quest to make the PERFECT peking duck recipe, part of which entailed recreating superb duck skin, but in his version, the skin was cooked separately from the duck. It was a fascinating program, and I was glad to...

Mrs. MM was watching a program with Heston Blumenthal on his quest to make the PERFECT peking duck recipe, part of which entailed recreating superb duck skin, but in his version, the skin was cooked separately from the duck. It was a fascinating program, and I was glad to...

A proper dim sum meal is something I would never attempt to make from scratch and serve in a home setting. Too mabusisi or cumbersome, I would think. So it doesn't surprise me that the only dim sum meals I have enjoyed have been at restaurants in Chinatown(s)...

A proper dim sum meal is something I would never attempt to make from scratch and serve in a home setting. Too mabusisi or cumbersome, I would think. So it doesn't surprise me that the only dim sum meals I have enjoyed have been at restaurants in Chinatown(s)...

With a large display window virtually "screaming" several positive quotes about the chocolates on offer, how could we not stop and check this out? I had NEVER heard of Thomas Haas Chocolates before, probably because I have never managed to visit the beautiful city of Vancouver despite several scheduled...

With a large display window virtually "screaming" several positive quotes about the chocolates on offer, how could we not stop and check this out? I had NEVER heard of Thomas Haas Chocolates before, probably because I have never managed to visit the beautiful city of Vancouver despite several scheduled...

The Upper House. The opposite end of the economic spectrum from these previous posts here and here on "value" meals in Hong Kong, but you can't say we don't get around... An invitation to view this stunning new hotel on the upper floors of one of the buildings at...

The Upper House. The opposite end of the economic spectrum from these previous posts here and here on "value" meals in Hong Kong, but you can't say we don't get around... An invitation to view this stunning new hotel on the upper floors of one of the buildings at...

The crunch of romaine, the "squeak" of haricots verts, sweet tomatoes, protein rich eggs, carbohydrates from the new potatoes, more protein from the tuna and anchovy fillets, salty olives and a shallot vinaigrette make this one of my favorite salads of all time. I can easily consume two dinner...

The crunch of romaine, the "squeak" of haricots verts, sweet tomatoes, protein rich eggs, carbohydrates from the new potatoes, more protein from the tuna and anchovy fillets, salty olives and a shallot vinaigrette make this one of my favorite salads of all time. I can easily consume two dinner...

Market Manila

Mrs. MM was watching a program with Heston Blumenthal on his quest to make the PERFECT peking duck recipe, part of which entailed recreating superb duck skin, but in his version, the skin was cooked separately from the duck. It was a fascinating program, and I was glad to...

Mrs. MM was watching a program with Heston Blumenthal on his quest to make the PERFECT peking duck recipe, part of which entailed recreating superb duck skin, but in his version, the skin was cooked separately from the duck. It was a fascinating program, and I was glad to...

A proper dim sum meal is something I would never attempt to make from scratch and serve in a home setting. Too mabusisi or cumbersome, I would think. So it doesn't surprise me that the only dim sum meals I have enjoyed have been at restaurants in Chinatown(s)...

A proper dim sum meal is something I would never attempt to make from scratch and serve in a home setting. Too mabusisi or cumbersome, I would think. So it doesn't surprise me that the only dim sum meals I have enjoyed have been at restaurants in Chinatown(s)...

With a large display window virtually "screaming" several positive quotes about the chocolates on offer, how could we not stop and check this out? I had NEVER heard of Thomas Haas Chocolates before, probably because I have never managed to visit the beautiful city of Vancouver despite several scheduled...

With a large display window virtually "screaming" several positive quotes about the chocolates on offer, how could we not stop and check this out? I had NEVER heard of Thomas Haas Chocolates before, probably because I have never managed to visit the beautiful city of Vancouver despite several scheduled...

The Upper House. The opposite end of the economic spectrum from these previous posts here and here on "value" meals in Hong Kong, but you can't say we don't get around... An invitation to view this stunning new hotel on the upper floors of one of the buildings at...

The Upper House. The opposite end of the economic spectrum from these previous posts here and here on "value" meals in Hong Kong, but you can't say we don't get around... An invitation to view this stunning new hotel on the upper floors of one of the buildings at...

The crunch of romaine, the "squeak" of haricots verts, sweet tomatoes, protein rich eggs, carbohydrates from the new potatoes, more protein from the tuna and anchovy fillets, salty olives and a shallot vinaigrette make this one of my favorite salads of all time. I can easily consume two dinner...

Roasted Boneless Lamb Shoulder Roll

The crunch of romaine, the "squeak" of haricots verts, sweet tomatoes, protein rich eggs, carbohydrates from the new potatoes, more protein from the tuna and anchovy fillets, salty olives and a shallot vinaigrette make this one of my favorite salads of all time. I can easily consume two dinner...

Delicious Asian Food

Scallop Congee

Scallop Congee is one of my most oft cooked congee for weekend lunch. Okay, make it Scallop Porridge for those who are more familiar with the word porridge. Actually, it’s the same. And whichever name you call it, it will still taste as good though I suspect the word “congee”...

Christmas is just around the corner and I finally roasted it! I’ve always wanted to roast a lamb roll, boneless lamb shoulder roll to be exact, and last Sunday was the perfect opportunity for me to try this out. The boneless lamb shoulder roll was lying in the freezer and...

The Ultimate Carrot Cake Recipe

I was never really a fan of carrot cakes all these while probably because I never had any good experience eating a good carrot cake out there. Maybe the thought of eating a “vegetable” cake deterred me from wanting to try this out compared to chocolate cakes or cheese cakes....

Black Soybean Milk

It does not matter whether it is black or white. Black Soybean also known as Black Bean or Black Soya Bean will give you a white looking milk just like its cousin, the soya bean. It may not be common for you to find anyone selling this drink out there...

Roasted Spicy Brinjals

It’s another Saturday and I was fortunate enough to be able to go to the market this morning. Seeing some fresh medium sized brinjals on sale, I couldn’t resist getting my hands into 5 of them, no longer than 8 inches each. So, shall it be sweet and spicy brinjals...

Stir Fried Lala with LemonGrass and Bird’s Eye Chilli

Another lala recipe? Forgive me but I am quite a fan of lala clams and since the lala clams were looking really fresh in the wet market, I couldn’t resist getting my hands on 1 kg of these sweet tasting clams. Initially, I had wanted to whip up a kamheong...

Tess's Japanese Kitchen

Spaghetti with Walnut Miso Sauce

http://1tess.wordpress.com We saw a butterfly! Poor creature born before his time: snow and no nectar, not even a crocus. I almost made pink soba for dinner. There is a recipe online for walnut miso sauce on soba, but didn't bookmark it. Then I remembered a recipe from Ms. Shimbo's book, The Japanese...

Serendipitous Okra Spaghetti with Mussels

http://1tess.wordpress.com This is a story of how through serendipity and an open mind I came to love okra. I'd eaten it only once, one bite, 30 years ago: it was a very slimy vegetable, suited to aliens and not for human consumption. Husband woke me up to tell me about a radio story...

Kurimu Shitu (cream stew): Ready to eat Japanese food

http://1tess.wordpress.com If you visit Hokkaido, the largest northernmost island of the Japanese archipelago, try a regional specialty: cream stew! But this yoshoku dish made with chicken, pork, or seafood, and onions, carrots, and potatoes is popular all over Japan. It is sometimes called white stew (白い野菜の白いシチュ) because the sauce is made...

Onigiri: Ready to eat Japanese food

Not least among the presents was an ume onigiri, which he carried in his pocket on the plane. He bought two, but saved one for me. http://1tess.wordpress.com ...

Oden—Nerimono: Ready-to-eat Japanese food

http://1tess.wordpress.com http://1tess.wordpress.com One of the most delicious winter meals is oden: a one-pot stew made with all sorts of fish-cakes. It's a great deal of fun choosing interesting looking fish cakes, just because you like the way they look. But this means that you buy a great deal more food for your...

Frozen Gyoza: Ready-to-eat Japanese food

`*•.¸¸¸¸.•*´¯`¥´¯`*•.¸¸¸¸.•*´¯`¥´¯`*•.¸¸¸¸.•*´¯`¥´¯`*•.¸¸¸¸.•*´¯`¥´¯`*•.¸¸¸¸.•*´ http://1tess.wordpress.com Ah winter with its short dark days overcast and overwhelmed with snow. It's a time when the bears' adaptation to this season makes sense, a time to sleep until green returns to the world. That is Usula Minor in the picture; she's not happy to have her little bear's sleep...

Steamy Kitchen: recipes and cooking

Tiramisu Pancakes

If you are all out of willpower today, do not, I repeat do not click on this link for the Tiramisu Pancake recipe. I’m warning ya! You’ll want it baaaad and I won’t be able to help you....

Blackberry Rum Glazed Ham Recipe

I’m not normally a think-ahead type of gal. It’s hard for me to cook a Easter feast 2 weeks before the holiday. But I understand how recipe searching goes – people want to browse recipes BEFORE the holiday to get ideas on what to cook ON the holiday! I’ve been in...

Chocolate Wontons + Video

Photo from The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook My blog would not be complete without mention of one of my kids’ favorite dessert in the whole wide world, Chocolate Wontons. In fact, the site serves as my family’s visual menu of sorts, my kids will click through the site and point at dishes...

BLT Salad with Buttermilk Dressing

If you know me, and I hope by now you do, I’m never one to even waste precious chewing energy on a boring salad. I have friends who will enjoy even the most plain salad consisting of one variety of lettuce and a glop of salad dressing from a gallon...

TECHmunch Austin

Techcrunch…Tech”munch”….heehee…get it? I love Babette. She’s insanely smart and rocks the safety vest look pretty damn hard* (photo at end of post) Babette is also the one-woman show behind BakeSpace – one of the best food communties online (go check it out!) While we were at Rancho La Puerta together earlier this month,...

Cha Xiu Bao

Bonjour Amanda, hands down the best food blog in town!

Meet Bonjour Amanda, the latest sensation in foodie bloggieland simply has it all: sparkles, style, passion and talent. Reading the culinary adventures of Amanda is like watching a Paris fashion show in the front row! Amanda's intoxicating technique to allure......

P911: Parents lodge complaint to EOC because their children is not welcome in Lung King Heen

Okay, let's keep this to the dossier of 'this can only happens in Hong Kong' -- anything they tell you about Hong Kong being an international city is a freaking lie. Someone has lodged a complaint to Equal Opportunity Commission......

The future of ramen is this?!

Hope I'm not the only one to find this disturbing. This almost have me lost the will to live. Conversely, the top 3 ramen shops in Japan to induce the lust bumps for all the ramen lovers out there......

Taipei Dai Lai Restaurant

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Halo: Cooking the 8-treasure Duck at home

1) To do this dish, you'll need a nice knife and kitchen shears. These are the freakishly expensive pairs I bought from Shanghai Street -- but dude, I really don't see that much of a difference to the cheap made-in-China......

Claypot rice at Kwun Kee: The Proper Balance in Life

《列子 ﹣周穆王》 “周之尹氏大治產，其下趣役者，侵晨昏而弗息。有老役夫，筋力竭......

Hiroko's Kitchen | Blog

Chef Wylie Dufresne’s Udon

I had a memorable dinner at wd-50. One of the tasting dishes Wylie sent to us was udon! Wylie makes his udon from scratch in his kitchen. To knead the udon dough he uses the traditional technique - stomping on it. His correctly chewy udon was served in an unconventional, fruity and...

Home-made udon noodles and soba chef

Many years ago while I was living in Japan I took a class to learn how to make home made udon at a class that was organized by one of the major Japanese flour companies. All of the attendees were serious women of all different ages. We all donned crisp...

International Restaurant and Foodservice Show

Please join us at The Japanese Food Seminar at the International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York Monday, March 1, 2010 - Tuesday, March 2, 2010 ENGLISH JETRO Event PROGRAM DAY 1: Monday, March 1, 2010 13:00pm - 13:45pm World of Koji – The Secret of Japanese Fermented Products Presented by Toni Robertson, Executive Chef, Mandarin...

The Convenient Part of Gourmet d’Expert

This appliance promises that you can prepare and enjoy steamed foods. Steaming is one of the healthiest cooking techniques, but requires a proper steamer and careful attention to preparation. Done in the wrong cookware or with improper technique, everything becomes so bad - mushy, tasteless. In the photo you can...

Zojirushi Gourmet d’Expert Electric Skillet!

What a fun, easy to use and convenient piece of cookware the new Zojirushi’s Gourmet d’Expert Electric Skillet is. I have steamed mussles (after mussles are done, I removed them and heated tomato sauce in the same skillet), fish and vegetables, and grilled wagyu beef steak (raised in America), pork...

Japanese Cooking Seminar at International Restaurant and Foodservice Show

Please join us at Japanese cooking seminars at International Restaurant and Foodservice Show on March 1st and 2nd. The details are http://www.jetro.org/index.php?option=com_events_jetro&task=view&content=detail&event_id=409&Itemid=200 Hiroko...

Blazing Hot Wok

Regional Recipes Brazil Round-up

If you've been anxiously waiting for the Brazil round-up, I'm sorry it's late. There is a good reason, which you'll read about shortly, but first I want to get to the submissions. Let's get started!Picadinho de porco (minced pork) submitted by Marisa of The Creative Pot. It has...

Brazilian-style Empanadas

Happy New Year!! Better late than never, right?Did you all start your diets yet? I keep thinking about it, but then I run across recipes like this one for Brazilian-style empanadas and it's just another excuse to delay. The (tentative) deadline is now January 15th...unless I find another...

Regional Recipes South Pacific Round-up!

Anyone else feeling the stress of the holidays? I got a late start this year and feel like I'm short on time. There are still a bunch of last-minute things to do. I suspect that you all are pretty busy too, so I want to send...

Hawaiian Chicken Curry

The quarter is finally over!! Hooray!! Now to get back to all the stuff I've been neglecting. Like laundry and housecleaning and Christmas. But first and foremost, I need to give my poor, neglected blog a little attention.As you can see this is not a typical holiday...

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

I'm generally terrible at posting things in time for holidays and special events, but I promised myself I was going to post something before Thanksgiving, even if it meant losing sleep. Fortunately, I haven't lost any sleep getting this done. This post, instead, cuts into my essay-writing time. Yes,...

Regional Recipes Cuba Round-up!

I know you all have been eagerly awaiting the Cuba round-up. Well, wait no longer! There may only be a handful of submissions, but they do a great job showcasing Cuban cuisine. Prepare for an appetite whetting! (Or is it to have your appetite whetted? Maybe I...

Kyoto Foodie: Where and what to eat in Kyoto

Hearty Mid-winter Salt Pork Mochi Rice Okowa Recipe

Did you know that mochi rice isn’t just for sweets? When you think mochi in Japanese cuisine, most people think of sticky rice steamed and pounded and made into the myriad forms of wagashi confections. Glutinous rice, also known as sticky rice, is called mochigome in Japanese. (Kome is uncooked...

Imo Jochu Nama Choco Ganache at Kyoto Daimaru Department Store Valentine Chocolat Promenade

This year my Valentine’s Day sweet was sweet potato shochu filled chocolate ganache! Regular readers of KyotoFoodie may recall that I was given some delightful fruit vinegar bonbons last Valentine’s Day from Takashimaya. I don’t have a valentine this year so I bought…...

My Original Hiiragi Iwashi Design (Whole Sardine and Holly Leaves)

Last year on February 3rd, the day before spring, I put a grilled sardine head on a holly stick and put it next to my front door. That was to prevent the ‘Oni’ demon from entering my house and getting my new year off to a bad start. I didn’t…...

Setsubun Depachika: Shopping for Eho-maki and Sardines at Japanese Department Store Food Court

Depachika, the basement floor of department stores in Japan, is where some of the best food in the land can be had and at fairly reasonable prices. These food courts are difficult to beat as they are a mix of the best of the best shinise stores as well as...

Setsubun Wagashi: Oni-ni-Kanabo from Kyoto Confectionery Sentaro

At Setsubun, people in Japan are thinking eho-maki sushi rolls, grilled sardine and roasted soybeans to prevent misfortune and increase happiness. No one thinks of wagashi. Sentaro, a shinise confectionery in Kyoto, made their own unique and tasty Setsubun demon theme roll, but you don’t get sushi from a confectionery,...

Setsubun Foodie Customs: Kyoto Hisagozushi ‘Onimaki’ Ehomaki

Meet the ‘Demon Roll’ sushi for the day before spring — Kyoto-style. This makizushi is a very original, fascinating and extremely beautiful variation of the eho-maki (lucky direction roll) makizushi that is eaten by custom in Japan on Setsubun, February 3rd, the day before spring begins. Setsubun has some wonderful...

Just Bento - a healthy meal in a box: great bento recipes, tips, and more

Announcing The Spring 2010 Bento Contest

I’m very excited to to announce the Spring 2010 Bento Contest, together with top French bento site FrenchBento and the awesome online bento boutique Bento&co. Here in the northern hemisphere, the days are getting longer and the weather is slowly but surely turning warmer. Spring is the perfect time to...

Budo Mame or Budoh Mame: Sweet-salty soy beans (Bento filler)

There are many recipes for stewed or simmered beans in Japanese cooking, but this is one of the simplest, and I’m fairly sure, one of the oldest recipes in existence. It traditionally only uses three ingredients — soy beans, sugar and soy sauce — but I’ve added a little salt...

Homemade vegetarian kimchi recipe

[I know I haven’t been posting a lot of recipes lately…travelling around so much does that to you. So here’s a great recipe for vegetarian/vegan kimchi from the forums, by Stephanie.! - maki] I recently started making my own kimchi, because I was having trouble finding one that was fish...

What are Japanese plastic bento boxes made of? Are they BPA-free?

[I’ve substantially updated this article recently to answer some emailed questions about bento accessories and so on, so here it is again for your reading pleasure. Originally posted in August 2008.] I recently got an email from a Just Bento reader concerning the plastic used to make bento boxes. She was...

Bento tidbits from Japan: Kiyoken Hotate Gohan (scallop rice) Bento, a higher end takeout bento

I’m busy getting ready for the photo shoot for the bento cookbook, which starts next week, so I don’t have a lot of time for long posts at the moment. So I thought I’d do a brief write up of this bento I had for lunch today. It’s a good...

Torihamu or Homemade Chicken "Ham"

Torihamu (鶏ハム）or chicken ham is a recipe that was born and made popular on the internet. It was first popularized around 2001 or 2002, on an extremely popular and often wild and woolly Japanese community/forum site called 2ch or 2-channel (２ちゃんねる), sometime in 2001 or 2002. Torihamu is a method...

the scent of green bananas

coconut, sashimi-style.

it's coconut harvesting time in the homestead again, so expect a few coconut-based recipes here. although, i have to say, i prefer coconut mostly unadorned, and as fresh as possible--adding ice to cool coconut water and scraping meat straight from the nut is as much as work as i usually...

fat tuesday.

this is why tuesday's fat. momofuku's crack pie. half a pound of butter, half a pound of sugar, not to mention eggs yolks and heavy cream. the recipe would like you to dust the top with more sugar, but that's not gilding the lily, that's...aahh, uh. i don't know i'm...

hey brownies

hey brownies! you are filled with nuts and chocolate, slightly cakey but mostly fudgey and chewy, and have almost 500 calories per serving. you're awesome! here's the recipe. (the photo on the recipe page? imposter! ignore it)...

sausage rolls

i was talking about vultures on twitter which led to an australian sausage roll challenge. why? because that's twitter for you. australian sausage rolls are coarse ground sausage meat wrapped in puff pastry; i have never actually eaten one previous to this, but i like a challenge, and...

street, cleaner

a version of the many-versioned dan dan mian, or sichuan spicy noodles. wiki says this about it. fuchsia dunlop has lots to say about sichuan cuisine, including the dan dan mian in the city chengdu. i have nothing but this blog entry.i honestly don't know what the traditional recipe is....

toast of christmas past.

someone gave me one of those electric sandwich makers as a gift--not a panini grill but one of those dorm room appliances that is subject to a pretty awesome informercial or two (albeit this one is from a relatively respected company). i could've returned it at the shops for something...

The Fortune Cookie Chronicles

Fold-Pak Disguises Itself as Bio-Pak

Inspired by my book, Melissa Janoski did a piece on Fold-Pak’s white food pails for The Citizen Voice in Wilkes-Barre, Penn. She interviewed me for the piece. One thing the piece notes. White takeout boxes don’t fly with non-Chinese restaurants, because of the image. So the company also makes flatter, wider containers that...

Tears for My Dedication

My mom forwarded this note she got, typos and all, to me. It’s from another Chinese-American immigrant. I read the prefcace of the book that Jennifer wrote,I was pretty touched by what she wrote at the first page, I dont rememebr the exact words she used but the gist was: To...

“Fortune Cookie Chronicles” Coming to a Syllabus Near You

Meryl Gordon, director of magazine writing at NYU’s Arthur Carter Journalism Institute, assigned my book to her undergraduate class. I’ve never seen this many copies of my book outside a bookstore!...

Mother Goose and Grimm Imagines General Tso’s Chicken in Battle

This was forwarded to me from a Donald Siegel, a professor at Syracuse University, and more importantly, the author of “From Lokshen to Lo Mein: The Jewish Love Affair with Chinese Food.“...

Is Zen Fine Chinese Cuisine Back?

Chowtimes reports that the restaurant I selected as the “Greatest Chinese Restaurant in the World” (which had closed) is re-opening: Sam Lau’s Zen’s Fine Chinese Cuisine in Richmond, near Vancouver, Canada. (Photo above courtesy of their diligent reporting). They were struggling because of the economics for a long time...

Doing a Session on Book Publicity on May 2 in Boston

As part of the Grub Street (not to be confused with NYMag’s food blog) literary confab, I am doing a publicity talk using my own book as a case study. I don’t have a lot of experience beyond my own book, so it’s pretty narrow. My session is on May...

Stickyrice

Dusty Pepper Trail

I'm not the type of person who goes on a holiday to a tropical island or any other beach destination to spend time off the sand away from the water. I want to see that blue liquid surface, choppy or......

Sunday Roast

A tradition from my past has been revived, a memory of simpler times triggered - right here in chaotic downtown Hanoi of all places. Growing up, the bird or beast would be shoved in the oven before Mum jammed us......

Tiger, tiger, burning bright

I've not been a good blogger recently. I've been neglectful, mostly eating in. I've been lazy. I've been reading. I've been on holiday, too. As the year of the tiger now roars, it's time for another round of season's greetings.......

Winter Warmer

In winter, in the depths of the Old Quarter, a small stall opens. To the outsider, it could be mistaken as a secret members' only club, where passwords or coded signals are required for entry. If you come at the......

Dressing Up Cucumber

The humble cucumber gets a raw deal in salad land. When people talk about the dull salads of their childhood, cucumber more than often than not gets tossed into the mix with iceberg lettuce and wedges of tomato. Flashbacks of......

Birthday 2

In birthday celebration number two, wine was poured. A congratulatory utterance and toast to the birthday boy started proceedings. It was very civilized - worlds away from the debauchery of the brauhaus. There was white linen, waiters to pull chairs......

Hong Kong Food Blog

Anna’s Health eBook Store - Buy One Get One Free

If you’ve read my post of ‘why I set up this blog’, you will know that I’m an intermittent faster. In fact, apart from providing Hong Kong food information, my food blog objective is also to promote my healthy eating habit. View my fasting blog and see if I could...

2010 Chinese New Year Kick Off Lunch

2010 Chinese New Year falls on the Valentine's Day. In Hong Kong, Cantonese tradition is to have our new-year kick off lunch on the second day of Chinese New Year, hence February 15, 2010. Let me show off my family cooked CNY kick off lunch. All dishes...

Museum Cafe - Ideal High Tea Venue

Museum Cafe - Podium Level, Hong Kong Art Museum, Tsimshatsui, KowloonHong Kong musuems are free on Wednesdays. So I take a day's off, go to Tsimshatsui to have lunch at Peking Garden and spent some time exploring the nearby Space Museum, Art Museum and the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.Though...

Learn Restaurant Cantonese

Let's learn a couple of Cantonese phrases to speak in any Hong Kong restaurant. See if you can shock the waiters.Mai Dan 埋單 - please give me the billmmm goi 吾該 - thank you / pleaseNow click on the video, and listen to how I say it. The card I...

Hot Pot Specialty Restaurants in Hong Kong

Restaurant name: Little Fat Cow小肥牛火鍋活魚專門店Restaurant address: 141 Queen’s Road East, Wanchai, Hong KongRestaurant telephone: 852- 25290660Cost: HK$280 (US$35.8), all inclusive for two peopleIn Hong Kong, some hot pot restaurants have specialties. Little Fat Sheep is famous for lamp hot pot; Little Fat Cow is famous for beef hot pot; Tanyoto...

500+ Healthy Chinese Recipes Cookbook

Enjoy cooking yummy Chinese food at the same time improves your health and weight loss.Sounds good? Yes, this is all about the next cookbook I recommend - 500+ Healthy Chinese Recipes Cookbook by professional chef Nicholas Zhou. This cookbook has been sold about 560,000 copies since 1998.His cookbook does not...

Lily's Wai Sek Hong

Yee Chai Paeng/Ear Biscuit

This is not the cow's or pig's ear, this is like the human's ear, or it is supposed to look like but somehow, these biscuits have their own idea of ears. Not one will be similar when fried, some looked like tiny cups which we used to called them 'bras'...

Cilantro Oil

Like i have said in my previous post on Cilantro Pesto, i came to like cilantro and use lots of it, adding it to lots of dishes especially soups. When you have more than you need of fresh cilantro and before they die on you, besides making Cilantro Pesto, the next...

Shrimp Spaghetti with Cilantro Pesto

A pack of pasta is a must in my pantry, so are many more musts. I must confess, i am a hoarder, i can never pass off a good deal and a sucker to new brands and types of noodles. They are like recipes, you try them once, if they...

Cilantro Pesto

I have a hate-love relationship with this herb - Cilantro. I used to hate this raw green leaf that sat side by side, closely clustered together with shredded green onions, like a couple who are in love and they were or still are, sitting on top of all dishes served...

Peppered Pork Pastry

This videoPepper Cake, is very informative and i find this cake/pastry very interesting, although i could not fully understand the language but i could guess. I managed to bake a batch of very light pastry and loved it, no wonder these cakes are so popular on the streets of Taipei. I don't know...

Overnight Yeasted Waffles

This recipe is from The America's Test Kitchen - Family Baking Book - "The batter must be made 12 to 24 hours in advance in order for the yeast to effectively leaven the batter. It may sound like a long time to wait for waffles, but it actually simplifies things:...

ZenKimchi Korean Food Journal

Aspartame in Kimchi?

Cute little video from Cool Hunting of a Korean great-grandmother making kimchi. I did get a little worried when packets of Equal were being dumped in there. If you appreciate ZenKimchi why not buy us a cup o' coffee? Like it? Share it!...

Favorite Blog Poll: Time’s Running Out

Just a friendly reminder that 10 Magazine’s run-off poll on your favorite K-blog will close on Monday, March 15th. Not suggesting you vote for any particular blog. Just a friendly reminder. If you appreciate ZenKimchi why not buy us a cup o' coffee? Like it? Share it!...

Seoul-Gyoenggi Playoffs: HaejangGuk vs. Budae Jjigae

Two dishes invented in Seoul that defined moments in the 20th century for Korea start this week of battles. HaejangGuk – This “hangover soup” was invented when Seoullites were under strict curfews from the pre-democracy days. HaejangGuk, a pork bone soup with dried cabbage and big Fred Flinstone chunks of...

Central Playoffs: Makguksu vs. Ojingeo Sundae

From Gangwon-do we start of with a dish from the mountains and one from the sea. Makguksu – Chilled buckwheat noodles with a rich beef broth, almost like a consomme. Garnished with radishes, Korean pear, cucumbers, crumbled dried seaweed a hard-boiled egg. Ojingeo Sundae – Squid stuffed like sausage and steamed....

Southern Playoffs: Jeonju Bibimbap vs. Samhap

The South kicks off with two dishes with passionate followers. Jeonju Bibimbap is the height of the mixed rice dish, combining delicate tastes into a complete whole. Samhap carries a smaller but highly devoted following. This is the famous fermented skate served with steamed pork belly, raw garlic, hot peppers and sweet...

Northern Playoffs: Mul Naengmyeon vs. Bibim Naengmyeon

We start our battle in the North with two iconic dishes from Pyongyang and Hamheung. These chilly noodle dishes started as humble winter fare and now bring refreshing relief to summer heat. Bibim Naengmyeon – Chilled buckwheat noodles mixed with pepper paste, cucumbers, radishes and other vegetables Mul...

Viet World Kitchen

Some of my friends have said that they are “over” pork belly. How could one ever fall out of love with fat? That would could not happen to me. I recently slow cooked pork belly and now, with that cut of bone-in pork belly that I got from the Chinese...

Some of my friends have said that they are “over” pork belly. How could one ever fall out of love with fat? That would could not happen to me. I recently slow cooked pork belly and now, with that cut of bone-in pork belly that I got from the Chinese...

Grocery stores fascinate me and it’s common for me to spend a couple of hours wandering the aisles, even in markets that I frequent often! It can be frustrating to my husband when he accompanies me on shopping trips, but my default explanation is: “I’m doing research!” Over the years,...

Grocery stores fascinate me and it’s common for me to spend a couple of hours wandering the aisles, even in markets that I frequent often! It can be frustrating to my husband when he accompanies me on shopping trips, but my default explanation is: “I’m doing research!” Over the years,...

I poked and examined the blown up, scalded and tanned duck several times a day to see if it (1) felt dry to the touch and (2) looked like parchment. Those were the tactile and visual cues that I had gathered from a number of recipes. When the duck arrived...

I poked and examined the blown up, scalded and tanned duck several times a day to see if it (1) felt dry to the touch and (2) looked like parchment. Those were the tactile and visual cues that I had gathered from a number of recipes. When the duck arrived...

The Oscars may be a few days away but in the world of food publishing, we have just entered the throes of the cookbook award season. Today, the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) announced its list of 2010 nominees. Guess what? Asian Dumplings is one of the finalists! If...