Pili nuts are similar to almonds but with a richer, creamier taste. They are plentiful in Maluku, a province comprised of nearly a thousand islands. The province was once known as the Moluccas or The Spice Islands, a historic trading hub for the visiting merchants...
While I love making kimchi, I can’t imagine making it in a traditional kimchi fermentation crock--called onggi—and then burying it in the ground. Although if you’d like to try it, you can buy one stateside from this guy. Just so you know, fermenting in general doesn’t...
I don’t know if I should feel lucky or left out because unlike many of my American friends, I never had any altercations with boiled Brussels sprouts when I was a child. (Big score for my Asian upbringing!) Since my first Brussels Sprouts experience as an...
This year, Lunar New Year falls on February 8th. To welcome the Year of the Monkey, why not have a dumpling party? If you've thrown a dinner party, you know how complex it can be to feed an eclectic mix of guests in this day and...
Time: 10 minutes, plus 2 hours chilling time Makes: 6 servings As odd as the combination of ingredients in this dish may sound, they actually play very well together. And it's a wonderful, not-so-ordinary, way to use up the bushels of fruit that show up in summer. After...
Many cultures around the world use spice blends and mixtures in their cooking. Some popular ones are French herbes de provence, Jamaican jerk spice and Mexican adobo. Asian cooking in particular relies heavily on spice mixtures. Can you imagine a world without Indian curry powder or Chinese...
Even though I come from good stock—my dad has the greenest of thumbs--I’m not much of a gardener myself. My attempts at growing tomatoes and mesclun last year were not well rewarded. I blame it on the intense sun beating down on our back patio practically...
I still crave many dishes from my childhood, like ayam goreng kunyit (turmeric fried chicken), pastel panggang (a shepherd’s pie of sorts), and roti bakso (sweet pork buns). Some, I’ve tried to recreate in my own kitchen and others, I patiently wait for. I do...
I heart noodles. Ramen. Chow mein. Pancit. And especially my mom’s mie goreng (Indonesian fried noodles). But today, I’d like to give a shout-out to a lesser known noodle dish—japchae. A classic Korean dish, you’ll find japchae on the menu at just about any Korean restaurant in the U.S. If you’re lucky...
