Soups Archives - Pickles and Tea

Quickie Congee in the Instant Pot

18 Jan, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Breakfast, Chinese, Cooking method, Do ahead, Filipino, Grains, Indonesian, Instant Pot, Kid-friendly, Main Course, Malaysian, One-wok meal, Poultry, Singaporean, Soups, Taiwanese, Vietnamese

Nothing beats a warm, comforting bowl of congee (or arroz caldo, or bubur, or whatchamacallit) made by grandma, especially when you’re sick. Not many of us still have that luxury. In fact, we’re probably the ones doing the cooking. Making congee is definitely a labor...

Korean Cold Noodles for a Hot Day

10 Aug, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Boiling, Korean, Noodles, One-wok meal, Soups

It’s been sweltering here in the metro D.C. area. In fact, temps surged to 115 degrees F with the heat index several Mondays ago. It’s been so hot and muggy, all I want to do is hole myself up indoors and exert as little energy as...

Springtime Hot and Sour Soup

15 Apr, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Boiling, Chinese, Comfort food, Soups, Vegan, Vegetable

If I were a much less patient person, I’d have unfriended Spring as if she were a FaceBook acquaintance gone rogue at the first sign of petulance. For the last few weeks, the days have snapped back and forth from cold to warm, and back to...

Hot and Sour Soup (Suan La Tang)

27 Feb, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Appetizers/Sides, Boiling, Chinese, Comfort food, Food traditions, Soups

Last Saturday, I had two cooking demos at the Freer and Sackler Galleries in downtown D.C. as part of their Lunar New Year family day celebrations. The weather forecast predicted snow (they were actually right!) and I was expecting maybe 5 people to show up at...

Asian Sweet Corn and Squash Chowder

25 Sep, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Appetizers, Fusion, Soups, Thai, Vegetable

My earliest memories of eating sweet corn are set in the mountainous region of Puncak, two hours from Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta. Puncak, with its brisk mountain air, panoramic scenery and cool climate, was and still is a popular destination for city dwellers. My relatives often...

Thai Red Curry Noodles (Khao Soi)–A Dish to Feed a Crowd

07 Nov, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Noodles, Poultry, Soups, Thai

My mum loved to throw parties—big ones, small ones, medium ones--and there was always one constant: good food, and lots of it. Cooking for company often meant days of prep and a kitchen bustling with activity morning till evening. Ma would grind spice pastes for dishes...

In the Kitchen With Mum and Popo

12 Jun, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Chinese, Comfort food, Soups

In this installment, Audrey Low contributes a little snippet that reflects on the kitchen chores she had as a child, plus a whimisical look at an old wives' tale . Of Malaysian-Chinese descent, Audrey is an anthropologist living in Australia. Her blog: papayatreelimited.blogspot.com combines her love of...

Washing Rice/part deux

06 Apr, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Comfort food, Food traditions, Japanese, Soups, Uncategorized

In response to my previous post, Marisha asked, "What is the effect of washing rice (besides cleaning it from dust)?" and "Do you know something about it from Japanese tradition?" I have posed this question to several people from different ethnic backgrounds and it turns out...

Tom Kha Goong Made with Sustainable Shrimp

23 Oct, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Soups, Thai

Researching and writing The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook has given me an appreciation for traditional and authentic recipes and eating the way our grandparents' generation ate. It's been a perfect complement to my other passion--sustainable foods. Many of us shop at the neighborhood farmers market (or even...

Vietnam’s Other Noodle Dish

24 Sep, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Comfort food, Soups, Vietnamese

Phở may be Vietnam's most famous noodle export but ask many a Vietnamese and they'll tell you that bún riêu cua, a tangy crab- and tomato-based noodle soup, is the dish that evokes grandma's homecooking. Ironically, my first taste of bún riêu cua was at a restaurant...

Pickles and Tea Soups