Kid-friendly 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...

Matcha and Chia Mochi Cake

02 Mar, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Baking, Comfort food, Easy, Fusion, Hawaiian, Japanese, Kid-friendly, Snacks, Sweets/desserts

I’ve been meaning to bake a mochi cake (also called butter mochi) for the longest time--maybe 10 years?--ever since I first used mochiko for the mochiko chicken recipe in my first cookbook The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook. A few weeks ago, I finally did. I was inspired by...

Homemade Bak Kwa (Chinese Pork Jerky)

02 Feb, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Baking, Broiling, Celebrations, Chinese, Comfort food, Easy, Kid-friendly, Malaysian, Singaporean, Snacks

When I first came to the U.S. as a college student, one of the foods I missed most from Singapore was bak kwa. It's kind of like jerky, but made with pork and with Chinese flavors. Beef jerky didn’t cut it—not even teriyaki-flavored—and even though salmon...

Who’s John?

30 Jul, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Appetizers, Breakfast, Fusion, Kid-friendly, Malaysian, Pan-frying, Singaporean, Snacks

Roti John could be considered the bánh mì, aka the ubiquitous Vietnamese sandwich, of Singapore (or Malaysia, or Brunei). Its components are similar—bread, protein--and is a blend of East and West and just as delicious. Basically, roti John is a savory French toast—baguette slices soaked with...

Leftover Makeover Tips

24 May, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Indonesian, Kid-friendly, One-wok meal, Poultry, Tips and techniques

My mom doesn’t waste food. She never has, doesn’t now, and never will. A friend joked that there’s a term for that: CCW—cheap Chinese woman. Jokes aside, I was well aware as a little girl that Mom was very conscious of stretching the ingredients she bought...

Inspiring APA Women in Food: The Home Cook, Keo Choulaphan

15 Mar, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Appetizers, Appetizers/Sides, Interview with a grandma, Kid-friendly, Pan-frying, Pork, Profile

The Smithsonian Institution's Museum Day Live! 2016 event may be over but my series, "Inspiring APA Women in Food," continues to celebrate and empower women and girls of color with the third and final profile. ~~~ When I first met Keo Choulaphan, I was instantly captivated by her elegant features...

A Dumpling for Every Friend: #2–The Fried Food Fiend (Fried Pork Wontons)

22 Jan, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Appetizers, Appetizers/Sides, Celebrations, Chinese, Comfort food, Deep-frying, Indonesian, Kid-friendly, Pork, Snacks

As promised, today’s blog post focuses on a dumpling to please your fried-food fiend of a friend (try saying that 10 times fast!). These dumplings are of course, fried wontons. To be fair, I don’t think fried food lovers should be pigeon-holed. Because honestly, who...

Stir-fried Eggs with Heirloom Tomatoes (西红柿炒鸡蛋)

16 Oct, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Chinese, Comfort food, Entrees, Kid-friendly, Recipes, Stir-frying, Vegetable

Ask anyone of Chinese descent and they’ll most likely tell you stir-fried eggs and tomatoes was a staple dish on their when-I-was-growing-up table. Just like lola’s pancit or obachan’s niku jaga, each family has their own rendition of this homestyle, comforting dish. Yes to Shaoxing Chinese...

A Childhood Revival—Yakult Float

12 Jun, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Drinks, Kid-friendly, Sweets/desserts

It’s not often that something that tastes so good is actually good for you too. And you'd never expect it from something as sweet and milky as Yakult! Yakult, a fermented dairy drink from Japan, was a childhood favorite of mine. It’s essentially a probiotic drink containing...

Asian Limes and No-Bake Calamansi Cloud Pie with Marie Biscuit Crust

05 Jun, by Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center in Condiments, Filipino, Ingredient spotlight, Kid-friendly, No cook, Sweets/desserts

Some grandmas send their grandchildren books. Some send LEGO's. Others send perhaps a hand-knitted hat or hand-sewn dress. My mom sent my son Marie biscuits. And not just a couple of packages, but 10 of them. Granted my 5 year-old loves these biscuits—he can devour five or six at...

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