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...
A decade ago, hardly anyone understood what the term "gluten-free" meant, celiac disease was very under-the-radar, and finding gluten-free products at the grocery store was challenging. Today, just about everything sold at the grocery store is gluten-free, even water and face cream! (Yes, I'm being facetious.)...
You may be married to one. Your best friend may be one. You may even unknowingly be nurturing one at home. My point is: I’m sure everyone knows at least one meat-loving carnivore, someone who frowns at a meal sans meat and/or shuns anything remotely...
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...
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...
On February 19, 2015, we will welcome the Year of the Sheep. And so begins another round of eating because a new year celebration isn't a celebration without lots of food! I’ve written many posts on Lunar New Year foods: from a Singapore favorite, raw fish...
Every year, Lunar New Year is celebrated around the globe with great fanfare: lion dances, red packets stuffed with money, and of course, 10-course banquets comprising dishes made with exquisite ingredients and brimming with symbolism--foods that are homonyms or look-alikes for gold bars, prosperity, family...
The snake may not be my favorite animal but I just learned a very interesting factoid about the Year of the Snake which starts this Sunday, February 10, 2013. Just as a snake sheds its skin, this is a good year for making dramatic transformations,...
As I mentioned in New Beginnings Part I, I’m investing all my New Year mojo in yu sheng (Mandarin for "raw fish"), only my version uses tea-cured salmon which is technically still raw. Also called yee sang (in Cantonese), this "salad" is usually eaten in restaurants...
Chinese New Year is a celebration of new beginnings and many Chinese take the saying “out with the old, in with the new” very seriously. This year, the Year of the Dragon, is drumming up a little more hoo-ha--and will welcome quite a few more babies--than...
