99% sure I get it from my mom, but I’m a control freak. A huge benefit I like with home cooking is control. You can control everything: the process, timing, ingredient proportions, quality of ingredients, cleanliness. Everything. I love eating out at restaurants, but control over all the little details pulls me back into cooking at home, just like with…
For the mornings when I don’t want to wait for my espresso machine to heat up, or to bother having to concentrate on my pour over technique, Aeropress wins. It brews coffee fast, it tastes great, and there’s less risk of shattering brewing tools. For those reasons, this is the tool I always bring camping, brewing for all my camp…
This easy garlic noodles recipe is super rich and buttery, and is a punch in the mouth of garlic and onion. We use wonton noodles here so it’s got an asian garlic noodle vibe, but it’s great with just about any kind of noodle or pasta. Each year my family and some friends gets together for an event called ‘crab…
This wonton soup recipe is super simple to make at home and despite its simplicity, it is thoroughly satisfying as a complete meal. We’ll use a pork-based filling and chicken broth as a base for the soup broth. If you have some roommates to help wrap these wontons, you’ll have dinner ready in no time! These last for a few days…
Espresso was a new frontier for me, as someone who regularly made pour over coffee for more years than I can remember. Some friends were knee-deep in coffee education as they were starting up a coffee shop. I saw all the geeky gear, science, and technique–I was instantly hooked. Before that it was me sippin’ occasional shots of espresso that…
Pour over coffee was my only method of brewing twice daily for a span of 3-4 years at one point. It is pretty easy to learn, very enjoyable and relaxing to do first thing in the morning. Making pour over coffee can be as simple or complicated as you want it to be. I chose the more complicated way because…
Soy sauce is a celebrated cooking staple that was borne out of Eastern Asia. Over the years, soy sauce has spread to every country on the planet and some of these countries have even developed their own tasty alternatives. I am going to explain two such alternative options: tamari and coconut aminos. If you are unfamiliar with those two sauces,…
You may have heard of tofu in such dishes as mapo tofu of China, soon tofu of Korea, agedashi tofu of Japan, or dau sot ca chua (or the meat-filled version) of Vietnam. Tofu has made its way through Asia and down to southeast Asia eventually becoming important culinary staple throughout. In its many forms–silken, firm, tofu skin–cooked in many…
Soy sauce is made from fermented soybeans and is considered to be a staple condiment in kitchens throughout the world. Nominally associated with Asian food, I’ve found that soy sauce can make a delicious addition to a wide array of dishes. Known for being brown and salty, this briny and fermented sauce first originated in China more than 1,000 years…
Bánh giò is a originally a steamed street snack from Northern Vietnam. It’s a small, savory snack great any time of the day, made with a rice flour outer layer, ground pork, mushroom and onion filling and all with a special aroma from a banana leaf wrapper. I learned this recipe and technique from my Mom many years ago. Many…
Fish sauce. The mere mention of this stuff strikes fear in the hearts of many. It’s an incredibly pungent, fishy concentrated liquid that even southeast Asian cooks knowingly handle with caution. A spilled bottle will undoubtedly leave a very stinky lasting impression. Like a lot of Asian foods in America, this potent flavor powerhouse suffers from the unfortunate stigma of…
Bún riêu is another very popular and flavor-packed Vietnamese rice noodle soup, with soup flavored with tomatoes, shrimp paste, fish sauce and a meat broth. It features tofu usually, but the unique addition to this soup is the “riêu” or meatballs, made of pork, shrimp, crab, and prawns. And would it really be a Vietnamese soup if it wasn’t loaded…