Pickled Beets

Beets…. Not the first vegetable that comes to mind when you think about Chinese food? I’ve never seen beets (called tang luobo, “sugar turnip”) served in a Chinese restaurant or in a Chinese home, but their sweetness is a great foil to the pickling process and five spice powder, so I thought I’d try it. And [...]

Stirfried Squid with Sugar Snap Peas

Squid seems to be a fairly ocean-friendly choice as far as seafood goes (see Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch), and wonder of wonders, my 5-year-old seems to like it! I found some wild-caught squid at the farmers’ market, but you could also look for it at your favorite fish vendor, either fresh or frozen. Snap [...]

Reducing your “Cookprint”

I have to admit that since I stopped working at the end of March, I have been seriously guilty of sneaking a LOT of reading for pleasure. Full disclosure: I have devoured the entire Twilight series AND watched the movie. It’s a bit ridiculous when you fight over the books with your child because you’re [...]

Spinach with Fermented Beancurd

This recipe may fall under the “I’ll try anything once, twice if I like it” category – it calls for an odd ingredient called fermented beancurd (furu), which comes in spicy and bland varieties. Before you read on and say, “Ewww,” just remember how bleu cheese is made. Fuchsia Dunlop writes that it is
…an essential [...]

Reading Recommendation: Fast Food Nation

First published in 2001, Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal is not a new book, but I am finally getting around to reading it because it seems to come up frequently in the bibliographies of food writers active in the locavore movement.

Much of the book takes me back to the required high school [...]

Food shopping, anyone?

Although the mere thought of shopping for clothes or gifts or just about anything is enough to make me break out in hives, I love food shopping! (Okay, I also love browsing cookware stores and bookstores.)
News reports indicate that Americans are indeed trying to eat out less and eat in more – is it helping us [...]

Marinated Mushrooms

This is a quick do-ahead recipe that makes a great cold side dish.
ingredients:

1/2 lb fresh white mushrooms, stems trimmed and caps gently wiped clean with a dry kitchen towel or soft mushroom brush
2 T light soy sauce
1 tsp Shaoxing cooking wine or dry sherry
1 pinch salt
1 tsp sesame oil
1/8 tsp chopped salted chilies, or to [...]

Chilled Beancurd with Soy Sauce

This is the simplest of cold dishes and a great source of protein for a vegetarian meal. Tofu is one food our daughter has loved since she was just starting on solid foods – she hated pureed food and demanded something with a bit of texture, so she probably ate tofu just about every day [...]

Chef’s Vacation!

It’s spring break for the kids, so I’ll be taking time off from blogging this week – back with more next week!

Stirfried Lamb with Onions

Spring has sprung, and lamb is widely available just in time for Easter. Lamb is not extremely common in Chinese cuisine unless you travel to the areas that were traditionally inhabited by nomadic herders, mostly along the northern and western borders of the country. Because the meat is cut quite small, you needn’t worry about [...]