If you seek wholesome and delicious recipes you can whip up quickly for the whole family, this PASTA WITH BROCCOLI, GARLIC AND LEMON checks all the boxes. Add it to your weeknight arsenal immediately! This recipe is the latest in my Instagram recipe series, You Got This in 30 Minutes, wherein every recipe is family-friendly and can be made in 30 minutes (or less). I’ve been excited about every single recipe I’ve shared in the series so far and this one is no exception.
Read moreHow To Make Bone Broth in the Oven / Oven Bone Broth Recipe (with Fail-Proof Gel)
The proof is in the jello! I am sharing the BEST, NO FAIL method to get bouncy BONE BROTH JELLO every single time: cook bone broth in a SUPER-LOW OVEN whuuuuut 🤯
Read moreShanghai Vegetable Rice ( 上海菜飯 )
This SHANGHAI “VEGETABLE RICE” is a simple comfort food of my childhood. It is the kind of humble home cooking that I love nd crave. The name of this recipe is a direct translation of its name in Chinese, 上海菜飯. Actually, the character 菜 (pronounced cài in Mandarin or choy in Cantonese) in this context refers specifically to leafy vegetables versus the broader definition of vegetables. Growing up, we simply called this “choy faan” or leafy vegetable rice.
Read more15 Minute Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
This is one of the easiest pastas you’ll ever make. In basically the same amount of time to cook the pasta, you can make the sauce. Then toss the sauce with the cooked pasta plus handfuls of baby spinach to wilt, and finish it with grated Pecorino Romano and dried chili pepper flakes. That is it. DINNER is served.
Read moreMushroom and Egg "Gyudon" Japanese Rice Bowl
This MUSHROOM AND EGG “GYUDON” JAPANESE RICE BOWL is an easy, healthy 30-minute meal perfect for weeknights. King mushrooms are an amazing swap-in for meat because of its inherent “meaty” texture and ability to soak in loads of flavour. My favourite way to prepare king mushrooms is hand-shredding into strips and sautéing them with a little bit of oil in a searing hot pan until they’re nice and brown on the edges. This technique brings out their flavour and make them satisfyingly “meaty”. If you haven’t tried this, you MUST. I highly recommend it 🤌
Read moreHow To Make Dumpling Wrappers from Scratch { with Step-By-Step Photo Tutorial and Video }
Homemade dumplings are a labor of love! And there is nothing else quite like them. People often express surprise to me that the dough for dumpling wrappers is simply made with all purpose flour and water. I think of it as being very similar to making pasta from scratch. You can master it with a little practice and the payoff is so satisfying ☺️
Read moreSweet Glutinous Rice Dumplings with Black Sesame Filling with Step-by-Step Photos and Video 黑芝麻湯圓 (Tang Yuan)
Tender and chewy glutinous rice dough encasing a rich, oozy sweet black sesame filling and served in a light ginger broth, these SWEET GLUTINOUS RICE DUMPLINGS WITH BLACK SESAME FILLING are heaven in every bite!
Read moreEasy Chinese Tomato Egg Noodles (番茄鸡蛋面)
This EASY CHINESE TOMATO EGG NOODLES is a dish you should most definitely have in your weeknight arsenal. It’s so quick and easy to prepare, and satisfying to eat. Summer tomatoes are glorious in this tomato-forward dish. But honestly I make this all year round because it is such a no-fuss meal I can throw together in 15 minutes. We all need more of those, am I right?
Read morePoached Shrimp + Melon Salad
Succulent poached shrimp and juicy melons are the stars of this POACHED SHRIMP + MELON SALAD. Dressed deliciously in an easy 5-ingredient vinaigrette of evoo, white balsamic vinegar, fresh lime juice, sugar (you can sub honey) and salt, and finished with addictive Tajín on top, this is a salad you’ll probably want to make all summer long!
Read moreConfit Garlic Hummus with Grilled Mushrooms
Before you think this is yet another hummus recipe, think again. This CONFIT GARLIC HUMMUS WITH GRILLED MUSHROOMS is absolutely unlike any other hummus recipe I’ve seen or tasted. Loads of garlic (two heads) is roasted in oil in the oven to flavour the smooth and creamy hummus. But it’s the mushroom topping that gives this dish its OH-MY-GOD swoon factor. A mix of cremini and shiitake mushrooms are grilled and then marinaded in garlic, lemon juice and peel, thyme, maple syrup and dried cascabel chile.
Read moreSheet Pan Strawberry Shortcake
With Spring well and truly here (yes, I hold my breath until the month of May), I knew I had to make this STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE recipe. This was definitely my first time baking a cake in a sheet pan and as you can clearly see, it worked out wonderfully. I love the fact that this single layer situation makes it fuss-free to feed a crowd. This cake serves 16 or more. The cake itself is rich and spongy, and super easy to make. My girls made the cake on their own and I added the toppings after the cake cooled. Everyone LOVED IT.
Read moreMouclade mussels in saffron cream sauce
MOUCLADE is a divine dish of steamed mussels in a mild saffron curry cream sauce kissed with cognac. It originated from La Rochelle in south western France and is my favourite way to enjoy fresh mussels! In my version, it is a bit lighter (and almost dairy-free) by using oat milk instead of the traditional heavy cream. Lighter, but ever so luscious and flavourful. A fresh, crusty baguette is a must for sopping up all the saucy goodness.
Read moreMeringue Nest Cookies with Mascarpone Whipped Cream
These MERINGUE NEST COOKIES WITH MASCARPONE WHIPPED CREAM topped with mini chocolate eggs are absolutely necessary for Easter! These darling treats are definitely not just for the kids 😉
Read moreShanghai Spring Rolls
These SHANGHAI SPRING ROLLS are exactly the kind I grew up eating so they are, hands down, my favourite type of spring rolls! My paternal Shanghainese grandmother used to make it and my dad makes it. We usually make a big pot of simple meatless congee to go with it for a weekend lunch everybody looks forward to!
Read moreEasy Kimchi Fried Rice + Tips For Perfect Rice!
I love rice and I love kimchi. Like, looooooove. Today I’m sharing this EASY KIMCHI FRIED RICE recipe that’s become a weeknight staple ever since my two girls finally learned to enjoy kimchi! This is one of the quickest dinners you can pull together using fairly basic fridge and pantry staples. You can use homemade kimchi or store-bought kimchi. As easy as this recipe is, there is one thing I want you to pay attention to: perfect fried rice starts with perfectly prepared rice!
Read moreBaked Alaska
It was New Year’s Eve. The restaurant was fancy and the crowd dressed in their celebratory best. When the Baked Alaska arrived at the table, I pounced and devoured with fervent enthusiasm in a very unladylike manner. “That was soooo good” I gushed in my post-ecstasy state, to which my friend gleefully pointed out the chocolate schmears all over my chin. Okay so it wasn’t my most elegant moment but now you understand my obsession with BAKED ALASKA’s! 😆 It’s also been something on my To-Make bucket list since forever so I’m not sure why it took me so long to finally make it. This show-stopping dessert is much easier than it looks, especially when you cut out a lot of the work by buying quality gelato that is as good as anything you can make at home (probably better, if you’re me) like I did using Righteous Gelato.
Read moreAll Natural Tie Dye ( aka Watercolour / Galaxy ) Dumpling Wrappers
THIS POST IS FOR MAKING THE DUMPLING WRAPPERS ONLY. IF YOU NEED FILLING IDEAS, I GOTCHU! SEE MY LINKS TO MY TWO FAV DUMPLING RECIPES BELOW.
After posting these TIE DYE DUMPLING WRAPPERS on instagram, I decided to post the recipe and how-to here on the blog as well for anyone interested in having a bit of fun with their dumpling dough, too. Don’t be intimated. Adding natural colours to dumpling dough is easier than it looks. You start by creating a coloured liquid in a colour of your choice, which can take as little as a few minutes to do, then proceeding as you would normally for mixing and kneading dumpling dough. The coloured dough can be used by itself for a single-colour wrapper. But if you’re feeling extra, you can use them in combination with each other to create the tie-dye effect shown in this post. I’m going to explain how to do this. Spoiler alert: it’s more or less just twisting different coloured ropes of dough together a couple of times. Read on. You can do this!
Read moreChinese Vegetable Dumplings (Jiaozi / 餃子) { Recipe with Step-By-Step Photos }
I don’t even know who I am anymore. These delicious homemade Chinese Vegetable Dumplings (Jiaozi / 餃子) — filled with sautéed snow pea leaves, Chinese chives, shiitake mushrooms and tofu — are challenging all my fundamental, life-long dumpling beliefs! You see, I have always been very particular about dumplings. The dumpling skin must have a nice chewiness and the filling must be flavourful with the proper mouth-feel when you bite into it. I grew up eating and making lots and lots of a classic Shanghai style dumpling filled with bok choy, ground pork and sometimes shrimp. All of my life, I considered that recipe superior to all other dumplings. Hands down, by a landslide, without a shred of doubt, forever and ever, amen. Veggie dumplings? Pssssssft. Not even a contender. Why bother? Never had a veggie dumpling that I loved and was worth the trouble. UNTIL NOW…
Read moreMochi Waffles with Cinnamon Sugar + Lemon { gluten free }
What happens when you cross-breed a Belgian waffle, with Japanese mochi, with a Canadian doughnut aka a ‘Beaver Tail’? The result is like culinary eugenic whereby the best qualities of each are leveraged to create a superior breakfast or anytime treat – these addictively delicious Mochi Waffles with Cinnamon Sugar and Lemon. Don’t be misled by their unpretentious appearance. The texture of the waffles with the cinnamon-sugar-lemon combination is so amazing they need no further adornment. What’s more is, after researching other mochi waffle recipes and testing a handful myself, I streamlined the method so that the batter involves merely whisking dry ingredients and wet ingredients, then combining the two with a spatula. No stand mixer, and no need to first microwave a portion of flour and water separately. Because I’m lazy. And mostly because I didn’t feel the extra step was justified based on the outcome in this particular application. Awesome, right? Wait til you read what’s next!!
Read moreTartines with Mackerel + Refried Butter Beans { dairy-free, pescatarian }
The universe has not given canned Mackerel the love it deserves!
Mackerel has long been one of my go-to sushi choices. But as far as shopping in the canned fish aisle of the grocery store, I’m guilty of reaching for tuna most of the time, with sockeye salmon and sardine being my second and third choices. Why? Habit. Little did I know until now, canned mackerel is equally if not even more habit-forming. Case in point: these super simple and suuuper tasty Tartines with Mackerel and Refried Butter Beans are loved by my family and my foodie adult friends. The refried beans are creamy and savoury, and the mackerel fillets flakey and umami-packed. The parsley salad’s acidic and herbaceous freshness perfectly balances the other rich and creamy elements for a seriously delightful bite!
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