Join me on a tour of our container garden on our tiny apartment balcony. I have tips for how to start your own garden, no matter how small the space. Whether you have a sunny windowsill, sun-less corner, fire escape, or tiny balcony, you can grow herbs and vegetables. They will bring joy to your apartment and amp up your cooking!
Hot and Sour Hunan Green Beans are my take on a classic Hunan side dish: pickled long beans with ground pork. It’s one of the most memorable flavors of my childhood. Crunchy, spicy, savory, spicy, bright, these green beans instantly perk up any meal.
Happy 端午节 (duān wǔ jié) Dragon Boat Festival! This year, I’d like to introduce you to a traditional Chinese dessert that deserves a spot at your table: 绿豆糕 (lǜ dòu gāo) mung bean cakes! Mung bean cakes are delicate, pretty pastries that started out as imperial desserts 贡品 (gòng pín) in the 清朝 Qīng dynasty. Back then, only emperors and nobles could have them. They are soft and creamy, lightly sweet and refreshing. And my version is so healthy that it’s ok to have several!
A comprehensive look at soy milk 豆浆 from a historic, nutrition, and environmental perspective concludes that homemade soy milk is the top choice. We’ve updated cooking methods and carefully selected ingredients to make extra-nutritious, environmental and budget-friendly Vitamix / blender soy milk.
Sichuan Spicy Boiled Fish 水煮鱼 (shuǐ zhǔ yú), literally just “water-boiled fish” sounds ordinary but tastes extraordinary. It’s a vibrant, moderately 麻辣 (málà) spicy and mouth-numbing dish of white fish and vegetables lightly poached in fragrant broth. Sichuan spicy boiled fish is a variant on the famous 重庆火锅 (Chóngqìng huǒ guō) Chongqing spicy hotpot, modified to serve large groups of taxi drivers during their breaks. It’s been one of the most popular dishes in restaurants across China since 1983, when a young Chongqing chef won first prize in a Sichuan food competition with this local invention. Here’s my easy, authentic, and scratch-made version, along with the best wines to drink with it.
The flavors in Chinese food are definitely complex, nuanced, and varied. But that doesn’t mean that they can’t be harmonious with wine. To show that delicious Chinese food and a nice bottle of wine make the perfect match, I’m including recommended wine pairings with my Chinese and Chinese-inspired recipes. I’ll have favorite varietals, good bottles, plus the characteristics and proper serving temps. 干杯 Cheers!
