Category Archives: Asian Recipes
A Clever, Distinctive Riff on Lasagna
Posted on February 26, 2024by foodgal2 comments
Chances are this will be the most unique lasagna you’ve ever sunk your teeth into.
That’s because in this version, the classic Italian dish veers Chinese — big-time.
The expected wide, frilly noodles with tomato sauce, abundant ground pork, and loads of stretchy cheese are there. But so are numbing Sichuan peppercorns, spicy chili oil, fragrant five-spice powder, and salty, funky preserved mustard greens.
Meet you new bestie, “Dan Dan Lasagna.”
This inventive recipe is from “Kung Food” (Clarkson Potter, 2023), of which I received a review copy. It was written by culinary content creator, and TikTok, YouTube and Instagram sensation, Jon Kung.
Born in Los Angeles, raised in Hong Kong and Toronto, and now living in Detroit, he pivoted from hosting pop-ups during the pandemic to growing a social media presence. His food emanates from what he calls his third-culture kitchen, seasoned and flavored by his personal experience as the child of immigrants who grew up in a new culture adopted by his parents. Feeling neither wholly American or Chinese, Kung considers his cooking American Chinese, or Third-Culture Chinese, a blend unique to his own upbringing.
The result is a collection of 100 recipes that tantalize with fun and flair, such as “SELT (Spam, Egg, Lettuce, and Tomato)” sandwich, “Spaghetti and Lion’s Head Meatballs,” “A Clay Pot Inspired By Jollof Rice,” “Hong Kong Chicken and Waffles,” and “Chile Chipotle Mango Pudding.”
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Kung Pao Sweet Potatoes to Usher In the Lunar New Year
Posted on February 9, 2024by foodgalLeave a comment
Start the Year of the Dragon off with a bang with something fiery and inspired.
“Kung Pao Sweet Potatoes” certainly isn’t traditional fare for the Lunar New Year, which starts on Saturday. But the dish certainly makes for an exciting and enticing new addition to the celebratory feast. Plus, it’s perfect for vegetarians, vegans, and anyone who enjoys twists on the classics.
This fun recipe is from “Veg-Table” (Chronicle Books, 2023), of which I received a review copy. It’s the newest cookbook by Los Angeles-based Nik Sharma, a former molecular biologist turned James Beard Award-winning, best-selling cookbook author, photographer, and recipe developer.
He brings his scientific background, precision for recipes, and love of big, bold flavors to bear on this collection of vegetable-focused recipes. It’s not a strictly vegetarian cookbook, but even when animal proteins are included, they play a more supporting rather than starring role.
The cookbook features more than 50 types of vegetables with recipes organized by plant family, including such temptations as “Kimchi Creamed Corn,” “Crispy Salmon with Green Curry Spinach,” “Cauliflower Bolognese,” and “Carrot, Apple, and Harissa Soup.”
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Warming Up with Korean Braised Tofu
Posted on January 15, 2024by foodgalLeave a comment
Over the holidays, with my husband and I both slogging through our first bouts of Covid ever (we escaped it for nearly four years, so I guess it was only a matter of time), and then with him experiencing a rebound case right after, I half-joked that I needed a hazmat team to come to my house to rid the premises once and for all of every germ in sight.
Or maybe we just needed some spicy tofu.
Homey, comforting, and with enough Korean chili pepper and fresh slices of jalapeno to rev and warm the immune system and every other part of the body, it sure hit the spot.
But you don’t have to be ailing to thoroughly enjoy “Braised Tofu (Dooboo Jorim).” Because this easy dish will leave you contented no matter what.
It’s from “Sohn-Mat” (Hardie Grant, 2023) of which I received a review copy.
This collection of Korean home-cooking recipes is by Monica Lee, owner of Beverly Soon Tofu, and co-author Tien Nguyen, who has written several cookbooks, including the “The Red Boat Fish Sauce Cookbook.”
When Beverly Soon Tofu opened in 1986, Lee says it was the only one of its kind in Los Angeles serving soon tofu stew in Koreatown. So, this is a woman who definitely knows her tofu dishes.
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Welcoming 2024 with Fried and Braised Lotus Root and Carrot
Posted on January 1, 2024by foodgalLeave a comment
After indulgent holiday prime rib, potatoes au gratin, and countless buttery pies, rich puddings, and lofty cakes, time to start the new year off on a lighter note, don’t you think?
If so, then “Fried and Braised Lotus Root and Carrot” fits the bill.
It is the simplest of Japanese side dishes with a whole lot of crunch and sweet caramelization.
It’s from the cookbook, “Gohan: Everyday Japanese Cooking” (Smith Street Books, 2022), of which I received a review copy.
The books is by Emiko Davies, an Australian-Japanese food writer and photographer who now lives in Italy. This is her sixth cookbook, and the first one centered on Japanese cuisine.
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Potato and Mushroom Gratin — With A Japanese Twist
Posted on November 15, 2023by foodgalLeave a comment
At this time of year, a potato gratin is almost de rigueur.
And over the years, I’ve made countless variations on them.
This particular one for “Potato and Mushroom Gratin” caught my eye because it includes a novel ingredient: miso.
The recipe is from “Make It Japanese” (Clarkson Potter), of which I received a review copy.
The cookbook is by Rie McClenny, a culinary content creator and graduate of the French Culinary Institute who created viral food videos for BuzzFeed Tasty. Born in Hiroshima, she now lives in Los Angeles. It was written with Sanae Lemoine, a former cookbook editor for Phaidon and Martha Stewart.
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