I’ve made these about 4 times in the past two weeks, and I think I’ve come up with some helpful tips to get them just right: crispy on the outside but still with that great chew in the middle, that perfect flake, screaming green onion flavor, and the perfect accompaniments. I also spent about 11 months in Taiwan over the past 2 years, and I can say with confidence that these come pretty close to the flattened variety of scallion pancake (as opposed to 爪餅, which is a fluffed up version with barely connected layers) that can be found at at least one street cart in every neighborhood there. The flavor and textures really reminds me of my time in Taiwan, but the best part is the smell, which fills the whole house every time I make these completely mood-changing, mind-altering, tummy-filling treats. You asked for it, and now here it is - my recipe for scallion pancakes!
Read MoreBasic? Probably. Still worth making? Obviously. I updated the baking method of my mom’s carrot cake recipe for a cupcake application so that I could try to prolong eating a whole cake, maybe by splitting it into two or three sittings? Clearly I ate all the cupcakes the minute I was finished with their photo shoot; So much for goals.
Read MoreMy mom recently told me about some peanut butter brownies she’d had at a restaurant in Florida, and demanded I make them for her. I told her that was basic AF, and that I would make something better. And then I did it.
Read MoreLove olives? This is the recipe for you. Hate olives? Suck it up and give these a try!
Read MoreI’ve done it. I’ve finally done it. I’ve created a cookie that my mom has deemed “Christmas-worthy”. This is no simple feat, people. Christmas is a huge deal in my house, and it is not easy to create a recipe which can rival any number of my grandma’s 50 time-tested and perfect varieties that she makes every year, but I think I managed!
Read MoreContinuing with my Eastern European obsession, I’ve ventured into desserts! I call these the pop tarts of the Czech Republic.
Read MoreI had persimmons, so…. I basically had to…
Read MoreSo I’ve been on this Eastern European kick, and it just keeps on providing. There’s just something about how rustic and simple, yet jam packed with flavor, their foods are that keeps me coming back for more. So there is a Georgian restaurant in San Diego that I used to go to all the time - That was the first and only time I’ve had it, much to my chagrin. I fully planned to go back once a week for the rest of my life just for that one dish, but then I moved and now I’m sad :( Or at least I was until I decided to make a new and improved version myself this past weekend!
Read MoreContinuing on with my Eastern European theme, after my recent trip to Budapest, i had to try my hand at making goulash. American goulash, from what I can tell, consists of elbow macaroni and canned chili, which I find to be fundamentally abhorent, so when I tried the true Hungarian version, I was blown away. Obviously they inundate it with Hungarian paprika (actually an import from Turkey, I learned), and it almost served the same purpose as MSG in Chinese food - it basically enhances the amount of drool that you invariably and uncontrollably produce after consuming a tiny amount of it. Other than that, there’s not much to it. I think it’s not really necessary to add much. It’s perfect in its simplicity.
Read MoreA few weeks ago I travelled to Czechia for work, and while I was there I spent some time eating foods in Eastern Czechia as well as Slovakia, Hungary, and Austria. Now I’m back and over my jetlag, and find myself super inspired by all the Eastern European food I tried while I was over there. In particular, the pastries stand out in my mind. In Budapest, I saw something like a croissant, though less laminated in texture, filled with walnuts, some kind of fruit, and dark kind of sugary paste, and it instantly reminded me of rugelach. I resolved to make some, but wanted to update the traditional Jewish recipe, which originates in Poland. I replaced the raisins with cranberries, and updated the dough a little to make it flakier, more similar to what I had seen in Budapest. The result was a crispy, layered, chewy confection, super sweet yet balanced well by a relatively huge amount of butter (obviously) and nuts.
Read MoreK I know what you’re thinking. WTF is a muffcake? Well I made these zucchini bread muffins, but then topped them with cream cheese frosting, so they bear the resemblance of cupcakes… so… muffcakes?
Read MoreLife has been crazy over the past couple months. But mainly it’s been mega hot summer misery - Every time I cook, I end up needing a shower after just to clean off all the sweat. Boiling water and cooking meats especially is a killer on the temperature inside the house. Opening windows is clearly not an option, because spiders live outside. Needless to say, kitchen time has been kept to a minimum. That being said, I still require pasta.
Read MoreI’ve been wanting to make cheesecake for a while, but I didn’t want to make a giant cheesecake, and I was having trouble finding smaller springform pans, so the idea just lingered in my mind like the one orange in the bag covered in mold that makes you not want to eat any of the other oranges. But, I finally found 4-inch springform pans, and so am now uninhibited in the realm of cheesecake, or so I thought. Alas, I think it was not a hardware issue that was keeping me from making this next culinary endeavor; I think I was afraid because I had no experience with setting dairy-based batters. People make cheesecake and it has this perfect un-cracked surface that seemed so unattainable. Whatever though, I like cracks more, so I decided I was really just being a baby, and so I took the leap and bought some cream cheese.
Read MoreI had leftover potatoes, and any recipe I’ve ever used that calls for tomato paste only calls for 1 or 2 Tbsp, so I had like 3 half-used cans of it. What could I do other than obviously just add butter and make pies?
Read MoreI went to Maine (Portland is pretty cool!) over the weekend for my brother’s bachelor party. I can’t remember much of the weekend, but I do remember being generally cold. After living in California for 8 years, I am absolutely no longer acclimated to the weather in the North East. Anyway, what do I crave when it is unbearably cold outside? Soup!
Read MoreHave you ever wanted to straight up destroy your body? It happens to me all the time, for any number of reasons. Perhaps I had a good day at work and I feel like I deserve a little gluttony. Maybe I had a bad day at work and just want to die. Either way, I usually end up eating a dinner made up of at least 75% butter. Sometimes (all the time), it’s just what I need, and this meal is perfect for it.
Read MoreI made this soup three times this past week. It took me about 20 minutes total, each time. Cleaning is a breeze because you basically only need a pot, a pan, and two bowls. But that’s all logistics. the flavor is the true success of this dish. The Miso mixed with the fat from the pork results in this beautiful velvety broth. The Fresno chili is no joke - they pack a spicy punch and cut the richness. The orange and lime serve a similar purpose, and add some sweetness. The ginger is fresh and bright. The rest is a textural dream.
Read MoreTo be honest, Bolognese is a bit of a luxury item in my home. It has three kinds of meat in it…. THREE! That, paired with the sheer amount I produce, makes it a pretty cost-prohibitive meal. But fuck it, this is worth the splurge.
Read MoreAnd I’m back! After a few crazy months in Taiwan and all over the US, I am back in California and ready to ruin your New Years diets. I don’t have a kitchen, so I’ll be posting recipes for some old Instagram posts until I’m able to be a fully functioning cook in my own home. In that vain, this post will have the recipe to the Thanksgiving Stack I made, well, for Thanksgiving, about a million years (one month) ago.
Read MoreEvery kind of pancake is amazing, but I’m drooling just writing an intro for this one. These will definitely be a staple in my home in the winter months ahead.
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