If you like fried rice, you must not miss the Indonesian and Malay versions called nasi goreng. What is nasi goreng? Nasi goreng means fried rice in Indonesian language and also in Malay language. It is cooked with a chili paste consisting of bird’s-eye chili, shallot, garlic, belacan (a local shrimp paste), and anchovies. It is …

When I first heard about Chinese scallion pancake (Cong You Bing, 葱油饼), I was genuinely surprised. Growing up, the only pancakes I knew were the sweet, fluffy ones served at breakfast with syrup, butter, or fruit. So the idea of savory pancakes, which are crispy, flaky, and packed with scallions, felt like an entirely different …

Stir-fry Chinese vegetables are so easy to prepare that we often take it for granted. Chinese vegetable stir fry may not qualify a place on the banquet menu, but it remains as the most popular dish among Chinese households. Its popularity is because it can be completed within five minutes, with only a handful of …

Hong Kong style sausage rolls (also called hot dog rolls, hot dog buns) is a hybrid of hot dog bun and the western sausage rolls wrapped in puff pastry. It is the inevitable outcome of the western cultural assimilation into the local culinary, which emerged as a new variant as a soft bun with sausage …

This article is about how to make a perfect marble cake. I started baking about ten years ago and particularly like butter’s rich flavor and tender texture. This marble cake recipe is adapted from my butter cake recipe, which is the top-selling cake in my cafe. Since I also like chocolate, this marble cake has …

Have you ever tried chicken thighs infused with lemongrass flavor? I will explain how to prepare the classic lemongrass chicken in this article.  If you want to throw in some Asian flavor apart from the typical soy sauce-based Chinese cuisine, this Vietnamese-inspired pan-fried lemongrass chicken chop will guarantee to be a total crowd-pleaser. In addition, …

Lion’s Head Pork Meatballs (Lion’s head meatballs) is a highly regarded Chinese cuisine that catches everyone’s attention because of its size. It measures up to 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter, juicy, fluffy, and served with an umami-packed gravy.  It is different because the pork meatballs are stewed in a braising liquid, instead of the …

If you want a quick and easy recipe with Asian flavors, try this Asian chicken thighs recipe.  There are only two main steps you need – to marinate and bake.  Why does this Asian chicken thighs recipe work?  This recipe works because: What is five-spice powder? Five-spice powder 五香粉 is a combination of five Asian …

Tofu should not taste bland if it is properly cooked and seasoned. This sweet and sour tofu (糖醋豆腐) will surely make your mouth foaming uncontrollably! The tofu is pan-fried, then doused in a sweet and sour sauce, with the intermingling of flavors from ketchup, vinegar, and soy sauce. It is then stir-fried with crisp and …

In this article, I want to explain how to prepare the Chinese-style stuffed cabbage roll I made as a teenager.  The flavor of these traditional cabbage rolls still lingers on in my memory after a lapse of so many years. (Imagine my son has already married!) I still vaguely remember the process and have tweaked …