babi guling – indonesia

This seriously was one of the best pork we’ve ever had.  We followed an enthusiastic native to a no name side street for the best babi guling, or roasted suckling pig in the Kuta area.  A clean, simple, unpretentious food stall set in a shallow store front.  We liked it that there were no busload of tourists.

The chunks of pulled pork and chopped pork belly were incredibly delicious and moist, served with toffee colored crispy pork skin and vegetables bursting with rich flavors — fragrant coconut milk, galangal, lemongrass, lime, palm sugar, tumeric, garlic, shallots and chilies.

The no name food stall offered a modest menu, babi guling, pork bone soup simmered with tasty kale green and a few vegetable sides.  So delicious I had 4 plates.  Absolute pork heaven!

the perfect sesame chicken

This is my absolute favorite sesame chicken recipe! The fragrant sesame oil, sweet savory sauce and tender chicken, wonderful served with a bowl of steamy rice. You can adjust the amount of sugar and vinegar depending on how sweet and sour your palette prefers. Either black or white sesame seeds make the dish pretty. Happy May holiday weekend everyone!

3-4 chicken breasts, about 1 pound
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 spring scallions, chopped
Toasted black or white sesame seeds
Peanut oil for frying

For the Sauce:
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 small onion, finely minced
2 dried red chilies
2 tablespoons good quality roasted black sesame oil
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 cup stock or water
3 tablespoons cornstarch, mix well into 3 tablespoons of water

Cut the chicken breasts into small bite size pieces. In a mixing bowl, marinade the chicken with 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice wine and dust with cornstarch, mix well, let sit for 15 minutes. Deep fry the chicken pieces until lightly-medium golden brown. Fry in batches to ensure they brown evenly and not overly cooked. Drain on paper towel.

In a large skillet or wok, heat the sesame oil until smoking, throw in the garlic, onions, red chilies and fry until your kitchen is filled with the aroma. Carefully pour in the stock, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and bring to a boil. Thicken the sauce with the cornstarch mix while stirring constantly.

Put the chicken pieces in and flip the wok until the chicken pieces are well coated with the sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, chopped scallions and serve immediately.

colorful food tour bangkok

The vibrant colors, scents and flavors of street hawker fare in Bangkok, Thailand.

grandma’s lion’s head (狮子头)

When I was a young girl, I would love to come home from school and find my grandmother cooking in the kitchen all day. Our house would be filled with fragrant chilies, fresh cut vegetables, roasted garlic, lemons, aged soy sauce, star anise, ginger and caramelized rock sugar. Lion’s head has been the No. 1 comfort food in our family.

My grandmother was originally from Qingdao, grew up in Beijing then relocated to Taipei, Taiwan in the 50’s after college. In addition to my grandmother’s unique passion to food and gourmet cooking, Fu Pei Mei, the renown and beloved mother of Northern style cooking largely influenced her cooking style throughout the 70’s and 80’s. In those years, my grandmother traveled and lived as an expat in Saudi Arabia and Katong, Singapore, where she embraced cooking as a way to be closer to home. In the 90’s, she devoted her time to her grandchildren in America; gifting her heart through the food she prepared every day. Grandmothers are the best and here is a loving recipe that has been enjoyed in our family for decades.

artisan foods

This is my Shangdong grandmother’s and mother’s version of lion’s head. Jesse and I make this dish often as it’s one of our favorite Chinese comfort foods. Slowly braise to get tender, melt in your mouth meatballs. It’s best served with fresh steamy rice.

1 pound ground pork
1 head napa cabbage
12 stalks scallions, finely minced
1 teaspoon ginger, finely grated
1 egg
3 tablespoons cornstarch plus 1/2 cup cornstarch
4 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon rice wine
5 tablespoon soy sauce plus 2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy
6 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Wash and separate Napa cabbage leaves, drain well. In a medium bowl, mix the ground pork, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice wine, 3 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 egg, minced scallions and grated ginger. With a pair of chopsticks, mix in one circular motion either clockwise or counter…

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bali beach snacks

While Jesse surfed the famous Bali beach breaks in a late afternoon. I strolled around the beach where I crossed paths of sun worshippers’ and female hawkers selling exotic snacks out of straw baskets. The women were friendly and welcomed snap shots of their food. Fish rubbed with spicy sambal, along with a small fried fish and roti bread.

A mix veggies salad of sliced bitter melon, green beans, fried shallots and mashed avocados.

Sun worshippers on Seminyak beach.