To All the Meals I've Cooked Before
An open love letter to all the meals I've lovingly prepared and enjoyed
For me, the best part of celebrating Lunar New Year is hands down the food (the lucky red pockets are a *very* close second). My extended family gets together at my grandma's house and we all dress in red (a colour that signifies good luck—it's supposed to scare off the bad spirits!) to celebrate. Every…
Stir-fried cheung fun (rice noodle rolls) is something I grew up eating for brunch or a light meal on weekends - my mom would whip some up as a treat for me and my brother whenever she had a chance to pick some up from the Chinese grocery store. I have a lot of fond memories of eating it in pyjamas on lazy Saturdays, and cooking it always makes me feel nostalgic.
Making dumplings with my family at my grandma's house is one of my most fond childhood memories. I loved when the whole family would gather around big bowls of dumpling filling, stacks of dumpling wrappers on the table, competing for who could make the most perfectly plump dumpling (without overstuffing!). It doesn't hurt that the result would be hundreds of steaming dumplings for dinner, dipped in the tangy combo of Worcestershire and soya sauce.
I love learning my mother and my grandmother’s home style Chinese recipes - they’re the foods I crave that I just can’t seem to get anywhere else. This pork tenderloin with silken tofu and crunch green beans is one of my all-time favourites that never disappoints, and always leaves me feeling extra grateful that I got to eat this so often growing up.
I love making stir fry for a quick midweek dinner, and this spicy udon has quickly become a regular go-to for me. I don't typically love ground pork because I find it can be a bit dry, but in this recipe it soaks up all the spicy goodness and blends wonderfully with the pillowy udons and tender Napa cabbage. This recipe was originally inspired by Bon Appetit's Better Than Takeout Udon recipe, but I made a few variations to suit my tastes (ie. adding gochujang for a more complex, spicy flavour) and now I can't imagine ever going back to the original version without spice!
Congee is one of my all-time favourite comfort foods - my mom always refers to it as the Chinese version of chicken noodle soup. Chinese people traditionally have it for breakfast, but I like it any time of day and often make a big batch in the morning before I head out to work so that I can come home to a big warm bowl of it for dinner. It's also an incredibly cost-effective meal to make - all you need is 8 parts water to 1 part rice to get a perfect congee. I like to use chicken thighs because they get delightfully stringy and swirl nicely into the rice after a day of slow cooking, but pork tenderloin and white fish like tilapia are also great substitutes.
To All the Meals I've Cooked Before 