Japanese katsudon consists of a panko-breaded pork cutlet, served with soft eggs and sliced onions over white rice. This "cheat" takes care of two problems for me: 1) providing a vegetarian alternative and 2) saving me the trouble of breading and frying! I used a frozen breaded "turkey" cutlet and simply heated it up in … Continue reading Cheat Katsudon
In the past few years, I’ve had a significant number of people ask me why I went vegetarian, and I’ve never really been able to articulate my answer before. My response ranges from “meat is bad for the environment” to “I don’t like the idea of eating animals” or even “meat too hard to cook.” … Continue reading Meat, Intention, and The Lion King
Chives have such a strong, amazing flavor and texture. Garlicky, crunchy, and refreshing, my favorite way to enjoy this vegetable is with Chinese scramble-fried eggs. One form of that combination is "chive boxes," or jiu cai he zi. Chive boxes are technically classified as a type of pan-fried dumpling, except they're so large that you … Continue reading Chive Boxes 韭菜盒子
The strange thing is that even though I was never the biggest fan of burgers, I went through the effort to make this veggie burger even before I went vegetarian. Mashed black beans, mushrooms, quinoa, and oats create a tender, yet chewy hamburger patty flavored with cumin and paprika. The patty is then topped with … Continue reading Black Bean Burgers
They say the best things were created by mistake: Post-It notes, potato chips, and these cabbage rolls. I don't know if anyone else has experienced this problem where cabbage heads are nearly impossible to finish. You just keep peeling and chopping and shaving but they never end. So to use up some of the cabbage … Continue reading Fried Rice Cabbage Rolls
Banana bread is one of my favorite, go-to desserts. I can't explain why, since I don't even like bananas that much. But last semester, I would hoard bananas from the dining hall solely for the purpose of making banana bread. Like, I would have at least 5 bananas in my room at all times, just … Continue reading Bomb-ass Banana Bread
Coconut mango is one of the most classic dessert flavor combinations. The mild fruitiness gives an undeniably tropical feeling, whether it's used in pastries, confectionaries, or drinks. Coconut cream vs Coconut milkEssentially, canned coconut cream is just coconut milk, but reduced and condensed. It makes more sense to me to buy coconut cream and dilute … Continue reading Coconut Mango Mochi
Ah, radish cake. A classic dim sum favorite, this dish is made primarily with daikon radish and rice flour. My family actually rarely eats dim-sum, and I only remember ordering this once. I loved the soft chewiness of the rice flour with the crisp exterior. This is achieved by first steaming the batter to make … Continue reading Radish Cake 萝卜糕 Luo Bo Gao
Lucky Lee's, NYC You may or may not have heard about a Chinese restaurant that recently opened in New York called "Lucky Lee's," started by a woman named Arielle Haspel. The restaurant was marketed as "clean" Chinese food, featuring menu items like "Orange Cauliflower" and "Quinoa Un-Fried Rice." Yeah, I know right? She claimed, in … Continue reading Clean My Culture
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