@girlfromcalifornia - food, travel, life
As a kid, whenever we went to a Chinese restaurant, especially a Shanghainese restaurant, we would always order stir-fried rices cakes (炒年糕) of some sort — sometimes with cabbage and other times with shepherd’s purse. Since being in New York, I haven’t found a restaurant […]
After spending a few days at a resort in Koh Phangan, I went back to the backpacker life and stayed at a hostel on Koh Phangan, which ended up being the best decision. I chose to stay at Jungle Vibes after reading all the positive […]
We were a wonton family – we never really made potstickers or jiao zi but wontons, wontons we always had in the freezer. What’s the nuance? If dumplings are the broader category for dough that is wrapped around a filling in a pocket-like form, then […]
Fun fact: I don’t like scallions. But I love scallion pancakes. And as a kid, I loved scallion oil – emphasis on the oil, not the scallions. Every time my mom would make scallion oil, I would diligently pick out every single scallion before mixing […]
I had a mochi muffin for the first time a few weeks ago and learned that they’re actually very similar to the nian gao dessert (sticky rice cake) that my mom would make. Given that it’s the season for all things ~pumpkin~ I decided to […]
Unlike the HK-style shu mai you see at dim sum and yum cha that’s filled with meat and shrimp, Shanghai-style shu mai is stuffed with sticky rice mixed with ground pork, shiitake mushrooms, and dried mushrooms. However, more often than not, I never make it […]
I’ve recently started to crave braised pork with rice, lu rou fan (滷肉饭) often. Even though I didn’t grow up eating this dish at home, it still tastes homey. I, in particular, find myself craving this when hungover — file under: weird hangover cravings. While […]
As a kid, whenever we went to a Chinese restaurant, especially a Shanghainese restaurant, we would always order stir-fried rices cakes (炒年糕) of some sort — sometimes with cabbage and other times with shepherd’s purse. Since being in New York, I haven’t found a restaurant […]
The reason I love galettes is the same reason why I generally prefer cooking over baking: precision. Unlike cakes and cookies, the beauty of a galette is in the imperfection. A simple, flaky dough, wrapped around whatever you want your filling to be. In the […]