Tag: onion

  • Chinese “gnocchi” and stew: 貓耳朵

    I first had this dish when my grandma came one year from Taiwan to visit … The literal translation for 貓耳朵  (pinyin: mao1 er3 duo1) is “cat ear”.. but don’t worry no cats are harmed in the making of this dish.  The rolled flour dumplings look like cat ears, which is what the name of […]

  • Loofah Squash [Si Gua] (絲瓜)

    My grandma introduced me to this vegetable when I went to Taiwan one year… and if you were wondering, it really is the same loofah that you use to scrub your back in the shower! But it tastes delicious and is a great light vegetable to eat. So easy to make too… Ingredients: 2 loofah […]

  • Chicken and Dumplings

    I swear in my last life I was probably from the South… I love all comfort foods! Chicken pie, meatloaf, fried chicken and… chicken and dumplings! We recently purchased a new cook book from America’s Test Kitchen and I must say that it has not yet disappointed us. To my delight, I saw a recipe […]

  • Salsa

    I make salsa all the time, even when I have only one tomato laying around; this recipe scales so easily. Once you become familiar with the ratio of ingredients and how simple it is, you’ll be making salsa all the time too. Ingredients: 5 – 6 Tomatoes 1/3 Onion (any color) 1/2 – 1 Jalapeno […]

  • Butternut Squash Soup

    In case you haven’t cooked with butternut squash before, it’s very similar to a pumpkin. It has a light yellow skin and orange flesh on the inside with seeds in the middle. Who doesn’t love butternut squash soup?! It’s a tasty and hearty soup that warms the soul. Plus, butternut squash is so versatile! It […]

  • Five Spice Pork / Lu3 Ro4 Fan4 [滷肉飯]

    This is one of my favorite Taiwanese meals (滷肉飯).  Usually it takes hours to simmer, but I’ve got it down to less than an hour. Just make a pot of rice (or if you have a Zojirushi rice cooker, just set it for when you get home from work), make this.. and viola- Taiwanese dinner! […]

  • Green Onion Pancake – 蔥油饼 – cōng yóu bǐng

    I always thought that green onion pancakes (蔥油饼 – cōng yóu bǐng) were beyond my capabilities and had accepted that I would only have this treat in restaurants until ellen’s 婆婆 (pópo – grandma on the mother’s side) taught me. The trick to the twisty layers of these pancakes is mixing warm and cold dough […]

  • Spaghetti Sauce

    This is a recipe from my dad, modified to be a little healthier and cooked in a crock pot instead of over a flame. You will need: 6 tomatoes 1.5 to 2 onions 2 green bell peppers 1 garlic clove 1 lb of ground beef or turkey 1 pack of mushrooms olive oil salt optional: […]

  • How Tao Cuts an Onion

    I’ve seen people struggle with cutting onions before. I don’t claim to be the best or anything, but if you are interested, please read further on how I cut my onions… 1. Cut the onion in half, from tip to base, as shown below: 2. Cut out the base, turn it around, then cut out […]

  • Zha Jiang Mian [炸醬麵]

    I often feel that zhà jiàng miàn (炸醬麵) is more often known as a Korean noodle dish than the Chinese noodle dish from which its name comes from. The name literally means “Fried sauce noodles.” This is a really simple dish that you can easily make a big batch of and eat for a few […]