Asian

Kimchi Bokumbop (Kimchi Fried Rice)

Kimchi Bokumbop (Kimchi Fried Rice)

Happy Lunar New Year, everyone! All last week I had grand plans to make jiao zi (dumplings) and dou sha bao (steamed buns with red bean paste) and other Chinese goodies, but somehow I never got around to it. Fortunately, the New Year is supposed to be celebrated for 15 days, so I’ve still got plenty of time to make everything. In the meantime, I just had to satisfy my craving for kimchi fried rice. My friend Grace posted a picture of her husband cooking it for a midnight snack a few days ago, and I’ve had kimchi on the brain ever since. It’s just so pungent and tangy and delicious! So good as a side, but possibly even better in fried-rice form. It’s definitely...

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Sushi — Unagi Rolls and California Rolls

Sushi — Unagi Rolls and California Rolls

Hello, all. I’d like to introduce everyone to my third guest blogger — my good friend Christina Feng. We were near inseparable in our first two years of college, but the only time I ever saw her in the kitchen was the time we made fortune cookies for our friend Jimmy’s birthday. Turns out she was hiding secret cooking powers from me! But now the cat is out of the bag, and she’s here today to share a recipe with us. I’m ghost-writing the blog entry, but all pictures are courtesy of Christina. Thanks, Stina! So Christina’s boyfriend’s parents are in town this weekend, and like the good girlfriend-in-law that she is, she decided to treat them to a delicious home-cooked meal. Miso soup...

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Salt and Pepper Chicken

Salt and Pepper Chicken

Anyone who went to college in the Boston/Cambridge area has ordered from Quan’s Kitchen at least once. Generous portions of greasy Chinese food, low prices, and delivery until 1am — what more could a college kid want? Pulling an all-nighter to study for a test? Order some Quan’s to keep your energy up. Hungry after a night of drinking with your friends? Greasy Chinese food cures hangovers. Tired of dining hall food? Q-U-A-N-S! Quan’s actually has pretty decent authentic Chinese food, but the majority of its young clientele are of the Kung Pao Chicken persuasion. Yuck. Dan used to be one of those people. Back when Dan was a Chinese food noob, he was a huge fan of the Orange Chicken at Panda Cafe....

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Okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki

In the last two days or so, I’ve become obsessed with a food blog called “Closet Cooking.” It was started by a guy who realized one day that he was eating the same things over and over again, and wanted to spice up his daily dining experiences. So he dove right into the world of cooking and went from making grilled cheese sandwiches to inventing caramelized pear and gorgonzola quiches. Meanwhile, I’m making 30-minute skillet chicken parmesan… One of the recipes on the blog that caught my eye was the one for Okonomiyaki. My experience with Japanese cuisine has been limited mainly to teriyaki and sushi, but I’m an avid watcher of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations, and I knew about okonomiyaki from his visit to Osaka....

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Chinese Birthday Meal

Chinese Birthday Meal

I have the best mother on the planet. I know everyone thinks their mother is the best, but take my word for it guys…mine is the greatest ever. She’s beautiful, glamorous, wildly intelligent, kind-hearted, and generous to a fault. She’s always there for me when I need her, I’m pretty sure her life goal — other than becoming an international expert on honeybee viruses (which she is) — is to make sure I’m happy and fulfilled, and she bullies me into being the best that I can be every day. She is my idol, and I love her. And I don’t think I do enough to show her that I appreciate her. Her birthday was last Thursday, and as per usual I had something...

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Fried Rice

Fried Rice

Maybe it’s because it was the first thing I ever learned to cook, but fried rice is my ultimate comfort food. It’s what my mom made for me instead of chicken noodle soup when I was sick, and it was my go-to dinner in college when the dining hall’s food wasn’t cutting it. Some people crave hot and melty Kraft mac n’ cheese on a rainy day, I go for a big, steaming bowl of fried rice. Fried rice so easy to make, and it’s just chock full of all my favorite things to eat: eggs, rice, vegetables, and meat. It’s good by itself as a meal, or as an accompaniment to other yummy side dishes. And, just 2 cups of rice can make...

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Pad Thai

Pad Thai

When my friend Jill graduated (early!) law school back in December, she treated herself to a trip to Thailand. In between relaxing and sightseeing, she squeezed in a few cooking lessons, and brought back tons of awesome new recipes to share. At our most recent girls’ night dinner, she showed me, Emily, and Leslie how to make pad thai. I was pretty excited for this dinner, not least because this was my first time hanging out with Jill in about 4 months. What really sweetened the pot, though, was the fact that Jill is currently house/dog-sitting for a girl that works at Williams-Sonoma and has access to a kitchen stocked with all kinds of sweet cooking equipment. Just looking at the huge selection of...

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