If you have traveled to Singapore or Malaysia, one famous Chinese soup you are bound to have heard of is Bah Kut Teh. This soup, which literally translates to “Meat Bone Tea (肉骨茶)” from the Teochew language, is a deeply flavorful pork ribs broth that contains no tea (despite the name). This pork ribs soup is intensely [Read More...]
Sweet rice dumplings, or Tang Yuan, is a traditional Chinese sweet dessert that is similar to the Japanese mochi in appearance. Like mochi, Tang Yuan is made out of glutinous rice flour and water to form a smooth al-dente dough which is rolled into round balls. While mochi is typically served dry, Tang Yuan is always served moist with a sweet gingery syrup. Tang Yuan is also never filled with ice cream like some versions of mochi. Instead, Tang Yuan is typically filled with a sweet delectable [Read More ...]
This is a delicious classic double steamed Chinese dessert I love. It has a delicate sweetness that is lightly contrasted with a smooth gingery zing that sits over a lovely mellow tone of almond fragrance and fresh pears. This dessert is good year round but especially suitable for the cold dry autumn and winter seasons. This dessert soup nourishes and moisturizes the lungs and skin. It helps to quench thirst and expel phlegm. This dessert can be [Read More...]
As we are in the midst of the dry cold season, I was reminded of a delicious moisturizing soup that my family enjoys during this time of year. This soup, made with ya li Asian pears, dried figs, and a few simple Chinese herbs, is a gentle nourishing tonic that moistens the lungs and skin from the [Read More...]
This revitalizing Dong Quai and Red Date tea is a traditional recipe in Chinese food therapy. Although typically drank by women, it is consumed by men also. For women, this tea has been used for centuries to replenish the blood supply after a menstruation cycle or child birth. It is also used by Chinese women to relieve gynecological ailments, or menopausal symptoms. This recipe is so easy to make, with 3 simple steps that anyone can do at home [Read More ...]
For those who celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you had a warm and wonderful holiday weekend! I enjoyed my time off with my husband eating and relaxing. We also took a day hike at Mountain Diablo. From the top of the summit there, at about 3,900 ft above sea level, we can see all the way to the [Read More...]
This tea tastes great. In fact, it tastes a bit like iced tea but with a hint of sweet hawthorn fragrance when served cool. This tea is so refreshing and aperitive. I love a cup of this tea after a heavy meal has been had. This is because hawthorn is known to aid in digestion and support [Read More...]
With Spring already here, the winter root vegetables and squashes are at a tail end of their seasonality. And one of my favorite winter vegetables, daikon, will soon disappear in the supermarkets until the next winter season. So while I can still find them, I decided to purchase some and make my last daikon soup until the [Read More...]
My husband and I were at our local farmer’s market today. And we (ok, more like me) indulged on a shopping spree of irresistibly fresh, colorful, and sweet-smelling organic seasonal fruits and vegetables. The produce at the market were so fresh. The vegetable leaves were thick and of a deep vibrant green. They looked so good [Read More...]
Today, March 20th, is equinox day and marks the first day of Spring in 2011 for those living in the Northern Hemisphere. This means the sun’s center is directly over the earth’s equator, giving us days and nights that are roughly equal in length. To welcome the coming of Spring, I wanted to make a delicious [Read More...]