Sourdough Waffles

February 17, 2019.Reading time 5 minutes.

I am guilty of many things in life – one of which has been, until recently, neglecting my sourdough starter with varying degrees of severity. I mean, if wild yeast abuse was an actual thing, hoo-boy would I be in trouble! Sure, there were weeks at a time when Chad (my starter) would be happy, healthy, and well-fed. Unfortunately, equally frequent were the spurts when I just didn’t have time to make or think about bread, and Chad (as we like to call him) would become lost to the oblivion that is the back of our fridge. When I did eventually rediscover his existence, I would find him in a sad state indeed: slumped, sour, and malnourished. I would then nurse him back from the clutches of death – only to repeat this rather demented cycle a short time later. Now, it’s not like I’m a bad person. This wasn’t intentional torture, it’s just that sometimes Chad just didn’t make it onto my priority list – life, amirite? Well, let me tell you – these sourdough waffles have changed all that!

Siu Hao Jo (Laughing Sesame Balls)

February 4, 2019.Reading time 6 minutes.

Last week, we wrote about making peanut puffs, a treat from Royce’s childhood. Siu hao jo, or “laughing balls” are another snack traditionally enjoyed around Lunar New Year. These balls are basically sesame fried dough, and are so-named because they split open when fried, which I guess someone decided looked like a laughing mouth. We first made these a few years ago, with a recipe passed along from a friend’s dad, and we were thrilled with how they turned out. It was particularly rewarding, as that year we had experimented with several other treats without much success. Read More

Kok Chai (Chinese Peanut Puff)

February 1, 2019.Reading time 5 minutes.

Happy Lunar New Year! Sometimes you can’t help but reminisce about the good old days, especially with traditional celebrations just around the corner. For me, part of the good old days was making treats with my family on the roof of the building where my po po (婆婆) lived. Read More

Pickled Tomatillos

September 12, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

Photo Credit: Ruth Skiba

Recipe Adapted from Farmer Karin
3lb tomatillos
2 cups of water
2 cups of white distilled vinegar
1 green chili pepper
4 tablespoon sea salt
4 teaspoon sugar

1. In a sauce pot, combine all ingredients, except tomatillos, and bring to a boil.
2. Carefully pour hot liquid over tomatillos in sterile jars.
3. Place the lids on the jars and close fingertip tight. (Alternative to sealing the jars, you can cool the mixture and and vacuum seal it.)
4. Place the jars in the pot of water – water should be one inch below the top of the jars. Bring the water to a boil, once the water reaches a full rolling boil, boil the jars for 10-15 minutes.
5. Turn off the heat and remove jars with lifters or tongs.

Note: This is a basic pickle recipe that we often use. If you are making refrigerated pickles, you can have a 1:2 ratio between vinegar to water.

Mango Ducky with Coconut Bubbles

May 25, 2018.Reading time 3 minutes.

I first saw the play on soap and bubbles as a dessert by Andoni of Mugaritz. Inspired by this, for some time now I had been meaning to work on a rubber ducky and bubbles dessert. I finally got around to putting something together the other day. The resulting dish was nostalgic and playful — and it gave me the chance to try out a fun application of an aquarium air pump.