whenever I’m feeling like I need reset, I make this coconut dahl. it’s nourishing, jammed with fiber, and super delicious.
I love the use of coconut milk instead of dairy, as well as the addition of sweet potatoes and hearty greens to make it a more substantial meal.
if we’re feeling extra hungry, we’ll make a round of brown rice to go with it as well.
Read MoreI wanted eggs with the flavours of banh xeo (a vietnamese rice flour crepe) so I came up with this vietnamese style omelette. it’s a great addition to your weekday lineup, whether for breakfast, lunch or dinner!
Read Morean incredibly quick and simple meal to make, this kung pao shrimp is sweet, salty, sour and spicy, with a distinctive ma-la / 麻辣 (numbing hot) sensation from the sichuan peppercorns. I’ve toned down the quantity of it in this version as I don’t like it to overpower.
Read Morethe next time you go to a pho restaurant, look for this hidden gem on the menu. it’s probably past #20 of all the potential meat combos you can get in your pho. compared to pho, bo kho has a deeper umami taste, due to the tomatoes and fish sauce in the broth. it’s almost like the vietnamese version of beef bourguignon, but this time served on rice noodles! you can either cook this low and slow, sans agression (thanks ludo lefebvre for the best way to describe gentle cooking), or the process can be expedited with a pressure cooker or instant pot.
Read Moreyour mind will be blown the first time you make fresh curry paste. pounding each ingredient in the mortar and pestle and smelling the wafting perfumes that are released is absolutely intoxicating. even if you don’t have a mortar and pestle, the satisfaction of making fresh curry paste from your food processor, blender, whatever it may be, is well worth the effort. your curry will turn out more fragrant, flavourful, and luscious, plus, you can freeze portions of it for a quick weeknight meal! this does require some ingredient hunting, but most of it can be found at your local asian market. if you’re okay with store bought paste, skip to part 2 of the recipe for instructions. serve with steamed white rice, or try our coconut rice for some extra richness.
Read Morethis is my homage to hainanese chicken rice. a ubiquitous dish found throughout parts of east and southeast asia, and a dish that hits close to home.
what I love about hainanese chicken rice is that it’s an incredibly simple dish. skin-on, bone-in chicken is poached in a ginger scallion broth until just cooked through. the broth is then used to cook rice, ‘cause that sh*t ain’t going to waste! the results are tender, succulent meat with glistening skin, paired with punchy dipping sauces and schmaltzy rice. it takes experience to master, but when done right, hainanese chicken rice can be utter perfection.
Read Morean all around feel-good grain bowl with glazey carrots, charred broc, jammy onions and savoury shroomies. a lot of the time, peanut sauce is too thick for my liking so this sauce is thinner than most without sacrificing on flavour. feel free to sub the peanut butter with any other nut butter (or even tahini!) if there’s an allergy involved.
Read Morewith minimal effort, you can achieve this flavour-packed miso-glazed salmon in no time at all! buy a big portion of fresh salmon at your local seafood store and portion it out into freezer bags for convenient portions to defrost during the week. serve this dish with steamed rice and veg and you’ve got a meal in less than 30 minutes.
Read Moreperfect as a weeknight dinner or meal prep option, this lemongrass turmeric soba bowl comes together in no time and contains ingredients you can feel good about.
Read Moreat legacy greens, I’ve got sunshine on a cloudy day!
from deliciously plump, greenhouse ripened tomatoes available all year long to their pick-your-own herb station (where you can grab reasonable quantities of what you need), @legacygreens provides a haven of produce when everything else is drab and lackluster.
this recipe features some of the beautiful varieties of citrus available along with heritage pastured pork from @littlefieldscsa!
Read Moreif you’ve never heard of beef rendang before, let me tell ya - it is going to blow your mind. originating from west sumatra in indonesia, this braised beef dish is simmered in an elixir of coconut milk, punchy aromatics, and fragrant spices until the concoction has reduced enough to fry itself again. yes, you read that right - the velvety and tender beef that took its sweet time to stew begins to fry itself in its own rendered fat and leaves you with an utterly unctuous and saucy beef that is so flavourful, you’ll want to cry. give yourself an afternoon for this one as it takes about 4 hours from start to finish.
Read MoreI used to think that I needed a protein with every meal to make it a substantial one. during my early days of cooking, I would have to plan out exactly what type of meat, vegetable, and carb I had to buy at the grocery store. if I didn’t have all 3 components, the meal was incomplete. it’s been years since I’ve shopped and cooked that way, and now it seems only intuitive to grab what’s fresh and what’s in season.
this bowl is great for this frigid time of year as you can utilize any root vegetable and brassica available. feel free to sub the sweet potato with carrots or squash, the broccoli and brussel sprouts with other brassicas, and the noodles with any other grain. kimchi adds the perfect tang, spice, and crunch to brighten all the deeper notes. if you do want the protein, add a poached or sous-vide egg for extra unctuousness.
with a well-stocked pantry of grains and sauces, plus the addition of well-seasoned vegetables, it’s extremely easy to have super delicious and filling meals at your fingertips! this is just one version of what you can do.
Read Moreanother favourite from saigon star (see singaporean curry crab post), these grilled lamb chops are served with a minty, sweet, tangy, and punchy dipping sauce. you can definitely change up the protein here, but the classic mint-lamb combo is a classic for a reason as the vibrant mint marries well with the gaminess of lamb. serve as an app, or with some lettuce and rice vermicelli for a more substantial meal.
Read Moreone of the national dishes of indonesia, gado gado is a ‘mix mix’ of vegetables and rice in a thick peanut sauce. I like to use quinoa at times for a lighter option, but you can sub in other grains as well. you can also make it a heftier meal by adding traditional fixings like boiled eggs, tofu or tempeh. feel free to add whatever vegetable your heart desires as the peanut sauce goes well with just about everything.
Read Moreby far my favourite wings in the world, these thai style wings are the ultimate umami bomb. they’re crispy, sweet, sour, salty, not too saucy, and finger lickin’ gooood. serve them as is, or make it a full hands on meal with steamed sticky rice and grilled corn. make a double or triple batch of the sauce as it easily keeps in your freezer for up to 3 months (but probably longer). add to literally any protein (not just chicken wings) and you’ve got yourself a quick meal. be cautious though as a little goes a long way.
Read MoreI love the simplicity of this classic chinese dish, and using leftover steak makes it even simpler! if you’re in TO, my favourite version of this is served at maple yip in scarborough where they use fresh chinese broccoli, and the beef slices are the most velvety and tender I’ve ever had. (they are currently in the process of relocating, but my parents will let me know once they announce it on fairchild radio) simple yet flavourful, this dish is perfectly paired with white jasmine rice.
Read Moreanother one of my favourite things to eat, this dish is inspired by the classic vietnamese ‘com tam’. it’s herbaceous and fresh from all the delightful herbs and veggies, yet rich and nourishing from the savory pork patties, the perfectly yolky fried egg and the luscious coconut rice. top with some pickly and crunchy bits for punch and texture, and everything is singing in haaaarmonyy! crack open that egg, mix everything together and dig innnn.
Read Morealton toast (named for inimitable alton brown who created the original version of this recipe) is our go-to breakfast/lunch/dinner/snack when we need something filling and delicious that feels good. it's easy to throw together as long as you keep a couple cans of sardines on hand and have an avocado ripening at home, and it's packed with all the best kinds of fat from fish and avocados. as a bonus, because they're low on the food chain sardines are super sustainable, so you can chow down free from guilt. if you're unsure about canned fish, this recipe will make you a true believer and may even turn you (like us) into an obsessive canned sardine hunter whenever you visit a new grocery store! for the least fishy flavour, try to find small sardines like brislings.
Read Moreit wasn’t too long ago that I had my first real deal kung pao chicken. I always thought of it as an americanized-chinese-mall-food-court thing, often looking way too electric orange for comfort, and always mixed with an assortment of previously frozen vegetables (including the dreadful baby corn) note: fresh baby corn is actually amazing but really difficult to come by in north america
Read Morethe other day, we found some frozen beef cheek at our fav new neighbourhood butcher (shout out to fore quarter!) and decided to experiment with it. beef cheeks are amazingly tender and delicious when cooked down, but feel free to use beef chuck or any other braisable cut with this recipe too!
we were craving something braised and something asian, and that of course led to…korean beef tacos!!! spicy and savory, tangy and sweet, these are sure to satisfy any taco craving you may have (reid gets them A LOT). if you don’t have a pressure cooker, braise for about 2 hours at 250 F in a dutch oven or oven proof pot. serve with fresh homemade corn tortillas, kimchi, lightly pickled cucumbers, and cilantro.
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