Notes about Recipes in this book

• Thai ginger chicken salad

  • twoyolks on June 04, 2018

    I liked this but it wasn't as good as other laab recipes I've made. The flavor wasn't quite as complex as I'm used to with laab.

  • bwhip on March 26, 2018

    Oh man is this good. Really interesting! Great mix of textures and flavors, with the chewy noodles, fresh soft bibb lettuce leaf, and the funky tang from the lime juice/fish sauce based dressing (Nuoc Cham), and the little crunch from the Khao Koor. Delicious.

  • anya_sf on June 27, 2018

    I failed to read the directions far enough ahead so I didn't have time to bake the khao koor for 1.5 hrs, but instead did about 30 minutes at a higher temperature. It seemed to work anyway, at least for this purpose. I used ground chicken and it was fine. I used more lettuce and also added cucumber and snap peas for more veggies. We loved the flavors - very refreshing.

• Pan-roasted soy-glazed salmon with cool cucumber salad

  • twoyolks on January 31, 2018

    The salmon sauce is quite flavorful. While the flavor is strong, it doesn't overpower the salmon.

  • Rachaelsb on April 12, 2018

    True to other reviews this is quick, easy with lots of flavor. Great to have such an easy alternative for a night of salmon.

  • bwhip on January 23, 2018

    It's always great to find a simple, easy weeknight recipe that turns out to be a complete flavor bomb of goodness. It's easy to see why the author said still enjoy this about once every week after all these years. Quick, easy, and really delicious.

  • anya_sf on July 14, 2018

    Absolutely delicious! There are multiple components, but each is quick to prepare. I served this bowl-style on a bed of brown rice, adding sauteed spinach, blanched snap peas, and diced avocado. There was a lot going on - next time I probably won't bother with the crispy shallots. The salmon was perfectly cooked with crispy skin.

• Wok-charred udon noodles with chicken and bok choy

  • twoyolks on January 11, 2018

    This was great. The star of this is really the udon sauce. The chicken was tender but a tad bland. I would've liked more greens (or possibly my baby bok choy are particularly small). I used ~9 oz of dried udon noodles instead of fresh which worked fine. I'm not sure that velveting the chicken added enough benefit for the additional time and complexity of deep frying (it made the chicken tender but didn't add much flavor).

  • Rutabaga on January 04, 2018

    Delicious! I can hardly wait to try more recipes from this book, if this one is a good indicator of what's in store. The flavor is rich and satisfying, My experience velveting the chicken was very messy; perhaps my chicken was too damp, causing the oil to spatter. The chicken also liked to stick to the pan, and I had to really pry at some of the pieces to free them. But it turned out beautifully tender and succulent.

  • bwhip on January 11, 2018

    Very good dish. My baby bok choy heads were a little larger, so there was plenty of that in proportion to the chicken. Shame on me for not reading the whole recipe through first - the instructions don't begin with the need to marinate the chicken for at least a half hour, so I was already underway with the first step (cooking noodles, mise en place, etc. before discovering everything would have to stop for a while to marinate. They probably could have mentioned that as the first step in the recipe, too :). My noodles kind of fell apart in the wok, as everything was sticking to the surface quite a bit (a newer stainless steel one). Still, flavors were great and we'll likely make this one again.

  • anya_sf on January 27, 2018

    Thanks to bwhip for pointing out the need to marinate the chicken first. I had no problem with the velveting and it did seem to make the chicken very tender. Still, I'd prefer to avoid deep-frying and would try this again just sauteing the chicken to compare the results. I was afraid the noodles would stick, so I used my nonstick wok, so of course did not get as much char. My bok choy were larger, weighing 1 1/2 lbs, which I thought was a good amount. Overall, we really liked this, but I thought there was too much sauce. Plus the sauce was a bit sweet, so I would omit the sugar next time (there's plenty in the hoisin sauce). But I'd definitely make this again with less sauce.

• Beef and Chinese broccoli chow fun

  • Zosia on April 09, 2018

    Family and I really enjoyed this dish. It had both great flavour and interesting textures. Note that the fun sauce, which is used as a marinade, must be cool before adding it to the meat and the meat should marinate for several hours or up to overnight. I used only about one-third batch of fun sauce for this recipe.

• Vietnamese espresso ice cream

  • Zosia on April 18, 2018

    Like most no churn ice creams I've made, this was creamy and very rich, and took about 5 minutes to make. It was good but I thought it could have used a little more coffee which would also have cut the sweetness.

• Fun sauce

  • Zosia on April 09, 2018

    I really like the idea of having a ready-made stir-fry sauce on hand that helps to cut down on stir-fry prep and this one not only has good flavour, but lasts 2 months in the fridge. I used it in the beef and broccoli chow fun which was delicious.

  • Rutabaga on January 13, 2018

    I used this sauce for the mushroom lo mein recipe from this book. That was absolutely delicious, so I'm sure the sauce must have contributed. It's not too thick, so nicely coated the the noodles without any goopiness.

• Red curry ginger squash soup

  • Rutabaga on January 16, 2018

    This soup has great flavor, but was quite spicy when made with one tablespoon of red curry paste (I used Mae Ploy brand). It wasn't a problem for me, but made it too spicy for the children. On the plus side, using a pre-made curry paste makes this a very easy soup to prepare.

• Panko-crusted lemon chicken

  • Rutabaga on January 16, 2018

    The method used here turns out beautifully crisp breaded chicken cutlets. I enjoyed them with just a small amount of candied lemon sauce (that sauce is delicious, but also incredibly sweet) and appreciated how the watercress and radish kept the dish grounded. For kids, ketchup was the preferred accompaniment. As for the recipe itself, I think you can really pare down on the amounts. For example, I only used about half the flour called for, and a little over half the panko. When marinating the chicken, little more than a cup of buttermilk was necessary. Scale back to avoid unnecessary waste.

• Candied lemon sauce

  • Rutabaga on January 16, 2018

    Delicious, but (as implied by the inclusion of "candied" in the title) intensely sweet, this sauce was a fun pairing with crispy chicken cutlets. The only thing is, since the sauce is so sweet, you can't load up on it, so your chicken cutlet will still be fairly dry. This doesn't bother me, but an additional squeeze of lemon juice over the chicken would be welcome if you want a little more zing.

• Chicken and rapini stir-fry

  • Rutabaga on January 13, 2018

    Very good; I especially like how the light bitterness of the rapini contrasts with the rich oyster sauce. My six-year-old, however, would probably prefer it with broccoli or broccolini, as he liked the chicken, but wasn't so fond of the veg. It's a fairly simple stir fry, especially if you prep in advance.

• Chicken stir-fry sauce

  • Rutabaga on January 13, 2018

    This is a good match for the chicken and rapini dish, as the rapini nicely cuts some of the richness of the oyster sauce. I used Braggs liquid aminos for the soy sauce. It was quite salty, but not too much so as long as you don't add additional salt to the stir fry.

• Wild mushroom lo mein

  • Rutabaga on January 13, 2018

    What lovely umami flavors! Even though I left out the radicchio and frisee, this was a treat. My older son said he "couldn't stop eating" the mushrooms (primarily baby shiitake), but oddly wasn't a fan of the noodles. But never mind - us adults were happy to eat his share!

• Udon sauce

  • Rutabaga on January 04, 2018

    This sauce goes with the accompanying chicken udon dish, but I can see that it would be an excellent general purpose stir-fry sauce to have on hand. Make it in advance so that it's easy to pull together a quick dinner.

• The green monster

  • Rutabaga on February 14, 2018

    This is a great option for a meal that's both flavorful and super healthful. I, too, used all of the pesto, and found that to be the right balance. I finally cooked my Bluebird Grains farro to completion; it took a full hour, so I cooked it in advance so that the dish could be put together quickly at dinnertime. For the kids, I set aside some peas and edamame, served alongside rice, since farro isn't really their thing. This could be a nice potluck or picnic dish.

  • bwhip on January 24, 2018

    This was really good, my wife and I both loved it. Made it per the recipe, though I noticed after the fact that you’re supposed to use half of the lemongrass pesto. Wasn’t a problem though, since my pesto ingredients only made about a half cup anyway. I was a little short on lemongrass, so added the zest of one lemon to adjust. A really nice winter salad, hearty and flavorful.

  • anya_sf on January 24, 2018

    I altered the ratio of farro to vegetables, using about 1 1/3 cups farro, but the full amount of vegetables - actually a few extra Brussels sprouts. Used spring mix instead of baby spinach and green onions instead of leek. This recipe lends itself to endless variations. The lemongrass pesto really makes it. Delish! Two people ate the whole thing for dinner.

• Sweet-and-sour Brussels sprouts

  • Rutabaga on February 20, 2018

    These are quite tasty. I reduced the sugar by about one third, but would probably reduce it by half next time, as we prefer it less sweet. Otherwise, it's great!

• Perfect white rice

  • Rutabaga on January 16, 2018

    I decided to try this method out, because who doesn't want perfect white rice? Unfortunately, mine was far from perfect, but I admit I didn't follow the directions as closely as I should have. I'm accustomed to covering the pot once the rice starts boiling, and while I waited a minute or so, I did not wait the full four minutes specified. I also didn't stir the rice again after covering it. This may be what caused the rice to turn out extremely mushy and gooey. I'm so accustomed to cooking rice in my usual way - using 1 1/2 cups water for each cup of rice, covering it immediately upon boiling, and never lifting the the lid during the cooking process - I'm afraid I was too busy with my other dishes and forgot to follow these new rules. Because this recipe calls for double the amount of water as rice, the extra stirring and cooking time without the lid must be essential in avoiding goopy rice. I'd like to try it again, carefully following the directions, to see if I get better results.

• Sichuan dan dan noodles

  • bwhip on February 10, 2018

    This was delicious, with all sorts of interesting flavors bouncing around on our tastebuds, and a delayed reaction kick from the sichuan pepper. Lots of ingredients (27!), but thankfully it was pretty easy to find everything at our local Asian grocer, and as the author promised, it was worth the trip.

• Taiwanese dan dan noodle salad

  • anya_sf on July 07, 2018

    I wanted a heartier dish, so I added some sliced red bell pepper, blanched snap peas, and cooked shrimp. I used roasted peanuts and canola oil instead of cooking the peanuts in the oil and the sauce was still very tasty. Only about 1/3 of the sauce was sufficient to coat everything. The noodles were delicious.

• Christopher's Chinese chicken salad

  • anya_sf on February 02, 2018

    I added extra vegetables, as always - used 2 hearts of romaine, 1 Persian cucumber, 1/2 lb blanched asparagus, 1 stalk celery, 1/2 diced avocado (omitted the scallions, as I don't love them). I used about 1/2 cup cashews - seemed like plenty. There was enough dressing for the whole salad, even with the extra veggies, plus a bit left over. The combination of flavors was very nice. I was worried that the dressing would be too sweet, but the sugar perfectly offset the spice from the sriracha. My husband thought it was the best Chinese chicken salad ever.

• Salmon sauce

  • anya_sf on July 14, 2018

    Very quick and easy to make. Great with the salmon. It would probably be good with chicken or tofu as well.

• Red curry cauliflower with tofu

  • anya_sf on January 17, 2018

    I used Mae Ploy red curry paste and a bit less oil (1 Tbsp for curry, 3 Tbsp for frying). I also added some Asian baby greens. I thought it was very good and even liked the tofu, which isn't usually my favorite. Of course you could use meat instead, but the tofu really worked well here. The curry was thick and not super saucy like some curries, but there was just enough sauce for everything. The spice level was perfect for my taste, but of course would depend a lot on the curry paste. The curry sauce was perhaps a bit too tart from the lime - my lime was quite juicy. Next time I might use less. I'd definitely make this again.

• Kimchi quinoa bokkeumbap

  • anya_sf on February 07, 2018

    I adjusted the ingredient ratios - used 1 c quinoa, 3/4 lb beef (with half the marinade), 3 c broccoli florets, 1/3 c pistachios, maybe half the oil. My pistachios were already toasted, so I didn't roast them with the chili powder. They were good (and I thought there were plenty), though I'm sure the seasoned nuts would be even better, but you could also omit them if you didn't like them. When I stir-fried the beef, the marinade clung to the meat at first, but exuded out during cooking and resting. I wasn't sure if I should add the liquid back into the wok with the beef or leave it behind (it had been cooked). I tasted the quinoa and thought it could use more flavor, so I poured the liquid back in. Watch out when you stir-fry the quinoa as it pops all over the place! I served the bokkeumbap with fried eggs on top, which was good, but didn't add that much, as the dish was already so flavorful. It was really good and came together super quickly with the quinoa made ahead.

• Red miso-glazed carrots

  • anya_sf on June 07, 2018

    We really enjoyed the flavors. Watch the butter at the end, though, as it can go from browned to burnt pretty quickly. Some char tasted good though.

• Kung pao chickpeas

  • anya_sf on July 18, 2018

    My husband was skeptical about this vegan version, but we both really enjoyed it. I substituted a zucchini for the celery. This dish was quick and easy to prepare. Will make again.

• Crispy shallots

  • anya_sf on July 14, 2018

    I sliced them by hand, which worked OK, but it is important that the shallot slices be consistently thin. Watch the cooking time - my shallots were done in a total of 10 minutes, and definitely needed stirring to cook evenly.

• Spicy silky tofu

  • anya_sf on January 31, 2018

    I adjusted the ingredient proportions a bit - used 1/2 lb ground pork and almost 1 lb baby bok choy. Next time I'll cut the bok choy into smaller pieces to enable it to cook faster and to make the pieces more bite-sized. I was happy with more greens and thought there was plenty of meat. My chili oil wasn't that hot, so we actually added more spice. I also used regular soy sauce and did not find it too salty at all (maybe due to the extra greens). It was very good with rice, and also very quick and easy to prepare.

• Ginger-scallion crab and crispy vermicelli stir-fry

  • anya_sf on June 07, 2018

    I don't know how this is served at the restaurant, but I don't think I had the right dishes. I used large bowls, rather than plates, as I wanted to contain the vermicelli bits, which tend to fly all over the place. However, the crab mixture ended up covering the vermicelli, softening the noodles entirely so they were no longer crispy. So maybe use super large, shallow bowls or put the noodles on top? I'd totally skip frying the noodles next time and boil them instead. I used canned crab, and it was still delicious in this dish. The flavors were amazing and fresh, although fairly rich; I would decrease the butter and oil just a bit next time. I would also use more basil and mint. Don't skip the lemon at the end.

• Surf and turf black pepper Shanghai noodles

  • anya_sf on April 21, 2018

    I accidentally added the sugar with the oyster sauce when cooking the sauce, but it didn't seem to matter. I adjusted the ingredient proportions somewhat, using half the beef and green pepper. Foolishly, I thought I could throw everything in the wok at once. Do not do this! Do as she says and cook the meat and vegetables in 2 batches. I was able to cook the sauce and noodles in one batch at the end, then mix everything in to warm up. We loved this dish. The amount of sauce was perfect and the balance of flavors excellent.

• Lemongrass pesto

  • anya_sf on January 24, 2018

    I made 1/2 batch to go with the green monster. Next time I'll make the full batch, as the smaller quantity is harder to process. I made it a day ahead and the color was still OK (plus it got mixed in). Very bright, nice flavor, great mixed with the farro. My pistachios were roasted, which worked fine (maybe better?).

• Food52

  It seems well tested because the recipes actually work—not something that can be said about a lot of restaurant cookbooks.

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• Eat the Love

  Her recipes are both familiar and comforting but often with a little bit of elevation...the sort of Chinese-American cookbook that was meant for me.

  Full review