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Cantonese Style Chilean Sea Bass, the Third Culture Way

4/23/2024

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When it comes to food, oftentimes you will hear the common refrain of “letting the ingredients shine” and “highlighting the quality of the food” - sure, these can sound like tired cliches, or to the truly cynical, things to say when you think the chef is just being lazy by not spending 24 hours and a portion of their sanity creating a dish, but they're so often said for a reason.

(A quick aside below - skip ahead if you’re just want the technique and recipe, kthxbye)

Being a third-culture cook who appreciates both preparing as well as enjoying food from a distinctly Western and East Asian perspective, I oftentimes see the more derogatory view of "letting the ingredients shine" coming from those who believe the pinnacle of cuisine is classical French cooking. While I have nothing against classic French cuisine, I actually quite love it, but when fine dining is built upon labor intensive techniques and mother sauces that can take hours to prepare, you can understand why I appreciate simple dishes that require fewer ingredients while still delivering peak flavor and nuance.

One of my favorite dishes to prepare is an homage to my Chinese heritage - both Shanghai and Hong Kong - but also my upbringing and training (or lack thereof) in Western culinary tradition. This dish - Cantonese Style Chilean Sea Bass - is made with my own tweaks and changes based on this blended culinary upbringing. Classically this dish is a whole steamed fish delicately flavored with soy, ginger, green onion, and cilantro and finished with hot oil. It’s a simple yet luxurious and delicious dish, yet it only has 5 ingredients - sometimes, less is truly more.

Let’s dive in.


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Move Over Hot Pot, It's Chinese Mala Dry Pot's Time to Shine

2/12/2023

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She is style, she is grace, and so spicy to the taste
You’ve probably heard about the concept of a dark horse - the come from behind winner, seemingly never favored or in consideration to win, only to come rushing up at the end and capturing the gold?

Food can sometimes be like that - oftentimes because of social media hyping up some long existing dish out of obscurity to being an instagram or tiktok darling. Well, I’m going to call out a potential darkhorse dish which I hope will get it’s time on the podium soon - Mala Dry Pot.

Now, you may be thinking “What the heck is that, Phil?” - and I wouldn’t judge you. That’s because it seems to be a relatively niche dish at least here along the East Coast of the USA. I’ve only found it in 2 restaurants I’ve been to to date, and if you know how much I enjoy going to restaurants big and small, you know this dish must be a relatively rare thing. But I’ll let you in on a hint of what it is - you’ve probably heard of Sichuan Hot Pot, right? Those bubbling cauldrons of spicy, red-tinged and oil slicked broth where people are dunking in thin slices of meat, seafood, and vegetables and dipping them in all types of sauces? Well Mala Dry Pot is Hot Pot’s more assertive, bolder cousin - you know, the one that has a motorbike, enjoys wearing a leather jacket with a sherpa collar, and will go up to anyone at a bar and chat them up? That guy.

Anywho - Mala Dry Pot is a truly superior dish not only because it’s arguably event tastier than the more known Mala Hot Pot, but also because it’s easier to make and requires much less clean up and prep. If you’re a fan of spicy, savory food that will make you come back craving more, this one’s for you.

Let’s dive in.

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Avocado Toast, but Make it Fashion

4/8/2022

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Trust me, this will beat that $20 avo toast you had at bottomless brunch, guaranteed
Ever wonder how we got to the point that certain foods became so controversial, so baggage ridden that people think twice before ordering it at a restaurant or even talking about it? I’m not even talking about something that may be troublesome because it’s rare or potentially harming some endangered species, but something that can be easily made with ingredients found in any corner grocery store.

Yes, after 8 years, I’m finally covering Avocado Toast. The much loved and equally disparaged symbol of millennial excess and waste that also happens to be delicious and the perfect blank canvas for whatever you’re craving. 

Oh, you never thought about dressing up your avocado toast? And no, adding an egg on top does not count as “dressing up”. I mean adding toppings that make you go “Huh. Never thought of that”. Well, today I’m gonna teach you a new combo that marries east Asian flavors with your beloved breakfast staple and hopefully open your eyes to a new world of what avocado toast can be.

So get to the grocery store and drain our down payment funds, cause we’re making avocado toast.

Let’s dive in.


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Don’t Sleep on the Humble Hog: Roast Pork Tenderloin with Cider-Mustard Sauce

1/17/2022

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If you grew up in the US in the last 20-30 years, you probably remember the long running slogan used to help promote pork: Pork. The other white meat

It’s been used so much that you may not have even known a new slogan was introduced over 10 years ago - Pork: Be Inspired

Now, if you already knew that, please get out more (kidding). But if you’re like me and just are discovering this new slogan as of 4 minutes ago via a Google search, well, it’s good to feel like I’m not alone. Anyways…looking at that old slogan, what first came to mind was - why is pork being relegated to the “other” white meat? In the shadow of chicken and positioned as a “look at me, I’m also healthy” alternative? 

I think it’s because pork was and still is a bit of an underdog - seen as less “healthy” than chicken and less glamorous than beef, pork is always out of the spotlight and often also forgotten apart from when bacon makes its appearance at the breakfast table. Well, I for one think pork should step out of the shadows. It’s time for the humble hog to shine as the star of your next meal and be the showstopper it deserves to be.

Let's dive in.

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Chinese Chilled Tofu: The Easiest Dish You Have Never Heard Of (Until Today)

9/27/2021

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Hello? Is it me you're looking for?
Autumn is finally here in the Mid-Atlantic, and that means while it’s still warm, I’m no longer coming home after a walk with a nice dark sweat stain down the back of my shirt. It also means that we’re in that awkward time of year where some days I will be craving a nice hot stew or bowl of curry rice, while others I will want something cool and light, because 80+ degree days are never out of the question until at least December.

A dish that I pulled out from the deep depths of my childhood memories this past summer that I’m looking forward to making all through the fall is something I’m going to call Chinese Style Chilled Tofu. A light, refreshing, nutrient packed, and flavorful side dish or entree, chilled tofu is something you can whip together in well under 5 minutes and still feel good about eating yourself or with friends and loved ones.

So how do you make probably the easiest dish in the world? 

Let’s dive in.

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    Suit and Apron

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