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When I was growing up in Guangzhou, every now and then my mom and grandma would bring home Teochew (4hr drive from GZ) meat loaf from the market. These cylinder-shaped loaves would be sliced thin and pan-fried, or cut into strips and stir-fried with noodles or vermicelli. Simple, comforting, and very much a taste of home. The recipe turned out to be much easier than I expected and now I can recreate a beloved childhood delicacy anytime and share it with friends.
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It genuinely hurts me when my partner orders a $20.99 salt-and-pepper pork rib dish at a restaurant and the plate arrives with… eight tiny pieces of ribs. Eight. Altogether barely the size of two palms. That disappointment, combined with my love for anything fried, salty, and peppery (pork ribs, chicken wings, you name it), pushed me to recreate this classic Cantonese dish at home.
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Enoki mushrooms and fatty beef have always been a favorite from my parents’ home-cooked menu. It’s a simple dish, but the bold black pepper sauce enhances the delicate enoki, while the glossy, starchy coating locks in the beef’s rich flavor. Charles may think the photo doesn’t do it justice, but I’m sharing it anyway—for easy home cooking and my own future cravings!
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If you’ve been following my recent posts, you might have noticed—I’m definitely obsessed with red yeast rice fermented tofu! I’ve been using it on everything from wings to short ribs to pork jowl, and I can’t get enough. Since it’s a bit harder to find than regular fermented tofu, I treasure every jar I can get my hands on. I first tried red yeast rice fried chicken wings in Teochew/Swatow while visiting home earlier this year, and honestly? My version tastes even better—and it’s way healthier thanks to the magic of air-frying!
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A classic Cantonese dish, paper-wrapped garlic & fermented bean curd ribs have long been a restaurant favorite. While parents often hesitate to order them due to the traditional deep-frying, kids dive in whenever they get the chance at a banquet—I know I always did.
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For the 2025 CNY eve potluck, I learned to make this traditional Cantonese dish for the first time—and it was a hit! Everyone loved it, so I’d call this a successful trial!
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Different areas in China dry pork belly differently, but we have one thing in common — always dry pork belly, sausage, wings, other meat in the cold and dry winter and enjoy them during and shortly after Chinese New Year. Cantonese dried pork belly is so versatile and can be used in many dishes like Clay Pot rice, stir fry veggies, etc. When mom dries pork belly back home on top of her balcony, I was really jealous as I do not have a rooftop, even I have all the Cali sunshine mom is jealous of. I decided to sneak up my apartment rooftop and dry just 2 slices of pork belly. Let’s see how they turn out!
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inter (more or less) equals lamb as I mentioned previously in “Lamb Three Ways”. This time sharing lamb stew with tofu skin recipe, another typical Cantonese winter stew to bring the heat in body.
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火候对于煲仔饭来说很重要！Fire is important to make the representative golden, crispy rice at the bottom of Cantonese clay pot rice, the sign of success. If you burn it, or if the bottom is not golden nor crispy at all, it is NOT a qualified Cantonese clay pot rice…! To be honest, it was a few trial and error before I managed to successfully make one good pot of clay pot rice…
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There are many ways we eat chicken feet in restaurant. One of the two main ways dim sum restaurants serve is with wrinkly skin / “tiger skin” pattern. The wrinkly skin is separated from the bone and meat, easier to chew off and much softer, catering to main eaters of dim sum — older generation’s need for soft food. Traditional method to make the wrinkles / “tiger skin” pattern is to deep fry in hot oil to extract moist and create air in between skin and bone, but this method could be dangerous as hot oil might splash. Air-fryer provides a simpler option allowing to re-create this traditional way to cook chicken feet!
