Pity the other dishes at the dinner table when crab is served. Everyone is so focused on getting to every last bit of scrumptious crab meat, and slurping with pleasure, that by the time they’re done, all the other food has become cold. And anti-climatic. Like whole lobster and monster sushi rolls, crab is not [...]
Tag Archives | Seafood
Chinese Steamed Fish with Black Bean and Ginger Sauce
As much as I’d like to remain objective on Chinese food, it’s hard to hide my favoritism towards Cantonese fish. In Beijing, Shanghai, or Sichuan province, fish is most likely pan-fried, heavily sauced, or buried in a broth of chilies. That’s all nice, but nothing beats the clear flavor of steamed fish, with nothing to [...]
Tangerine Salsa, Two Ways
Wherever I am these days – whether it’s Beijing, San Francisco, or Tampa – I am surrounded by tangerines and clementines. (The latter is possibly better known in California as Cuties®.) These in-season cousins of the orange make excellent snacks, especially when you’re trying to fight off the seasonal cold. And they’re CHEAP. At a [...]
Dragon Well Shrimp – Longjing Xiaren
Since my trip to Hangzhou’s Dragon Well tea fields, I have made use of the famous leaves less often than I should have. See, I went on a tea-buying binge after coming back to Beijing. In my cabinet right now there is an ample supply of not only Dragon Well (longjing), but also sheng and [...]
Curry Laksa, and Cooking without Water
Yesterday I cooked without water. Well, not completely without water, but with trickles from the faucet. When the trickles eventually stopped, I used purified stuff from the water cooler in our living room. To rinse food, boil noodles, wash dishes, everything. Trickles. See, Jacob and I live in a brand new apartment, so new that [...]
Coconut Milk Shrimp, and My Hard Drive Heartache
Before I get to this delicious coconut milk shrimp dish, I want to share my misery. I’m one of those people who is terrible about backing up files. Two days ago, my hard drive crashed. After a lengthy recover process, my important documents and music were thankfully saved. However, about 80% of the photos I [...]
Appetite for China is all about fresh and simple Asian cooking. Welcome and bon appetit!
