The last time I wrote about kung pao chicken was almost four years ago, in July of 2008. I was living in Beijing at the time, and kung pao chicken had been designated the official dish of the 2008 Summer Olympics. It was easy to prepare, more filling than a Clif Bar, and sports venues [...]
Tag Archives | Spicy
Fried Eggs with Kimchi
Happy Leap Day! This morning, I had planned get up and to try cooking something totally new. I mean, isn’t this supposed to be the magical day for trying things you normally wouldn’t do? (Or maybe, just maybe, I watch too much TV.) I racked my brain. Haggis? Squab? Jello mold? Croquembouche? By the time [...]
Spicy Hunan Beef with Cumin
One of the best parts about revisiting recipes from previous years is seeing how little changes can make a big difference. Take, for example, this Spicy Hunan Beef with Cumin dish. The version from June 2010 involved fresh red chilis with crushed red pepper flakes. Over the weekend, I tweaked the recipe with dried red [...]
Hot and Sour Chicken Noodle Soup
As much as I love to cook, I never have time to plan weekday lunches. After a frazzled morning at the desk, trying to get just one more bit of work done, I am ravenous by 1 or 2pm. My lame attempts at breakfast (usually Wheatables and fruit gummies) do not suffice. I storm out [...]
Sweet Chili-Glazed Tofu
In the dead of summer in Sichuan province, folks regularly eat incredibly spicy, stomach-burning hot pot with the belief that sweating profusely will cool you off. It makes sense, then, that some of the world’s spiciest cuisines (Mexican, Indian, Malaysian, etc.) hail from the hottest climates. I cook and eat spicy food year-round, even if [...]
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 [...]
Kung Pao Tofu
This afternoon, less than 24 hours before hopping on a train to Hong Kong, I was faced with a dilemma. Do I boil some instant ramen noodles and start packing early, to ensure I remember everything and not wait until the last minute? Or do I make myself a good, hearty lunch, while updating my [...]
Noodles with Hot Bean Sauce
Remember when I wrote about the kaleidoscope of tofu available in China? Here’s a couple I picked up today at the market:
Appetite for China is all about fresh and simple Asian cooking. Welcome and bon appetit!
