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6 Vegan pesto delights for a healthier you

Embark on a flavorful journey celebrating the vibrant world of vegan pesto, where taste and nutrition harmonize in a symphony of plant-based goodness. I’m a die-hard enthusiast of the classic Genovese pesto, with its basil, pine nuts, and cheese – a love that’s unwavering. However, every now and then, I yearn for something a bit more earthy, prompting me to play with various herbs and nuts I have at my fingertips. Since these aren’t your typical recipes, I get to be a bit more adventurous, infusing unique and exotic flavors like Thai basil and Korean perilla, which are not only close to my heart but also my taste buds. Continue reading 6 Vegan pesto delights for a healthier you

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Slow roasted lamb shank

There’s something undeniably magical about the process of slow-roasting, where time and patience work their alchemical wonders on seemingly humble ingredients. Lamb shank truly is the cut of meat that emerges from this transformation. I’ve cooked different cuts of lamb many times in the past, but never the shank; I was always intimidated by its tough reputation I guess. But having made incredibly succulent, fork-tender, and mouth-watering lamb shanks for the first time, I now know that all this cut with immense potential needs is to be treated with the respect it deserves.
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Bibimbap with Ssamjang sauce

Bibimbap literally translates to “mixed rice” in English. It consists of a bowl of steamed rice topped with various seasoned or pickled vegetables, often meat, a fried egg, and a sauce made with spicy red pepper paste “gochujang”. The vegetables used in bibimbap can vary, but common options include carrots, spinach, bean sprouts, mushrooms, and zucchini. Continue reading Bibimbap with Ssamjang sauce

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15-minute breakfast pasta with a fried egg

Anyone love to eat pasta for breakfast? I certainly do; probably one of my favorite things to eat in the morning. Well, I could eat noodles and pasta any time of the day to be honest, but there’s just something special about eating pasta with an egg as a breakfast. My whole wheat pasta with kale and an olive oil basted fried egg is delicious and healthy. And it only takes 15 minutes to prepare; who wants to spend more time cooking in the morning anyways, right? This is also a great way to use up leftover kale or any green vegetables in your fridge.

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Vegan and vegetarian noodles, nooddles, noodles

Can you believe it is October? It is so easy to lose the track of time this year. I know fall has started in many parts of the world, but where I live late summer weather, which is a lot more bearable than early and mid summer weather, is here to stay for another few weeks. I promised to post more cold noodle recipes during this summer but I only seem to have shared them on my Instagram. (By the way, please check out my Instagram if you haven’t yet). So I decided to share 3 recipes today. They are all quick and easy, healthy and light with a little kick from spicy sauce. They are perfect for summer but good for any time of the year. Continue reading Vegan and vegetarian noodles, nooddles, noodles

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Green tea noodle salad with spicy Asian dressing

If you ever wanted to visit Hong Kong in the future, you should know that mid October through December and late March through early May are the most beautiful months to be here. There are rainy days in spring of course, (we have subtropical climate after all) but we also have many days of beautiful sun and breeze with relatively low humidity. Well, our spring has just passed by us without most of us even noticing it. Now it is full on summer with scorching heat, rains and unbearable humidity all the way through October, urgh….But at least now I have an excuse to make my favorite noodle salads all the time. Not that I need an excuse, but I really do make cold noodle salad a lot in summer ;-). Continue reading Green tea noodle salad with spicy Asian dressing

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15-minute vegan pasta with garlic, chili and capers

Unlike other dishes I posted in the past, this one was made and shot without any planning whatsoever. No brainstorming on recipes, visualizing and sketching the plating or testing the flavor. It was one of those days when my husband couldn’t go to work because whole central business district in Hong Kong was paralyzed due to the protest, and I woke up feeling like making a bunch of things that I wanted him to try. So I made a few things we could snack on here and there, then hit the jackpot. This wholesome vegan pasta was so quick, easy, healthy and beautiful that I had to share it here. And cooking and eating this dish was a distraction that I really needed. Continue reading 15-minute vegan pasta with garlic, chili and capers

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20 minute meal – Tofu kimchi scramble with chilis and chives

tofu kimchi scramble

Without a doubt “Tofu kimchi” is a Korean soul food. And it is also a perfect example of a dish that was born out of necessity. Just until a few decades ago Korea was extremely poor, which means most people had to make the best of whatever they had. And so many of those dishes that came from the hardship in the past have in fact become the backbone of Korean cuisine. They might have been the only options for those who were in my grand parents and parents generation back then, but now they are kind of dishes that we all love and cannot imagine living without. And for that I feel quite lucky and grateful.

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Pickled red onion and dill

Sunday Brunch Flatlay

One of the challenges I’ve often faced cooking for myself or just two people is having too much leftover vegetables. (That is also one of the most common excuses I hear from my friends who never cook). I started cooking in London where I lived as a student many years ago, simply because it was too expensive to eat out every day. But each time I cooked I had so much leftover vegetables, which all ended up in a bin. I really hated wasting perfectly good food and it didn’t exactly help me save that much money either. So I started to throw all my leftover ingredients in a big pot and make hearty Korean soup or stew like my grandmother used to do. It would keep well in the fridge for at least a few days, and it was a perfect mood booster in one of those rainy chilly gloomy days in London. Continue reading Pickled red onion and dill

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Authentic Thai coconut soup with chicken “Tom Kha Gai”

authentic Thai coconut soup

This post is long overdue. I made this dish during the Thai cooking class I took in Koh Samui early last year. And after I decided to start posting on my blog again, I planned on sharing the recipe I got from my cooking instructor Jul…which I soon realized that had gone missing! I misplace a lot of things, but recipe isn’t one them. Long story short, it had been a frustrating couple of months but as you can see now, I found it in the end 😊. Continue reading Authentic Thai coconut soup with chicken “Tom Kha Gai”