Thanksgiving Leftover Becomes Pumpkin Pancakes

By Kian Lam Kho | Published: November 29, 2010

When it comes to serving Thanksgiving dinner in our household there is only one menu: Warren’s mom’s. I’ve made the same New England Thanksgiving dinner for more than twenty years. The celebration always starts with assorted homemade pickles and relishes, and basketful of piping hot Parker House rolls. Then follows roast turkey with oyster stuffing accompanied by mashed potato, creamed peas and onions, and mashed winter squash and turnip. Finally the dinner ends with apple and pumpkin pies served with vanilla ice cream or Vermont cheddar cheese. As always there will be plenty of leftovers. Since Warren forbids me to alter the Thanksgiving feast, I’ve become very creative with leftovers. This year I decided to make Chinese pumpkin pancakes with the leftover pumpkin pulp from making the pie.

Read More »

Posted in Recipes, Sweet Dishes, Vegetarian | Tagged | 8 Comments

Delicious Guilt Free Oysters

By Kian Lam Kho | Published: November 17, 2010

Browse through the aquariums at the seafood markets in Lei Yu Mun in Hong Kong, or at seafood restaurants in Guangzhou and Qingdao, you will find a plethora of shellfish display. There are abalones from Dalian, geoduck from Canada, scallops from Japan and oysters from America. All to satisfy the growing appetite for fresh seafood in China as the population becomes more affluent. Fortunately shellfish farming is one industry that is sustainable. Some shellfish farming, like oyster farming can even restore the environment. For this reason I’ve decided to highlight oysters for my rather late post in support of Jacqueline Church’s 4th Annual Teach a Man to Fish Sustainable Seafood Event.

Read More »

Posted in Recipes, Seafood | Tagged | 3 Comments

Learning Sichuan Cooking at the Source

By Kian Lam Kho | Published: November 10, 2010

There is a mystical allure about the Chinese province of Sichuan (四川) that fascinates me. I’m in awe of its endangered pandas and abundant bamboo forests. The stunning scenery at Jiuzhaigou (九寨溝) dazzles me. And I worship the sophisticated, spicy Sichuan cooking. So you can imagine my excitement when I was offered the opportunity to visit Chengdu (成都), the capital of Sichuan, to observe a cooking lesson offered by the Cooking School in China program.

Read More »

Posted in Stories | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Qingdao Delicacy: Sea Intestine

By Kian Lam Kho | Published: November 3, 2010

I first encountered sea intestine (海腸) last January while dining at the M & T Restaurant in Flushing, a section of Queens in New York. The owner, James Tang, a native of Qingdao, was not able to articulate exactly what sea intestine is. I’d simply assumed it to be some sort of sea animal and thought it best to leave it at that. Little did I know it was to be such an integral part of modern Qingdao cooking.

Read More »

Posted in Dry Wok Stir-fry (煸炒), Recipes, Seafood, Techniques | Tagged | 10 Comments

The Tsingtao Beer Story

By Kian Lam Kho | Published: October 31, 2010

My flight arrived late last Wednesday night into Qingdao (青島) over a crisp clear autumn sky. The brightly lit skyline of Qingdao, a city in the northeastern Chinese province of Shandong (山東), appeared over a dark coastline of the Yellow Sea (黃海). I was very glad to be sitting on the right side of the cabin as it offered a full view of Qingdao city through my window. My excitement increased as we descended into Qingdao Liuting International Airport. I was about to visit the hometown of the legendary Tsingtao beer.

Read More »

Posted in Stories | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Not All Mooncakes are Sweet

By Kian Lam Kho | Published: September 22, 2010

A few years ago I happened to be in Shanghai during the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. Normally during this time of year families come together for reunion dinners. But a few of my expatriate friends from Singapore and Malaysia, and I were posted in Shanghai without our families. So we gathered up a group and celebrated the festival at a Shanghainese restaurant. As we ordered our meal the waitress suggested we try some pork mooncakes. That was the first time I tasted a savory mooncake.

Read More »

Posted in Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, Pastries, Pork, Recipes | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Exotic Vegetables at Asian Feastival

By Kian Lam Kho | Published: August 8, 2010

Think of sweet potatoes and you probably think of starchy roots candied or French-fried as side dishes. Or may be a dessert such as sweet potato pie to end a hearty meal. For many Chinese, however, sweet potato greens would also come to mind. These leaves are commonly used as a vegetable in Chinese home cooking. Sweet potato greens are just one out of multitude of Asian produce you can get in many Asian markets throughout New York City. On Labor Day (September 6th) you can learn how to identify and to cook this and other Asian vegetables at the first Asian Feastival in Flushing.

Read More »

Posted in Plain Stir-fry (清炒), Recipes, Techniques, Vegetables | 8 Comments

Cape Cod Shore Dinner with Asian Flair

By Kian Lam Kho | Published: July 28, 2010

Every summer when the weather gets sultry my partner, Warren, who is a “Swamp Yankee” with family directly descended from the Mayflower Pilgrims, gets nostalgic and yearns to get in touch with his roots. This year is no exception and last week we spent an extended weekend in Provincetown to indulge in his nostalgia. Throughout our stay we drove around Southern New England and ate wonderful shore dinners and other scrumptious meals at restaurants all over Cape Cod. We gorged ourselves on fish and chips, lobster rolls, clam cakes, stuffed quahogs and fresh sweet corns. By Sunday I was lusting after the fresh seafood and local farm produce, and decided to make a shore dinner but gave each course an Asian twist.

Read More »

Posted in Recipes, Seafood, Soup | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Banning Shark Fins from Shark Fin Soup

By Kian Lam Kho | Published: July 1, 2010

Today (July 1st, 2010) a law prohibiting the possession, sale and distribution of shark fins goes into effect in the state of Hawaii. Hailed as a victory, albeit a small one, by conservationists, this law nevertheless is a major step in recognizing the need for government action to help save the shark. Sought after by the Chinese for millennia shark fins were a delicacy reserved for the elite, and served at important celebrations and banquets. With the recent rise of the middle class in China the demand for shark fins has skyrocketed. This Chinese fondness for shark fins is threatening their survival. Although laws banning consumption of shark fins is a positive step in limiting the shark fin trade we, as consumers, must also consciously make a choice not to eat shark fins if we are to succeed in preventing the shark’s extinction.

Read More »

Posted in Recipes, Soup, Vegetarian | Tagged | 12 Comments

Raspberry, Mango and Summer – Perfect Together

By Kian Lam Kho | Published: June 24, 2010

Just south of Prospect Park in Brooklyn bounded by Church Avenue to the north, Coney Island Avenue to the west, Beverly Road to the south and the Q line subway track to the east is an oasis of Victorian residences. Known as Prospect Park South the area was built around the turn of the 20th century for discriminating New Yorkers looking for a suburban lifestyle. Our friends Lauren and Maureen fell in love with one of these houses when they were hunting for a home about a decade ago. It was a huge rambling grey house in need of repair with an overgrown garden in the back. Although they knew there was incredible potential for the house, it wasn’t until they started clearing the garden that they discovered the real treasure: raspberry brambles.

Read More »

Posted in Recipes, Sweet Dishes, Vegetarian | Tagged , | 2 Comments
  • Foodbuzz

  • Archives

    • ▼2012 (6)
    • ▶2011 (13)
    • ▶2010 (25)
    • ▶2009 (30)
    • ▶2008 (64)