a personal blog curated to share stories at the intersection of food, culture, & travel around the world.

A recipe for Black Sesame Tong Yuen, a traditional Chinese dessert that is typically enjoyed during the Lunar New Year, symbolizing family reunion and togetherness. These are chewy mochi-like balls filled with a smooth black sesame filling and are best served with a sweet ginger soup.

Linguine with clams highlights the freshness of Manila clams from my local seafood market. The combination of these mild yet briny clams with fresh garlic, sweet tomatoes, juicy lemon, and a touch of butter, makes for a deliciously balanced meal fit to satiate your seafood cravings.

My grandma’s recipe for Chinese turnip cake, called ‘lo bak go’. The steamed turnip cake is filled with umami-packed ingredients like shiitake mushrooms, Chinese sausage, and oyster sauce. It’s topped with sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds, then seared to golden brown perfection.

My grandma’s recipe for Chinese brown sugar rice cake, called ‘nin go’. The 3-ingredient steamed rice cake is topped with red jujube plums and toasted sesame seeds. It’s seared to golden brown perfection, resulting in a sweet yet salty dessert that’s crisp yet chewy, like mochi.