Kitchen.
Being in the kitchen and experimenting — even into the late hours of the night — have always given me a flow state hard to explain. I’ve had a passion for food from a young age — baking American classics with my grandma and learning to cook lots of dinners with traditional Cantonese ingredients from my mom in her kitchen. I spent my high school years getting a degree in culinary arts and worked at a local cake shop, creating my foundation and influenced my ease in the kitchen. I became a food scientist to better understand flavor, ingredient functionality, and how to strategically develop products, culminating in a world that is driven by passion, experience, & expertise.
In this section, you’ll find a mixture of Chinese and Cantonese traditions, stories, and recipes from home as well as lots of baking content (my first true love!), and influences from places like Italy where I studied abroad. It’s a mix of stories, finished recipes, kitchen notes that are a bit less refined (and likely unfinished), and a deeper dive into some of my favorite ingredients to use in the kitchen.
Chai Spiced Pear Crostata Recipe
This chai spiced crostata recipe showcases the natural beauty of baked pears and the flavor of autumn and winter. It’s a simple recipe that brings together a crisp and tender dough, a crust sprinkled with raw sugar, and pears laced with warming chai spices.
Summer Peach Crostata Recipe
This peach crostata recipe showcases the sweet and jammy nature of baked peaches and the flavor of late summer. It’s a simple recipe that brings together a crisp and tender dough, a crust sprinkled with toasted almonds and brown sugar, and peaches laced with fresh orange juice.
Black Sesame Tong Yuen Recipe
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.
Brown Sugar Rice Cake Recipe
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.