American

Asian American Families Celebrate Thanksgiving Unique Ways

admin 2 months ago

CAMBRIDGE − Beef with peppercorns, star anise, chilis, garlic, ginger and vegetables on Thanksgiving?

“My mom couldn’t imagine it,” Carlie Ni, 28, said.  

“But that’s what Taiwan beef noodle soup is for Thanksgiving dinner,” added her husband, Li-Kuan Ni.

For many multicultural families, Thanksgiving is a time of blended tradition and an excuse to gather and eat foods from around the world with family and friends.

For the Nis, who live in Cambridge with their two children, it’s been a give and take. Carlie is originally from Utah and Li-Kuan was born in Hsinchu, Taiwan. They got married in May

… Read more

Joya’s Cafe in Worthington serves Asian-inspired American food

admin 3 months ago

G.A. Benton

Eating at the hot new local restaurant — Joya’s — has become nearly mandatory for anyone in Greater Columbus who writes about food or posts online photos of it. Rarely has belonging to such a group been so rewarding. Put differently, believe the hype: Joya’s cooks some exciting stuff.

Continuously busy since opening in August, Joya’s generated early buzz because it’s the first eatery launched by local celebrity chef Avishar Barua, whose talent previously took him to top-shelf restaurants like Veritas Tavern and Service Bar as well as the “Top Chef” TV show.

Creating Joya’s, named for his

… Read more

Asian American cooks look to Italy for culinary inspiration

admin 6 months ago

July 27, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. EDT

Pearl Ma sets up her iPhone stand at her kitchen in New York City. (Photo by Jeenah Moon for The Washington Post)
Pearl Ma sets up her iPhone stand at her kitchen in New York City. (Jeenah Moon for The Washington Post)

Comment

Pearl (Yiping) Ma draws you into her TikTok with the words, “Hey foreigners, let’s traumatize Italians.” Off the bat, she’s every Italian grandmother’s worst nightmare: She threatens to break the linguine but instead cuts the cooked pasta with a knife, then breaks an egg on top before brushing Chinese soybean paste and oyster sauce onto the thin strips.

But then she starts to explain. “Pasta is a lot

… Read more

Asian American bakeries spread a sweet cultural awareness

admin 1 year ago

Oakland, Calif.

For some Asian Americans, the dim sum cookie at Sunday Bakeshop here will taste like childhood.

It looks like a typical sugar cookie except with sesame seeds on top. But bite into the creamy, red bean center and it’s reminiscent of the fried, filled sesame balls served at a Chinese dim sum restaurant.

The concoction is pastry chef Elaine Lau’s nod to her grandmother, who would often make them. The baked goods that Ms. Lau’s team churns out – like hojicha chocolate croissants and Chinese White Rabbit candy cookies – aren’t going to be found in any bakery

… Read more

New Asian American bakeries find bicultural sweet spot | Lifestyles

admin 1 year ago

OAKLAND, Calif. — For some Asian Americans, the dim sum cookie at Sunday Bakeshop here will taste like childhood.

It looks like a typical sugar cookie except with sesame seeds on top. But bite into the creamy, red bean center and it’s reminiscent of the fried, filled sesame balls served at a Chinese dim sum restaurant.

The concoction is pastry chef Elaine Lau’s nod to her grandmother, who would often make them. The baked goods that Lau’s team churns out — like hojicha chocolate croissants and Chinese White Rabbit candy cookies — aren’t going to be found in any bakery

… Read more

Why Do American Grocery Stores Still Have an Ethnic Aisle?

admin 1 year ago

Cuong Pham, the founder and chief executive of Red Boat, a Bay Area company, wants customers to use its fish sauce for pastas and vinaigrettes, not just in East Asian dishes. But because it is usually placed in the ethnic aisle, he said, it limits perceptions of the ingredient’s uses.

Mr. Pham said the aisle seems to exist more for those looking to find ingredients new to them than for the communities whose cuisines are represented there.

That aligns with the ethnic aisle’s original purpose: to serve returning World War II soldiers who had tasted foods from countries like

… Read more