Category Archives: Asian Recipes

Tea Time with Slice-and-Bake Matcha Cookies

Keep a stash of this slice-and-bake dough handy in the freezer and a fresh-baked matcha cookie can be had anytime.
Keep a stash of this slice-and-bake dough handy in the freezer and a fresh-baked matcha cookie can be had anytime.

Have we reached peak matcha point yet?

I hope not, because this ancient powdered green tea offers a taste of history, culture, healthfulness, and grassy deliciousness along with its distinctive, vibrant color.

Did you know matcha actually originated in China in the 7th century? A Zen Buddhist monk apparently brought the tea back from his studies in China to Japan, where it was initially prepared by whisking to a froth in hot water in a reverential ceremony.

Nowadays, of course, it can be found in most anything and everything.

I love it in desserts, such as these fragrant “Slice-and-Bake Matcha Cookies.”

This recipe is from “Love Japan” (Ten Speed Press, 2023). The cookbook was written by Sawako Okochi and Aaron Israel, the married couple who are owners of the singular Shalom Japan, a Brooklyn restaurant that melds their respective Japanese and Jewish heritages. It was co-written with New York Times Style writer Gabriella Gershenson.

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Instant Ramen? Instant Yum!

Transform your favorite instant ramen into a version of mac and cheese with spinach.
Transform your favorite instant ramen into a version of mac and cheese with spinach.

They say that if you have a pack of ramen, you have a meal.

Well, know what else you have?

A pretty nifty version of mac and cheese in the making, too.

That’s just what “Spinach Ramen Gratin” is like.

It’s from the ingenious cookbook, “Instant Ramen Kitchen” (Chronicle Books, 2025), of which I received a review copy.

It’s by Peter J. Kim, a food entrepreneur who was the founding director of Brooklyn’s now-shuttered Museum of Food and Drink, the former head of creator partnerships at Pinterest, and the former host of Counterjam, Food52’s food and music podcast. He readily admits to eating several bowls of instant ramen each week.

Ramen has a storied history and a fierce following. It was invented in Japan by Momofuku Ando in 1958 in the aftermath of World War II, when he was inspired to create something fast and cheap to nourish his impoverished countrymen.

How beloved is it? As Kim writes in the book, the Fuji Research Institute conducted a poll in 2000 to ask people to name the greatest Japanese invention of the 20th century. The winner, of course, was instant ramen.

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Easy Peasy, Nice and Easy Lemongrass Tofu

The simple joy of lemongrass tofu over fluffy rice.
The simple joy of lemongrass tofu over fluffy rice.

When my husband is traveling or out with his guy friends, I like nothing more than a very simple, very quick dinner at home that will leave me nourished and ready to tuck into a good book for hours on afterward.

I’m talking tofu, rice, and veggies.

On first thought, that trio may seem way too boring or virtuous.

But I promise: It is homey, comforting, and will leave you content.

“Lemongrass Tofu” is an example of that, with firm tofu marinated in minced lemongrass, honey, soy sauce, chili pepper, and turmeric before getting quickly sauteed in a pan for dinner in no time flat.

This easy recipe is from “Vietnamese Food and Food Culture” (Tuttle, 2025), of which I received a review copy.

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Fast & Furious — And Super Garlicky

Fish cooked in plenty of garlic -- in the style of shrimp made famous by Hawaiian food trucks.
Fish cooked in plenty of garlic — in the style of shrimp made famous by Hawaiian food trucks.

Soaring airfares may make you think twice about traveling these days.

But transporting yourself to the tropical paradise of Hawaii and beyond is just a recipe away with “Kimi’s Kitchen” (Ten Speed Press), of which I received a review copy.

It’s a good bet that you’ve never encountered a cookbook by a national champion freediving and spearfisher. But that’s just what accomplished author Kimi Werner is, along with being a chef and environmental conservation advocate who lives on the North Shore of Oahu.

She wrote it with assistance from Jennifer Fiedler, an Oahu-based food writer; and Nicole Gormley, an award-winning filmaker, photographer and ocean advocate whose lavish photos in the book make you feel as if you could plunge right into the mesmerizing blue waters on the pages.

Werner grew up spearfishing with her father from a young age. More than sport, it was sustenance for the family that grew up in the early years with little. Throughout her life, the ocean has been a source of growth and inspiration. In her cookbook, she takes you along on her dives and inside her kitchen to learn how she prepares her favorite recipes. While many of the recipes focus on seafood, there are others that center around meat or are vegetarian instead.

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Handy-Dandy Garlic & Pepper Pork Ribs

A delicious dish perfect for harried households.
A delicious dish perfect for harried households.

Because my parents worked full-time while raising three kids, my mom always had a stash of recipes in her arsenal that she could prep and cook in a flash. There were tender strips of flank steak stir-fried in black bean sauce. Prawns sauteed with slivers of broccoli stems in oyster sauce. And chicken steamed with shiitakes and plenty of ginger.

So, when I came upon “Garlic & Pepper Pork Ribs” it hit home in so many ways.

This easy recipe is from “My Cambodia: A Khmer Cookbook” (4 Color Books, 2025), of which I received a review copy.

It was written by Nite Yun, chef-owner of Lunette Cambodia inside San Francisco’s Ferry Building, with assistance from Tien Nguyen, a food and culture writer who teaches food journalism at the University of California.

Yun was born in a refugee camp in Thailand after hear parents escaped war-torn Cambodia. When she was 2 years old, her family immigrated to the United States, settling in Stockton. She’s made it her mission to highlight Khmer cuisine, not only to preserve its history and traditions, but as a way to better comprehend her parents, as well as herself.

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