Yuzu-Black Sesame Tea Cake

Yuzu-Black Sesame Tea Cake

Black sesame and yuzu are such a gorgeous combination. Think about how good tahini and lemon taste together, then add sugar, and wave your magic wand while uttering “Hirakegoma“. This pretty cake is very easy to make, but you do need a few specialty ingredients 

Tea-Smoked Quail with Ginger-Scallion Lo Mein

Find my recipe for this delectable quail dish at Nicky USA.

Naan Without a Recipe

(But I kind of wrote one anyway.) View this post on Instagram I’ve finally leveled up enough as a baker that I can throw together a naan or pita dough without a recipe, just on instinct and touch, and have warm flatbread in about a 

Game Hen Ramen with Mayu

This black garlic oil is easy and dank af — get the recipe from Kenji Lopez Alt. View this post on Instagram Hoo, boy was this delicious. Maybe in the top five bowls of homemade ramen? This is iekei (“homestyle”) ramen inspired by the bowls 

Plov is Georgian Jollof, Change My Mind

Is rice pilaf universal? I think so. View this post on Instagram Tonight’s dinner inspiration comes from Central Asia (one of my favorite culinary sandboxes), but with a few twists: this is plov (pilaf) of jasmine rice cooked with smoked duck stock, red onion, homegrown 

Crab Paste

♬ These are a few of my favorite things ♬ View this post on Instagram This stuff. Use it to add a little low-key seafood flavor (and a ton of umami) to your fried rice and stir-fries, use it in your curries and stews, and 

Homemade Wonton Soup

View this post on Instagram Last Sunday I went to an incredible bier-game dinner collab with my two favorite sets of folks: @stammtischpdx and @nicky.usa. Chef @grahamchaney is a hedonist and a sadist so his “salad” course was basically a Lyonnaise with a giant confit 

Always Get a Doggy Bag

View this post on Instagram Had a really delicious meal at @akadipdx last night — the lentil samosa was delicate and savory and the poissin was smoky and crisp-skinned — but I think my favorite part was how genuinely happy our worker was when I 

Wild Boar Pörkölt with Hand-Cut Dumplings

View this post on Instagram Happy Spring Festival, friends! In honor of Year of the Pig I made a boar pörkölt (kind of like goulash) with hand-cut dumplings, fortified with Uyghur flavors. That means mixing Chinese Muslim and Eastern European ingredients — both are influenced 

New Year Ramen

View this post on Instagram I love traditional New Year foods so much: noodles for longevity, Hoppin’ John and greens for abundance and prosperity. And smoked duck broth for…well, because it’s delicious and I need to clear freezer space to make room for more creativity