QUICK TIP: Just Say No to LaChoy. Look, I’m sorry; I know there are plenty of wonderful people out there who work for LaChoy and all, but if you want real Asian, Chop Suey ain’t it. (I feel the same way about American-brand Mexican food). Now, bear in mind that this is coming from a [...]

CONFESSION: I am hugely skeptical about tofu that claims to be something else. Unless it’s made by Quorn. Then it’s cool.
That said, it’s not a surprise I’m not terribly impressed with Smart Strips Chick’n Strips. They simply tried to make them too much like chicken, which is awesome in its own way, I guess, but [...]

I’m not afraid to mix my Asian cuisines. Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Thai—if it comes from Mitsuwa it all overlaps in my kitchen. Trader Joes also has pre-marinated Korean Boolgogi (or Bulgogi), but I prefer the stuff from our favorite Asian grocer.
Again using the peppers and onions from the taco party, I stir fried the marinated [...]

The Bandai Futomaki Maker has arrived, and as expected it’s kind of fun, kind of a pain in the ass, and going to feature quite the learning curve, but it was a start. We made the “it’s almost a heart” sushi (the purple in the picture) and figured out how to make it actually a [...]

CONFESSION: Campbell’s taught me how to cook. The first cookbook I ever used regularly was Campbell’s Quick and Easy Cookbook. While my dad has a lot to do with my love of cooking, this was the first cookbook that taught me how to shortcut through recipes and how to begin experimenting with the possibilities of [...]

CONFESSION: I hate prepping tofu. I’m a huge tofu fan but extremely picky about density and texture. That’s why, whenever we visit Mitsuwa, our favorite Asian grocer, we load up on their fried tofu. Mitsuwa has large slabs of already fried extra firm tofu with vegetables embedded in it that take all the work out [...]

An easy recipe for shortcut Chicken Pad Thai using a prepared sauce.

More than a few people have asked me to post the recipe secrets for my sushi. My maki rolls have been known on many occasions to make sushi lovers out of both fearful sushi virgins and those who’ve had bad sushi experiences, but for the most part my secret is “practice” and a couple [...]

Who says udon noodles belong in soup? Delicious udon noodles, salty and sticky, are also a great base for a stir fry when rice gets a little boring (or will take too long to make).
For this stir fry I started with some chicken that was sealed in a FoodSaver bag with some Mrs. Dash Spicy [...]

CONFESSION: So often lately I come home from a particularly rough day at work with absolutely no desire to cook. It’s one of the reasons I keep a pantry stocked with convenience foods.
Aldi’s made great strides in the quality of their convenience side dishes, and I was astounded at the amazing flavor and texture of [...]

There’s something kind of great about bringing a lunch in to work and having people ask where you ordered it from. It happens a lot when I make stir fry, probably because the sauces I get are so aromatic. My trusted brand of sauces is Lee Kum Kee, available in Asian markets and some [...]

Surrounding the area where I’m currently working in Chicago’s Loop — across the River from the Theatre District, a block away from the Magnificent Mile — are very few cheap and delicious eateries. The area is heavy on the tourist traps and light on the value, so I was overjoyed to learn about Wow Bao.
Plus, [...]