• Stuffed Cabbage (Because it’s Cabbage Season)

    The wind is just howling out there. Last night, I was kept up until the uncivilized hours by the noise of it just whipping around the building, slamming against the balcony that juts out, catching on the corner. Being on…

  • Made in Jiānádà: Lanzhou Lāmiàn (broth!)

    This is part 2 in my noodle series. Part 1 (the hand pulled noodles) is here. This is quite possibly the best broth in the whole universe. Except, perhaps, for a fine Tom Yam with all the bark and twigs…

  • Wok Fajitas! Fajitas in the Wok! Fajitas con Wok!

    I bet you all think I live on tortillas and cookies, yearning for cheese and chocolate and fearfully snubbing the culinary options that surround me here in Shanghai. I mean, that’s pretty much what this blog indicates in its persistent…

  • Awesome Slow-Cooker Spicy Shredded Beef Tacos

    I’ve been meaning to do a taco post for ages. It’s one of our dinner staples here these days. I’ve made beef tacos that were browned in the wok, then marinated in the jus from the de-glazing, sliced thinly and…

  • The Hundred Beans Campaign: Red Chili For China

    Shanghai’s frigid and grim season has landed with a cold, heavy thump. Last night in bed, my hands went kind of numb as I tried to read a book under my two thick duvets, with just my head and fingers…

  • شىنجاڭ‎ Uyghur Irish Stew

    Now this one…this one’s going to be a search engine disaster in the making. It may also be the one that gets me pushed over the proverbial edge of the Great Firewall. Sorry. This stew is technically a basic Irish…

  • Salma, the Ancient (and Awesome) Pasta!

    My unemployment is showing. I haven’t done a lick of work since the end of September.  I’ve kept myself occupied with bursts of scone-baking (using the leftover whey from the ricotta cake topping from last week), minestrone-cooking, tortilla-wokking and waaaay…