"Cá Kho" (Vietnamese Braised Fish with Caramel)

I've eaten this dish many many many times growing up. My grandma used to make a jar of caramel for these types of braising. The sad thing is that I never did learn to make it from my grandma and now I never will. Even though I walk around telling people that I'm so Vietnamese and speak with authority over everything Vietnamese, I know next to nothing when it comes to Vietnamese cooking. One of my goals is to at least learn to make the basic food so that it's not so embarrassing when the only advice I have for people regarding Vietnamese food is "Add a ton of lemon grass and a ton of fish sauce!"

Oreo Cheesecake

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What a delightful surprise! I got a text from my neighbor, Chris, that he has a giant tripod he didn't need and whether or not I wanted it. In exchange for the tripod, I baked him an oreo cheesecake. That's what he requested! He didn't want any variation of the cheesecake, just the classic cheesecake. (I also made him go to the store and get the things I didn't have... like cream cheese). I know, I know. Everyone (and their moms) should have cream cheese in their refrigerators at all time.

Chinese Beef Belly (Ngow Nam)

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I was talking to my Chinese friend, Carrie, the other day, and she said that she really wanted to make ngow nam and her mom has a recipe. After she mentioned this to me, I was obsessed with making ngow nam. Ngow means cow, and nam means belly in Cantonese. Basically it's stewed/braised beef brisket with diakons and a very complex flavor that I can't describe. This dish may not be for everyone, but I know that if you're Chinese, you probably like it. Not very many restaurants serve this dish because it takes a while to make. It also includes lots of ingredients (that you can only find at a well stocked Asian grocery store).

No Recipe's Lamb With Green Chili Masala

Winter is finally here! Time for warm stew-like dishes to replace a real heater. Not only that, these usually require little real hands-on time and the end results make me look like I'm a cooking genius to other people.

Of course I'm not a cooking genius! That's why I got my recipe from No Recipes. Haha! You didn't really think I could come up with stuff like this myself, did you?

Cantonese Soy Sauce Chicken

I don't think they serve this dish at many Chinese restaurants in America because this is just too... Chinese? I just know that this stuff is delicious and we used to eat it infrequently as a kid. I'm not sure why, but that was how it was. If you have access to a well stocked Asian grocery, you should be able to find bottled soy sauce chicken marinade similar to this. That's similar to a soy sauce chicken marinade as far as I can tell, and that stuff is delicious.

Serious Eats' Halal Cart-Style Chicken And Rice With White Sauce

The Chopping Block came over and gave me all sorts of Indian spices. I'm talking about like 20 pounds worth of Indian spices! She's so nice, right?! So I decided to make some sort of quasi Middle Eastern/Indian food. I saw this Serious Eats recipe a while back and bookmarked it. Now that I have my turmeric and ground coriander powder, I have no excuse not to make it.

Soon Dubu Jjigae (Korean Soft Tofu Soup)

At first I wanted to make a portabello mushroom and cabbage soup because I just happen to have those things and I wanted soup. It somehow evolved to watching Maangchi make this Soon Dubu Jjigae, and then I wanted it so badly!

"Better Than Sex" Coconut Cake

Every Christmas my boyfriend's aunt would make a delicious coconut cake. Again, I was too shy to ask for the recipe, so I looked it up online. I guess there are lots of variations for the cake, but I think this recipe closest resembles her cake. She doesn't put pineapples on it, and personally, I think pineapples on this cake would be weird.

Tonkotsu Ramen With Braised Pork Belly

I basically have nothing great going on in my life so I made tonkotsu ramen with homemade broth. Tonkotsu ramen is pork bone ramen; that is, ramen noodle floating in broth made from freaking pork bones. Do not be confused with tonkatsu which is a pork cutlet which I have no idea how to make.

Thumbprint Cookies

These jam filled cookies are one of my favorites! Someone brought these cookies to our Christmas party and I had to make my own! I was too shy to ask this person for their recipe, so I found one from Land O'Lake Butter. :)