Yan’s Sweet Rice Dumplings: A Taste of Warmth and Tradition The first time I tasted these sweet rice dumplings, I was a young culinary student homesick for the Lunar New Year celebrations back home. A friend, whose grandmother hailed from a small village in Southern China, brought a steaming pot of these little treasures to … Read more
Fragrant Chicken (Martin Yan) The aroma alone transports me back to my tiny apartment kitchen, a haven from the city’s clamor. I was a recent culinary school graduate, armed with ambition but short on funds. Martin Yan’s “Yan Can Cook” was my bible, and this Fragrant Chicken recipe, with its promise of restaurant-quality flavor from … Read more
Triple Pepper Steak: A Symphony of Flavors I remember the first time I tasted a dish that truly awakened my senses. It was at a tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Hong Kong, a place buzzing with the energy of the city. The dish? A vibrant, aromatic beef stir-fry with an almost overwhelming fragrance of peppers. Each … Read more
Martin Yan’s Golden Chinese Baked Buns (Baos) My grandmother, a woman whose kitchen was a symphony of sizzling woks and fragrant spices, used to make baozi every Lunar New Year. The entire family would gather around her small table, pinching and pleating the soft dough, filling them with everything from savory pork to sweet red … Read more