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      • September Stir-fry: Okra, Eggplant, and Peppers
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      • Guisado de Puerco
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      • Tamarind Chili Pork Ribs
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      • Chinese Cold Remedies
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      • Faye's Famous Carrot Cake
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​Where Stories Collect

Just Published a Chinese Cookbook—and it's YUMMY!

11/30/2016

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It all began in 2009. I couldn't sleep because I had this idea that was growing. Have you ever had an idea that kept spinning into a bigger one? Well that's what happened — idea mitosis. I didn't hold back. I actually got out of bed and created a Keynote presentation to outline my idea.
What followed was an amazing journey I could have only dreamed of but actually lived. I traveled to the homes of 40 families who showed my how to cook over 300 recipes from their kitchens. I didn't realize the joyful exchange I would share with the families. Each visit inspired the next family visit. 

I get shivers when I look at this old presentation. I am humbled.
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The cover page for my Keynote presentation.
I didn't make it to all the regions I'd planned, but what a gift to have met so many good people who loved sharing their recipes with hopes to have their culture and food reach the kitchens of other families all over the world.

In 2013, I felt the pull to return home to the Bay Area, so I left China with a belly full of memories and stories. I soon reconnected with an old friend and we got married. We have a son together who loves eating— a lot. I was fortunate to have a publisher find my Twitter account and offer me the opportunity to author the cookbook that has finally arrived —
Family Style Chinese Cookbook: Authentic Recipes from My Culinary Journey Through China (Rockridge Press).
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The Keynote slide showing the regions I planned for my culinary journey.
I'm gushing with pride that this dream has come true. You know that feeling when you're dreaming and you want to take a souvenir into your waking life? Well that's my feeling, except this time I've woken up and have proof that it really happened. 

For the holidays, please consider giving a gift of food, travel and stories to your lovedones, and one for yourself. It's a beautiful cookbook thanks to the beautiful food photography of Nadine Greeff, a few of my own photography and a few by the amazing Peikwen Cheng. This is a labor of love and I have so many to thank for it. I am grateful.
Preorder the Book
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To Post Foodie Pics or Not to Post — Times are a Changin' and Food Can Make it All Better.

11/14/2016

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In light of last week's regime change, I have found myself sharing a similar sentiment of near guilt for posting food pics. We are afraid of entertaining the frivolous aspect of food while we want to post something more 'meaningful.' Well, I believe food plays a big factor in our lives. As we share food at the table — break bread family style — we have a platform to share ideas and to mobilize efforts towards the greater good.
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Family-style lunch in Suijiang, Yunnan, China (2009)
We Americans can't forget that we live in a nation where we can oppose the views of our government and that we have vehicles within our constitution that help us protect human rights. We don't live in China, where the people are not free to publicize their political opinions without persecution. They are not allowed to formally congregate in numbers that threaten the stability of their system. We have the freedom to gather, share food, enliven the human spirit and organize.
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My husband and I before the family-style dinner we hosted this past weekend.
Food is beautiful and we relish in each other's artistic expressions. But we can further our passions in how we use food to tell stories elevating the human spirit. We have a great community amongst food producers in farms, in restaurants, at pop ups, at dining halls and yes, even at home. Let's bring people together with our passion for food and start meaningful conversations that make a difference.
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Silicon Valley Suburb Life and Meal Planning

6/3/2016

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The last time I blogged, I was living in San Francisco dealing with a destroyed kitchen. Fast-forward to today, and my family has moved south to Sunnyvale to be closer to my husband's work, but we're settling in quite comfortably in the much-dreaded suburbs. But no worries, it's still the bay area and there are plenty of fun things for families to do in the South Bay! I'm even enjoying being a two-car family, which is necessary for suburb life. While cruising around in my mama-ride, I've been exploring and running into Indian markets, Japanese markets, Chinese markets, larger-than-usual Whole Food markets, and farmers' markets. Living in San Francisco is a food paradise, but there was so much inner-city traffic and parking was always a fierce competition. Now it's easy wide-street! Okay, not really, but it is nice having a little more room and easier access to a greater variety of food sources. We are feeling grateful.

After settling in a bit and feeling the fog of baby brain finally dissipate, I've been trying something that really helps save time -- and money — when it comes to feeding the family. I've been meal planning. The first two weeks I created a Google Spreadsheet and fumbled with the cells between my iPhone and laptop, but then I found something so much easier that I haven't yet stopped this money-and-time saving practice. AnyList is a mobile app that allows users to create reminder lists and share them so that two people can use the same list (like a grocery list) and update in realtime. My husband and I have tried other apps, but this one is superior. As if I didn't like this app enough, AnyList is also the best way to meal plan. I can create recipes or import recipes from online then simply add them to my meal plan. I can add the ingredients to my grocery list straight from the recipe. I'm kind of a geek when it comes to using new technology to live life more conveniently. I keep trying new apps, but this one is hands-down, one of my favorite and most useful apps. As a mom and home chef, I'm in love with this app! Can you tell?

​Check out my little step-by-step process below for how I added Food52's Quinoa and Kale Crustless Quiche recipe to my AnyList. Later I cooked a version of the recipe for my own family. Of course I snapped it and shared it on Facebook. Here's my version of the recipe I promised my friends: Kale and Quinoa Crustless Quiche
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ShowShanti is back!

7/25/2015

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Shanti's familyAll that and 'Dim Sum!'
After a couple of years settling back home in San Francisco, I've come back to what I love most—sharing stories and easy homestyle recipes. I'm a mom now! That means I am in short supply of time. But I love cooking for my family and recounting stories from when I met families in China and learned their favorite family recipes. I collected over 400 recipes since 2009. The best part about these recipes is that they were taught to me by other families without a lot of time and with a lot of mouths to feed. 

After meeting many families around the world, it's become clear to me—especially now that I'm a mom—that cooking quick and easy recipes to eat together with the family at the dinner table is a universal joy. If we are fortunate to have the time and resources to cook for our families and eat together, we are blessed.

Please enjoy these easy homestyle recipes I've learned from other families in China and other parts of the world. We have more in common with each other than we realize: we all love sharing good food with our families.

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    I love to cook easy, homestyle recipes for family and friends. In this blog, you'll find stories and recipes I've learned from families in China and other parts of the world.

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  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Chinese Cuisine >
      • Soy-sauce-Braised Pork Belly
      • Shanti's Twice-Cooked Pork 湘緹的回鍋肉
      • Twice-Cooked Pork Haunch
      • September Stir-fry: Okra, Eggplant, and Peppers
    • Other Cuisines >
      • Guisado de Puerco
      • Kale & Quinoa Crustless Quiche
      • Kari Ayam (Malaysian Curry Chicken)
      • Tamarind Chili Pork Ribs
    • Food as Medicine >
      • Chinese Cold Remedies
    • Desserts >
      • Faye's Famous Carrot Cake
      • Lola's Leche Flan
  • Blog