The trickiest part of this entire recipe is dealing with the stickiness of the marshmallows, which is why using a high quality non-stick pan is crucial to avoid a sticky mess. My Hexclad Hybrid Nonstick Pan has never failed me in this regard, and it’s ON SALE right now with 20% off! Click HERE to check it out. This pan is incredibly versatile in the range of cooking you can do with it, and is truly non-stick!

That’s when I went to Claude for ideas. “How do I make an American burger fused with Asian influences?” And Claude gave me a better answer than I’d ever have imagined: burger patties wrapped in wonton wrappers. It’s as simple as you think it is: make small balls of burger patties, pat them with some cheese, wrap it in wonton wrappers, and cook them. Claude suggested dressing it up with American condiments such as ketchup and relish. And the end result is something that tastes incredible and takes less time than that of actual burgers.

Agar agar is a vegan alternative to gelatin - made with seaweed. It’s super versatile in that you can jellify any liquid of choice and it’ll turn into a bouncy solid! Depending on the ratio of agar agar to liquid, you can adjust the texture - from a pliable and soft texture to a more bouncy and solid texture. I decided to create a mango and coconut combination since mango is in season. I’ve made this same treat with coconut milk instead of coconut water - both are delicious and hits hard on a hot summer day!

We call it, “Zhajiangmian,” which directly translates to “fried sauce noodles” is made with fermented black bean sauce that’s simmered with pork fat. Traditionally, small chunks of pork belly is cooked with the sauce to create this thick, flavorful pork sauce. However, since we’re all trying to watch our cholesterol in this house, I opted to use just ground pork. I also opted for udon noodles rather than the wheat-based noodles that’s traditionally used because it saves time (just blanch with hot water) and my kids will eat udon over any other noodle. This recipe is simple to execute so long as you get the order of ingredients correct - just remember, noodles go in last!

The difference when using wonton wrappers is that they won’t turn out as big as the traditional scallion pancakes (almost the size of your face!) But you can achieve just as many layers and the same level of crispiness as the traditional scallion pancakes. The mini size works well for bento-box lunches or as appetizers and sides. And the best part about making them yourself is that you get to put in AS! MUCH! scallions as you want, which, to me, is the most crucial component of a scallion pancake.

Watch the tutorial HERE!

Growing up in Taiwan, I ate a lot of desserts and pastries with salted egg yolks. The most common one being mooncakes eaten during the Mid-Autumn festival, where salted egg yolks were often incorporated inside red bean or taro mooncakes to represent the moon. Another one that gained fame in the recent years is the “爆漿芋頭酥,” directly translated to “lava taro pastry,” found in many corners of night markets where mashed taro balls, encasing salted egg yolks, were fried with a crispy, outer layer. The result is a crunchy first layer, sweet and crumbly second layer, then a melty, slightly salty middle layer that oozes out as you bite in.

I crave these foods often, but the realist in me knows that we’ll only eat those the next time we fly back to Taiwan. Because salted egg yolk pastries are typically “layered” and are extremely time-consuming to create. This dilemma was the precursor to how this salted egg yolk butter mochi came to be. I wanted to taste it so terribly that this idea of combining an easy, mildly sweet treat with salted egg yolk dustings came to mind. And surprisingly, the result did more than just hit the spot for me. I hope you try it out to see what I mean!

This rendition of crab rangoons requires no folding or frying. Instead of making the rangoons individually - we’re turning it family style into a dip, so everyone can enjoy together! Since crab rangoons are typically eaten with wonton skins, most crab rangoon dip recipes will go the extra mile to include frying the wonton skins. However, in my opinion, you can eat them with whatever your heart desires. In my case, simply pair it with some tortilla chips or plain pita crackers from the grocery store (easier and probably healthier!) Because that’s how good the dip is; it pairs well with any and everything.

The process is simple. Buy all the canned fruits and jellies your heart desires, slice them up, and add the drinks. Traditionally, Vietnamese Che Thai is made with coconut milk as the base. But as the dessert popularized into the western hemisphere, half and half or heavy cream were introduced as alternatives to make it more accessible (and also, cheaper) for everyone to enjoy! For this recipe, I used half and half as I was making a huge batch for my sister’s baby shower - and I simply didn’t have the time to open that many cans of coconut milk.

The recipe is simple - it only requires 6 ingredients and some mixing and baking. I grew up only eating nian gao with traditional Taiwanese flavors - mixed in brown sugar and sweetened red beans. But when I met my Malaysian husband and got introduced to the world of Southeast Asian flavors that wowed my tastebuds, I realized how versatile nian gao can actually be. This year, we tried it with pandan and condensed milk. And I highly recommend you try it too!

I never truly enjoyed eating fa gao growing up, but I’ve always loved the way it looks. Every cake “bloomed” uniquely, some with small openings, some with huge “smiles,” and others… so cracked open they basically looked broken. They reminded me that every year looks different. Some years are full of opportunities, growth, and new development. And other years are for slow and steady living.

I was reminded of fa gao this year when my kids asked for something sweet to celebrate Lunar New Year. This was the first dessert that came to mind, but all I could remember was the fact that I didn’t like them. But when I really thought back, I realized it was likely because my mom always skimped out on the sugar. The fa gaos I grew up with were not sweet at all! After digging around, I stumbled upon several recipes that used boxed white cakes as the base of fa gaos, and it got me really excited for more creativity. That’s how we landed on this Funfetti strawberry fa gao!

And that’s how we landed here - the “long-ton,” get it?? It’s a long… wonton. Another modern take on enjoying one of the most traditionally Chinese foods without having to expanse the same amount of energy and time it typically requires. My curiosity for the long-ton peaked after trying out the dumpling lasagna, which turned out so delicious and was almost effortless to make. Now after having tried both… my vote still stands with the dumpling lasagna. But the long-ton took only maybe an extra 5 - 10 minutes to make and is seriously slurp-worthy.

Tools I used linked HERE!

The concept is simple. Instead of individually scooping dumpling fillings into wrappers then folding and pleating tirelessly, layer them instead. So you’ve got full control of the wrapper to filling ratio without worrying about whether the wrappers will hold up. You also get the freedom to make it as soupy or as juicy as you want, because the wrappers aren’t in charge of containing the soup. Bottom line - it just makes sense. And you must try it!