Category: XiaoCooks

Eggplant with Spicy Garlic Sauce

Last year in December Stephen and I cat sat for one of our friends in Markham, who lived near First Markham Place. This meant we were often in the neighbourhood to play and cuddle with the energetic fur ball. Since we were already nearby, we’d stop by the food court at FMP to pick up

Shanghai Rice Cakes

Continuing our adventure in recreating restaurant dishes at home, Stephen and I have been working on stir fried Shanghai Rice Cakes with little success. It’s one of our favourite dishes at Shanghai Dim Sum and one we order all the time. I was convinced the vegetable used was a kind of pickled Chinese cabbage. After

Udon Carbonara

One of my favourite dishes at Kinka Izakaya is their Udon Carbonara, it’s creamy, rich and the perfect example of fusion done right. Unfortunately, it’s not available at all of their locations. When Stephen and I recently stopped by the Kinka North York outpost, we were disappointed that Udon Carbonara was not on the menu.

Steamed Fish with Ginger and Green Onions

I’m convinced that in a previous life I was a pampered house cat. I love afternoon naps in a spot of sun and love eating fish, from head to tail, skin, fins and all. My favourite way to eat fish is steamed whole, a traditional Asian method of preparation. Whenever my parents went grocery shopping,

Mussels with Black Bean Sauce

During university my friends and I lived downtown and stayed up many a night studying (and goofing off). By 3am we were always hungry and ready for a snack, which meant cup noodles or a visit to Hong Shing’s for a plate of Mussels with Black Bean Sauce for only $3.99. This was a great