Twice-Cooked Pork: From Joyce Chen’s 1961 Kitchen to Today’s Sichuan Pantry

July 20, 2026July 20, 2026Leave a comment

As I’ve mentioned before, I have a large collection of modern, vintage, and antique cookbooks. One of the things I enjoy most is comparing how recipes have evolved over the decades and seeing how cooks adapted authentic dishes to the ingredients available at the time.

Where did I find this classic dish?

I first discovered this recipe for Twice Cooked Pork in Joyce Chen’s 1961 cookbook, where it appeared under the name “Chungking Pork.” Like many early Chinese-American cookbooks, it adapted traditional Chinese cooking for ingredients American home cooks could actually find.

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Kung Pao Shrimp- Sichuan Classic

July 17, 2026July 19, 2026Leave a comment

Kung Pao Shrimp is one of those dishes that proves Sichuan cooking isn’t just about heat. The first thing you’ll notice is the balance of flavors. Sweet, sour, salty, and the unmistakable tingling warmth of Sichuan peppercorns all come together in a glossy sauce that coats the shrimp.

Shrimp also changes the character of the dish entirely. While Kung Pao Chicken is hearty and comforting, Kung Pao Shrimp is lighter and cooks in just a few minutes, making it perfect for a quick weeknight dinner. Crisp vegetables, roasted peanuts, dried chilies, and tender shrimp create a dish that tastes every bit as good as what you’ll find in an excellent Chinese restaurant.

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Thai Ginger Chicken- Gai Pad King

July 15, 2026July 19, 2026Leave a comment

My journey to discover different cuisines began in the early 80s. I became interested in Chinese, Thai and Indian food, but I had no idea where to start learning about these cuisines, which at that time we’re still quite obscure. Certainly there were Chinese and Indian restaurants, but Thai restaurants were a bit more few and far between.

A friend recommended this cookbook and this is where my journey to cook authentic Thai began. For me, Jennifer Brennan was my first Thai cooking teacher—even though we never met. Her book opened an entirely new world of flavors and techniques that I’ve been exploring ever since.

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Vietnamese Shaking Beef inspired by The Slanted Door

July 13, 2026July 19, 2026Leave a comment

I’ve had so many wonderful meals at the Slanted Door in SF. This Shaking Beef was one I always ordered. I’d say it was their signature dish and for good reason. Although the restaurant has since closed, Charles Phan’s wonderful, The Slanted Door Cookbook preserves many of its memorable dishes.

I’ve made a few adjustments to fit the way I cook at home while staying true to the flavors and spirit of the original dish.

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Sicilian Marinara Sauce-Workhorse of Nonna’s Kitchen

July 11, 2026July 19, 2026Leave a comment

I got this marinara recipe from a friend’s grandmother. She had emigrated from Sicily in the early 1920’s and settled in the North End of Boston. She wrote the recipe down in a piece of scrap paper with a stubby little pencil. I had that piece of paper for years and then it disappeared. I admit I was pretty upset. I was planning on framing it.

She always had a batch of this sauce going on her stove, and always served it with rigatoni or mezze rigatoni.

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Pasta alla Gricia-Pasta with Italian Bacon

July 7, 2026July 19, 2026Leave a comment

This is not a totally traditional Pasta alla Gricia, as made the Lazio region, as it has some additional ingredients, but it’s very good.

That being said, sometimes we can get bogged down between what’s the “real” recipe and what tastes good. I’m a big believer in what tastes good.

The Classic Recipe:

In its purest form, it’s a classic, minimalist Roman pasta dish made with just four core ingredients: pasta, guanciale (cured pork jowl), freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, and black pepper. It’s often described as the ancestor to Amatriciana (with tomatoes) or Carbonara (with eggs).

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Gai Larb- The Classic Thai Chicken Salad

July 7, 2026July 19, 2026Leave a comment

Also known as Larb Gai, this is one of Thailand’s classic dishes. Unlike many stir-fries, it uses no oil and comes together in just a few minutes. The combination of fresh herbs, lime juice, fish sauce, and toasted rice powder in Larb Gai gives it a wonderful balance of bright, fresh flavors and a unique crunch.

Serve warm with crisp cabbage leaves and cucumber slices

A word of caution:

Thai salads can be deceptively spicy. I think it’s because our Western palates don’t associate warm or cold with highly spicy. One of the hottest can be Som Tom (Green Mango Salad) and Yum Nua (Beef Salad) can be spicy too.

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Building an Indian Pantry: Essential Ingredients

July 6, 2026July 19, 2026Leave a comment

If you enjoy South Asian cooking, getting started can be a little daunting. There are some unfamiliar ingredients and in general these ingredients aren’t something that we all readily stock in our pantry, unless we cook these foods frequently. The question is, where do I start?

So I thought that a good overview of the essentials that will allow you to prepare most of the Indian recipes you’ll find here on The Pasadena Chef would be helpful.

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Italian Lemon Pasta with Pancetta (Pasta al Limone con Pancetta)

July 5, 2026July 19, 2026Leave a comment

This pasta starts with slowly rendered pancetta, then removed from the pan while crispy so it doesn’t get soggy.

Fresh lemon zest for aromatic oil and fresh lemon juice for acidity, emulsified directly into the starchy pasta water and a hint of the pork fat. Fresh arugula for a peppery bite or torn sweet basil to lift the dish.

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Thai Spicy Curry, Khua Kling Gai -A Southern Thai Classic

July 5, 2026July 19, 2026Leave a comment

In spite of what people think, not all Thai food is very spicy, and even some Thai curry’s are not very spicy, but this one is a notable exception.

What’s different about this curry?

This is a very spicy “dry” curry from southern Thailand and the region of Nakhon Si Thammarat and Phatthalung and the southern islands like Krabi and Trang. By dry, I mean it doesn’t have a lot of sauce and does not use coconut milk.

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