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Day With Mei

Chinese-American pantry recipes

Savory · January 6, 2025

Sichuan Paocai (Infinite Pickle Jar)

Paocai (泡菜), literally meaning “soaked vegetables” in Chinese, is a traditional Sichuanese pickle made through lacto-fermentation. Paocai is deeply rooted in Sichuan cuisine, prized for its versatility as both a side dish and ingredient. Unlike many other fermented pickles, paocai…

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Tinned Fish · January 3, 2025

Tinned Fish with Dressed Winter Citrus

Brighten your table with this quick, refreshing small plate that pairs pantry-staple tinned fish with vibrant winter citrus. My plate features canned hake, but feel free to swap it for any tinned white fish, tuna, or mackerel. The citrus pictured…

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Sweet · December 27, 2024

Black Sugar Ginger Hot Chocolate

A cozy twist on hot chocolate, this 5-ingredient recipe features the warmth of black sugar and ginger. Dark chocolate and a pinch of salt balance the flavors, creating a rich yet not-too-sweet treat. Inspired by black sugar and ginger tea,…

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Sweet · December 23, 2024

Apricot Kernel (Chinese Almond) Ice Cream

All about apricot kernels! Plus a custard-based ice cream with an intoxicating nutty almond aroma.

Sweet · December 18, 2024

Bay Leaf Chip Ice Cream

Bay leaf chip is mint chip’s sophisticated cousin from the back of the pantry. Bay leaf’s minty and woodsy fragrance meets dark chocolate in a nod to the nostalgia of mint chip ice cream. It’s my direct response to people…

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Sweet · November 29, 2024

Spiced Caramel Poached Pears

This 5-ingredient recipe comes together in one pot, and can be made up to 5 days ahead. This recipe pairs juicy pears with the warm flavors of cinnamon, star anise, and a rich caramel poaching liquid that doubles as a…

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Hi! I'm Mei, a Chinese-American recipe developer seeing familiar foods from a new perspective.

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Tinned Fish Talk 🎣 King Salmon Cheeks from @wildfi Tinned Fish Talk 🎣 King Salmon Cheeks from @wildfishcannery 

King salmon cheeks are a cut you can’t get anywhere else in a can, it’s rare to even find at a fishmonger, much less a restaurant. Fish cheeks are rare because they are so small and labor-intensive to harvest. There’s only two per fish so you can imagine how much it takes to fill a single can.

The good news: this is one of the most uniquely pleasurable experiences I’ve had from a tin of fish. The bad news: there is a very limited quantity that sells out almost immediately each year (sorry!) For transparency, they sent me this tin ($44) but know i’ve been a continued customer and all opinions are my own.

I chose to warm up the unopened tin in hot water so the natural fat and collagen are even more luxurious—like a fatty, unctuous scallop. King salmon has a relatively mild flavor and richer texture compared to sockeye or coho. Wildfish Cannery is a one-of-a-kind operation here in North America with a tight-knit supply chain that hand-packs fish caught locally in Southeast Alaska. I hold a special respect for their culinary approach, the cannery is a direct opposition to the category’s commodity reputation.
2 weeks later, we have Sichuan larou! In the pre 2 weeks later, we have Sichuan larou! 

In the previous video, I cured pork belly in salt and spices for several days then set it outside to dry. I smoked it with apple wood pellets and cooked off a piece to taste.
How do you keep traditional foods alive? Sichuan How do you keep traditional foods alive?

Sichuan bacon season is back! Larou (Sichuan bacon) is a cured pork belly process similar to pancetta. It’s first seasoned with spices and salt in an equilibrium cure, hung outside to dehydrate, then (optionally) smoked. The earliest records of this wind-cured meat date back to the Zhou Dynasty roughly 3000 years ago. 

In Sichuan you can buy larou everywhere. In the US no one really makes it at scale. I grew up in the US making it with my family every winter season out of that necessity. Funny enough I’m the only one from my generation still carrying it on, and I’m the one farthest from home.
saved the best for last the suburbanite mall rat saved the best for last

the suburbanite mall rat in me is clawing to get out help me
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