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Day With Mei

Chinese-American pantry recipes

Chinese-American

Recipes, Savory · February 20, 2026

Sichuan Spiced Salmon Gravlax

Gravlax is salmon that is cured with salt, sugar, and dill. I riffed on this Nordic classic by swapping the cure with my go-to Sichuanese cure made by toasting spices in salt. This gravlax recipe is a welcoming gateway into…

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Recipes, Savory · November 20, 2025

Fava Bean and Tofu Skin Salad with Mala Vinaigrette

Creamy, sweet fava beans meet delightfully bouncy tofu skin in this flavor-packed salad from Sichuan. The mala vinaigrette is flavored with chili oil and Sichuan peppercorn for a tingly spicy The entire dish comes together in just 15 minutes and…

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Recipes, Savory · July 7, 2025

Chicken Thighs in Goji Agrodolce

Crispy pan-roasted chicken thighs meet a Chinese-ish take on agrodolce, the sour-sweet Italian sauce.

Recipes, Sweet · June 16, 2025

Strawberry Lychee Shortcake

This Chinese-American take on the classic strawberry shortcake is the perfect not-too-sweet summer dessert. Fluffy biscuits and lightly sweetened cream pair with juicy, macerated strawberries and lychees. In this recipe, strawberries meet lychees, my favorite tropical fruit that hits peak…

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Recipes, Savory · June 12, 2025

Silkie Chicken Soup

This nourishing Chinese herbal soup is made with silkie chicken, prized for its rich flavor and restorative properties. Simmered with traditional Chinese medicinal herbs like angelica root, astragalus, and goji berries, it’s a comforting dish rooted in healing. Walk into…

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Recipes, Savory, Tinned Fish · May 27, 2025

Tinned Squid with Parsley Vinaigrette

This quick recipe is an elegant upgrade to any tin of squid (or any tinned fish for that matter) for a vibrant and balanced appetizer or lunch. I recommend serving with toast or over salad greens to soak up the…

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Recipes, Savory · April 28, 2025

Mushroom “Rice” with Yacai Stir-Fry 菌米芽菜

This stir-fry is my plant-based take on a Sichuan homestyle favorite, built around yacai, the savory, craveable Sichuanese pantry staple. This recipe is inspired by jimiyacai (鸡米芽菜) chicken “rice” with yacai, a traditional Sichuanese homestyle stir-fry made with pieces of…

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Recipes, Sweet · March 21, 2025

Strawberry Sichuan Peppercorn Syrup

This 3 ingredient recipe is an accessible way to explore flavor pairings like this juicy strawberry and sichuan peppercorn combo. Strawberry and sichuan peppercorns may seem like an unlikely pairing, but the citrusy notes and tingly sensation of sichuan pepper make the strawberries taste extra juicy.

Recipes, Sweet · March 17, 2025

Buckwheat Black Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies get an upgrade with the addition of buckwheat flour and black sugar, creating a perfectly balanced treat that’s rich, nutty, and deeply satisfying. Whether you’re looking for a more nutrient-dense cookie or simply want to experiment with…

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Recipes, Sweet · February 28, 2025

Bamboo Toasted Rice Ice Cream

This bamboo and toasted rice ice cream is a nutty, creamy, earthy dream perfumed with subtle woody notes from the bamboo and a popcorn-like warmth from the toasted rice. Ingredients + Sourcing Tips Want more ice cream recipes? Check out…

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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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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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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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