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Day With Mei

Chinese-American pantry recipes

dessert

Recipes, Sweet · October 13, 2025

Tonka Bean Ice Cream

Tonka beans combine a several familiar aromas and flavors into something familiar, yet unique—like if cherry, vanilla bean, nutmeg, hay, and tobacco all mixed together into a single flavor. I ought to note tonka beans are illegal in the United…

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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, Sweet · May 7, 2025

Vegan Ice Cream Base

This plant-based ice cream base has the same satisfying creaminess and a texture that holds up in the freezer. If you just want the base recipe you’re welcome to skip to the bottom, my R&D notes are included for the…

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Recipes, Sweet · May 2, 2025

Bastani Sonnati (Persian Saffron Ice Cream)

If you’re Persian, this flavor needs no introduction. For everyone else: welcome to a dreamy trio of saffron, rosewater, and pistachio—a combination known as Bastani Sonnati Zafrani. Bastani sonnati means traditional Persian saffron ice cream and zafrani means saffron. What’s…

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Recipes, Sweet · April 10, 2025

Pandan Ice Cream

What is pandan? Pandan is a tropical leaf with a unique flavor that originates from Southeast Asia. The key question here is what does pandan taste like? To me, pandan tastes like coconut and sweet corn with someone mowing their…

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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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Sweet · March 10, 2025

Black Pepper Blueberry Crisp

This Black Pepper Blueberry Crisp is an intriguing twist on a classic dessert. Juicy blueberries meet a toasty oat topping with a subtle kick of black pepper for a complex yet easy-to-love dessert. Easy to make and even better 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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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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