A Filipino classic: ultra-tender beef braised in soy sauce and star anise, served with garlic rice In Manila, beef pares arrives with sauce that clings lightly to the spoon and rice that is still steaming. The beef is tender, the star anise comes through right away, and the broth brings […]
Soups and broths
Authentic Gamjatang
A steaming pork-bone stew, tinted red with gochugaru, thickened with perilla, and packed with tender potatoes. A pot simmers, its surface stained red by gochugaru and glossy with gelatin. The scent of perilla and doenjang rises in the steam. A potato gives way under the spoon. Around the table, everyone […]
Goto – Filipino Beef Congee
A rich, comforting Filipino congee, slowly simmered with tripe and ginger-scented broth, then topped with fried garlic, green onion, and calamansi. Steam rises from a silky rice porridge warmed with ginger. The fried garlic, beautifully golden, crackles under the spoon, the scallion adds a flash of green, and tuwalya, beef […]
Authentic Bulalo – Filipino Beef Shank & Marrow Broth
A rich, comforting Filipino broth, slowly simmered with beef shanks, corn, and bok choy for a deeply savory soup. In the bowl, a clear golden broth releases wisps of steam; the deep aroma of beef mingles with sweet onion and the gentle warmth of whole peppercorns. The shanks pull apart […]
Authentic Bak Kut Teh
A spice-fragrant soup where pork ribs gently simmer into a rich, comforting broth. In Klang’s breakfast stalls, it arrives still bubbling : a clay pot filled with dark brown broth, its steam perfumed with pepper and Cantonese-leaning herbs. Whole garlic cloves float on the surface. The ribs, incredibly tender, fall apart […]
Authentic Nurungji Baeksuk
A soothing Korean broth in which a whole chicken simmers low and slow, then gets a final flourish of crispy nurungji added at the last minute. Nurungji baeksuk is the kind of soup that comforts from the very first spoonful. A whole chicken simmers until the broth turns silky and […]
Authentic Laksa
A spicy coconut broth loaded with shrimp, chicken, rice noodles, and fresh herbs—rich, aromatic laksa. The first thing you notice is the aroma. Coconut cream blooms in a peppery heat that swirls above the pots of a Kuala Lumpur food court. One spoonful later, the dish’s quiet thesis reveals itself : […]
Authentic Tom Saap – Isan Hot-and-Sour Soup
A fragrant, spicy Thai Tom Saap soup where a simmered pork broth meets roasted herb paste, fresh lime, and chili flakes. Say saap in the Isan dialect and the scene is set : the word simply means “delicious.” Add the simple verb tom (“to boil”), and you get Tom Saap—a bowl […]
Pad Pong Karee – Thai Crab Curry
A creamy, spicy Thai crab curry, blending roasted chili paste, milk powder, and crisp aromatics for a main dish packed with flavor. Follow the scent of toasted curry mingling with briny steam drifting through Bangkok’s alleys at dusk. You’ll likely stop in front of a wok where a crab sizzles. […]
Kalguksu – Korean Noodle Soup
A delicious Korean knife-cut noodle soup, served in an anchovy broth with various toppings and spicy sauce. The first thing you notice is the mist. A veil of fragrant noodle steam condenses on the window as summer rain “patters on the awning. Diners lean over bowls that gurgle like small […]