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 […]
Soups and broths
Authentic Goto – Filipino Beef Tripe 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 […]
Nurungji Baeksuk (Korean Chicken & Crispy Rice Soup)
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 […]
Authentic Japanese Tantanmen
A spicy, restaurant-quality tantanmen ramen you can make in no time. A rich, punchy broth topped with deeply savory meat3a that’s my promise to you, dear readers, with this much-loved ramen recipe (one my subscribers keep begging for). There is plenty to cover, so let’s dive straight in. Tantanmen, what […]