Soup-Pot Chicken Stock
I turn a stripped rotisserie chicken carcass into a clean stock with a five to six hour bare simmer instead of a pressure cooker.
Kitchen
Recipes, iterated until perfection
I treat recipes the same way I treat an engineering problem: pick one variable, run the test, write down what happened, and change exactly one thing next time. These are the logs from that process, some of them clean finished recipes, some of them still mid-iteration, all of them documented instead of trusted to memory.
Basics
Chinese
Salt-Baked Chicken
Cantonese salt-baked chicken done the practical way: a seasoning rub and a foil wrap standing in for a full clay burial, still juicy under a crowded banquet oven.
Singapore Pork Chop Hor Fun
Charred wok noodles under a silky pork and egg gravy, tuned down to the gram after the pantry ran low on soy sauce.
Hong Shao Rou
I caramelize sugar in rendered pork fat, braise the belly low and slow in soy and Shaoxing wine, then reduce the liquid until it turns glossy.
Beggar's Chicken
I brine a whole chicken, rub it with a five-spice marinade, stuff it with shiitake and lap cheong, and seal it in lotus leaf, parchment, and foil to bake.
Soy-Braised Tri-Tip
I sear tri-tip hard, braise it low with soy and star anise, then glaze the sliced beef in the reduced liquid for under two minutes so it doesn't dry out.
Mapo Tofu
I fry ground pork with doubanjiang until the oil turns red, then simmer in soft tofu cubes just long enough for the sauce to lightly thicken.
Fried Egg Tofu with Minced Pork
I fry egg tofu rounds until golden, then simmer them in a soy and shiitake sauce built from minced pork and the mushroom soaking liquid.
Silken Steamed Egg with Minced Pork
I strain a warm-stock egg mixture into a shallow dish, steam it low until barely set, then finish it with seasoned minced pork so the texture jiggles like soft tofu.
Japanese
Japanese Beef Curry
I braise chuck roll with kombu and dashi until fork-tender, then finish it with Japanese curry roux over rice.
Chicken Katsu
I pound chicken thighs even, coat them flour-egg-panko, and shallow-fry them for a crust that survives resting on a rack.
Hambāgu
I sear onion-and-egg-bound beef patties, then finish them in a glossy ketchup and Worcestershire sauce built in the same pan.
Korean
Shin-Style Ramyeon
A copycat of the beefy, garlicky Shin Ramyeon broth, built from cheap noodle bricks and a hand-tuned spice mix, scaled from one bowl up to a seven-pack hot dog batch.
Southeast Asian
Kampung-Style Steamed Ginger Chicken and Stock Rice
I steam garlic-ginger marinated chicken thighs and spoon the accumulated juices over rice that I cook in chicken stock instead of water.
Sambal Belacan Barracuda
I fry barracuda steaks, then coat them in a coarse chili, garlic, shallot, and belacan sambal fried dark red in the same pan.
Spicy Coconut Barracuda Head-and-Tail Curry
I build a curry powder and coconut milk base, then stagger the barracuda head and tail into the pot on their own timers so the fish never overcooks.
Coconut-Broth Meatballs
I bind beef meatballs with soaked bread and milk, then simmer them gently in a lemongrass and coconut broth that I keep from ever boiling hard so it doesn't split.
Fusion
Spicy Garlic-Chili Ground Beef
A fifteen-minute garlic and chili ground beef base built to drop into rice bowls, tacos, or flatbread without a second thought.
Spicy Stir-Fry Egg Noodles
I stir-fry sliced pork or beef with chili paste, toss in boiled egg noodles, and top each portion with a fried egg.
Latin American
Mexican Pork and Bean Meal Prep
One slow-cooked pork and black bean base, split into crispy wraps and rice bowls for eight meals without repeating the same plate twice.
Refried Black Beans
Dried beans cooked down and mashed into a spreadable, garlicky refry, with a dedicated wok method that keeps the seasoning intact.
Chicken Quesadillas
I fold shredded rotisserie chicken and a heavy layer of cheese into a flour tortilla and crisp it in a skillet, no onion.
El Pollo Loco-Style BBQ Chicken
I marinate chicken in orange juice, lime, garlic, and cumin overnight, then grill it slowly, watching the citrus sugars so they char instead of burn.
Western
Brown Butter Coffee Cookies
Gluten-free cookies built on browned butter and dissolved instant coffee, with a mandatory chill that's the difference between gritty and right.
Costco-Style Mocha Freeze
A copycat mocha freeze fixed by an ice-ratio correction and a frozen coffee-cube method that skips the meltwater dilution.
Popeyes-Style Air Fryer Chicken
Crackly, spiced drumsticks built for the air fryer, double-dredged and rested so the crust actually bonds before it hits the basket.
Cajun One-Pot Chicken and Rice
I brown Cajun-seasoned chicken thighs, then build the rice right in the same skillet so it picks up all the fond.
Creamy Garlic Chicken Pasta
I sear chicken thighs, build a garlic-Parmesan cream sauce in the same pan, then toss it all with pasta in about 30 minutes.
Chicken Schnitzel with Red Sauce
I fry Parmesan-panko chicken schnitzel and keep the sauce mostly underneath so the fried crust stays crisp on the plate.
Chicken Cutlet with Mushroom Cream Gravy
I fry breaded chicken cutlets, then build a mushroom cream gravy in the same skillet and pour it over right before serving.
Beef Red-Sauce Pasta
I brown ground beef and mushrooms, deglaze with red wine, and simmer everything into a Worcestershire-backed tomato sauce for pasta.
Barracuda Steak with Fennel Purée and Citrus Beurre Blanc
I sear lean barracuda steaks and plate them over a sieved fennel and cream purée, with a lemon beurre blanc spooned around and a green herb oil finish.
Barramundi with Beurre Blanc, Yukon Gold Mash, and Asparagus
I run this whole plate, mash, asparagus, seared barramundi, and beurre blanc, off a 45-minute countdown clock so everything lands hot at once.