CHIANG MAI, NORDTHAILAND

CHIANG MAI, NORDTHAILAND

     CHIANG MAI, NORTHERN THAILAND  A CULINARY EXPLORATION WORKSHOP WITH Mandy Lee   NOV 16-23/2025CHIANG MAI, NORTHERN THAILAND  A CULINARY EXPLORATION WORKSHOP WITH Mandy Lee   NOV 16-23/2025December 8, 2021Kahlua buns stuffed w/ mascarpone cream and salted pistacchio powderSomewhere inside this cold hard exterior of mine, as hard as it is to admit, there’s always been this fantasy of being the person who gives out home-baked panettone every year during the holiday season.  Not too early, not too late, just a couple gatherings…READ MOREOctober 15, 2021Halloween spiral pastry stuffed with pumpkin and cheddarIt’s always hard to entice someone to try, let alone spend time to cook something which they share utterly zero cultural or emotional connections with.  We are after all, creatures of habits and comforts, and both were properly brought up to not speak to strangers. …READ MOREMay 13, 2021Paper thin soft chewy, Sonoran-style flour tortilla[ezcol_1half] For a couple years now, I’ve been taking jabs at creating the perfect flour tortillas. Now, any conversation evoking the word “perfect” ought to be subject to a clearer definition, doesn’t it?  So here is mine.  The perfect flour tortilla, in my view, should…READ MOREMarch 15, 2021Chewy marshmallow nougat w/ cheese crackers and pistachio”  It has just the right resistance, just the right gives, and just the right amount of crunches, dense and chewy yet airy and textural.  “ [ezcol_1half] In case you’re wondering why there’s again a video instead of process photos, I’m actually thinking about experimenting…READ MOREGO TO THE BLOG ARCHIVE FOR MORE...check out our youtube channelGO TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNELTHESE RECIPES GOT BETTERUPDATED RECIPES:August 17, 2020Failproof flakey pastry stuffed with mochi and chocolate[ezcol_1fifth]–[/ezcol_1fifth] [ezcol_3fifth] Listen, I’ve made this flakey pastry about four times now.  And each time, no matter how every single signs along the way was pointing towards an inevitable heartbreaking disaster, somehow, miraculously, it always turned out amazing.  I’ve stuffed them with jam and cheese,…July 24, 2020Gluten-free, low-carb, chewy all-purpose noodles made of chicken breast[ezcol_1fifth]-[/ezcol_1fifth] [ezcol_3fifth] “  The wisdom in exploring Mars lies in a single dumpling.  ” The merits to explore Mars may not be a subject that lands on a food blog very often.  Yet. Since the 1990’s, the world has spend billions of dollars over the…March 25, 2020Pork shoulder steak w/ toasted sesame oil aioli[ezcol_1fifth]-[/ezcol_1fifth] [ezcol_3fifth] A FEW WORDS… Dear citizens of earth, Look, each and every one of us can either choose to self-isolate and let this coronavirus fiasco blow over in a few weeks. Or, you can continue to meet up with your buddies and talk about…October 29, 2018Honeycomb macaroni w/ porky cream[ezcol_1half] ”  Together, each cylindrical chamber separates easily with a brisk crack where the melted cheese are harvested and mingles with the cream sauce laying bare.  “ On October 22nd 2018, in the darkness of the night, I laid on my eyes on Margeaux Brasseries’s “honeycomb…September 13, 2017WORLD PEACE CURRY, AND HAPPENS TO BE GLORIOUSLY DELICIOUSSOUTHEAST ASIAN AROMATICS, KOREAN CHILI PASTE, INDIAN SPICES, GREEK YOGURT, ITALIAN SUN-DRIED TOMATOES, CHINESE ANISES, AND IN THE END, A LITTLE PUSH OF ALL AMERICAN CHEESE.  AN OTHER-WORLDLY CURRY THAT TASTES LIKE THE PINNACLE OF HUMANITY [ezcol_1third] I’d like to introduce you to world peace…March 3, 2017DIM SUM MONTH: GLASS DUMPLINGS W/ MUSHROOMS AND SMOKED GOUDA CHEESEDIM SUM MONTH STILL CONTINUES… OK, I know it’s not February anymore, but there’s still a couple more dim sum I want to share so DIM SUM MONTH is oozing into March a bit… WHAT:  Glass-like translucent dumplings stuffed with caramelized mushrooms and a soft-hearted…February 10, 2017DIM SUM MONTH: CHARSIU PULL-APART PINEAPPLE BUNDIM SUM MONTH CONTINUES… WHAT:  The new poster child of dim sum-scape in Hong Kong, the char siu pineapple buns, pull-apart style! WHY:  Do you need to reason to eat a soft, squishy bun stuffed with sweet char siu pork and topped with crunchy “pineapple”…February 6, 2017DIM SUM MONTH: Crystal shrimp dumpling w/ shrimp oil mayo[ezcol_1half] EXACTLY WHAT DIM SUM IS SUPPOSED TO, BUT SOMEHOW FORGOTTEN TO BE, LITERALLY, AS TO TOUCH HEART [/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end] Welcome to DIM SUM MONTH! WHAT:  I’m dedicating this whole month to the delicate art that is dim sum. WHY:  I’m slowly and painfully realizing…September 20, 2016SUPPLE SLOW-COOKED SOY SAUCE CHICKEN RICE[ezcol_1half] Sometimes ideas arise upon the complete rejection of another.  This recipe is a perfect example of such. The other day (I say “the other day” a lot, which really means “last year”), I was watching this video on YouTube, a michelin-starred chef explaining how to make…December 12, 2015SANDY OLD MAN ON X’MAS[ezcol_1fifth]  [/ezcol_1fifth] [ezcol_3fifth] ONCE THESE PIPING HOT, LIGHT AND AIRY DONUTS HIT WHAT I CALL THE “CHRISTMAS SAND”, THE HOUSE WILL INSTANTLY SMELL LIKE SWEET, BUTTERY AND EGGY HOLIDAY SPIRIT. Quickly leaving you today with something awesome I discovered in Hong Kong.  And it comes with…September 30, 2015HOW TO EASILY SOUS-VIDE IN OVEN, WITH OR WITHOUT WATERFOR THE PAST 35 YEARS OF SOLEMN HATRED FOR WHITE MEAT, OF CLAWING CHICKEN SAWDUSTS OUT OF MY THROAT, IT MEANS TO TELL ME THAT ALL ALONG, I COULD’VE BEEN EATING THIS SUCCULENCE?!! IS THIS A JOKE?!! [ezcol_1half] Let’s face it, most of us never…September 14, 2015HONEY WHIPPED RICOTTA-STUFFED SCONES[ezcol_1fifth]  [/ezcol_1fifth] [ezcol_3fifth] THE THICKENED AND EMBRACIVE RICOTTA-MASCARPONE MOISTENS THE CRUMBS LIKE A SCONE CARRYING ITS OWN CLOTTED-CREAM [/ezcol_3fifth] [ezcol_1fifth_end]  [/ezcol_1fifth_end] [ezcol_1third][/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_1third][/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_1third_end][/ezcol_1third_end] [ezcol_1third][/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_1third][/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_1third_end][/ezcol_1third_end] [ezcol_1fifth]  [/ezcol_1fifth] [ezcol_3fifth] Sometimes, we wait for the perfect recipe-publishing moment to present itself.  Iced dairies to fend off the heat…August 3, 2015HOW TO ACTUALLY COOK PERFECT RICE WITHOUT A RICE-COOKERLET’S SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT, ONCE AND FOR ALL… DON’T YOU EVER, EVER, AND I MEAN NEVER EVER, BOIL YOUR SUSHI RICE [ezcol_1half] There are a lot of rumours out there about cooking rice without a rice-cooker. Obviously, it will be much simplier with a…May 26, 2015THE PARADOX OF ICE CREAM-SPRING ROLL W GROUND PEANUT BRITTLE[ezcol_1half] …BUT IT DOESN’T STOP THERE.  THE REAL MIND-BLOWING PART IS THE LAST DESCENDING SPRIGS OF THE UNIMAGINABLE… FRESH CILANTRO LEAVES [/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end] If you were those who like to travel to unfamiliar places, see unfamiliar pictures, eat unfamiliar things, chances are that for many times, you have been…May 19, 2015M(Y) SHANGHAI’S COLD WONTONS IN SPICY PEANUT SAUCE[ezcol_1third] YOUR ULTIMATE REVENGE TOWARDS THE COMING ASS-BINDING HEATWAVES A REFRESHINGLY PLEASURABLE PAIN, BEST SERVED COLD [/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_2third_end] It might say something about me, perhaps not in the most positive light, whenever I fell for a Chinese dish-inspiration from half way around the world while living right…April 24, 2015BEIJING DRUNK-FOOD, JIANBING[ezcol_1half] WITHOUT THE BRAVERY FROM WITHIN A BEER CAN… YOU CAN NOW MAKE THIS SIGNATURE BEIJING STREET-FOOD AT HOME [/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end] What the hell’s this?  Well… let me refresh it for you. If you have ever lived or travelled to Beijing.  It was nightfall.  Granted that…March 30, 2015BLACK SESAME MOCHI ICE CREAM FOR EM’S BB-SHOWERTHERE IS AN UNUSUAL STURDINESS AND BOUNCINESS TO EACH BITE, AND DEEP NUTTINESS WITH EACH MELTING CHEWS [ezcol_1half] Hi Emily, So, congratulations!  Wow, new baby huh?  I mean.. just.. WOW!  Ayee-um… Mandy, by the way.  Here, um, I sort of acted late on that race to…March 18, 2015PEANUT BUTTER STICKY RICE BALLS IN GREEN TEATHEY COMPLETE ME [ezcol_1third] Sorry but I have to run off quickly today, and leave you with this traditional and wildly beloved Chinese dessert.  These little pretty purses called tang-yuan, meaning “soup-circles”, are very popular, if not mandatory, at all major celebratory event and holidays because of their literal…March 4, 2015MY XIAN FAMOUS SPICY CUMIN LAMB HAND-SMASHED NOODLES[ezcol_1half] ONCE YOU GET THERE, WHATEVER IT TAKES FOR YOU TO GET THERE, THE REST IS AS EASY AS BIANG [/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end] Does this recipe really need introduction?  If you have been enjoying, following, or even just been seduced from afar by the unstoppable uprise of…February 7, 2015miso stewed short-ribs French-dip sandwich[ezcol_1third] A ROUNDUP OF MY WEEK RANGING FROM TRAGEDY TO AWESOMENESS… [/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_2third_end] Lost my sleep mojo. Left pink eye that’s flirting dangerously with my right eye. Egg allergy plus one-lick-too-many from testing the magic 15-seconds scrambled eggs, gave this pre-middle aged face a few beautiful,…February 3, 2015MAGIC 15-SECONDS CREAMY SCRAMBLED EGGS[ezcol_1third] THE PREVIOUSLY-THOUGHT-IMPOSSIBLE SCRAMBLED EGGS-FANTASY SPEED, AND CREAMINESS.  ALL TOGETHER [/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_1third] We all think we know how to do scrambled eggs. We all know, I hope, that speedy scrambled eggs cooked over high heat will be grainy, rubbery… and worst of all, will ooze…December 16, 2014THE VAMPIRE SLAYER RAMEN-EXPRESS[ezcol_1half] CALL IT, THE RAMEN WITH 40 CLOVES OF GARLIC… WAIT.  44 CLOVES. [/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end] SOMETIMES, and for the sake of modesty not all the times, but sometimes, after I pasted every photos of a recipe in place and started to stare into space thinking…October 13, 2014XI-AN FAMOUS HOT RICE RIBBONS[ezcol_1third]  [/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_1third] JUST WHEN I THOUGHT THE SHOW WAS GONNA EXIT FASTER THAN IT ENTERED, ON THE SIDE OF A NEIGHBORHOOD ROAD… A NEW JOINT OPENED [/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_1third_end]  [/ezcol_1third_end] [ezcol_1third] [/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_1third] I must admit, my belated appreciation for the hype of Xi’an Famous Foods, was a slow,…August 17, 2014CANTONESE-STYLE ROAST PORK BELLY[ezcol_1third] On the 20th of May 2013, I made a recipe that up to this day, more than a year later, still haunts me. It was a glorious, beautifully crafted specimen of pork belly confit, originally created by the Thomas Keller of whom I almost…June 13, 2014MOCHI DONUTS” YOUR SKINNY JEANS WILL SELF DESTRUCT IN 30 MIN. THIS MESSAGE WON’T. “ [ezcol_1half] THIS, may come as a surprise to hear.  Or not… judging from how you rationalize things.  Well, let’s just say based on the look of things on this blog, this will…March 25, 2014FAUX SMOKED MEAT/PASTRAMI“There’s New York. There’s Montreal. THEN THERE’S THE REST OF THE BARREN WORLD WITHOUT THIS SMOKY PINK” (My subconscious eagerness to share this may have caused me to accidentally publish it before saying anything… By the way, WordPress, if you’re reading, a “confirm publish” pop-up…March 12, 2014SPEED FOLDING, PEANUT SUGAR MORNING BUNS“JUST TWO FOLDINGS, GUYS.  TWOOO FOLDINGS!” I literally cannot wait, cannot put another wasted minute between you and this recipe.  Cannot contain the overjoy in the fact that I have fulfilled the purpose of why I was put on this earth, my designated service to…November 12, 2013HOLY CRAPPED HOLLANDAISEI’m sure it happens to everybody.  I know, self-assuringly, that I’m not alone on this…  I’m sure that once in a while, we all come across a recipe, a “trick” really, that gets us so excited we forget to reasonably doubt and then it fails…September 9, 2013insights to your shrimp dumplingsThere are days, you know,  not everyday, but days when I really… hate this.  I mean, what is this anyways?  A self-published “web-blog” about me making dinner.  Talk about being a loving sponge when it comes to self-absorbing not to mention a shameless evasion from…May 1, 2013almond tofu x 2I stare at the blinking cursor on my screen and completely blank out.  My mind is sucked dry from a trip to the veterinarian, and as my 13-year old Dumpling lays in the hospital with a tube down his throat and a three-day-hospital-stay ahead of him,…September 18, 2012Egg Crepes(简体)（繁體)  I think that more than lunch, or dinner, or snacks and what-nots, people tend to have a more fixated idea on what a breakfast ought to be.  Even though I may have my Asian background to thank for (if I may) a broader window…