Mom has been away on vacation, so in her absence, I’ve been taking a page out of her book and experimenting with some dishes I’ve always wanted to reverse engineer. In this case, we’re tackling Soba Noodle Salad, a Japanese or Asian Fusion dish, depending on who you ask.
asian cooking

Pork and Shrimp Pot Stickers
There was no other meal we enjoyed more in our childhood (and even now) than our mom’s pot stickers. Mom would make these en masse and we’d enjoy them for many a meal – often accompanied by corn soup.

Pot Sticker Tofu
This is another of mom’s ‘whip it together’ classics, made from ingredients normally found in the fridge. I should say, normally found in her fridge which, in all fairness, is more well-stocked than most. It’s called Pot Sticker Tofu because you get that crispy edge from pan-frying like you do with a pot sticker dumpling. But unlike real pot stickers, this dish is veggie-friendly and super super quick and easy to make.

Bean There, Done That
This may seem like a healthy veggie dish… but as my mom reveals, all is not as it appears.

Zha Jiang Mian (or Chinese Spaghetti)
There are many names for this classic Chinese dish – Zha Jiang Mian, Chinese Fried Sauce noodles, Spicy Pork noodles, 炸醬麵, etc. Growing up in the Jeng family, however, this dish was most commonly known as Chinese Spaghetti.
Noodles and meat sauce? What’s not to love?!

Pho-tastic
Growing up, I was never a huge fan of noodle soup or really any clear broth soup. What a fool I was. Now I make or eat noodle soups any chance I get… like today’s lunch – this homemade Vietnamese pho.

Spam Fried Rice
Once upon a time, Mom used to make her darling little daughters something she coined Hot Dog Fried Rice. It is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Not until years later than we’d like to admit did we realized that this wasn’t actually a real dish in Chinese nor American culture.