Chinese Smashed Cucumber Salad

Tonight, we ‘threw together’ a meal that, like always, left me in awe of my grandmother. Not because the meal was particularly complicated or unusual, but just seeing my nai nai in action is inspiring. She can barely walk a block without sitting down for a rest (she’s 90 – it’s cool), but get her in the kitchen, and she will take a cleaver to a bunch of cukes like nobody’s business. Lucky for us, that means we often get to enjoy her cucumber salad dish – particularly delightful on an indian summer day.

Continue reading

Grandma’s Rice Porridge

Grandma and mom came over tonight and when Nai Nai (grandma) saw my pile of yams, she couldn’t help but make a nice pot of yam and rice porridge.

Porridge is so versatile, it’s a good breakfast, meal base (as it was tonight) and can even be dessert (just add lots of sugar).