Welcome to #ChineseFoodiesofIG100
About the exhibition
#ChineseFoodiesofIG is an ongoing interview series published on Instagram that celebrates food lovers from the global Chinese diaspora. This exhibition is a celebration of the 100th interview, and the 99 that came before it.
I started Celestial Peach in 2018 as a form of rooting in my cultural heritage and ethnic identity via the lens of food. When I started I realised I knew—and still know—very little about Chinese food in an encyclopaedic sense. About cooking techniques, ingredients, recipes or regionality. I knew what I had grown up eating, and that’s about it. I’ve spent the last few years writing about and researching Chinese food from a place of curiosity. I have never approached research as a way to become an ‘expert’; I believe the best way to learn is to always be a student. And not just to study the books, but to talk to people, absorb their stories, reflect on and relate to them. That’s why I started using social media to highlight different voices of Chinese heritage from around the diaspora; each of which have a story to tell.
In the 100 interviews, you will discover stories of family, migration, national identity, cultural pride. Some are funny, some are bittersweet. Many are deeply emotional. You will be able to taste flavours of multiculturalism, and to visit sensory time capsules. They are all so different, yet something intangible binds them together too. It’s what I call ‘Chinese-ness’.
There was one question that I asked everyone, whose answer delighted me every time:
What does home taste like?
These 100 stories have accompanied me on my meandering journey of rooting.
Unbeknownst to me, I was really trying to find—or taste—my way home.
To celebrate #ChineseFoodiesofIG turning 100, I have enlisted a community of talented artists to visualise all the answers to this one question. Are you ready to go on a journey? Hope you’re hungry. Start scrolling!
(Best experienced on desktop.)
Helen Li of Chinese Laundry LA by Edward Luper
“Home tastes like a combination of the Yangtze River Delta, Chengdu, Harbin, and Beijing. My grandparents on my father's side emigrated from the Yangtze River Delta to Beijing, where my father was born. My grandparents on my mother's side emigrated from Chengdu, Sichuan to Harbin in Northeastern China, where my mother grew up. We ate quite a mixture of regional foods from all these regions.”
Read Chinese Laundry LA’s interview
Follow the artist @edward.luper.art
Melissa Wong by Oscar Sjöstrand
“Home tastes of steamed rice (I’m a fan tung), steamed sea bass w/dong choi, spring onion and ginger, hoi lam chicken, blanched veg with oyster sauce and maybe some lap chueng. Oh and some proper soup! Pretty classic but home taste of mum’s cooking. My dad’s specialty would be a roast duck with mango chutney.”
Read Melissa’s interview
Follow the artist @oscurrr
Lan Lam by Morokoth Fournier
“My grandmother's seaweed soup. I can smell it even as I write this. Toasted seaweed, ground pork seasoned with fish sauce and pepper, sweet onions.”
Read Lan’s interview
Follow the artist @morokoth_fournier
Mandy Yin of Sambal Shiok by Bess Chan
“Home tastes like laksa, nasi lemak and char kway teow. Anything with charred seafood or satay. Cendol with palm sugar, coconut milk and pandan.”
Read Mandy’s interview
Follow the artist @besschn
An orange at the end of every meal.
John Li of Dumpling Shack by Huang Lian Li
“I herald from a Chinese takeaway/restaurant background so the smells (and occasional tastes) from the fryer, sweet and sour sauces, fried rices intertwined with traditional Chinese herbal soups, steamed fish and Hakka dishes like steamed minced pork and salted preserved vegetables.”
Read John’s interview
Follow the artist @huanglianli
Tiffany Ran by Kenn Lam
“My mother's silkie chicken soup. It's a beautiful dish that has a shiny black chicken floating in a clear broth, bright orange-red goji berries, dried scallops, a smattering of ginger. This is the welcome home dish. It's also the, where's my grandchildren dish, the I love you dish, the don't sleep too late or you'll have wrinkles dish, the goodbye dish before I leave Taiwan.”
Read Tiffany’s interview
Follow the artist @kennlam
Andrew Doro of Every Country Every Food by Justin Wu
“My grandmother's chicken soup with rice. She grew up in Cijin Island in Kaohsiung. I grew up eating this everyday and I still ask her to make it when I visit her.”
Read Andrew’s interview
Follow the artist @hungryartistny
Back then we didn’t have much… My mother always brought warm food to the table. Anything she cooked was filled with love and tasted like home.
Grace Young by Karlie Wu
“When I think of the taste of home, I always think of my parents' cooking. They were exceptional cooks. I grew up eating very simple but classic Cantonese dishes, from Steamed Egg Custard to Stir-Fried Clams with Black Bean Sauce.”
Read Grace’s interview
Follow the artist @wukarlie
Calvin Eng of Bonnie’s Brooklyn by PQ Choi
“Rice, salted/preserved foods, Chinese medicinal soups.”
Read Calvin’s interview
Follow the artist @pqchoi
The Leung family of The Woks Of Life by Gemini Cheng
Kaitlin: “My mom’s hong shao rou pork belly. When I make it myself, even with the recipe, it always tastes better at home.”
Sarah: “A big pan of our family’s baked five-spiced chicken stuffed with Chinese sausage and mushroom sticky rice. It’s pretty much the best thing ever, and it’s my go-to comfort food.”
Read The Woks Of Life’s interview
Follow the artist @geminicheng_
The Chinese character of home is "家", it's a mini drawing of a house with a pig in it. The house by itself is not home, but with food it becomes one.
Pamelia Chia by Bess Chan
“Home tastes like many things to me. It is having kaya toast, kopi guyou (butter coffee) and soft boiled eggs at a coffee shop early in the morning. Getting a plate of chicken rice at the hawker centres for lunch. Coming home to my Cantonese mother's dinner, which always features lots of soups, Chinese cooling teas and steamed fish. And having a supper of roti prata and bak chor mee with friends late at night.”
Read Pamelia’s interview
Follow the artist @besschn
Taylor & Fongchong of Mala Market by Poppy Seen Yee
“Chinese food. And sometimes Mexican food.”
Read Mala Market’s interview
Follow the artist @frvgmentsofart
Yi Jun Loh by Penny N
“Oh man. Sweet. Salty. Sour. Spicy, both in terms of capsaicin levels and spice-forwardness. Salaciously so.”
Read Yi Jun’s interview
Follow the artist @pennyisme
Dennis Yen by Thomas Hedger
“Thick rice noodles, served in a steaming hot bowl with mum’s golden chicken broth, lots of toppings and home made condiments. Especially my mum’s crispy onion and garlic oil.”
Read Dennis’ interview
Follow the artist @hedgerart
Doron Wong by Kayla 之
“Because I was raised in the States my mom would always try to incorporate American food classics but with a heavy Asian influence. Thanksgiving was always a treat where we had turkey with Chinese sausage stuffing and turkey congee.”
Read Doron’s interview
Follow the artist @kaylaluisikchi
Christopher Tan by Kenn Lam
“I am Peranakan (sometimes known as Straits Chinese) – my Fujianese ancestors settled in Southeast Asia some centuries ago, absorbing local influences (and genes) into their families, culture and language. So our cuisine bears traces of Southern China, Southeast Asia and colonial legacies, for example in ‘itek tim’, a duck and salted mustard green soup with chillies, tomatoes, pickled plums, dried garcinia fruit (asam keping), peppercorns and nutmeg. So home for me tastes like intricate spicing and carefully layered flavours, whose interplay resonates for a long time on the palate.”
Read Christopher’s interview
Follow the artist @kennlam
A bowl of jook when I have the stomach flu.
Keegan & Mama Fong of Woon Kitchen by Ruby Lau
Keegan: “Everything we serve at Woon. Our menu literally features all the recipes my mom cooked for us growing up. The ones that are most nostalgic for me are beef stir fried noodles, fried tofu fishcakes and soy veggie wraps. My mom would make big batches of them for my sister and me at night and whatever we didn’t finish we’d put in the fridge and eat them cold the next morning.”
Mama Fong: “Home tastes like the fragrant smell of rice cooking in the rice cooker and the cling clang sound of the metal spatula stir frying in the wok, followed by the aroma of the food cooking.”
Read Woon Kitchen’s interview
Follow the artist @baojindubb
Yiming Wang of Cafe China by E Tanaka
“The Chinese character of home is "家", it's a mini drawing of a house with a pig in it. So the house by itself is not home, but with food it becomes one. I connected martial art with food art and created my own style, it comes from nowhere but my own best sense ;-). I'm heavy on spices and I'm obsessed with cooking with the freshest ingredients. I'm a warrior when I cook.”
Read Yiming’s interview
Follow the artist @tanaka.jpeg
I love that smell so much… I wish I could bottle the scent into a candle!
Éliane Cheung by Cherie Kwok
“Rice, chicken broth, lion's head meatballs, mapo tofu, steamed fish, hong shao pork, stir fried eggs with jiu cai (Chinese chives), fried chicken (油淋鶏), congee, jiaozi, homemade baos.”
Read Éliane’s interview
Follow the artist @cheriekwok_illustration
Lee F. Man by YUK FUN
“Cantonese cuisine values vividly fresh ingredients, and so my parents loved foraging for the best that the Pacific West Coast had to offer. Rock cod caught by my father, wild watercress gathered by my mother, and locally raised chickens all made their way to our dinner table. Everything was simply prepared and absolutely delicious. My father has passed away, but I still have a small jar of tiny wild kumquats that he harvested and salted. Steeped in boiling water with honey, it makes a fantastic medicinal tea. But I can’t bear to use any of it!”
Read Lee’s interview
Follow the artist @yukfunwow
Jenny Dorsey by Giulia Lai
“Sweet & sour pork ribs (tang chu xiao pai).”
Read Jenny’s interview
Follow the artist @cookclimbcode
In a way, home tastes like family.
Yao Zhao of 50 Hertz Foods by Ei T
“A bowl of Chongqing small noodles (xiǎo miàn, 重庆小面), tangy, spicy, and in-your-face numbing and aromatic, hastily slurped on a plastic stool by the pavement.”
Read Yao’s interview
Follow the artist @eitchyfingers
Victor Liong of Lee Ho Fook by Bess Chan
“Home tastes like a fridge full of leftovers or dishes left over from the meal that I just missed - and me sneaking cold food in my parent's house whilst my mum lectures me on the heating up of food and how it's bad for my yin, and how I'll get sick if I eat too much cold food. I secretly love cold leftovers of my mother's cooking!”
Read Victor’s interview
Follow the artist @besschn
Zoey Xinyi Gong by Chin Lin Gan
“Sticky rice, sweet soy braised pork belly, fresh stir fried shanghai bokchoy, steamed red bean buns.”
Read Zoey’s interview
Follow the artist @tumblinbumblincrumblincookie
Amy Poon by Huang Lian Li
“Chinese tonic soup made with pork ribs and herbs and beans and dried dates and lots of things that don’t translate well with only obscure Latin names to identify them – unless you’re Chinese! That and rice porridge.”
Read Amy’s interview
Follow the artist @huanglianli
The sambal my mum makes where the chilli in the air burns your eyes so she closes the kitchen door when she’s got the blender on.
Tiffany Chang by Edward Luper
“Fried chicken from the night markets in Taipei. Steamed pork and pickle from Ah-ma's (grandma but mom's mom) house. Nacho cheese from school and corn dogs from the county fair and lastly, Mother's stir fry rice vermicelli Taiwanese style.”
Read Tiffany’s interview
Follow the artist @edward.luper.art
Anita Lo by Jonah Schulz
“So many foods: I grew up in a multicultural family. Chicken paprikash, New England clam bake, laksa, pastrami, Chinese noodles, fried chicken...”
Read Anita’s interview
Follow the artist @brause513
Bobby Chinn by PQ Choi
“I was brought up in many homes, so it is wide and varied. It can be the food that I make, food from childhood that can encompass Egyptian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Western or Italian, as I had an international upbringing. My mother, father and sister were all very creative in the kitchen so it’s a wide spectrum from BBQ to pastas and salads.”
Read Bobby’s interview
Follow the artist @pqchoi
Emily Chung of Rangoon Sisters by Penny N
“Warmth and comfort - ‘hug in a bowl’ - that feeling.”
Read Emily’s interview
Follow the artist @pennyisme
My grandmother's seaweed soup. I can smell it even as I write this.
Jonathan Jay Lee by Justin Wu
“Home tastes like mom’s cooking. For breakfast, congee with a selection of pickles, which I now see as the influence of Japanese culture left over in Taiwan. Or a very light broth with a dashi soup base, with maybe a little daikon and cabbage. Or celery fried with garlic.”
Read Jonathan’s interview
Follow the artist @hungryartistny
Linda Tay Esposito by Jennifer Ho
“I grew up on pork. Steamed pork patties with salted fish, old cucumber boiled with pork bones soup, luncheon meat aka spam. Special occasions always include tau yu bak - braised pork belly with dark soy and garlic. Now home is mostly vegetarian - one of my twins is a 4th gen vegetarian, the other twin almost a vegetarian.”
Read Linda’s interview
Follow the artist @jhooooooooo
Jian & Brian of Naked Asian Grocer by Erica Ho
“Home is a beautiful, melting pot of three main culture groups - the Chinese, Malays and Indians. So our food naturally resembles that. A fusion of multiculturalism, absorbing different flavours and practices then evolving to create something else distinctively Malaysian. One good example is laksa. Rumour has it that when Chinese merchants arrived in Malaysia (back when it was called Malaya), they intermarried with local Malays. These interracial marriages formed the Peranakan subculture, who my great-grandma and grandma were part of. That's when we incorporated Malaysian ingredients such as coconut milk or tamarind into noodle soups to become laksa.”
Read Jian & Brian’s interview
Follow the artist @missyrica07
And soup, there is always soup.
Chris Yang of Heń-zhì by Grace Wong
“Like a warm bowl of mapo tofu on rice.”
Read Chris’ interview
Follow the artist @gracewong.art
Karin Lei by Jessie Thavonekham
“One big bowl of scalding hot beef noodle soup.”
Read Karin’s interview
Follow the artist @atelierjessie
Lizzie Mabbott by Karon Ng
“Home tastes like congee with dried scallops, like dumplings with chilli oil and vinegar, pork rib broth with carrots.”
Read Lizzie’s interview
Follow the artist @karon.draws
Danielle Chang of Lucky Rice by Xinyue Pan
“There’s always a pot of chicken soup boiling on the stove. I love that smell so much. Flavored with shiitake mushrooms, ginger and scallions. I wish I could bottle the scent into a candle!”
Read Danielle’s interview
Follow the artist @kitchenpan.co.uk
Elizabeth Haigh of Mei Mei London by Erica Ho
“Anything my mum cooks, possibly her Hainanese chicken rice. Makes all of my sisters and me happy instantly.”
Read Elizabeth’s interview
Follow the artist @missyrica07
Stephanie Shih by Gemini Cheng
“My mom's fried rice with eggs, bacon, carrots and scallions.”
Read Stephanie’s interview
Follow the artist @geminicheng_
Scott Chang-Fleeman by Cherie Kwok
“Home tastes like my mom’s potato casserole, a bowl of jook when I have the stomach flu, the taco truck down the street from my friend’s grandma’s house, and a hot char siu bao from Chinatown Bakery.”
Read Scott’s interview
Follow the artist @cheriekwok_illustration
Maggie Zhu of Omnivore’s Cookbook by Nicole Tan
“You tiao (salty fried donut), dou fu nao (Northern-style savory bean curd with a savory gravy made with lily flowers and wood ear mushrooms), century egg congee with pork, and my mom's braised pork feet.”
Read Maggie’s interview
Follow the artist @niconico_everyday
Frankie Gaw by Gemini Cheng
“Home tastes like strawberry milkshakes, Cincinnati chili, and stir fried tomato egg with white rice.”
Read Frankie’s interview
Follow the artist @geminicheng_
Ethel Hoon by Ei T
“Singapore is a real melting pot of different food cultures and the local food really represents this mix.”
Read Ethel’s interview
Follow the artist @eitchyfingers
Sandy Tang by Nicole Tan (1)
“Breakfast was always the highlight at home. It’s a mum-made toastie with spam and egg, served with a Hong Kong style milk tea – strongly brewed breakfast tea, sugar and evaporated milk. Home also means a variety of foods from different cuisines on our dinner table, from Portuguese roast pork knuckle, enoki beef roll in teriyaki sauce, salted & pepper wings, steamed fish with ginger and scallions… and watermelons that are all nicely cut into chunks after dinner on a hot summer night.”
Read Sandy’s interview
Follow the artist @niconico_everyday
Sandy Tang by Nicole Tan (2)
“Breakfast was always the highlight at home. It’s a mum-made toastie with spam and egg, served with a Hong Kong style milk tea – strongly brewed breakfast tea, sugar and evaporated milk. Home also means a variety of foods from different cuisines on our dinner table, from Portuguese roast pork knuckle, enoki beef roll in teriyaki sauce, salted & pepper wings, steamed fish with ginger and scallions… and watermelons that are all nicely cut into chunks after dinner on a hot summer night.”
Read Sandy’s interview
Follow the artist @niconico_everyday
Sandy Tang by Nicole Tan (3)
“Breakfast was always the highlight at home. It’s a mum-made toastie with spam and egg, served with a Hong Kong style milk tea – strongly brewed breakfast tea, sugar and evaporated milk. Home also means a variety of foods from different cuisines on our dinner table, from Portuguese roast pork knuckle, enoki beef roll in teriyaki sauce, salted & pepper wings, steamed fish with ginger and scallions… and watermelons that are all nicely cut into chunks after dinner on a hot summer night.”
Read Sandy’s interview
Follow the artist @niconico_everyday
… and watermelons that are all nicely cut into chunks after dinner on a hot summer night.
George Chen by Kenn Lam
“Whatever my wife Cindy and I are cooking that day/night. She grows over 200 herbs, vegetables and fruits on our property, so our home will get a seasonal veggie and fruit scent.”
Read George’s interview
Follow the artist @kennlam
Mark Wiens of Migrationology by Erica Ho
“Rice, curry, spices - and beads of sweat dripping down your forehead as you eat from both the chili and the humidity. This is my comfort zone!”
Read Mark’s interview
Follow the artist @missyrica07
Anita Feng by Kayla 之
“My parents’ 老火汤, old-fire soup. The smell of soya chicken, my favorite tomatoes & egg stir-fry, and steamed minced pork with preserved mustard from my grandma. My sister and I travel to China and Hong Kong every year. Our relatives would always welcome us on the first day with steamed egg with fish intestine, stuffed chicken wings with sticky rice, fresh shrimps and fish, and roasted goose.”
Read Anita’s interview
Follow the artist @kaylaluisikchi
WoonHeng Chia by Claud Yousuf
“Malaysia is a tropical country and is best known as a foodie haven with a wide array of delicious foods, all thanks to it being a melting pot of ethnicity. In addition, it offers a wide variety of fresh vegetables, fruits, and spices all year long. While in Malaysia, I enjoy shopping in the morning outdoor markets, ‘pasar pagi’, for my daily fresh produce. There’s just an endless possibility of creating many tasty dishes using fresh produce. The sights and sounds of a morning outdoor market are just something you have to experience yourself if you ever visit Malaysia.”
Read WoonHeng’s interview
Follow the artist @claudyousuf
Martha Cheng by Mildred Cheng
“Jiaozi and cong you bing and xian dou jiang and you tiao and zhou.”
Read Martha’s interview
Follow the artist @dontcallmeoriental
Gabe Chan by Edward Luper
“Home tastes like my Popo’s Beijing style zhajiang noodles (炸酱面), Cantonese BBQ rice (燒味飯), xiao long bao (小籠包) and the Shanghainese snow vegetable or salted mustard greens (雪菜).”
Read Gabe’s interview
Follow the artist @edward.luper.art
Kevin Cheng by Grace Wong
“My grandma’s soy braised pork trotters (滷豬腳), served with Taiwanese rice. Or mum’s pork stir fry using Taiwanese shacha (沙茶) sauce.”
Read Kevin’s interview
Follow the artist @gracewong.art
Hetty McKinnon by Hannah Cosselmon
“Home tastes like a bowl of white rice and abundance in the middle of the table. A bowl of hot jook, simply garnished with Maggi, coriander and shallots. Sweet potato roasted in foil, seasoned with soy sauce and white pepper. My mother's macaroni soup for breakfast, or her char siu, scallion and Kraft cheese toastie. A fried egg sandwich, a snack of love and devotion, while I crammed for my exams. An orange at the end of every meal. Watermelon on the front porch at the end of a hot summer's day.”
Read Hetty’s interview
Follow the artist @cosslemons
Wei Guo of Red House Spice by Jonah Schulz
“A freshly steamed mantou (馒头, plain buns) torn open with a generous spread of chilli oil. A single bite can take me home. It's so simple yet totally uplifting!”
Read Wei’s interview
Follow the artist @brause513
Chung Sun & Randy Lau from Made With Lau by Alejandro Chen Li
Chung Sun (Dad): “The taste of hometown is endless, and eating in Guangzhou is a must! Even just the dry fried beef noodle is endlessly memorable. The Toisan style salty tang yuan (rice balls) and yellow eel clay pot rice are also very special.”
Randy: “Home tastes like plopping down at the dinner table and my dad serving a warm, savory bowl of carbs like wonton noodles with char siu and bok choy, or my all-time favorite: savory tang yuan (sticky rice ball soup) loaded with veggies, mushrooms, lap cheung, dried shrimp, and meat. SO GOOD!”
Read Made With Lau’s interview
Follow the artist @achenli
Christine Wong by Chin Lin Gan
“Home tastes like a freshly cooked bowl of steamed rice.”
Read Christine’s interview
Follow the artist @tumblinbumblincrumblincookie
Coral Lee of Meant To Be Eaten by E Tanaka
“Eggs fried in sweet soy sauce. Leftover rice fried with ginger. Eating an egg tart, sitting on gung-gung’s lap at dim sum.”
Read Coral’s interview
Follow the artist @tanaka.jpeg
Sihan Lee by PQ Choi
“Unlike most Singaporeans who frequent hawker centres, I grew up on a diet of home-cooked food by my Filipino helper who had acquired cooking techniques and skills by observing (and helping) my two grandmas in the kitchen. My grandmother on my paternal side is Hokkien and she's an absolutely smashing cook with hae bee hiam and bak kut teh in her repertoire. My popo (maternal grandma) is a second generation Hainanese immigrant in Singapore whom worked for the British family as a housekeeper for a prolonged period of time, resulting in a mixed set of skills that ranged from coronation chicken to Hainanese chicken rice, homemade curry puff and elaborate buttercream-piped birthday cakes. She was a goddess in the kitchen and I miss her till this day.
Hence, if you ask me to describe what does home taste like - it would be a combination effort of the three female culinary powerhouses in my life. Humble plates of chicken adobo, spicy szechuan vegetables tossed with pork, old cucumber braised in stock till yielding and tender as well as Hainanese beef stew accompanied with a bowl of steamed white rice.”
Read Sihan’s interview
Follow the artist @pqchoi
Marcella Chan by Charlotte Mei
“Home tastes like my mother’s sweet and sour pork, freshly steamed rice and talk of the new vegetables ready to pick in the garden.”
Read Marcella’s interview
Follow the artist @charlottemei_
Susur Lee by Bess Chan
“The taste of home is almost indescribable. I sometimes get a waft of a specific smell that takes me right back there. It’s like I’m walking through the markets and food stalls of Hong Kong and I’m a kid all over again. In a way, home tastes like family.”
Read Susur’s interview
Follow the artist @besschn
Tao Leigh Goffe by Shian Ng
“Shrimp fried rice and dim sum!”
Read Tao’s interview
Follow the artist @shiaaaan
Jessica Wang by Bess Chan
“Home tastes spicy and often a bit briny, either from fermented ingredients or seafood.”
Read Jessica’s interview
Follow the artist @besschn
Mei Zhang by Kenn Lam
“Pear blossoms in spring, foraged wild mushroom in summer, persimmons and walnuts in the fall, cured ham and spicy sausages in winter, rice noodle soups year round.”
Read Mei’s interview
Follow the artist @kennlam
Yong & Mama of Mama Liu & Sons
Yong: “Fish cooked with fermented cabbage and tofu. My mom always cooks it for us. That’s probably what home tastes like to me.”
Mama: “I grew up in a large family with seven children. Back then we didn’t have much, but my parents always worked hard to give my siblings and me a better life. My mother always brought warm food to the table. Anything she cooked was filled with love and tasted like home.”
Read Mama Liu & Sons’ interview
Follow the artist @baojindubb
This is the welcome home dish. It's also the, where's my grandchildren dish, the I love you dish, the don't sleep too late or you'll have wrinkles dish, the goodbye dish before I leave Taiwan.
Kathi & Yang of Little Rice Noodle by Claud Yousuf
Yang: “Spicy food (especially when it's cooked with a lot of fresh pepper/chili) and all kinds of Cantonese food always reminds me of home.”
Kathi: “It used to be schnitzel and potato salad made by my grandma, but since five years it’s plant-based Asian (mostly Chinese) food made by Yang ;-)”
Read Kathi & Yang’s interview
Follow the artist @claudyousuf
David R. Chan by Kaitlin Chan
“It’s a complicated one. Growing up it was very Americanized—we didn’t even celebrate Chinese New Year. Further mid 20th century LA had a small Chinese community and many Chinese dishes prevalent in San Francisco never made it down here. Meanwhile my wife was born in Toishan though she came to LA when she was five. While she is largely American, growing up in an immigrant household her culinary influence is largely Chinese so everything is stir fried with heavy cleaver cut food preparation.”
Read David’s interview
Follow the artist @kaitlinmchan
Helen Goh by Penny N
“Home tastes like congee with all the trimmings. And also challah on Friday nights when I do Shabbat meals with my husband and children.”
Read Helen’s interview
Follow the artist @pennyisme
Joanna Yee by Amy Phung
“When I walk into my mom’s house and smell shrimp paste I know she’s in a good mood and we’re in for a fun afternoon because she’s making bun rieu. Otherwise home usually tastes like hong shao rou, braised pork belly with tofu that’s soaked up all the glorious flavor from the sauce, steamed whole fish with ginger and scallions and a mountain of gai lan. And soup, there is always soup. My fave one is sour soup (it must have a legitimate name but I don’t know what it’s actually called) with okra, tomatoes and pineapple among other things.”
Read Joanna’s interview
Follow the artist @_amy_pix
Pear blossoms in spring, foraged wild mushroom in summer, persimmons and walnuts in the fall, cured ham and spicy sausages in winter, rice noodle soups year round.
Mackenzie Fegan by Jennifer Ho
“A trip to my family's restaurant, Henry's Hunan, for dumplings and chile-flecked string beans and smoked-pork-everything followed by whatever weird, seasonal ice cream my mom picked up for $1.49 at Grocery Outlet Bargain Market.”
Read Mackenzie’s interview
Follow the artist @jhooooooooo
Angela Hui by Kayla 之
“My mam's bitter Chinese herbal soups (sai yueng choi tong is a personal fav), silky tofu pudding with ginger syrup, pickled cabbage with shredded pork vermicelli soup noodles, wah mui (dried plums), black sesame tong yuan, homemade fish balls, wontons, fried dace salted black bean, boiled salted egg, steamed egg, Sha Tin-style chicken congee with youtiao.”
Read Angela’s interview
Follow the artist @kaylaluisikchi
Antonius Wiriadjaja by Tayen Kim
“My grandmother is Minang and she taught my mother, her daughter-in-law, how to make rendang. When we moved to the USA in 1991, my mother had to reconfigure her recipes to utilize whatever ingredients were available in Asian markets. She created this really wonderful flavor I've never tasted anywhere else before. She had to make marinade from a reduction of soda and soy sauce because we couldn't find kecap manis.”
Read Antonius’ interview
Follow the artist @tayenkim
Kristina Cho by Ida Lehtonen
“Home tastes of freshly steamed rice, oyster sauce, and a lot of spring rolls.”
Read Kristina’s interview
Follow the artist @noodlesndooodles
Jonathan Kung by Jennifer Ho
“A large bowl of congee with a side of dumplings in soup.”
Read Jonathan’s interview
Follow the artist @jhooooooooo
Henrike Klug of Chinoiseries Paris by Edward Luper
“My mother's 佛跳牆 (Buddha Jumps Over The Wall). There's always some in the freezer at home, and she and I will often slink down into the kitchen for a cheeky little bowl as an anytime snack.”
Read Henrike’s interview
Follow the artist @edward.luper.art
Bao Ong by Jonah Schulz
“When I think of what home tastes like I always think of my mother's pho. Even as a child, I seemingly could eat more bowls of pho than anyone in my family. I can still smell the fragrant aroma of the beef bones simmering away all day long and the wafts of star anise in the house.”
Read Bao’s interview
Follow the artist @brause513
Sheena Southam by Huang Lian Li
“My Ma-ma lived with us on and off when I was a kid. She was always the cook in our house as my parents owned a restaurant and would work long days at the business- my Dad in the kitchen and my Mum as front of house. Ma-ma is Hakka and would cook traditional dishes like mui choy pork patty- a steamed meat patty of preserved mustard greens and pork mince but she also embraced New Zealand's incredible ingredients. She'd steam egg dotted with Pacific oysters into a savoury custard and stir fry Greenshell mussels with blackbean sauce. Similarly, my Por-por used to make a stir fried rice vermicelli dish with thin strips of pāua (New Zealand's native abalone) that I still dream about. I haven't eaten these dishes in years but they're the ones that best represent home and my family's migration journey.”
Read Sheena’s interview
Follow the artist @huanglianli
Z He by Christine Apiou
“Chinese lettuce blanched broth. It is the most unusual (but also the ultimate ordinary) thing I LOVE eating. Most Chinese vegetables are eaten cooked in China. Leafy lettuce is usually blanched, drained, and seasoned with sauces like soy or oyster sauce. My grandma would throw in slices of ginger and a dash of salt and serve as a soup at dinner. It’s fresh, grassy, with a hint of sweetness. And it has to be the Chinese lettuce. It’s almost embarrassing how much I love this broth. Alongside with a plate of steamed prawns with minced garlic dip. It is my all time favourite combo that my family prepares for me when I go home to visit.”
Read Z’s interview
Follow the artist @christine_apiou
Sincere Justice by Amy Phung
“A bowl of rice. Steamed fish. Bok choy with garlic. Soup. Steamed chicken. Weekends are usually bun bo hue or mi quang at my aunt’s. My house used to be the nexus that brought everyone together. Mom used to make turnip cake one week, next week it would be bun cha gio. Cantonese and Vietnamese food is what I mostly grew up with. Sometimes weekends would mean a home cooked meal like birria at a friend’s house.”
Read Sincere’s interview
Follow the artist @_amy_pix
Cathy Erway by Xinyue Pan
“It smells like five spice and tastes really savory. My mom made hongxiao (red-cooked) stews often, and whether it had chicken or beef, there were always lots of other tasty things bobbing around in it, like tofu blocks, seaweed knots, big, fat shiitake mushrooms and hardboiled eggs, my favorite. I could eat that every day still.”
Read Cathy’s interview
Follow the artist @kitchenpan.co.uk
Jonathan Wu by Mildred Cheng
“Home tastes like my Mom's Hong Shao stew with soy eggs and tofu.”
Read Jonathan’s interview
Follow the artist @dontcallmeoriental
Michelle Zhao by PQ Choi
“Home taste is about comfort, simplicity and knowing what you like and need. It is the first meal my parents prepare for me whenever I travel back home, table full of foods I love. There is no need to tell them what I want for that meal, they know it.”
Read Michelle’s interview
Follow the artist @pqchoi
Home for me tastes like intricate spicing and carefully layered flavours, whose interplay resonates for a long time on the palate.
Chun Ying Marie Chia by Mildred Cheng
“Freshly steamed white rice and thoughtfully assorted dishes prepared by my second auntie with endless care, subtly seasoned in Teochew home cooking fashion but enticingly aromatic from ginger, garlic, scallions, fried shallots, toasted coriander and chye poh.”
Read Chun Ying’s interview
Follow the artist @dontcallmeoriental
Brendan Pang of Bumplings Perth by Huang Lian Li
“Home tastes like a big bowl of wonton soup or some punchy Mauritian curry or stew. There are no frills or thrills, just big generous tasty food.”
Read Brendan’s interview
Follow the artist @huanglianli
Ed Tan by Ei T
“Spring rolls, fried noodles and fried rice! Still can't cook these better than my mum despite trying to!”
Read Ed’s interview
Follow the artist @eitchyfingers
Ryan Wong of Needle LA by Jonah Schulz
“A bowl of wonton noodle soup, a fresh bolo bao with a cold pat of butter in it, and a hot cup of milk tea.”
Read Ryan’s interview
Follow the artist @brause513
Michael Zee of Symmetry Breakfast by Katy Wang
“My Dad is the chef at home, he’s a very good cook. After leaving China in the 1930s, my grandfather opened Anglo-Chinese restaurants in Liverpool. One Ningbonese dish he makes is rice cakes (年糕) very simply cooked with fatty minced pork, soy sauce and pickled cabbage. It’s a light, thrifty peasant dish but it fills you up.”
Read Michael’s interview
Follow the artist @watykang
Sasha Wang of Cina In Tavola by Kaitlin Chan
“Growing up in a cold place, I found a hot soupy stew always gives me comfort. One of our traditional dishes is stew of pork meat and fermented cabbage in winter days.”
Read Sasha’s interview
Follow the artist @kaitlinmchan
Steph & Chris of Chinese Cooking Demystified by Jonah Schulz
Steph: “I never lived abroad even though I travel around quite a bit. I never had that deep yearning for certain dishes from childhood or hometown that some people would have. I guess for me home probably tastes like a bowl of freshly cooked white rice with that unique sweet fragrance. And it smells like when ginger and garlic are tossed in a hot wok with peanut oil inside, then an even stronger aroma arising after a splash of Cantonese rice wine, with a hint of Chinese celery in the air.”
Chris: “A tough one to answer as a long term expat. Some sort of bizarre combination of Kraft Mac N Cheese and Hong Kong style cha chaan teng?”
Read Chinese Cooking Demystified’s interview
Follow the artist @brause513
Charlene & Linda of Liu Xiaomian by Poppy Seen Yee
“Spicy, numbing and addictive.”
Read Liu Xiaomian’s interview
Follow the artist @frvgmentsofart
Sissi Chen by Ida Lehtonen
“Home tastes like all the childhood dishes I had when I was a small kid in China. I lived with my grandparents in Beijing on the campus of the Renmin University and we used to either cook at home or get food from the canteen. My favorite dishes were fish fragrant eggplant, a whole roasted chicken, tomato egg stir fry, huge fluffy baozi and just simple mantou with any type of cooked warm dish. I also remember great signature Chinese breakfasts from living in Yunnan. We always went to one of those busy outdoor street food stalls to get youtiao and fresh sweet soy milk.”
Read Sissi’s interview
Follow the artist @noodlesndooodles
Jeannette Ta of Wok & Kin by Huang Lian Li
“Grandma's weeknight braised wings and mushrooms over rice. Even just the smell of it braising would get me excited, especially knowing that the wings would simply melt in my mouth. In equal place would be Mum's Vietnamese chicken tapioca noodle soup (bánh canh gà). She used to make this almost every weekend and I sorely miss it now that she's vegetarian.”
Read Jeannette’s interview
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Louise Hagger by PQ Choi
“Walking through the front door to the smell of fried garlic and ginger, fried shallots, the smell of nasi minyak at dinner, beef rendang with the smell of dry fried desiccated coconut. Also chicken sweetcorn soup, fried kai lan with garlic and oyster sauce, broccoli and carrots cut in my mum’s specific way, whole mackerel stuffed with garlic, ginger and spring onion in the oven, char kway teow, sweet soy oven chicken wings, satay and peanut sauce, roti paratha, bak kut teh, achar achar, roasted salted peanuts, the sambal my mum makes where the chilli in the air burns your eyes so she closes the kitchen door when she’s got the blender on. But home also tastes like McVities dark chocolate digestives that are always in the biscuit barrel, shepherd’s pie, bacon being grilled by my dad on the weekend with scrambled eggs and grilled tomatoes for breakfast with tea.”
Read Louise’s interview
Follow the artist @pqchoi
Lydia Pang by Jessie Thavonekham
“Roast duck skin, steamed rice, bone broth, the crust on the edges of lasagne, sweet fresh seafood with red wine vinegar dip, custard, bread and butter pudding made from leftover panettone, rooibos tea and dates.”
Read Lydia’s interview
Follow the artist @atelierjessie
Chinese lettuce blanched broth. It is the most unusual (but also the ultimate ordinary) thing I LOVE eating. It’s almost embarrassing how much I love it.
Monica Lo of Sous Weed by Edward Luper
“Home tastes like dad’s Taiwanese beef noodle soup (牛肉麵), mom’s various cold side dishes and fan tuan (飯糰), and a good ol’ southern crawfish boil.”
Read Monica’s interview
Follow the artist @edward.luper.art
Like the first meal my parents prepare for me whenever I travel back home, table full of foods I love. There is no need to tell them what I want for that meal, they know it.
Brandon Jew of Mister Jiu’s by Karon Ng
“My home had a mix of Chinese food (like steamed fish, black bean chicken, dumplings) and American food (like meatloaf, casseroles, salads). We rarely ate out in restaurants, so eating dinner at home with my entire family around the table was something that we did growing up.”
Read Brandon’s interview
Follow the artist @karon.draws
Jing Gao of Fly By Jing by Huang Lian Li
“Like a warm bowl of mapo tofu on rice.”
Read Jing’s interview
Follow the artist @huanglianli
A single bite can take me home.