Hsiao-Ching Chou
Seattle
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Mom. Cookbook author. Journalist. Inclusive design advocate. Editorial Lead @salesforceux. @Beardfoundation book committee chair, emeritus. She/her
Articles by Hsiao-Ching Chou
2025 in Review: Design is How AI Finds Meaning
Design sets the foundation for trustworthy AI. Designers help establish the semantic foundation that teaches AI what things mean and how humans work. Design is a multiplier that transforms AI potential into practical business value. I drive AI content strategy for the Experience org at Salesforce, deciding what we publish on the design blog and informing our social media tactics. We began this year with a few high-level content themes and an editorial compass pointed toward end users.
Hong Shao Yu (Red-Braised Cod)
Ingredients 5 (5- to 7-ounce) skinless cod fillets, ¾ to 1½ inches thick6 tablespoons soy sauce, divided1 cup water 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar 2 tablespoons mirin 4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled1 teaspoon black bean garlic sauce 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil ⅛ teaspoon white pepper 1 (2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and sliced into thin threads5 scallions, white and green parts sliced into 3-inch matchsticks, divided½ cup cornstarch 2 cups vegetable oil for frying2 teaspoons...
The lasting power of longevity noodles — many family recipes and one timeless wish | CBC Life
(Illustration by Kitty N. Wong) Some kids grow up looking forward to their birthday cake all year long. But for me, birthdays were all about noodles — specifically, my grandma's signature yi mein. Every year, she'd come over with a heaping casserole dish of bouncy, lightly golden noodles topped with thinly sliced braised beef shank, soy eggs, shiitake mushrooms, napa cabbage and a generous sprinkling of cilantro.
Can't Wait to Use the New UI Design? Tap Into Insights from Dreamforce First
People are pumped about the new visual design that’s gradually rolling out across new Salesforce editions. At Dreamforce ’24, experts from the Salesforce Product UX team showcased the updates to the user interface (UI) and shared best practices for the Salesforce Lightning Design System (SLDS). The most common question from attendees was: “When can I use the new design?” Let’s answer that question.
The Best Cookware for Induction Cooktops
If you want to skip both of those steps, you can shop the induction-friendly cookware pieces and sets I recommend below. The best induction cookware I always recommend buying your cookware a la carte so you can get all of the pieces you need in the sizes you want-and so you won't be stuck with a giant stock pot or tiny fry pan you'll never use.
This Is the Lightest Cast-Iron Pan You Will Ever Use
Two years ago, Japanese cookware brand Vermicular released a ridiculously lightweight cast-iron pan that threatened to disrupt the entire category. Weighing just 2.4 pounds, the 10-inch skillet was less than half the weight of similarly sized cast-iron pans from brands like Le Creuset, Lodge, and Staub. I've always understood that if cast iron is too thin, it's prone to cracking or crumbling when exposed to extreme heat, and generally that's true. Even the thick stuff can crack under thermal shock.
This Indoor Butane Burner Will Fuel the Good Vibes at Your Next Dinner Party
Years ago, when I was a student in Tokyo, my friend Sebastian and I bought a butane burner and donabe so that we could make hot pot together on cold winter nights. We lived in the same apartment complex and shared joint custody over the burner and donabe. We'd buy trays of thinly sliced meat, packs of mushrooms, konnyaku, cabbage, carrots, noodles-the world was our oyster (mushroom), simmered in broth.
Best Bars and Restaurants in Seattle
Manual of Chicago Style Chicago style, Detroit style, even tributes to Sicily, Rome, and New Jersey. Available for delivery, on a patio, or even by the slice. 02/01/2022 By Allecia Vermillion Photography by Amber Fouts
The Best Chinese Restaurants in Seattle and Bellevue
Seattle’s Chinese restaurant scene continues to improve, expand, surprise, and delight at an absurd pace. New places pop up faster than you can visit the “must-tries” that were already on your list. The classics will be the classics and the familiar chains—Din Tai Fung, Dough Zone—continue to thrive. This tour of Chinese restaurants spotlights places that have a particular specialty, or an especially good version of a specific dish.
Chicken Powder Is Your Quick Ticket to Pure, Complex Chicken Flavor
When my coworker Genevieve Yam presented me with a cup of hot water fortified with a few spoonfuls of chicken powder, I thought I knew what to expect. I was anticipating the concentrated meaty, vegetal, and herbaceous flavors I knew from ramen seasoning packets and the jar of bouillon concentrate in my fridge. A flavor that, on its own, might reveal a bit too much of its artificiality, but that provides an essential amplification of savory flavor when nestled among other ingredients.
How to Make Sticky and Succulent Cantonese Barbecued Pork at Home
If you want to make char siu at home, though, Tan recommends placing the pork on a roasting rack above a pan of steaming water and basting regularly with extra marinade to keep the meat moist and also give the dish its signature shine. Though that air circulation is key to making excellent char siu at home, the ingredients used in the marinade-and the cut of pork you use-are also crucial.
For the Flakiest Flatbreads, Laminate Your Dough
When I think about the many bready things I tend to cook, I usually classify them in my head according to how they rise-or, in the case of flatbreads like matzo, tortillas, and roti, how they don't rise. Traditional loaves rely on either commercial yeast or a natural leaven, a.k.a. a sourdough starter.
For a Classic Taiwanese Breakfast, You Need Shao Bing
Whether you’re talking pita or paratha, flatbreads are so much better fresh. Check out Low Rise to learn more about how to make these iconic staples at home. My uncle and his family run a shop in Taichung, Taiwan, that specializes in a common Taiwanese breakfast: shao bing, a sesame flatbread, which gets split open and stuffed with you tiao, a doughnut-like fried strip of dough. A bowl of warm, sweet or savory soy milk completes the meal.
Shao Bing
Shao bing, or sesame flatbread, can be made ahead and frozen. You can pop them in the toaster to heat. Or, if you plan ahead, you can make them fresh for breakfast.
Humanity and a grocery “hub for hope”
By Hsiao-Ching Chou, guest contributor, photos by Meryl Schenker The new Ballard Food Bank, designed like a grocery store, is meant to offer a sense of calm and hope (and sometimes, as with a youngster organizing oranges, a little wonderment). Over time, your favorite grocery store becomes a home and a community. You know the rhythms of the place, the orientation of the aisles, the locations of your favorite items, and you recognize the staff. It’s a relationship.
The Risk and Reward of Making Changes
Hsiao-Ching Chou November 29, 2021 The mission of the James Beard Awards is to recognize exceptional talent and achievement in the culinary arts, hospitality, media, and broader food system, as well as a demonstrated commitment to racial and gender equity, community, sustainability, and a culture where all can thrive. In August 2020, we began an internal and external review of policies and procedures, to ensure a more transparent, accessible, and equitable process for future James Beard Awards.
This Inexpensive Cleaver Lasts a Lifetime-And Just Might Replace Most of Your Knives
A good cleaver can last a chef’s entire career. That was true for my mother, who helmed our family’s Chinese restaurant for more than 20 years. I watched her slice and dice vegetables, fillet fish, break down whole chickens, and crack bones with her Dexter “Chinese Chef’s Knife.” Her cleaver had a round hardwood handle with four grooves that helped with gripping. I can still hear the thonk-thonk of her chopping and the smack of the flat side of the 8-by-3-inch blade on garlic cloves.
Use a Giant Steamer and Never Make Dumplings in Batches
One of the best-loved dishes at my family’s Chinese restaurant was a fragrant crispy duck that also required one of the biggest pieces of stovetop hardware I’ve ever seen—because you can’t steam a whole duck unless you have a really large-capacity steamer. In our kitchen, that meant a double-tiered aluminum container 20 inches or more in diameter nesting inside an even bigger wok. The one we used allowed my mother, the chef, to steam six ducks at a time.
The Best Wok for Stir-Frying at Home, Tested and Reviewed
The best wok is a superhero. Hit it with high heat and it stir-fries veggies and proteins with ease, propels steam through a stack of bamboo steamer baskets like it’s nothing, deep-fries, braises, and produces eggs with crispy, lacy edges that cry for a drizzle of soy sauce—and a piece of bread to sop up the golden, briny yolk. (If you know, you know.) Buy the right wok, take care of it, and it will serve you well. But which one to buy?
Celebrate Lunar New Year With This Lucky 8 Stir-Fry Recipe and Everyone at the Table Will Be Straight-Up Blessed
© Photo: Hsiao-Ching Chou; Art: W+G Creative lucky eight stir-fry Food is about so much more than nutrition—it’s one of the most personal expressions of our cultures, values, and traditions. Our series, Behind the Recipe, profiles a different healthy cook every month to explore the personal, untold stories of their favorite dishes.
Long Life Noodles with Shrimp and Greens
Photo by Rocky Luten Test Kitchen-Approved Author Notes For New Year's and birthdays, it's customary to wish people a long life by serving this symbolic dish. It's important to never cut the noodles and leave them as long as possible. If you make your own noodles, you can make them even longer than what you might find at the market. If you aren't able to make your own noodles, you can use store-bought or dried fresh noodles instead. NOTE: After you cut the noodles, you can freeze them to use later.
Ginger-Onion Whole Steamed Fish
Photo by Rocky Luten Test Kitchen-Approved Author Notes A key to any Chinese or Taiwanese feast, this steamed whole fish recipe has exactly 8 ingredients, which is auspicious for the Lunar New Year.
Hsiao-Ching Chou’s Lucky 8 Stir Fry
published 2 days ago We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Also called the Spring Festival, Lunar New Year falls sometime between January 20 and February 20. In some countries that celebrate the Lunar New Year, people and businesses typically get a two-week holiday break. The tradition — and expectation — is that those who live and work far from their hometowns and families will return to pay respects and celebrate the holiday.
Lunar New Year
These chicken and mushroom spring rolls are spiced with the sweet and salty flavors of kecap manis, the syrupy soy sauce for which Indonesia is famous. Lara Lee 02.05.21 These savory Indonesian-style cheese cookies are a fantastic snack with a cup of tea or coffee. Lara Lee 02.04.21 Serving whole fish during Chinese New Year symbolizes the wish for prosperity throughout the year and many happy returns.
Steamed Fish With Ginger and Scallions
This is a classic preparation for a steamed whole fish. The ginger and green onions not only flavor the fish, but also help to temper any fishiness. Serving whole fish during Chinese New Year symbolizes the wish for prosperity throughout the year and many happy returns. When you serve whole fish, remember these serving tips: Point the head toward the most distinguished guest. When one side of the fish has been picked clean of flesh, do not turn the fish, which symbolizes flipping a boat or ship.
Rice Cake With Mixed Vegetables
Rice cakes are available sliced, marble-shaped, and in batons. Look for them in the refrigerated aisle of Asian grocery stores. There are dried versions, but the refrigerated version is widely available and easier to work with. I like the slices because there’s more surface area for the sauce. You can use any combination of vegetables and seasonings, so feel free to experiment with flavors.
Lucky 8 Stir-Fry
Eight is a lucky number in the Chinese culture, especially at Lunar New Year. The Chinese word for “eight” is a homophone for prosperity, so numbers with consecutive eights in them represent “big money.” This mixed vegetable dish takes its inspiration from Buddhist vegetarian cooking and can include any combination of ingredients that represent good luck, prosperity, happiness, family wholeness, and longevity. The ingredients also should have contrasting-yet-balanced flavors and textures.
Simple, kid-friendly deliciousness from 'Vegetarian Chinese Soul Food'
Photo by Clare Barboza from "Vegetarian Chinese Soul Food," courtesy of Sasquatch Books. Editor’s note: Here’s a kid (and adult) favorite, Rice Cake with Mixed Vegetables, excerpted from “Vegetarian Chinese Soul Food,” which is being released by Sasquatch Books on Jan. 19. Rice cakes are available sliced, marble-shaped, and in batons. Look for them in the refrigerated aisle of Asian grocery stores. There are dried versions, but the refrigerated version is widely available and easier to work with.
Chinese Soul Food: Delighting in Vegetables
Our Commitment Sound Consumer January 2021 Chinese Soul Food: Delighting in Vegetables By Hsiao-Ching Chou, guest contributor This article was originally published in January 2021 The Chinese title of my latest cookbook translates to “purest joy of eating vegetables.” It’s inspired by a poem from the Song Dynasty scholar and poet Su Shi, also known as Su Dongpo.
The Wiggles Cookbooks; 2020 Book Sales
Howdy cookbook fans! It is *checks notes* Wednesday, apparently! Sorry to miss you yesterday, we had some technical difficulties. But! There is a lot to get to today, thankfully. SPN HQ UPDATE! Honestly, not much to report. I made a kimchi pork stew this weekend that was fantastic, and actually a rabe/farro/sausage/pesto soup that was really good too. Neither of those were from cookbooks, though. My garden is a little sad and it’s supposed to freeze tonight, so. Not many updates there either. Womp.
Vegetarian Chinese Soul Food
A vegetarian follow-up to the very popular Chinese Soul Food cookbook that includes 75 plant-based comfort food recipes you can make at home. Chinese Soul Food drew cooks into the kitchen with the assurance they could make this cuisine at home. Though a popular cuisine across North America, Chinese food can be a little intimidating. But author Hsiao-Ching Chou’s friendly and accessible recipes work for everyone, including average home cooks.
Rama Farm's higher standards produce near-perfect peaches
Organic peaches from Rama Farm. Organic peaches from Rama Farm. Photo: MIKE URBAN/P-I Photo: MIKE URBAN/P-I Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close Image 1 of 6 Organic peaches from Rama Farm. Organic peaches from Rama Farm. Photo: MIKE URBAN/P-I The peaches that grow on Rama Farm are considered ordinary by the standards of Rick and Marilynn Lynn, who tend to two acres of trees on a hillside overlooking the Columbia River.
Chinese Soul Food: A Friendly Guide for Homemade Dumplings, Stir Fries, Soups, and More by Hsiao Ching Chou
Synopses & Reviews Chinese soul food is classic comfort food you can't resist, and in this cookbook you'll find 80 recipes for favorites you can easily make any night of the week. Chinese food is more popular than any other cuisine and yet it often intimidates North American home cooks. Chinese Soul Food draws cooks into the kitchen with recipes that include sizzling potstickers, stir-fries that are unbelievably easy to make, saucy braises, and soups that bring comfort with a sip.
Asparagus recipes and how-tos from Food52
What If Latkes Were Made With...Asparagus? This week’s Big Little Recipes puts a spring spin on a Hanukkah favorite. Egg In her monthly column, Dinner's Ready, contributor Emily Connor shares three satisfying, ultra-tasty... Big Little Recipes This week's Big Little Recipe is as simple as it gets: craveable greenery, plus three other pantry... Spring Spargelzeit—white asparagus season in Germany—is coming. Freeze It's not quite as simple as just tossing it in the freezer.
A 'new' fish from Hawaii is delighting chefs
Chefs are so enamored with Kona Kampachi they prefer to serve it as sashimi. Chefs are so enamored with Kona Kampachi they prefer to serve it as sashimi. Photo: Joshua Trujillo/Seattle Post-Intelligencer Photo: Joshua Trujillo/Seattle Post-Intelligencer Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Image 1 of 3 Chefs are so enamored with Kona Kampachi they prefer to serve it as sashimi. Chefs are so enamored with Kona Kampachi they prefer to serve it as sashimi.
A cooking fail doesn’t mean you’re a failure in the kitchen
Our Commitment Sound Consumer September 2019 A cooking fail doesn’t mean you’re a failure in the kitchen Sound Consumer September 2019 | By Hsiao-Ching Chou, guest contributor Photo credit: Clare Barboza/Sasquatch Books You will not leave my dumpling-making class a master. And you shouldn’t expect to. The pattern I’ve seen goes something like this: We talk about the magic of all-purpose flour and water to yield a dough that suits dumplings, as well as noodles and scallion pancakes (recipe below).
Lunar New Year recipes and how-tos from Food52
Celebrating a Lunar New Year Rooted in Togetherness—& Food In this excerpt from “My Shanghai,” Betty Liu shares some traditional Lunar New Year foods and their meanings. At the Heart of This Lunar New Year, a Different Kind of Magic The co-founders of Material Kitchen, Eunice Byun and David Nguyen, reflect on their Korean and Vietnamese traditions during this special time of year. Chinese New Year And what the new lunar year means to Wilson Tang of Nom Wah Tea Parlor.
Quick, tasty, kid-friendly side dish: wok-seared corn and green onions
By Hsiao-Ching Chou Jan 30, 2019 Hsiao-Ching Chou cooks "Chinese Soul Food" meals that also work for her son (pictured) and daughter. Clare Barboza / Courtesy of Sasquatch Books Wok-Seared Corn and Green Onions I usually keep a bag of frozen corn on hand for when I need a quick stir-fry to pair with a meat-centric meal. In my house, corn is also one of the few vegetables that both kids will eat.
The Simple Szechuan Chicken That Stole 2000 Hearts (& Counting)
Click the heart, it's called favoriting. Favorite the stuff you like. Save and organize all of the stuff you love in one place. In 2001, Community member FrancesRenHuang ordered a dish called gong bao ji ding. She was in Beijing, and it was the first day of student orientation. Ten years later, she published her recipe for it on our site, and now, in 2018, we're still nuts about it. (Get it? Because there are peanuts in the dish?
Chinese Soul Food: A Friendly Guide for Homemade Dumplings, Stir-Fries, Soups, and More
Chinese soul food is classic comfort food you can’t resist, and in this cookbook you’ll find 80 recipes for favorites you can easily make any night of the week. Chinese food is more popular than any other cuisine and yet it often intimidates North American home cooks. Chinese Soul Food draws cooks into the kitchen with recipes that include sizzling potstickers, stir-fries that are unbelievably easy to make, saucy braises, and soups that bring comfort with a sip.
How to Get Tender and Flavorful Fish, Every Time
We've partnered with Miele for a special edition of our Change the Way You Cook series, all about the power of a simple, essential technique: steaming. It wasn’t so long ago that I’d never cooked (or, ahem, eaten) fish of any kind. The world of fish is still new to me, which means that I haven’t quite found my sea legs when faced with a piece of salmon and an hour to turn it into dinner.
The 15-Minute Stir-Fry As Ready For Spring As You Are
Inspired by Hsiao-Ching Chou’s beautiful menu for Lunar New Year—which 1) introduced us to extra-long noodles, and 2) made us wish every noodle or spaghetto could be extra long—we asked her to choose a recipe from her cookbook Chinese Soul Food that embodies a different kind of new beginning: spring. After shifts at our family’s Chinese restaurant back in Columbia, Missouri, my father would often come home to my mother making this dish because she knew how much he loved asparagus.
The 15-Minute Stir-Fry As Ready For Spring As You Are
Inspired by Hsiao-Ching Chou’s beautiful menu for Lunar New Year—which 1) introduced us to extra-long noodles, and 2) made us wish every noodle or spaghetto could be extra long—we asked her to choose a recipe from her cookbook Chinese Soul Food that embodies a different kind of new beginning: spring.
The 15-Minute Stir-Fry As Ready For Spring As You Are
The 15-Minute Stir-Fry As Ready For Spring As You Are Inspired by Hsiao-Ching Chou’s beautiful menu for Lunar New Year—which 1) introduced us to extra-long noodles, and 2) made us wish every noodle or spaghetto could be extra long—we asked her to choose a recipe from her cookbook Chinese Soul Food that embodies a different kind of new beginning: spring.
The 15-Minute Stir-Fry As Ready For Spring As You Are
The 15-Minute Stir-Fry As Ready For Spring As You Are Inspired by Hsiao-Ching Chou’s beautiful menu for Lunar New Year—which 1) introduced us to extra-long noodles, and 2) made us wish every noodle or spaghetto could be extra long—we asked her to choose a recipe from her cookbook Chinese Soul Food that embodies a different kind of new beginning: spring.
The 15-Minute Stir-Fry As Ready For Spring As You Are
The 15-Minute Stir-Fry As Ready For Spring As You Are Inspired by Hsiao-Ching Chou’s beautiful menu for Lunar New Year—which 1) introduced us to extra-long noodles, and 2) made us wish every noodle or spaghetto could be extra long—we asked her to choose a recipe from her cookbook Chinese Soul Food that embodies a different kind of new beginning: spring.
The 15-Minute Stir-Fry As Ready For Spring As You Are
The 15-Minute Stir-Fry As Ready For Spring As You Are Inspired by Hsiao-Ching Chou’s beautiful menu for Lunar New Year—which 1) introduced us to extra-long noodles, and 2) made us wish every noodle or spaghetto could be extra long—we asked her to choose a recipe from her cookbook Chinese Soul Food that embodies a different kind of new beginning: spring.
The 15-Minute Stir-Fry As Ready For Spring As You Are
The 15-Minute Stir-Fry As Ready For Spring As You Are Inspired by Hsiao-Ching Chou’s beautiful menu for Lunar New Year—which 1) introduced us to extra-long noodles, and 2) made us wish every noodle or spaghetto could be extra long—we asked her to choose a recipe from her cookbook Chinese Soul Food that embodies a different kind of new beginning: spring.
Chinese, Fast: Stir-Fried Rice Cakes With Chicken
Dig into Chinese comfort food with Hsiao-Ching Chou’s new collection of easy-to-make classics. If you’re going to make a stir-fry, why not take it one step further with easy-to-prep stir-fried rice cakes? Rice cake is called nian gao, or “sticky cake,” in Mandarin. It’s treated like a pasta and used in soups or stir-fry dishes. Serving rice cake for Chinese New Year is symbolic because the words for “sticky” and “year” are homophones.
Twice-Cooked Pork Recipe
This recipe from Chinese Soul Food is a two-fer. First, you make luscious, sticky red-braised pork belly (fragrant with star anise, ginger, garlic, and rice wine), which you can eat with steamed rice for one meal—but be sure to save some so you can cook the pork again, this time in a wok with aromatics and peppers until the vegetables are tender and the pork is crispy and glazed. You may even want to make a little extra red-braised pork just to ensure you have enough to enjoy it both ways.
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