Lucky Rice

I am not quite sure if you know of my love for Asian street food, but back when I was still treating this as my online journal, I wrote about my trip to Hong Kong and Taiwan (part 1 + part 2)! …Goodness, that feels like such a long time ago.

I love smaller shops and eateries with super delicious food that’s packed with lots of flavor and available at affordable prices, and this book has recipes on how to make a good number of em’!

Lucky Rice

By Danielle Chang

Genre: Cookbook
Pages: 224

Lucky Rice is split into 10 different chapters! The author states that it is meant to be a “curated selection or enduring recipes and newer favorites that feed our current obsession with Asian cuisine,” and my goodness, this book definitely delivers! I want to make pretty much everything in it (other than the stuffs that I can’t eat, but I can easily sub those out for something else).

Street Eats

Have a hankering for foods that you can find at night markets in Asia? Grilled Chicken Tsukune Sausage, DanDan Noodles (I made a vegetarian version back in the day!), Curry Laksa, Issan-Style Pork (Laab), Japanese Pancakes (Okonomiyaki), Chinese-Muslim Lamb Burgers, Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup…

Funky Foods

Ever wonder about those “weird” ingredients that may not necessarily smell that wonderful, but taste really darn good? This chapter’s perfect for that!

Garlicky Smashed Cucumber Pickles (Tsukemono), Tofu with Thousand-Year Eggs (I made a Chinese Parsley Soup with those eggs before!), Malaysian Okra with Shrimp Paste, Kimchi Pancakes, Filipino Chicken Adobo, Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken with Fish Sauce…

Tofu with Thousand-Year Eggs

Snacks and Grub

So…I love a billion recipes in this book, but this chapter is quite possibly my favorite, because helloooooo, Hawaiian Tuna Poke recipe! <3!!!

There’s also Tea-Smoked Eggs, Seaweed with Cucumber and Daikon Ribbons (Sunomono), Japanese Fried Chicken (Karaage), Bubble Tea…

Tonkotsu Ramen

Soups and Broths

Since it’s still technically winter, I’m still all about the soups and broths for delicious comfort food! You can learn how to make Long Life “Supreme” Broth, Hot and Sour Soup (Suan La Tong), Thai Shrimp Boil and Soup (Tom Yum Goong), Hot Pot, Korean Seaweed Soup (Miyeokguk), Herbal Bone Tea Soup (Bak Kut Teh), and several others!

Sumo Wrestler’s Stew

Spicy Dishes

Are you a fan of spicy foods? This will be your favorite section! :] Ma Po Tofu is one of my favorite Chinese dishes, and there’s also Sichuanese Chicken Wings, Indian-Spiced Tomato Soup, Curry in a Hurry, Spicy Fish Stew…

Thai Grilled Beef Salad (Yam Neua Yang)

Asian Mash-Ups

Okay, I might have a tie for favorite chapters, because this one is pretty darn amazing as well. If Asian fusion is your thing, b-bam! <3

Kimchi Tacos, Jewish Pastrami Egg Rolls, Macanese African Chicken, Grilled Korean Short Ribs (LA Galbi!!), ABC Beef with Broccoli, Vietnamese Banh Mi(!!!), Peruvian Stir-Fried Beef with Tomatoes (Lomo Saltado–my 12-year-old church friend used this as a base for Peruvian sushi!), Chicken Tikka Masala, Asian Gazpacho…

Rice Bowls and Beyond

Ah, rice bowls! I love these too! There

Bibimbap (we’ve made a version of this before!), Clay Pot Mushroom Risotto, DIY Sushi Hand Rolls, Savory Rice Balls (Nuo Mi Fan)…

Indonesian Fried Rice

Lucky Feasts

There’s a longggg list of lucky foods in Chinese culture–noodles for longevity, eggs for fertility, whole fish for abundance, tangerines for luck…you can learn to make a bunch of them in this chapter!

Classic Chinese Dumplings (Jiaozi), Steamed Turnip Cakes (Law Bok Gow), Chrysanthemum and Tofu Salad (Ma Lan Tou), Shanghainese Drunken Chicken (Zui Ji), Longevity Noodles (Yi Mein), Whole Steamed Fish…

Cocktails

Given my aldehyde dehydrogenase deficiency, this is the section I mostly can’t participate in, but if you’ve ever wanted to learn how to make Watermelon Soju Punch, Afternoon Gin Tea, Green Juice Elixir, Vietnamese Michelada, Shanghai Mule, Cocktail Tonic, Tiki Refresher, or Home-Brewed Rice Wine, be sure to check this section out!

Sweets

Eight Treasure Rice

I know I keep saying almost every chapter’s my favorite, but it’s honestly really difficult to choose! This section includes recipes for…Sweet Sticky Rice Balls in Soup (one of my favorite Chinese desserts, especially around Chinese New Year!), Thai Mango Pudding (Khao Niaow Ma Muang), Matcha Green Tea Coconut Frozen Bars, Thai Iced Tea Pops, Persimmon Cakes with Osmanthus Flowers…

Almond “Tofu” with Fruit Cocktail

The book ends with a section titled, “10 Festive Menus,” in case you need any themed inspiration for a future dinner party or get-together! Examples include…Korean Sunday Supper, Dim Sum Brunch, Summer Barbecue, and Japanese Gastropub Cocktail Soiree. If you live in or around a major city on one of the coasts, check to see if there’s a LuckyRice festival going on in your neighborhood!

Each recipe includes a brief introduction, serving size, ingredient list and instructions, with little tips and tricks along the way to expedite the cooking/prepping process. I really liked that the recipes had their traditional names underneath as well (e.g. Japanese pancakes = okonomiyaki)! The food photography in here is amazing, which you know I’m always a huge fan of!

Get your own copy of Lucky Rice on Amazon!

• What chapter of Lucky Rice would you be most interested in perusing?
• Have you ever been to Asia? Any favorite street eats?

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