What I Eat In A Week: Cozy Asian Comfort Food
Come check out what I eat in a week of cozy Asian comfort food and holiday date night events! Saturday is actually the longest night of the year. and for me that means cozy evenings where I just want something comforting and warm without spending hours in the kitchen. This week is the perfect weather for familiar, cozy dishes like Arroz Caldo and my Sticky Braised Pork. With New Years coming, we finished our week with the amazing Vancouver Christmas market and Canucks Game Double Date At Rogers Arena!
Arroz Caldo – Comforting Filipino Chicken Congee
A few weeks ago, I had a subscriber who asked me about making Arroz Caldo – Comforting Filipino Chicken Congee, since it’s been so long since I made it. Today, I woke up with the most intense cravings for this creamy chicken rice soup. So, we’re finally making one of the yummiest Asian comfort food! It’s perfect for this weather, and all you need are a few simple ingredients.
- 4 chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 4-6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 inch ginger peeled and julienned
- 1.5 cup uncooked rice
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce or to taste
- 3 stalks green onion finely chopped (for garnish)
- 1 lemon slice per serving, for garnish
Reading with Shortbread Cookies and Ginger Tea
When it’s chilly outside, nothing screams cozy winter vibes than curling up with a good book. I love a good TV show, but there’s just something about holding a book that just feels different. To pair with my book, I made some freshly baked shortbread cookies and a big cup of ginger tea. These cookies and ginger tea are some leftovers from my home cafe event, and they’re such a comfort food for my reading time.
This year I’ve been so grateful to have so much time for reading! Take a look at my year end book club review and see if we’ve been reading the same books!
Matcha Shortbread Cookies
- 150 g Unsalted butter
- 75 g Powdered Sugar
- 200 g Cake flour
- 2 tsp Matcha Powder OR 30 g Cocoa Powder
- course sugar optional
Brown Sugar Ginger Tea
- 3 Cups Sliced Ginger
- 2 Cups Brown Sugar
- 1 Cup Rock Sugar
Sticky Pork Belly and Din Tai Fung Egg Fried Rice
My mom is coming over for dinner and our weekly Costco run today, and we both have been craving pork belly. It’s been way too long since I made one of my family’s favorite Asian comfort food meals, so today we’re making soy glazed pork belly with Din Tai Fung egg fried rice. It’s the perfect combo – with an addicting sauce we lovingly refer to as “白飯殺手” or “Rice Killer”. You’ll find yourself refilling bowls after bowls of rice to soak up every last bit of that delicious sauce!
Sticky Pork Belly
- 2.5 lb Pork Belly
- 4 thin slices of Ginger
- 10 cloves Garlic smashed
- 2 Green Onion
- 1 small Cinamon Stick
- 4 Star Anise
- 5 Red Whole Chili
- ¼ cup Soy Sauce
- ¼ cup Dark Soy Sauce
- 4.5 tbsp Brown Sugar or Rock Sugar
- 3 tbsp Chinese Cooking Wine optional
- ¼ cup Water
Ding Tai Fung Fried Rice
- 5 cups of Cold Cooked Rice
- 6 chopped Green Onion
- 5 Whole Eggs
- 1-1.5 tbsp of Sugar
- 1.5 tbsp of Chicken Powder
- 1 tbsp of Salt
- 2 tsp of White Pepper
- 1.5 tbsp of Soy Sauce
- 5 tbsp of Oil
Bok Choy with Everyday Garlic Oil
- 2 lb of Bok Choy
- 1 tbsp of Oil
- 1 tsp of Salt
- 1 tablespoon Four Season Scallion Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Everyday Garlic Oil
Pesto Burrata Sandwich
As I’m finishing up my work for the year, I made this delicious burrata pesto sandwich as brunch to start my day right. After finding fresh burrata on my weekly Costco trip last night, I had to make this sandwich because it reminds me so much of my trip to Montreal. It’s so flavorful with cured prosciutto and homemade pesto, yet deliciously creamy from the fresh burrata.
I’m seriously considering starting a new series called ‘Featuring Costco’, because I know I can’t be the only one who gets this excited about my weekly trip! Every time I go, I always find something amazing to turn into a delicious meal. Drop a comment with your favorite finds this week!
- 1 Long Ciabatta Roll
- 2-3 Tablespoons Homemade Pesto
- ½ cup Fresh Greens
- ¼ Cup Pickled Radishes
- 2-4 Oz Prosciutto
- 1 ball fresh burrata
Galbi Jjim – Korean Braised Short Rib
My mom and sister were coming over for dinner and I knew this would be the perfect thing to make for a cold day. I found some beautiful short ribs at the grocery store the other day and just knew I had to make some Galbi-jjim. I haven’t had traditional Braised Korean Short Ribs since I was in LA last year! This Korean comfort food dish made my whole house smelled amazing. It’s the perfect addition to a big bowl of rice and some fresh kimchi. It was so good, we forgot to take photos!
- 2 Pounds Beef Short Ribs
- 2 Large Carrots
- 4-5 Golden Potatoes
- 1 Onion
- 4-5 Stalks of Green Onion
- 3 Slices of Ginger
Spicy Galbi-Jjim Sauce
- 1 Korean Pear
- 23-25 cloves Garlic
- 2 Tablespoons Soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Sake
- 1 tbsp Sweetener (I used honey)
- 1 Tablespoon Korean red chili flakes
Making and Freezing 500 Pork and Chive Dumplings
It is time to restock our chive and pork dumplings in the freezer. I always make sure to have homemade dumplings stock up in the freezer ready to go, especially on these cold winter nights. I know that wrapping dumplings takes time, but trust me, homemade dumplings always hits. They freeze so well, and are so easy to make in 5 minutes from the freezer.
My mom and I love spending a whole day bulk wrapping around 500 dumplings every couple months to restock. It’s a fun tradition, and honestly we just spend time chatting and laughing away the whole time. On cold winter nights like this when you don’t feel like cooking, these frozen dumplings will be your lifesaver!
- 1 lb of Chives (Chopped)
- 2 tbsp of Sesame Oil
- 1.5 lb Ground Pork or Chicken
- 2 tbsp of Oyster Sauce
- 2 tbsp of Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp of Ginger
- 1 tsp of Salt
- 1 tsp of Chicken Powder
- 1 tsp of White Pepper
- 50 Dumpling Wrappers
Dim Sum at The Deluxe Chinese Restaurant
We headed out for some super authentic dim sum at The Deluxe Chinese Restaurant with our friends Shelley and Kevin. I’m so excited since I haven’t had dim sum in so long! If you’ve never had this uniquely Cantonese meal, it’s like enjoying tons of tapas-like treats from steamed dumplings to pork buns with hot tea. The best part of dim sum is ordering a ton and chatting over tea! Dim sum is seriously the ultimate Asian comfort food.
We of course had to order all the classics, like Steamed Prawn Dumplings ($11.99), Beef and egg rice roll ($11.99), and Fried Rice Noodles ($32.99). But, some of the other items on the menu might seem a little intimidating, like their fall-off-the-bone chicken feet, in an herbal broth ($17.99). Savory but super fragrant, you can feel the collagen in every gelatinous bite! Or, the Steamed Beef Tripe and Tendons ($11.99), packed with so much spicy-savory flavor! If you’re curious about dim sum, The Deluxe Chinese Restaurant is a great spot to try all the authentic dim sum dishes!
Home Office Planning at Ikea
Since we’re thinking of redoing my office soon, we decided on an IKEA date for some inspiration. Redoing my home office is going to be our 2025 project, and I’m so excited to get started. I loved that everything was decorated with Christmas decorations! I can probably spend hours in IKEA between all the plants, plates, and pans.
Christmas Market
For our date night, Dom and I decided to visit the Vancouver Christmas Market—a tradition we’ve cherished for nearly a decade. December is Dom’s absolute favorite time of the year, and nothing feels more festive than wandering through the market, soaking in all the holiday vibes, and, of course, indulging in the delicious food.
Honestly, everywhere you turn, there’s something new to try. This year, one stand-out treat was the apple strudel. Spoiler alert: it’s probably one of the best things you can get at the Christmas Market. Dom and I even split up at one point just so we could sample more food, like the buttery soft pretzel from Mr. Pretzel.
Hot Sour Dumpling Soup
I ended up staying up so late last night finishing this week’s Vlog but that just means the weekend is officially here! I am craving something hot, sour, spicy and super quick to put together so I’m thinking hot and sour dumpling soup. To make it a it more filling, I also added some noodles. Of course, I also need some caffeine so we’re definitely going to be making a matcha latte. It’s a cozy Asian Comfort Food breakfast.
Hot and Sour Dumplings is one of my favorite ways to enjoy dumplings, and it is super easy to make at home. You can use any dumpling of your choice, but I am using the chives and pork dumplings we made earlier this week! A bite of juicy, spicy dumpling plus a sip of creamy matcha latte? Chef’s kiss!
- 3 cloves Garlic chopped
- 1 green onion chopped
- 1 tsp roasted sesame seeds
- 2 tsp korean red chili flakes
- 4 tbsp Oil I use grapeseed oil
- 2 tbsp Black Vinegar
- 1.5 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 0.5 tbsp chicken powder optional
- 1-1.5 cups hot dumplings water
- 10-12 dumplings
Oatmilk Matcha Latte
- 1.5 tsp matcha powder
- 50 ml hot water
- 100 ml oat milk or your favorite milk
- Sweetener of your choice Optional, to taste
Minerva’s Restaurant
Tonight, we have a double-date night with my friends at one of my favorite restaurants – Minerva’s Restaurant. This family owned restaurant serves delicious Mediterranean dishes in a casual, cozy environment great for gatherings just like our double date.
The food here is SO good, even just the roasted potatoes side dish was delicious! We ordered my favorite – fried calamari ($28). Lightly battered, this calamari is marinated first before it’s fried until crispy. We also shared their signature gourmet pizza – the Minerva’s Special ($26 for medium). It’s topped with pepperoni, ham, mushrooms, shrimp, olives, green pepper. The food here is flavorful, fresh, and perfect with a drink.
Over glasses of wine, we shared our excitement for the upcoming Canucks game we surprised our husbands with. Minerva’s Restaurant is a friendly environment to be enjoying the company of friends, and we come here all the time! Don’t miss the happy hours and the Wine Sundays for deals!
Canucks Game at Rogers Arena
Tonight my friend and I actually surprise our husbands with tickets to the Canucks game. We got front row seats! We’re so excited, we’re all wearing jerseys! After dinner, we walked over to Rogers Arena to catch our game. Before the game starts, we got to watch them practice, too! You can feel the energy in the Arena already buzzing with excitement.
Of course, we have to get a game snack, so I grabbed a quick Fish and Chips from the Triple O’s in the stadium. The view from our front row seat is so up close, you can feel the action! I’ve never been so up close before. We cheered, yelled, and screamed our supports for the Canucks as hard as we could. For intermission, I couldn’t miss out on the mini doughnuts as well! Our surprise double-date night at Rogers Arena was a huge success, and we had such a great time!
