asian food and drink
Thy Tran’s classes in Asian cooking focus on techniques to empower her students. Besides imparting the secrets to making tasty dishes from a range of Asian cuisines, the knowledgeable chef and author includes history, culture and science.
In celebration of LGBT Pride month, Mary Ladd profiles Preeti Mistry, who is opening Juhu Beach Club in San Francisco and has appeared on Top Chef. Mistry shares what it’s like to be female and queer in the culinary world.
A shopping trip to Richmond’s Pacific East Mall Travel takes your palate on a trip to far-off lands with a huge array of Chinese, Japanese, Taiwanese, Korean, and Thai restaurants and foodstuffs. Lose yourself exploring the aisles of 99 Ranch Market, where you can buy almost any ingredient needed for an Asian meal.
In the heart of East Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood, a handful of Mien refugees are growing vegetables from the home country at Peralta Hacienda Historical Park. It’s a sunny microcosm of California’s rich and complicated past and present, and when the crops are ready for harvest, the public will be invited to join in the feast that follows.
Kyoto is known for its refined cuisine. Besides dining out, I want to take a hands-on approach to sampling its delicacies.With the help of Kyoto Free Guides to translate, I take classes in pickle, soba and sweet making and finally a five course cooking class in a home kitchen.
Hmong refugees have been resettling in California’s Central Valley since the late 1970s. Most arrived with few personal belongings, but they did carry their cultural practices — and their recipes. At traditional Hmong healing ceremony in rural Merced, family members feasted on pork and cabbage rolls, fresh fish, and more.
Akash and Rana Kapoor of famed Curry Up Now opened The Dosa Republic this week. The new fast-casual restaurant in San Mateo serves rice bowls, salads, inventive appetizers, and of course, dosas. The Kapoors are taking this traditional Southern Indian staple and giving it a modern twist.
Foods that trick the eye and please the palate appeal to caterers Simone Fung and Sebastian Mendieta of S+S Gastro Grub. Their inventive dishes, which often use the techniques of molecular gastronomy, sous vide cooking and spherification, surprise and delight diners at pop ups, underground dinners and fundraisers around the Bay. They also do a succulent roast pork on their mobile pig roaster.
Happy Passover! Add a little sunshine to your holiday table with this three-ingredient, super-easy and delicious Orange Custard recipe from 12 Tribes Food.
As someone who has a deep appreciation for both food and films, I was looking forward to the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi coming to theatres in the Bay Area this month.
Raw sheep’s milk cheese made in the traditional Basque style is a rarity in Northern California. We took a tour of Barinaga Ranch to learn about the ancient process directly from the source.
Chef Ravi Kapur, formerly of Boulevard and Prospect, has set aside his fine dining ways in favor of cooking the soul food he loves for his friends. He tests those waters at a new pop-up restaurant, Liholiho Yacht Club. Bay Area Bites attended the second in the series of four dinners: here’s what we ate.
Eating with the hands is more than just a way to maneuver food to the mouth. It embodies cultural values including, a sensuous connection to the food, the feeling of sharing and community, practicality avoiding waste, even prolonging a delicious meal by enjoying the lingering aroma of it on the fingers. Many cultures, such as Indian, Arab and African have dined this way for thousands of years. In a video-clip, the writer receives a hands-on lesson in eating with the hands — Moroccan style.
A complete source of protein, hemp is a delicious alternative to soy for creating tofu. Nutty, earthy, and creamy all at once, hemp tofu is great for scrambles, stir-fry, seared, or simply drizzled with some sweet soy sauce!
At an event to mark The Year of the Dragon, Grace Young, prize winning cookbook author and wok missionary, explains why 2000 years of cooking in a real wok is the soul of Chinese cuisine.
Bay Area Bites (BAB), KQED's public media food blog, feeds you visually compelling food-related stories, news, recipes and reviews from the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. Enter your email address to receive updates each time we publish new posts.
Can A Piece Of Hair Reveal How Much Coke Or Pepsi You Drink?
People are notorious for under-reporting what they consume — they lie, forget or just guess wrong. For researchers who want to know how much soda we’re drinking, a high-tech analysis technique could help.
ADHD In Childhood May Feed Obesity In Adults
People diagnosed with ADHD as children may be more apt to be obese in adulthood, scientists say. Differences in brain biology or the impulsiveness typical of ADHD may contribute to lasting, bad eating habits.
Flax Seed: The Next Superfood For Cows And Beef?
After years of research, an animal scientist looking for ways to keep inflammation down in cattle came up with a novel approach: feed them flax. The flax in their food helps keep animals healthy and has an added benefit for those who later eat their meat: omega-3 enriched beef.
How to Make Kombucha: An Illustrated Mother/Daughter Tale
See how a dripping blob of bacteria and yeast makes fizzy, homemade kombucha and bonds a mother and daughter. Liberally illustrated with drawings of Kombucha Killers, Vessel Guide, Friendly Add-Ins, Dangers Signs and Brewing Steps.
Try A Do-It-Yourself Mother’s Day
Rather than waiting for someone to give you a treat, why not make one of your favorites for yourself? Something you can snack on all week when no one’s around. Or, better yet, something you don’t have to share. Food writer T. Susan Chang recommends slow-roasted pecans, salty-sweet matzo candy and more.
A Fresh Pod Cast: Savoring Spring’s Green Peas
Emerald green and tender, yet with a gentle crunch, garden peas can be so delightful when fresh — and so disappointing when not. Try them now in their seasonal prime in these recipes for chilled soup, a citrusy spread and a traditional rice dish.
Hunan Home’s Restaurant, Radius, Guerilla Café: Check, Please! Bay Area reviews
Restaurants reviewed: Hunan Home’s Restaurant (San Francisco), Radius Restaurant and Café (San Francisco) and Guerilla Café (Berkeley).
Chris Hadfield: Space Chef In Chief
The Canadian astronaut didn’t just tweet and sing his heart out during his five months as commander of the International Space Station. He also took time out to show the world what it’s like to eat up there.
Bocanova, Willi’s Wine Bar, The Rotunda of Neiman Marcus: Check, Please! Bay Area reviews
Check, Please! Bay Area reviews these restaurants: Bocanova (Oakland), Willi’s Wine Bar (Santa Rosa), The Rotunda of Neiman Marcus (San Francisco).
Celebrate the Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market 20th Birthday Bash with CUESA
In honor of its 20th anniversary, Bay Area Bites looks back on how the Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market has become a San Francisco institution for chefs, home cooks, and curious eaters from around the world.
Exploratorium Elevates Museum Eating Experience
Chef Loretta Keller, the force behind the Exploratorium’s new culinary options, talks bee jet lag, living foods, and seawater cocktails with BAB’s Sarah Henry.
Grits, Fried Chicken and Gospel Brunch – Chef David Lawrence Discusses Life at “1300 on Fillmore”
Mary Ladd interviews Chef David Lawrence about his restaurant “1300 on Fillmore” which is known for fabulous grits, fried chicken and a lively Sunday Gospel brunch.
Hunan Home’s Restaurant, Radius, Guerilla Café: Check, Please! Bay Area reviews
Restaurants reviewed: Hunan Home’s Restaurant (San Francisco), Radius Restaurant and Café (San Francisco) and Guerilla Café (Berkeley).
First Impression: Healdsburg SHED
What would a wine country locavore’s paradise look like? Stephanie Rosenbaum talks to Cindy Daniel, owner of Healdsburg’s new SHED, a 21st-century grange, store, and sustainable-living center.
Bocanova, Willi’s Wine Bar, The Rotunda of Neiman Marcus: Check, Please! Bay Area reviews
Check, Please! Bay Area reviews these restaurants: Bocanova (Oakland), Willi’s Wine Bar (Santa Rosa), The Rotunda of Neiman Marcus (San Francisco).
Pompei’s Grotto, Lillie Mae’s House of Soul Food, SPQR: Check, Please! Bay Area reviews
The fourth episode of Season 8 features these restaurants: Pompei’s Grotto (San Francisco), Lillie Mae’s House of Soul Food (Santa Clara) and SPQR (San Francisco). Leslie Sbrocco shares wine tips about Napa Valley wines.
Cheese Books for the Curd Nerd
Every aspiring curd nerd yearns to embiggen their knowledge base about the dairy darlings they adore. Garrett McCord shares two books that help you gain a broader understanding of cheese and supply you with tasteful cheese-centric recipes.
Michael Pollan talks about his new book ‘Cooked’
As in his previous books, Michael Pollan argues in “Cooked” that relying on processed food disrupts our link to the natural world and weakens our interpersonal relationships. But this time he takes a more hands-on approach, doing apprenticeships with a variety of culinary masters who teach him the fine points of fermentation, the benefits of bacteria, and other secrets of honest cuisine. He joins KQED’s Forum in the studio.
KQED’s Forum: Mark Bittman on Part-Time Veganism
Mark Bittman talks about his new book, and how a full-time meat lover adapted to part-time veganism.
Are the benefits of genetically engineered foods worth the risks? Check out this half-hour special from QUEST Northern California that explores the pros and cons of genetically engineered crops and what the future holds for research and regulations.
Baby & Toddler On The Go: fresh, homemade foods for a busy life (VIDEO)
A precociously independent toddler packs a healthy homemade lunch and heads off to snack in Bernal Height’s Holly Park in San Francisco. This video is a promo for Kim Laidlaw’s new book: Baby & Toddler On The Go: fresh, homemade foods for a busy life.
Deaf Foodies Savor Gourmet Ghetto Tasting Tour in Sign Language
A dozen Deaf Foodies relish the tastes and history of Berkeley’s Gourmet Ghetto in a 3 hour tasting tour presented completely in American Sign Language (ASL) by food writer (and ASL interpreter) Anna Mindess through Edible Excursions.
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