Sesame Chicken Salad

Made with in-season sweet corn, fresh crisp cucumbers and juicy tomatoes, this Sesame Chicken Salad is easy to put together and very delicious (addictive!) to enjoy especially in the summer months.


It is also the perfect summer protein bowl, created with everyday easily available produce and one the most versatile leftovers - chicken breast. Have you tried this 20-minute Leftover Chicken Breast Salad (and many of its variants) yet? Leftover shredded chicken can be easily reheated/warmed up using small kitchen appliances such as electric food steamers. These appliances including this rapid egg steamer are great kitchen helpers and save the busy cook a lot of time during meal prep.

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Smoked Salmon Turmeric Quinoa Bowl

A nutritious protein bowl easily prepared and put together with store-bought smoked salmon (found this good quality Cambridge House smoked honey-roasted salmon from Costco), sliced cucumber, turmeric quinoa, and leftover chimichurri tofu.

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Avocado, Cucumber, Kale Chicken Burger

Not chicken salad sandwich or wrap, but assembled and built as chicken burger filled with leftover shredded chicken, kale and cucumber.


Avocado, mashed and smeared on the bun, replaces the oil-based dressing used in this chicken salad sandwich.

This can also easily come together as salad without the bun (carb-free option).

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Tandoori Chicken Salad

Leftover chicken does wonders to salad or grain bowls; not only it saves time during grain bowl preparation, it is also a quick and easy protein add-on to any meal.

Today, we have leftover (leftover from Indian take-out) tandoori chicken, shredded and topped over a salad base of cherry tomatoes, arugula, lettuce and cucumber.


For vegetarians, replace the chicken with Korean Spicy Chilled Tofu, Korean Spicy Baked Tofu or Soy-Roasted Tofu.

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Tomatoes, Cucumber, Feta Cheese Salad

Briny and crumbly feta cheese works magic in salads such as Apple Blueberry Cucumber Salad and Watermelon Feta Salad. Today, let us make another feta-worthy salad rightfully balanced with summer sweet tomatoes and refreshing cucumbers.

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Perilla Leaf, Egg, Cucumber Sandwich

Other than the regular grocery stores e.g. Sprouts Farmers Market, Trader Joes, and Whole Foods Market, there are also Korean, Japanese, Chinese grocery stores in the vicintiy. These stores are where I discover new ingredients - ingredients that typically don't show up in the regular stores.


Visiting the Korean supermarket reminded me of the Korean dishes I have made in the past e.g. Easy and Healthy Korean Bibimbap, Korean Spicy Tofu, Korean Spicy Chilled Tofu. I realized it has been some time since I prepared any Korean dishes! However, even with the perilla leaves from the Korean supermarket, sandwiches instead of Korean dishes came to mind. Where is that Korean spark? I wonder.

Popular in Korean cuisine, perilla leaves are commonly used as a wrap for rice, barbecued meats and vegetables, so I don't see any conflict by layering the leaves into this egg, apple and cucumber sandwich. With herb nuances of mint, basil and anise, the perilla leaves brought an ordinary egg sandwich to life.

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Vegetarian Prosperity Salad 素鱼生

Happy Lunar New Year of the Dog!

Today marks the first day of the Chinese New Year, and here's wishing everyone Good Heath and Happiness.


We start the year strong and healthy with this Prosperity Salad which has been adapted and modified to suit our family preferences. Raw fish (生鱼 Sheng Yu ) - which is why Prosperity Salad is also known as Yu Sheng in Mandarin. Fish 鱼 and abundance 余 also both sound alike in Mandarin, thus the tradition of having Yu Sheng is often interpreted as abundance, good fortune and prosperity in the new year.

First and foremost, one of the most symbolic ingredient - raw fish  has been omitted from the salad as we do not consume raw fish at home. That said, it also means this salad is vegetarian.

No fish, but the colors galore and vegetables aplenty in this salad marks abundance in the best way (examples of ingredients and its symbolism here).  Besides, with or without fish, it is the same act of using chopsticks to toss and lift the salad up high that symbolizes the shoring in of better luck and lifting of our high spirits and vigor in the new year. In other words, the higher you toss, the better luck you have.

In this salad adaption, I have also brought in long strands of noodles (means long-life noodles) which symbolizes longevity and good health.

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Stir-Fry Cucumber with Egg 黄瓜炒蛋

Cucumber is usually consumed raw e.g. in salads, as fillers in sandwiches. However in the middle of winter, the Chinese believe in taking in more "heat" (yang) in food even when it means lightly cooking or stir-frying a "cooling" ingredient such as cucumber, and making it a relatively "warming" dish.

This side-dish makes a good sandwich filler as well but it may not keep well in the sandwich for too long as the moisture in the cucumber might make the sandwich soggy. So gobble up the sandwich!

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Pesto Cucumber Bites 清酱黄瓜

I was too quick in making such comments. Now I think these pesto cucumber bites are the easiest hors d’oeuvres to make. Alright, I maintained my stand on these pesto pita bites being delectable, relatively more delicious than these cucumber bites; but effort-level, give it to these cucumber bites!

Well, they are different. One is warm and toasty while this is cool and crisp.


Without question, I prefer a warm toasty cheesy bite anytime. However, when there is no real need to crank up the oven, these fresh pesto cucumber bites will be the next alternative.


Food historian, Waverley Root, once wrote that a cucumber is “about as close to neutrality as a vegetable can get without ceasing to exist”. In addition, cucumbers are not much of a nutrition powerhouse.

However I sometimes buy them as they can be a super quick "vegetable" addition to sandwiches. Though not a powerhouse on its own, it can be made a powerhouse snack-bite with basil walnut pesto.

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Achar Pickles Mulberries, Cucumber, Carrot 自制南洋风味腌菜

Though Achar can refer to Indian pickles, it is also a popular pickle/condiment in Malaysia and Singapore.


I grew up with the authentic Peranakan version that is usually made with cucumbers, carrots, pineapples mixed in with spice paste (rempah), shallots, ground peanuts in a vinegar-sugar based dressing. However today I am making the easier version that allows you to have a taste of Achar without the use of rempah - meaning, you do not need to grind or pound any paste.

Hopefully the switch-up of ingredients from traditional Achar will also inspire you to have your own light bulb moment.

Dried mulberries

The dried mulberries is a new ingredient here, and definitely sweeten up the whole deal.  Other ingredients used in this Achar recipe is quite basic so you do not have to intentionally go out there to get the ingredients.

No pineapples. No ground peanuts. Cucumbers, carrots, shallots were all I had.

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Sesame Shungiku Couscous Sushi

Some alternatives don't work while some do. So, I made more couscous sushi! A more colorful version with the fresh crisp of organic bell peppers and cucumbers. Remember the Sesame-Dressed Shungiku I made earlier on? It can be enjoyed on its own or as an appetizer-side, and is great filling ingredient for sushi too!

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Arugula and Cucumbers Pasta Salad

Yes to more salad-type one-dish meals, and more easy and light cooking. This is how summertime has changed our eating habits. In the hot summer days, a flavorful pasta salad that is easy to put together is definitely welcoming to the appetite which yearns for light and refreshing taste. What's better - a pasta salad that also stands as a main dish.


Today, I am using peppery arugula and cooling cucumbers in a pasta salad with tomatoes - Summer Pasta Salad with Arugula, Cucumber and Tomatoes. You can use your favorite greens and combine them with juicy and sweet summertime tomatoes. That always works, almost. How about trying this Heirloom Tomatoes Baby Kale Pasta and Chinese Broccoli and Tomatoes Pasta?

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Cucumbers with Sesame Oil-Soy Dressing 凉拌黄瓜

Winter is not the season to eat too much cucumber especially from the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). As it goes - "as cool as a cucumber" (indeed, cucumber is considered "cooling" food by TCM), we do not want our body to be subjected to more "cold elements" in the winter season. Attuned with Chinese food therapy, fried and "heaty" food should also be avoided as much as possible during summer.  

Do you avoid consuming too much of a certain food in each season especially in summer (the hot!) or winter (the cold...)?

In addition, I do not use cucumber that often in my kitchen (if you notice) due to my tendency to consume nutrient-dense food. To me, cucumber is not nutrient-dense as it is mainly (~95%) moisture (water).

Well...Then...But....

Summer IS the season for cooling cucumbers. Plus who could resist the organic cucumber when they go on-sale at 88 cents each.


To neutralize the "cool" (yin) of the cucumber, I am going to add warm (yang) elements to it. Red chili flakes and raw garlic should do the trick. This Chinese-style cucumber salad is dressed in sesame oil, rice vinegar, sugar and soy sauce. 

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