Fueled by the boredom of stay-at-home folks during this covid-19 crisis, Dalgona coffee took social media by the storm. The coffee infused sugary froth is whipped to a semi-stiff peak and then layered on top of a glass of milk, the aesthetics and the lure of the creamy coffee culture made it a sensational drink to attempt at home. Because I don't drink coffee, but I do drink tea, I wanted to discover a substitute recipe which can pull off the similar aesthetic.

The original Dalgona recipe is alot of hard work to get that sugar whipped up. Obviously it's something that you probably don't have time to do it often. Without spending 15 minutes just whipping away, my recipe relies on using heavy whipping cream to imitate the texture and the richness while reducing whipping time by employing the hand held milk frother. Also, alot of people have been saying that the standard Dalgona coffee recipe tends to be too sweet. Since we're relying on whipping cream and not sugar to create the frothy texture, we can reduce the sugar input to create a balanced component. To elevate this further, I've added a touch of salt to contrast against the sweetness, transforming it to something reminiscence of salted caramel concept where the sweet and salty cream compliments the milk base. 

One of every Thai's comfort food, this noodle dish will sooth your soul with its mild gravy sauce. In Thailand, there are many variations of the dish as the rice noodle and the gravy base is extremely versatile which can leverage all kinds of ingredients. Our version of Lard Nar incorporates the classic Chinese broccoli and tender sliced pork combo, and a little bit of other veggies which were available in our fridge. However, you can add any vegetables that you like or change up the protein. Some of the vegetables which you can either substitute or add to the dish are mushroom, baby corn, broccoli, yu choy, bok choy, collard greens, cauliflower, broccoli rabe, kale, and carrots. As for protein substitutes, you can use sliced beef, sliced chicken, seafood, fried firm tofu, and seitan. The gravy sauce should mellow out all the ingredients and create a well rounded flavor to coat the charred rice noodles. 

Finger licking good, sweet and savory, this thumbs up shrimp dish will satisfy your sweet tooth cravings while enjoying the fruits of the sea. Inspired by 'Walnut Shrimp', my version is sans Walnut just because I'm not as fond of nuts in my savory food, and the shrimp can be a versatile companion to any dish such as a salad topping. The best part is you only need several common ingredients and the prep to cook time is less than 30 minutes!

A hearty soup to give you comfort on one of those days, this french onion soup is easy to make and satisfying. The onions slowly releases its juice while simmering and imparts a naturally sweetened base. Then we finished the soup by submerging pieces of baguettes and top it off with shredded mozzarella and Swiss cheese for a stringy and cheesy bite.  It is best enjoyed with a couple pieces of freshly toasted baguette to soak up more of the cheesy delicious goodness and a refreshing salad to contrast the rich flavors of the soup.

While Thai curry has been a stable to many ​of people abroad, most of the time we are stuck with either the choices of Red or Green curry. While undoubtedly, those are the two most popular type of curries, there are so many more regional specialties that are just as good or better. ​