Covid Cooking

There is no doubt that I enjoy eating and cooking helps me to relax. It’s an excellent procrastinating activity. When I was in college, I used to cook when I should have been studying. Now, COVID cooking is distracting me when I should be cleaning or sorting through a pile of junk mail.

Last year, I did a work trip to Atlanta for a speaking engagement, and I got the opportunity to meet another speaker, Chef Katie Chin. Katie shared her story about her journey of getting into the culinary industry. She also spoke about learning the recipes that her immigrant mom, Leeann Chin, cooked while Katie was growing up in Minnesota.

When I wanted to make a shrimp and snow peas dish, I immediately thought of Katie. It’s a quick and straightforward dish to make. My adjustments were that I used frozen shrimp, added mushrooms & doubled the sauce (I probably over-sauce everything because I like the sauce the best!).

Since COVID has thrown a wrench into everything, I was initially supposed to host my annual gala for work. The tradition is that after the gala, a group of us ventures out for Korean BBQ. As we sheltered in place, a group of us did a Zoom to continue the tradition. We had virtual backgrounds, party attire, and, most importantly, all the food & beverages we would enjoy during a regular after party. In my case, I made Korean style bbq pork belly.

Although I’ve eaten soy sauce chicken many times, I’ve never made it myself. I don’t normally keep the ingredients on hand so I had to purchase shaoxing wine, dark soy sauce, & star anise. As a Vietnamese American, I should have star anise for cooking pho! The recipe is super easy.

I hope you and your loved ones are staying healthy and in good spirits as we continue through these uncertain times. Happy eating!

MXM