Chao Family Cooking

Okay so my parents have been here for two months and this is the last Sunday we have together before they go back to the-middle-of-no-where, Kaoshiung. I am sad. Them leaving means I will have to go back to doing my own cooking. Which in all honesty is something I love and miss, but my mother makes a better mistress of the kitchen than I do.

My mom is super cute. Like SUPER cute and a lot of my vegan food writing will be heavily influenced by her so get use to me raving about how great she is. Dad might pop up occasionally, because he cares too much about his physique to actually eat anything. He does however love almonds, soy milk, fruits and strange Southeast Asian confections made out of durian. Every afternoon around 4PM he likes to go for hour-long walks after which he’d come home, shower and nibble on nuts and grapes for dinner.

Accompanied dad for his 4PM hike

Back to mom. She grew up in Taiwan, her father (my grandpa or “gong gong” as I called him but y’all call him Mr. Chao) was from the zesty province of Sichuan but stationed in Kaoshiung as a pilot during the second world war. Long story short, between gramps and grandma, he was better at wielding a wok. They had five children and my mom was the only one that inherited his kitchen wizardry. I can attest that my aunts’ and uncles’ culinary skills are limited. If ever or for whatever reason they need to feed themselves the meal will consist of boiled lettuce garnished with soy sauce–they are carnivores.

With my mom carrying on the Chao cooking legacy… I will have big bowls to fill.

This is what she made for Sunday dinner:

Spicy pot of veggie curry and tofu

Wild rice