Kat Liu is incredibly excited to share her new book, “Modern Asian Kitchen,” with you all. While she makes everything she does look easy and fun, this book represents a dream come true.
She does a lot: just take a look at her fun, mouthwatering recipe posts on TikTok and Instagram (like this one for gorgeous pale green vegan, gluten-free mochi matcha chocolate chip cookies made in one bowl), and she also runs the social media community Subtle Asian Baking (which gained 10,000 people in the first month on Facebook in 2020 and now has 159,800 members).
Liu has combined food and activism to raise over $100,000 for Asian Americans and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders (so far). And last month, she was furious when David Chang tried to trademark “Chili Crunch” and got her revenge by urging her followers to make their own. Find her recipes. Under — and launched her own brand overnight.
Liu never went to culinary school or worked as a professional baker or chef — in fact, she had more than a decade of experience as a physical therapist when she published her first cookbook, “Modern Asian Baking at Home,” in 2022.
Now that everything she’s done has resonated deeper and more broadly, this new book represents the fulfillment of a goal she’s had since the fourth grade: She’s dedicated herself full time to cooking, writing, and building community. “It feels surreal,” Liu says. “I feel really lucky…It brings me so much joy.”
The Modern Asian Kitchen page features Liu’s bright descriptions of every dish on the map, including ramen, dim sum, stir-fries, rice bowls, pho, bibimbap, and more (vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options are also marked). It is accompanied by encouraging voices and is very enjoyable. Liu’s mother is Chinese and her late father grew up in Hanoi. Liu says the book’s wide-ranging menu represents her own Asian American kitchen. Her parents, her grandparents, friends, neighbors, and her community online inspire her and often give her heartfelt thanks.
She’s quick to discard any notion of strict authenticity: “The recipes presented here represent my experiences growing up as an Asian immigrant,” Liu writes. “They are as authentic as possible, at least to me.”
When asked about what she would like to make and eat in the pages of “Modern Asian Kitchen,” Liu listed a few. She teases some of her father’s dishes in the intro to “Dad’s Saucy Egg, Beef and Gai Lan Stir-Fry,” noting that he worked as a line cook in Belgium and Montreal. The dish, she says, combines the French techniques he learned with his own traditions to create something she recreates from memory and still loves. She makes an Instant Pot version of Auntie Eva’s pho ga every week; she rates Hong Kong clay pot rice as her “ultimate comfort food,” and that includes her mother’s Cantonese chicken stir-fry (another recipe; home cooks should understand that the “easy” in the book’s subtitle is a clear instruction, not necessarily a restriction on ingredients or time needed). Among the Filipino recipes is the sexy Sizzling Sisig. After he introduces the dish to her, she says, “I’m so happy with it.”
Mary Usha’s Tandoori Chicken and Raita was born at a beloved neighbor’s dinner party table. Koreatown Spicy Tofu Stew was born out of lunchtime memories from her first office job in New York. As for Basic Onigiri Adventure, it’s because my son really loves it.
The dessert, Melty Cheesecake Bao, is “a condensation of the third culture I grew up in: East and West,” says Liu. She calls her gochujang chocolate mochi cake “amazing.” Also, in collaboration with Fremont’s Lucky Her Envelope Her Brewing, the cake will become its own beer, with proceeds going to the Seattle nonprofit Asian Counseling and Referral Services.
Only one type of cookie appears. Liu is saving the rest for his next book, “108 Asian Cookies.” She’s already working on that in her home in Renton, which she likes as her cozy home at an affordable price for her family after moving from Brooklyn. She calls the entire Seattle community “supportive, wonderful, and loving.”
When the Chili Crispgate scandal recently became an online frenzy, Liu responded furiously. “I was so angry about the Chili Crisp thing. Really, so angry,” she says. “It’s as ridiculous as saying, ‘Let me make Japanese soy sauce and I’ll trademark it.'” She posted on Instagram: “Are you going to throw away Chili Crisp? Support the little brands AA and NHPI or make your own at home.” She then worked with Jaime Aragones of World Spice in Pike Place Market to develop her own version of the classic hot, crunchy, umami-flavored chili oil that she now loves to drizzle on noodles, eggs, vegetables, pizza, ice cream, and more.
“We came up with this recipe overnight. It’s a combination of two of our recipes,” says Liu. She and Aragones call it Pink Chili Crisp. “You can tell it’s made by a woman because it’s pink and has a strong flavor.” This add-your-own-oil spice mix is available for purchase online at World Spice IRL or worldspice.com.
Mr. Liu noted that Mr. Chan has since apologized. She also consulted with an attorney at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, who acknowledged that the agency’s team “isn’t very diverse…but they’re trying.”
“Everyone is working hard and everyone is learning,” she says.
Liu recommends learning how to make chili crisps at home. Small jars from high-end brands can cost upwards of $10, so you might want to try making your own. For ingredients, she recommends Uwajimaya in Seattle, Bellevue, Renton, and 99 Ranch Market in Edmonds and Kent. Use dried chili peppers that you have available or that you love, she says. (Consider sourcing a bouquet; arbol, japonesse, and kashmir might make for a tangy, bright, and fruity combination.) Also, don’t be afraid to buy and use MSG powder. MSG powder contains the same glutamate found naturally in mushrooms and Parmesan cheese (which you may already have in your favorite chili crisps).
Cut Lew’s Fire Chilli Crisp Oil
2 1/2 cups (588 ml) refined peanut, vegetable, or rapeseed oil
1½ cups (368 g) thinly sliced shallots (use a slicer if you have one)
1 cup (136 g) thinly sliced garlic (use a mandolin if you have one, or minced garlic will do)
Approximately 1 cup (115g) dried chili peppers [your choice] Or gochugaru chili flakes [for milder heat]or a mix
2 tablespoons of chili powder (12 g) [the spice blend, not straight powdered chilis — mostly added for color here]
1 teaspoon paprika
Add 1 teaspoon of pepper to taste – your tongue should feel numb and tingly (optional)
About ⅓ cup (50 g) chopped roasted peanuts (salted or unsalted)
2 tablespoons (19 g) toasted white sesame seeds
2 star anise (optional)
2 tablespoons (26g) brown sugar
A pinch of cinnamon or five-spice powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin powder (optional)
1/4 teaspoon white or black pepper (optional)
1/4 teaspoon black cardamom powder
2-3 bay leaves (optional)
1 teaspoon MSG (optional)
1 teaspoon mushroom powder, mushroom bouillon, or chicken bouillon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon (15 ml) of soy sauce
1 tablespoon (15 ml) sesame oil
1. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over high heat until it reaches about 325°F (170°C). Add the shallots, reduce heat to medium-low, and stir until golden brown and completely crisp. This will take approximately 5-7 minutes. Remove the shallots through a strainer, leaving the oil in the pan. Set the shallots aside.
2. Add garlic to the pot and sauté over medium heat. Stir until garlic is golden brown and crisp, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and strain, reserving the oil. Set the garlic aside.
3. Finely chop the dried small chili peppers and gochugaru chili flakes using a mortar or food processor. In a large heatproof bowl or container, combine ground chili pepper or chili flakes with remaining ingredients and optional ingredients (including salt). At this point, do not add the oil, shallots, garlic, soy sauce, or sesame oil yet.
Four. Heat the remaining oil until it reaches 375°F (190°C). Gently pour the hot oil into the bowl with the chili mix and spices and stir to combine. Let it cool for about 30 minutes. Once cool, add the fried shallots and garlic. Mix soy sauce and sesame oil. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Five. If you used star anise and bay leaves, remove them before storing the chili crisp oil. Store the cooled oil in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. Make sure the shallots and garlic are fried thoroughly until crisp.
Note: The “crisps” in Chili Crisp Oil come from the crispiness of fried shallots, garlic, nuts, sesame seeds, and chili flakes.
Hint: If you want to make more chili oil for gifts, you can double or triple the ingredients.
