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Ingredients 15 pieces thinly sliced beef (rib eye or striploin are great cuts) 150 g enoki mushrooms (~1 pack) 2 tsp oil 1 small onion, sliced 2 eggs, scrambled 1 scallion, chopped Sauce 1⁄4 cup dashi stock (can be substituted with water or beef/vegetable/chicken stock) 1 tbsp sake 1 tbsp mirin 1½ tbsp soy sauce ½ tbsp sugar Directions Prepare the enoki mushrooms by cutting off the bottom root section. Gently rinse with cold water to remove any excess dirt, then section the mushrooms into 15 smaller bunches to be wrapped. Wrap each bunch with a thin slice of beef to hold them together 3. Set aside. Combine all the ingredients for the sauce until smooth, and set aside for later cooking. In a pan, heat 2 tsp of oil over medium heat. Sauté the onions until softened, about 4-5 minutes. Lay the enoki beef rolls over the onions. Pour the prepared sauce over the rolls and simmer with a lid for about 5 minutes until the mushrooms have softened. Pour the scrambled egg on top of the rolls, place the lid on again, and cook for an additional 1 minute, or until the eggs are slightly set 4. Let cool. Top with the chopped scallions. Enjoy with a side of rice and/or vegetables. Notes Sake can be replaced with any standard cooking wine, such as dry white wine or even Chinese Shaoxing wine. Alternatively, you may choose to omit the sake without sacrificing the taste of the dish too much. Similar to sake, this can also be omitted without drastically altering the taste of the recipe. However, if omitting, I’d suggest adding ½ tsp of sugar instead to account for the loss of sweetness. A quick tip I found to keep the rolls from unravelling and breaking apart is by wrapping your mushrooms with partially frozen beef -that is, when the slices aren’t completely at room temperature yet, but still soft and pliable enough to roll. This keeps the rolls stable without the meat falling apart! The longer you cook the sauce, the more concentrated and drier the overall dish is (this is actually very tasty, as the sauce begins to caramelize and browns the beef!). You can also keep the sauce soupy (great to pour over rice) by adding a touch more dashi or removing it from the heat early.

Ingredients 1 cup (140 g) whole wheat flour 1 cup masa harina (120g) 3 tsp baking powder ¼ tsp baking soda ½ tsp (4 g) kosher salt 2 tbsp brown sugar (or granulated sugar + ½ tsp molasses) 2 large eggs, beaten 1 cup whole milk yogurt ½ cup water (room temp) ¼ cup melted coconut oil, ghee, or neutral oil Extra fat for greasing the pan Directions Preheat oven to 400 °F. If using cast iron, oil it generously and put it in to preheat. Whisk dry ingredients together (flour, masa, baking powder, baking soda, salt) in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk yogurt, water, eggs, sugar, molasses, and melted fat until smooth. The yogurt should thin out to roughly the consistency of buttermilk. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet. Stir just until combined (a few lumps are fine). The batter will be noticeably thick; that’s normal for masa cornbread. Scrape into the hot greased skillet (you should hear a sizzle) or a greased 9×9 pan. Smooth the top. Bake 22–28 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cast iron will run a few minutes faster than the 9×9. Rest 5–10 minutes before slicing — masa-based bakes firm up as they cool. Notes If your yogurt is very thick (e.g., strained / Greek-style), bump water to ⅔ cup. The batter should be pourable-but-thick, like a stiff pancake batter. Texture note: Masa gives a smoother, more tender crumb with a faint tortilla aroma that’s really nice with pinto or black beans. If you ever miss a little corn texture, you can swap ¼ cup of the masa back for cornmeal without rebalancing anything else.

Ingredients 1 kg tough fatty stew beef cut into cubes 200g roasted chestnut kernels ½ cup soy sauce 2-3 bay leaves 1T Shaoxing wine rice cooking wine Black pepper Cayenne pepper 3 cloves garlic, diced 1 onion OR 3 scallions, chopped 1-2 inches fresh ginger, diced Hand full of baby carrots 1-2T gelatin soaked in cold water 3 cups water 2T molasses 2T diced fat or oil 2 stalks celery 454g mushrooms, sliced Directions Add fat/oil and heat/render. Add bite size pieces beef and brown quickly in a hot pan. Set beef aside and add a little more oil if necessary. Add garlic and ginger to season the oil, then add mushrooms, onion, and celery. Cook until soft. Deglaze with rice wine if necessary. Add in beef, pepper, bay leaves and sauté for a few min before adding water, molasses, soy sauce, and chestnuts. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 hours. Add carrots and any other vegetables you like to simmer for the last 30-45 min of the 3 hour cook time. Notes

These are inspired by the Filipino ube crinkle cookie trend — soft, chewy centers with a cracked powdered sugar exterior, deep purple color, and that distinctive ube flavor (vanilla-meets-pistachio-meets-coconut). I’m leaning on a few non-traditional techniques for maximum softness: a tangzhong-style flour paste, plus a mix of butter and neutral oil so they stay tender even after cooling. Ingredients Tangzhong (softness booster) 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour 5 Tbsp whole milk (or water) Wet 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened 1/4 cup neutral oil 3/4 cup granulated sugar 2 Tbsp light corn syrup (keeps them chewy, not cakey) 1 large egg + 1 yolk, room temperature 1/3 cup ube halaya (stir well before measuring) 2 tsp ube extract (adjust to 1.5 tsp if yours is very strong) 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 Tbsp shredded dried coconut, finely chopped or pulsed (optional, for authentic texture) Dry 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 2 Tbsp non-fat powdered milk (adds a subtle creamy, slightly “cheesy” note common in Filipino baking) 1 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp kosher salt Coating 1/3 cup granulated sugar (first roll) 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar (second roll – this is what creates the crinkle) Directions Make the tangzhong. In a small saucepan, whisk the 2 Tbsp flour and 5 Tbsp milk until smooth. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens into a pudding-like paste (about 1-5 minutes, or when it reaches ~150°F). Scrape into a bowl and cool to room temp. Cream the fats. In a large bowl, beat softened butter, oil, granulated sugar, and corn syrup with a hand whisk or spatula until smooth and lighter in color, 2–3 minutes. Add wet ingredients. Beat in the cooled tangzhong, then the egg and yolk, ube halaya, ube extract, and vanilla. Mix until uniformly purple. If the color looks dull, you can add a drop or two of purple food coloring. Combine dry. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, powdered milk, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the wet mixture along with the chopped coconut (if using). Fold until just combined. No dry streaks allowed. The dough will be soft and sticky. Chill. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, ideally overnight. This is non-negotiable for proper crinkles and to let the ube flavor bloom. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two half sheet pans with parchment or silicone mats. Shape and coat. Scoop 1.5 Tbsp portions (about 30g each). Roll into balls. Roll each first in granulated sugar (this prevents the powdered sugar from dissolving into the dough and keeps crinkles crisp), then roll generously in confectioners’ sugar (really pack it on). Bake 11–13 minutes, until the tops are cracked and the edges are set but the centers still look slightly underdone. Do not overbake. They will firm up as they cool. Cool on the pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. They’ll be soft and chewy for 3–4 days stored airtight at room temp. Notes Tangzhong trick: Pre-gelatinizing a small portion of flour locks in moisture, giving you a cloud-soft cookie that stays soft — this is how Asian milk bread stays pillowy and it works beautifully in cookies too. If you hate soft cookies (why are you here??) and want to skip this step, just replace with 2 Tbsp extra flour in dry ingredients and 2 Tbsp water or milk in wet ingredients. Ube halaya vs. extract: Extract alone gives color and a cologne-like floral flavor; halaya gives the earthy, nutty, real-yam taste. Using both is the secret to a cookie that tastes like actual ube, not just “purple vanilla.” If you can only find one, prioritize the extract for color and add 1/2 tsp more vanilla. Corn syrup: Light corn syrup on hand — it hygroscopically holds moisture, which is why bakery cookies stay chewy for days. Honey works but will brown more and shift the flavor. If you don’t have it, just use extra table sugar Powdered milk: Filipino baked goods often have a “creamy-savory” note from evaporated or powdered milk. This is a subtle but authentic touch, but it’s optional. Coconut: Totally optional, but a small amount of finely chopped dried coconut echoes the macapuno/coconut pairings common with ube and adds gentle texture. If cookies spread too much: Your butter was too warm or dough wasn’t chilled enough — chill the shaped balls 15 min before baking.