From our table to yours, a few delicious ways to add a little Chinese Southern Belle fusion twist to your holiday dishes, from appetizers to entrees: Wasabi Butter Mashed Potatoes - YUM! Mix a squirt (2 tbs) of wasabi paste or powder into your mashed potatoes. Color your stuffing: mix in 1/2 cup of Wild Sweet Black Chinese Rice or Red Vietnamese Rice Glazed, Gingered ... Continue Reading
Pan-Asian American Chamber of Commerce Gala Awards Dinner
Celebrate and support the Pan-Asian American Chamber of Commerce Gala Awards Dinner fundraiser/black tie. Natalie Keng, Emcee. ... Continue Reading
Fusion at its Best: Asian Cuisine Experts, Teachers, Food Historians
Fusion at its Best My Mom: Country Asian Chef and Teacher of the Year My mother was born in Hunan, China, grew up in Taiwan, and immigrated to the U.S. to attend graduate school. Her dream was to become a journalist but decided to became a schoolteacher. First landing with a host family in Houston, Margaret got her first job working in the law office of her dear “Jewish ... Continue Reading
Food For Thought: MSG and Chinese Restaurant Food Syndrome
Next to ginger and soy sauce, MSG is probably the most common "spice" associated with Chinese restaurants, especially popular Chinese takeout food. While some people may be allergic and others experience distinct negative physical reactions (like Dad), there are some who don't seem to be affected by MSG (or don't know they are). Companies that use it claim that there is "no ... Continue Reading
Video Interview: Growing up Asian and Southern, Five Spice Rutabaga
https://vimeo.com/69388655 My mom invented Chinese fast food long before Panda Express ever came along. She told friends, “I worked full-time as a school teacher, had three kids, and they didn’t sell tofu or soy sauce at the local Winn-Dixie grocery store back then. Who had time to make dumplings for dinner?” Margaret was way ahead of the popular cooking class trend. She ... Continue Reading
Video Interview: Redefining Authentic, Fusion Food
https://vimeo.com/69388655 Natalie shares about growing up in Smyrna, Georgia and how family dinners and fusion comfort food like "five spice rutabaga" and mom's Hot Hunan Catfish helped her cope with being different and one of the few Asian families in town. ... Continue Reading
PeachDish Meal Kit Magazine: Getting Real Asian, Real Southern with Natalie Keng
Getting Real Asian, Real Southern PeachDish Magazine article Natalie Keng The Joy of Being Yourself As a little kid, I thought it was only about being Chinese. That's what I was teased about so that's how I defined yourself--foreign, different, un-American. In actuality, as a native Georgian, I'm not only more American, but "more Southern" than most ... Continue Reading
Buford Highway Food & Culture Tour (private)
* PRIVATE GROUP * Taste and tour Buford Highway - Georgia's unique "international corridor" with Natalie Keng on this custom food and cultural tour. Book your own tour! Perfect for special occasions, team-building, business clients, friends! Contact us for details ... Continue Reading
2017 Chinese and Asian Lunar New Year Celebrations Around Atlanta
Happy Lunar New Year, Y'All! Gong xi fa cai! Gung hay fat choy! Upcoming Asian Lunar New Year-themed events around town: 2017 Atlanta Chinese Lunar New Year Festival More info: Facebook Date: Sat- Sun, Jan. 28-29, 2017 Time: 10 am – 4 pm Venue: Culture Center of Taipei Economic & Cultural Office in Atlanta 5377 New Peachtree Road, Chamblee, GA 30341 Ticket: ... Continue Reading
Buford Highway Food & Culture Tour (private)
* PRIVATE GROUP * Taste and tour Buford Highway - Georgia's unique "international corridor" with Natalie Keng on this custom food and cultural tour. Book your own tour! Perfect for special occasions, team-building, business clients, friends! Contact us for details. ... Continue Reading
Humor at the Table: Chicken Surprise
Dad loves jokes and is a great joke-teller. Sometimes he translates Chinese jokes into English for us and other times, they lose meaning in English (play on tones or vocabulary) so he tells them in lively Chinese! Since Mandarin Chinese is a tonal language (Be careful: don't call your mother a horse (same word, different tones!) These are the times I am glad that I can speak ... Continue Reading
Chinese Lunar New Year Events Around Atlanta
Happy Lunar New Year, Y'All! Gong xi fa cai! Gung hay fat choy! Upcoming Asian Lunar New Year-themed events around town: Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 13-14 Chinatown Lunar New Year Celebration, Chinatown Taipei Cultural Center, 10AM-4PM, 5377 New Peachtree Rd, Chamblee, GA 30341. Festive and chaotic but the food is good and authentic. Benefits several student and nonprofit ... Continue Reading
TV Episode 808: Asian Napa Salad Cooking Demo!
Ni Hao, Y'All! Here's Natalie Keng, guest host of Georgia Traveler TV, showing you how to make one of her favorite and most popular recipes, Asian Napa Slaw (aka Harvard Hottie Salad). Watch Cooking Lesson: Asian Napa Salad (#808, starts 13:22) Did you miss Natalie's other episodes or want a re-take on the list of eateries and recipe ingredients? Highlights include a ... Continue Reading
Harvard Foodie: Authentic Redefined
What is "authentic"? Chicken's feet vs. Chicken Chop Suey? MSG or "umami" flavors? Mom's recipe for stir fry...or Bobby Flay's? Folks often ask me where to find authentic Chinese food in Atlanta or whether a specific restaurant is authentic. It's a funny question to me. The short answer is: It depends. Authentic to whom? I, myself, like to ask servers to give me their ... Continue Reading
Five Spice Rutabaga
Five-Spice Rutabaga Recipe Type: Appetizer Cuisine: Fusion Author: Chinese Southern Belle Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 10 mins Total time: 20 mins Serves: 4 Natalie's "invention is the mother of necessity" creation after a farm share pick up that had more turnips and rutabagas than she knew what to do with. The natural sweetness comes from the steamed rutabaga. Turnips or ... Continue Reading