Local culinary creatives mark Asian Heritage Month through new foods, collaborations
A dim sum-inspired croissant is just one of the celebratory dishes on offer in Vancouver throughout May
Black sesame balls from Heritage Asian Eatery meet Beaucoup Bakery’s buttery pastry along with a salted egg yolk frangipane in the Golden Mochi Croissant. Photo by Rich Won
FROM EXHIBITIONS AND PERFORMANCES to virtual talks and tours, Vancouver has all sorts of activities under way in honour of Asian Heritage Month. Being the food city it is, there are also several ways to mark the event through the local culinary scene.
Here are a few places to get started.
Potluck Hawker Eatery’s Meegorito is a Malaysian-food mash-up. Photo by Rich Won
The team at Potluck Hawker Eatery is marking Asian Heritage Month with a Malaysian culinary mash-up.
The Meegorrito is inspired by chef Justin Cheung’s favourite breakfast burrito and IndoMie’s instant noodles. (Indomie is produced by Indonesia’s Indofood, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of instant noodles.) The hand-held item, available on weekends, consists of a flour tortilla filled with wok-fried yellow egg noodles, curry powder, chili sauce, special soy sauce, Spam (or tofu), and egg, all seared on a griddle. Partial proceeds from the Meegorrito benefit the Asian Mental Health Collective, which aims to destigmatize mental health in the Asian community.
The Golden Mochi Croissant. Photo by Rich Won
Heritage Asian Eatery and Beaucoup Bakery and Café, meanwhile, have united for a dim sum-inspired pastry collab.
The Golden Mochi Croissant features the Beaucoup Bakery’s butter croissant with a salted egg yolk frangipane and Heritage Asian Eatery’s black sesame balls.
“As part of our Asian heritage, food is very important and special to us,” says Betty Hung, who co-owns Beaucoup Bakery with her brother Jacky Hung. “We are proud of our culture, where family is everything.
“For Jacky and I, there is nothing more quintessential than dim sum with the family on the weekends,” she says. “Paul [Zhang] and Natasha [Romero] at Heritage Asian Eatery make incredible dim sum. Black sesame balls are a dim sum staple. We couldn’t think of a better way of honouring our culture than by joining forces with friends.”
The Golden Mochi Croissant is available at the West Side bakery (2150 Fit Street) and the eatery’s Mount Pleasant location (382 West Broadway) throughout May on a first-come, first-served basis.
Partial proceeds will benefit the Yarrow Intergenerational Society for Justice 世代同行, which supports youth and low-income immigrant seniors in Chinatown and the Downtown Eastside.
Coho Collective’s Asian Heritage Month Three-Pack.
Coho Collective has compiled a limited-edition Asian Heritage Month Three-Pack featuring products by three Asian-led small businesses.
Kailyn Chun makes Salty Cabbage Kimchi’s premium kimchi by hand in small batches according to a traditional family recipe with locally sourced apple, pear, radish, and onion and without any preservatives or MSG. Van Koji’s shio koji is a probiotic seasoning commonly used to tenderize meat or to enhance sauces, dips, and dressings with half the sodium as conventional versions. And True Nosh’s XOXO sauce, which can be used in stir-fries, soups, noodle dishes, and dumplings is a sustainable, vegan version of Hong Kong’s original XO sauce made with wood ear mushrooms and daylilies.
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