Calvin Eng’s Yauh Ja Gwai Panzanella swaps traditional bread for Chinese crullers that soak up a garlicky mustard vinaigrette. Ripe tomatoes, peaches, apricots, mustard greens, mozzarella, cilantro, and scallions create a sweet, savory, tangy summer salad layered with texture and boosted by a touch of MSG.
Craving restaurant-style honey walnut shrimp without the soggy batter? This recipe from Calvin Eng’s Salt Sugar MSG uses a light cornstarch coating that stays crisp even tossed in sweet Kewpie mayo sauce. Candied walnuts, blanched broccoli, and a sweet-salty glaze make it worth one ambitious weekend cook.
Calvin Eng’s FFLT (Fried Fish, Lettuce, Tomato) Sandwich is a fried fish sandwich turned all the way up. Pillowy milk bread buns, ginger-scallion tartar with Kewpie mayo and pickled mustard greens, and a shatteringly crisp beer-battered fillet make this a bold, homemade upgrade to the drive-thru classic.
Calvin Eng’s Salt, Sugar, MSG brings the bold, nostalgic flavors of Cantonese-American cooking into your kitchen. His Steamed-Then-Fried Egg Sandwich layers light, crispy eggs, fluffy milk bread buns, Spam, cheese, and ketchup for a next-level comfort food experience. It’s a project—but the results are absolutely worth the effort.
These pork and chive dumplings, from Calvin Eng, are elevated with a luscious caramelized onion soy butter that’s rich, savory, and unforgettable. The filling includes pork, scallions, and mushrooms, while the sauce blends slow-cooked onions with butter, soy, vinegar, and MSG for a silky, umami-rich finish.
This Memorial Day, upgrade your pigs in a blanket with Calvin Eng’s scallion milk bread version. Fluffy, golden, and brushed with egg wash, they’re baked to perfection and paired with a spicy-sweet hot honey mustard made with Chinese powdered mustard. A tasty twist on a beloved party snack – truly next-level.
This roast duck–style chicken swaps complexity for ease without losing flavor. A hoisin-oyster marinade infuses spatchcocked chicken overnight, then it’s roasted until crisp. Served with a rich hoisin jus made from the backbone, it’s an ultra-savory, juicy, and deeply satisfying take on Cantonese roast duck – minus the duck.