Blog of the Month: Expat Cucina

Every month Talk Magazine scours the web for blogs with some of the most insightful, interesting and downright strange content related to the Middle Kingdom.

For many an expat on-the-go, the idea of eating in is often reduced to which restaurant to order from off Sherpa’s. Familiar ingredients can be tough to find or prove prohibitively expensive when found, and cooking up a Chinese-style dinner is a daunting task for the uninitiated.

Longing to continue her family’s tradition of home-style cooking, blogger Little Dani began Expat Cucina in 2009 to keep alive her passion for cooking and give fellow expats a reason to get back in the kitchen. With regular blog posts on recipes that she makes in her kitchen in Shanghai, tips on buying the cheapest and best Western ingredients, and even details on private cooking classes, the blog gives plenty of reasons indeed.

Born and raised in Italy, there’s an unabashed emphasis on Italian dishes. Recent recipes have included a homemade Roasted Pepper Pesto blended with walnuts, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil and one mean grilled Frittata Sandwich with lettuce, tomato and mozzarella (pictured). However, true to the cosmopolitan tastes of the city that she lives in, Dani also sautés up some Oriental flavours as well, with dishes like Beef Curry with Basmati Rice and Baked Tofu seasoned with garlic, ginger, chives and paprika. It’s enough to think about giving those delivery men in the orange suits a night off.

Web: www.expatcucina.com