Jack Boling

My AI Dreamed Last Night

I heard about AI dreaming last night. Someone was posting about it being a bad thing — that when you use OpenAI, the AI dreams and builds a profile of you, and the last thing you want is a corporate model collecting memories of your conversations. Fair. I wouldn't

Khao Niew | Lao Sticky Rice

Khao Niew — Lao Sticky Rice — isn't just rice. It's the center of gravity in Laotian cuisine, culture, and identity. Laos has the highest per capita sticky rice consumption in the world, with over 3,200 documented varieties. In Lao households, it's not a side

Japanese Tuna Tataki

Japanese Tuna Tataki — seared tuna with a rare center, sliced thin and served with ponzu sauce. It's light, clean, and takes about 10 minutes to make. What Makes It Tataki Tataki たたき = "pounded" or "seared." The tuna gets a quick sear on all sides,

Heavenly Beef (Nuea Sawan)

Nuea Sawan — Heavenly Beef. A richly spiced dish of dark red beef served on a banana leaf, with cucumber, lime, and rice on the side. The meat is marinated in a bold blend of coriander, cumin, turmeric, and chili, then grilled until the edges char and the inside stays juicy.

Tonkotsu Ramen

Tonkotsu Ramen — the pork bone broth ramen that made Fukuoka famous. The broth is opaque, milky-white, and so rich it coats the sides of the bowl. It's made by boiling pork bones for 12 to 18 hours, until the collagen breaks down and the liquid turns into something

Japanese Tempura Shrimp and Vegetables

Japanese Tempura — shrimp and vegetables fried in a batter so light it practically floats. The coating is crisp, paper-thin, never oily, and the seafood inside is still juicy. That's the test: if the tempura is greasy, it failed. The batter is the secret: ice-cold water, egg yolk, and

Khao Lam — Bamboo Tubes of Sweet Custardy Sticky Rice

Khao Lam — sticky rice cooked inside a section of bamboo, with coconut milk, sugar, and black beans tucked inside the tube. When you crack it open, the smell of smoky bamboo and sweet rice comes out first, then the custardy creaminess of the coconut. The technique is simple: glutinous rice

Panang Curry

Panang Curry — the richer, creamier, deeper cousin of Thai red curry. Thick, peanut-infused coconut milk, ground dried chilies, galangal, lemongrass, and just enough sugar to round out the heat. Served over rice with meat — usually beef or chicken — and a sprinkle of fresh herbs. What sets Panang apart is the

Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)

Char Siu — Chinese BBQ pork at its best. The meat is marinated in honey, soy sauce, hoisin, red fermented bean curd, and five-spice powder, then roasted over charcoal until the edges char and the glaze caramelizes into a lacquer that glistens in the light. The cut matters: pork shoulder (woo

Chinese Peking Duck

Peking Duck — the showstopper of Chinese cuisine. A whole duck roasted until the skin is glass-shattering crisp, lacquered with a glaze of honey and soy, served with thin pancakes, spring onion, cucumber, and hoisin sauce. It's theater and dinner in the same dish. The technique is what makes

Thai Jungle Curry with Paratha Bread

Thai Jungle Curry — the fiery, herb-packed coconut curry that tastes like the rainforest floor after rain. Rich, orange, spiked with kaffir lime leaves, galangal, and enough chili to make your forehead bead. Jungle curry (kaeng pa) is the wild child of Thai curries — no coconut milk, no sweetening, just a

Khao Tom – Thai Ginger Rice Soup

Khao Tom — Thai ginger rice soup. Light, restorative, with the warmth of ginger running through it and an egg yolk that melts into the broth when you break it. It's the kind of soup you make when you want something that feels like a warm hug from the

Pork & Holy Basil Stir-fry (Pad Kra Pao)

Pad Kra Pao — the Thai holy basil stir-fry that every street cook in Thailand knows by heart. Ground pork, chilies, garlic, and a splash of fish sauce, tossed at high heat until the basil wilts and the meat browns. A fried egg on top, rice underneath. That's it.

Thai 5-Spice Egg & Pork Belly Stew (Kai Palo)

Thai Kai Palo — the 5-spice egg and pork belly stew that tastes like history. Dark, rich, savory, with hard-boiled eggs braised until they're the same color as the sauce. It's the kind of dish that takes 3 hours to make and 10 minutes to eat. The

Thai Grilled Satay Skewers

Thai Grilled Satay — skewers of marinated meat grilled over charcoal, served with a bowl of peanut sauce that will ruin you for any other satay. Smoky, tender, with just enough turmeric and lemongrass to let you know it's Thai. The marinade is the secret: coconut milk, turmeric, lemongrass,

Bún Bò Huế – Spicy Beef & Pork Noodle Soup

Bún Bò Huế – Spicy Beef & Pork Noodle Soup Bún Bò Huế hasn't had its phở moment yet — at least not in the United States. It should. It's a deeply flavorful, spicy central Vietnamese soup built on beef and pork, brightened with fresh herbs, and finished

Thai Grilled Octopus Salad

Thai Grilled Octopus Salad — tender, smoky octopus tossed with lime, chili, fish sauce, and a heap of fresh herbs. The kind of salad that makes you forget you're eating seafood. Grilled octopus has a chewy, meaty texture unlike anything else. In Thai cooking, it's usually marinated

Uncle Roger Fried Rice

Uncle Roger Fried Rice — the kind that makes you slap the table and say "that's the rice." Golden grains, every clove of garlic accounted for, a proper amount of egg, and enough chili to remind you who's in the kitchen. The secret is old

Jeow Som Recipe (Lao Dipping Sauce)

Jeow Som — the quintessential Lao dipping sauce. A thick, pungent, chili-spiked sauce that hits every note at once: spicy, sour, salty, umami, and sweet. One taste and you'll understand why it's called "crack sauce." This is the recipe for the authentic version — no shortcuts,

Bánh Xèo – Crispy Vietnamese Crêpes

Bánh Xèo — the crispy Vietnamese crêpe that sizzles when it hits the pan and shatters when you bite into it. Golden, lacy, stuffed with shrimp, pork, and bean sprouts, served with a mountain of fresh greens and a bowl of nuoc cham for dipping. The batter is rice flour, coconut

Isan Style Mudfish Soup with Ant Egg Omelet

Isan Style Mudfish Soup with Ant Egg Omelet — northeastern Thai cuisine at its most wild and unapologetic. Mudfish (pla nin) is the fish of the rice paddies — lean, firm, and deeply flavored from living in muddy water. In Isan cooking, it's usually grilled until smoky, then broken into

Vietnamese Banh Mi

Vietnamese Banh Mi — the sandwich that conquered the world for good reason. Crisp baguette, savory pâté, cold cuts, pickled daikon and carrot, fresh cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. Every bite is a collision of textures: crunch from the bread, tang from the pickles, richness from the pâté, heat from

Thai Tom Kha Gai Soup

Thai Tom Kha Gai Tom Kha Gai — the coconut milk chicken soup that makes everyone who tastes it ask for the recipe. Creamy without being heavy, spicy without being aggressive, with that unmistakable aromatic hum from galangal, lemongrass, and lime leaves that no other Thai dish quite replicates. What Is

Lao Nam Va (Jelly Grass Dessert)

Lao Nam Va — the translucent green grass jelly dessert that cools you down better than any air conditioner. Grass jelly (Mesona chinensis) is simmered for hours until it sets into a dark, gelatinous block, then cut into translucent green strands and served over shaved ice with sugar syrup. The result

Lao Jeow (Crack Sauce)

Lao Jeow — the crack sauce of Lao cuisine. A thick, reddish-orange chili paste that hits every note: spicy, sour, salty, umami, with a deep roasted edge from the chilies. It's built on roasted chilies pounded into a paste, mixed with fish sauce, lime, garlic, and sometimes a little