Hello there!

Much of what we do to be worthy humans is to help other folks and establish a sense of belonging and community. Sometimes it starts out with a cold call or email. From there a relationship begins.

Three years ago, after Ever-Green Vietnamese released, I got an email from Joyce Tang, the baker and owner of Bake Sum, a hip Asian bakery in Oakland. She invited me for a book signing and offered to feature one of my recipes. We chose the Vietnamese Mocha Cake and she replicated it beautifully, complimenting me on how my recipe scaled up well for her commercial bakery needs. She put her own spin on the cake by adding a Vietnamese coffee Swiss meringue buttercream.

I had a fun afternoon hanging out at the bakery and meeting folks. Bake Sum impressed me with how it exists as a hub for anyone interested in Asian American flavors. Joyce and I got talking about a potential book project so she could share her journey and recipes.

Three years later, she has a cookbook, co-authored with another friend of mine, chef, author, and James Beard Award-winning journalist Soleil Ho. With Bake Sum the pastry shop and book, Joyce realized her dream.

If you want to be on the cutting edge of what captivates and influences the cool kids, Joyce has pro-level ideas for you. Bake Sum’s recipes include classics like egg tarts and moon cakes and newfangled gochujang garlic pull-aparts, black sesame snickerdoodles, and a vegan five-spice chocolate cake that relies on an Asian baking technique to get its moist texture.

What about recipe testing bakery formulas for home cooks? If you’re cookbook curious, give a listen to the podcast that and I did with Joyce and Soleil! 🎧 👂

Then make two easy Bake Sum recipes! I’m a matcha fan so I picked these . . .

💎 Matcha Fancy Rice Crispy Treats

My sisters and I used to make rice krispy treats in the 1970s so Joyce’s recipe for Fancy Rice Crispy Treats that caught my eye. It looks grownup and fun with matcha and salty pretzels! It’s gluten-free and you can totally adapted it to be vegan. Instead of pretzels, put salted roasted peanuts in the mixture or add furikake. Get Joyce’s 🆓 Fancy Rice Krispy Treats recipe at my website.

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💎 Matcha Strawberry-Ginger Latte

Bake Sum has a fun menu of drinks and I really liked the Matcha Strawberry-Ginger Latte. It was verdant, zippy, rich and tangy — and had the colors of the Italian and Mexican flag too! The MSGL is the first recipe in Bake Sum! It’s easy to prepare and as Joyce describes, “This drink looks and tastes like California in a cup, filled with pastures of green and tons of strawberries.”

✅ From Joyce: Use in-season strawberries if possible. If you use frozen berries, add a bit of extra sugar and lemon juice to balance flavors. If you don’t have a matcha bowl, a small bullet blender will work; however, you’ll end up wasting a little bit of the precious green elixir.

✅ From Andrea: I cheat by using an electric milk frother to make matcha fast. As for matcha powder, I regularly drink Tenzo Tea and Kirkland brand.

Matcha Strawberry-Ginger Latte

Makes 2 drinks

Ingredients

Strawberry-Ginger Puree

• 1-inch | 2.5 cm knob of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced

• ½ cup | 100g sugar

• ½ cup | 113g water

• 1 cup | 155g strawberries

The rest

• 1 teaspoon matcha powder

• 2 tablespoons water

• Ice cubes

• 2 cups | 454 g oat or cow milk

Instructions

Make the strawberry-ginger puree: In a small saucepan, combine the ginger, sugar, and water and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes, or until the ginger’s bright yellow color starts to become dull. Remove from the heat and cool for a few minutes until it is no longer hot to the touch.

In a blender, combine the strawberries and cooled ginger and its syrup and blend until it’s pourable but still a bit chunky. The ginger should be minced into fine pieces. (The puree can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.)

Assemble the matcha lattes: Sift the matcha powder into a chawan, or matcha bowl, and add the water (see Note). Use a chasen, or matcha whisk, to start whisking vigorously back and forth in a straight line (not in a circular motion). Continue until the whisk has started to produce microfoam.

Pour the strawberry puree into the bottom of two 12-ounce (355 ml) glasses, then top with ice. Fill two-thirds of the way up the glass with the milk of your choice. Pour the just-prepared matcha over the top. Stir and enjoy as soon as possible.

💎 Enter to win a copy of Bake Sum!

Bake Sum has 75 recipes total so there’s lots more to explore. I’ve got a copy to gift one of you lucky PTFS subscribers!

Bake Sum Cookbook Giveaway lowdown:

• The prize: One (1) copy of Bake Sum: Asian American Pastries, Breads, and Other Treats (value $35)

• Eligibility: You must subscribe to Pass the Fish Sauce, be 18+ years of age, and have a valid U.S. shipping address.

• Giveaway end date: Wednesday, October 21, midnight PST.

• Selection and notification method: Based on the number of comments, I will randomly draw a winner and notify the person by email.

• ⚡️ To enter: ❤️ Like this post AND leave a comment (e.g., What’s your favorite classic or modern Asian-y sweet treat? What’s your favorite Asian bakery? What ingredient(s) signal ‘Asia’ to you?) 👇👇👇

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💎 Coming up . . .

Joyce’s recipes got me all nostalgic so I’m taking a walk down memory lane this Sunday with an updated take on a Viet-Chinese snack. Join us behind the paywall, if you have not!

See you on Sunday,