We try out a recipe from a fellow food blogger!

Admittedly, the Test Kitchen section of this blog is one I’ve let slip over the past several months. That’s really a shame because checking out new blogs and testing recipes is truly one of my favorite aspects of food writing.

But here’s the thing: most bloggers just don’t have much time to follow other blogs. They’re too busy writing their own.

I know…woe is me.

But one of the blogs I’ve really carved out time to follow is called Red Kitchen Recipes—a site mainly comprised of Asian recipes. Thanh, who runs the site, is a local Little Rock foodie and a recent cyber friend of mine. She does an amazing job of bringing her readers uncomplicated, user-friendly recipes with straightforward directions and spectacular pictures.

And there’s a personal added bonus: she lives fairly close to me and thus, we shop at the same markets. Having that connection can at times make a huge difference. It did when I stumbled upon her Stir Fried Sticky Rice Cake Sticks and noticed that Thanh gets her ingredients from K Oriental on Bowman.

Have you ever cooked rice cake sticks? This was a first time for me and I must say…I’m hooked. These little, soft pillows are a tad chewy and prove to be a perfect match for Thanh’s delicious sauce concoction.

You’ll find the sauce thickens up to a nice, gravy-like consistency (from the cornstarch), with a wonderful balance of flavors. And the best part of all…that minced fresh ginger. I always add twice as much as the recipe calls for.

I substituted some sweet Chinese sausage for the shrimp (due to my wife’s shellfish allergy), and I added some chopped cabbage, so the dish would eat more like a meal, rather than a snack. Success!

It’s just a matter of time before I dive into Thanh’s arsenal of other recipes. In fact, got my eye on her Duck Gumbo!