Hello, I'm Michelle!
Welcome to Sift & Simmer, your home for creative modern Asian baking, matcha and tea recipes, and traditional Chinese and Southeast Asian recipes. There are 700+ recipes here, all tested in my own kitchen.
I'm the creator, writer, food photographer, recipe developer (and dishwasher!) behind Sift & Simmer. I've been cooking and baking for over 20 years, and since 2017 I've shared the recipes my family loves, from bakery-style buns to my mom's laksa.
My cooking started at my mother's side. She made delicious meals from scratch for our family every single day. As a teenager I helped her in the kitchen and watched how she prepared each ingredient. In the evenings we watched hours of Food Network together, back when Emeril Lagasse cooked live on TV.
Today my recipes draw on my Chinese and Southeast Asian heritage. They're written so home cooks can get bakery and restaurant results without special training. I've had to figure out every tricky step myself, so I explain the why behind each one.
My recipes have been featured on TODAY Food, Parade, MSN and Tasting Table.
Why I started Sift & Simmer
Sift & Simmer began as a collection of Asian baking recipes with a modern twist. It has grown into something more personal: a place to preserve the heirloom Chinese and Southeast Asian recipes my family has passed down to me.
Cooking and sharing these recipes keeps me connected to my heritage. I hope to pass them on to the next generation through my two boys (my resident taste-testers!).
If you love Chinese dim sum, Chinese bakery goods, Nyonya kuihs, laksa, and matcha chiffon cake, you're in the right place!
New here? Start with these
- My all-time favourite: Perfect Swiss Roll Cake. It's the base for all my roll cake flavours.
- Bakery classics: Chinese Bakery recipes like buns, egg tarts and wife cakes.
- Dim sum at home: Dim Sum recipes
- New to matcha? Matcha 101: A Beginner's Guide
- Curious about hojicha? Hojicha 101
- Stocking your pantry: Asian Pantry Ingredients Glossary
- Learn the techniques: Fundamentals
- Watch me make it: Sift & Simmer on YouTube
My culinary style
I cook two ways. With Asian baking, I love bold, unexpected flavours like miso tahini, matcha pineapple, and sakura strawberry. Many ideas come from restaurants and travel.
With Chinese and Southeast Asian classics, I keep things traditional: Chinese pork dumplings, sweet and sour pork, and prawn crackers (keropok), made the way my family makes them.
Tea is my other obsession. You'll find dozens of matcha recipes plus hojicha, Earl Grey and more in my tea recipes.
And since I live in Canada, there's a smattering of Canadian favourites too, like Tim Hortons-inspired fruit explosion muffins and homestyle donairs.
Brands I've worked with
My recipes have been featured on MSN Microsoft, Parade Magazine, TODAY Food, Huffpost Canada Living, Tasting Table, The Daily Good Newsletter by The Good Trade.
Sift & Simmer has worked with brands including Loblaws, KitchenAid, Turkey Farmers of Canada, BC Strawberries, SunButter, Tea Forte, Aiya Matcha and Suncore Foods.
Let's chat!
Tried a recipe and enjoyed it? Leave me a comment and a star rating on the recipe!
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Don't be shy! Reach out to me if you have any recipe questions, media kit requests, or to discuss potential partnerships. Email me at michelle @ siftandsimmer [dot] com
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