LNY celebrations, tamales party & a few quick recipes
ringing in the year of the snake 🐍
Hello, new subscribers!
Welcome to Of Rice & Yams—a cozy corner of the internet filled with gluten-free eats and musings on making the most of a gluten-free lifestyle! My name is Jannell, a food creator and writer who’s spent over a decade immersed in the world of food.
You might know me from My BF is GF (My Best Friend is Gluten-Free)—a passion project that grew into a way of life, and soon, a cookbook (coming this October with Appetite by Random House).
I’m so happy you’re here. Let’s cook, share, and celebrate good food together. ☺️
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LUNAR NEW YEAR RECAP 🍊
I love Lunar New Year and the way it brings people together. Growing up, it meant big family meals, red pocket envelopes (woohoo!), and the occasional lion dance at Chinese malls in the Toronto suburbs. After leaving home for school, I lost touch with celebrating for a while, but about five years ago, I found my way back—realizing how much these traditions mean and the joy of creating new moments around them. With my family spread across countries, celebrating makes me feel closer to them, no matter the distance.
Over the years, Reid and I have carved out our own traditions—drizzling pan-fried Leen Goh (New Year Cake) with maple syrup like French toast, tossing Prosperity Salads with friends, and gathering over festive gluten-free feasts. This year, we marked the occasion with a few celebrations, each one filled with good company and plenty of delicious food. Some highlights here:
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TAMALES PARTY 🫔
On January 6th, we were invited to celebrate Día de Reyes (Kings’ Day), a.k.a. Mexican New Year. While the tradition isn’t inherently gluten-free, it’s a day of gathering, where everyone takes turns cutting into a Rosca de Reyes (Kings’ Cake). If your slice reveals a tiny baby Jesus figurine, you’re tasked with hosting a tamales party on February 2nd.
Lo and behold, I ended up with baby Jesus in my cake, which meant another reason to bring extended family together, and a chance to learn how to make tamales (which are naturally gluten-free and absolutely delicious!).
The Process
While you can absolutely make your dough from scratch (highly recommend Rick Martinez’ video on Bon Appetit), we took a shortcut and bought locally made masa from Chancho Tortilleria in town. We whipped it up in our Kitchenaid with lard and salt, soaked the corns husks for over 30 minutes, then used a paint scraper (game-changer!) to spread the masa before filling the tamales with chicken or pork.
The Flavorings
Mole Negro – This was a breeze thanks to Guelaguetza’s starter that I picked up in LA last year. Made with a thick concentrate of dried chilies, plantains, sesame seeds, aromatics, nuts, and spices—just add stock and tomato sauce, and it’s ready to go.
Salsa Verde – We referenced Andrea Pons’ recipe from her book, Mamacita 👌🏼
Cochinita Pibil – We had some frozen in the fridge along with refried beans, which made for an easy, flavor-packed filling. Recipe is up on mybfisgf.com!
With each tamal stuffed and folded three simple times, we had our first batch of tamales—and definitely not our last! We served them with chopped sweet onion, cilantro, salsa roja, and Mexican crema from our local Latin store, plus extra salsa verde and mole from the fillings. Fingers crossed that I get baby Jesus in my rosca again next year!
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A FEW QUICK RECIPES
10-Minute Pressure Cooker Congee 🍚
Got leftover rice? Turn it into this nourishing congee in no time! I pulled this together as a quick breakfast the other day with leftover Chicken Bulgogi.
Ingredients
1 cup leftover cooked rice
3 cups unsalted stock
a few ginger slices
kosher salt, to taste
leftover proteins (optional)
toppings: chili oil, white pepper, gluten-free fried shallots and/or garlic, cilantro, scallions
Instructions
In a stovetop pressure cooker or Instant Pot, combine rice, stock, and ginger slices.
Bring to a boil, cover, and cook for 10 minutes at high pressure.
Quick release the pressure, then whisk until the rice breaks down. Season with salt to taste, reducing the congee on medium-low heat if needed.
Add any leftover proteins and toppings, and dig in!
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XO Butter Salmon with Capers & Shanghai Bok Choy 🐟🥬
The best ways to keep salmon moist are either cooking it low and slow in the oven (nothing above 275F), or quickly searing it on the stove for that perfect crispy-moist finish. I'm all for high impact, low effort meals during the week, and this recipe relies on the latter. Simply turn on a pot of rice, whip up a ridiculously flavorful butter, and quickly cook the salmon and bok choy, all in one pan.
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RECENT VANCOUVER EATS 📍
Zarak – This Afghan kitchen serves up flavorful plates for weekend brunch and dinner, with GF options clearly marked. We visited during Dine Out Vancouver, which gave us the chance to try a variety of dishes—the oyster mushroom kebab was our fave!
Pidgin – Another great value during Dine Out, Pidgin features French-Asian fusion that’s very accommodating to gluten allergies. While everything was delish, we especially loved the duck ssam served with house pickles in a kolhrabi wrap and the smoked steelhead trout.
Pizza Coming Soon – A Japanese snack bar with plenty of gluten-free options? How novel! Expect great share plates, fun vibes, and the occasional live DJ set. Indulge in all the soy- and miso-based dishes your heart desires.
Nicli – With one of the owners having celiac, it’s great to have a reliable gluten-free pizza and pasta spot on the North Shore. Their gluten-free crust is one of the best we’ve ever had!
I’ve also updated the maps section on my website, which you could check out here.
✌🏼 Peace, love, and good food,
Jannell