Welcome to my blog, Nut Free Wok!
I am so glad you found my blog, Nut Free Wok. I hope that you will find my food allergy mom experiences helpful and enjoyable to read as I write about recipes, cooking techniques, Asian ingredients, and other food allergy related information.
Writing a blog is a personal experience for me. I was born and raised in San Francisco by my Chinese immigrant parents. One of my earliest memories was watching my dad pour cake batter into a tube pan and later we ate a slice of delicious, sweet homemade cake. That was when my fascination with cooking began. When I was school-aged, I asked my mom for recipes and to teach me how to cook. My mom told me to stay by her side to watch and learn because she didn’t use written recipes. I wish I also had the opportunity to watch my grandmother make a braised goose that was moist, tender, filled with the most delicious morsels of savory stuffing spilling out of its cavity. It was a special occasion dish that I had tasted only one time at a family gathering but had no idea on how she made it.
A few years ago, my family and I were enjoying lunch together in our sunny kitchen when my older son asked me to write down his favorite recipes for him so that he could make those dishes for himself one day. At the time, only my younger son was diagnosed with food allergies and it was helpful for me to realize that providing written recipes would give both sons some independence from relying on others to prepare allergy-safe food for them later in life.
I agreed to write recipes for their favorite foods but I procrastinated on getting started. It wasn’t until I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the very first Food Allergy Bloggers Conference (2013) that I realized during the recipe development session that I didn’t know of any other food allergy blogs about Asian food. I shared my idea of an allergy-aware Asian food blog at the conference and after receiving a lot of positive feedback that this niche topic would be welcomed, I decided it was time to start this blog. I want to create access to Asian food for people living with food allergies, to transform cultural and language challenges into success, and to connect generations within my family through shared food experiences. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the recipes and food allergy related information I will be sharing.
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Disclosure/Disclaimer:
I may mention the names of stores and/or brand names of products that I use because readers ask and I share products and sources which I use and think may be helpful to readers, all opinions are my own. Please note that manufacturing practices and ingredients can change at anytime without notice and readers are always responsible for assuring allergen safety before buying or consuming foods. NutFreeWok.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Thank you for reading!
I am so happy I found your website! I was born and raised in New York City by Chinese immigrant parents who cooked delicious Cantonese meals. My dad was also a US Army cook.
I grew up eating homestyle Cantonese food but we also ate at many restaurants in NYC’s Chinatown. Now I have twin boys with severe allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, eggs and coconut. It is hard to find “safe” Chinese restaurants where I am comfortable with the restaurant’s allergy/cross-contamination policy. Thank you for recipes and ingredient tips to help me create safe & delicious Chinese/asian meals. I look forward to visiting your site for new ideas, info and recipes.
Welcome Rosa, thanks for stopping by and commenting! What a coincidence that we have so many similarities! I look forward to sharing more with you and other readers. 🙂 I have a sign up page for email notifications whenever I publish a new post, in case you are interested. http://eepurl.com/Q1Dcv Have a great day!
Sharon, I am so excited that you started this blog as I am constantly trying to perfect Asian dishes for my pf and lactose intolerant little girl..Still have yet to find a chicken chow mein for her and would love to. I know you will be a huge success as you are in your everyday life!
Hi Marlene, thank you so much for your generous praise. We have a hard time with chicken chow mein too because many of the traditional noodles contain egg. We did find an egg-free one for awhile but the manufacturer seems to have gone out out of business, ugh! So we make do with whole wheat spaghetti! 😉
I am so excited!! What better timing. Just tonight I tried making my daughter’s favorite dish, chicken chow fun. It was ok. No complaints and the kids seemed to like it, but it doesn’t come close to the one from our favorite Chinese restaurant. I was thrilled when I saw the name of your blog- perfect!!
Love your story and that it is similar to mine. When my mom was sick with cancer she wrote a family cookbook so we could have all her recipes to enjoy for years to come. She passed away when my daughter Stella was 2 weeks old. After we learned Stella had life threatening food allergies at 8 months old I longed for my mom- she was such an amazing cook!! I reached for her cookbook and was pleasantly surprised to find several recipes that were safe for Stella and started tweaking the ones that weren’t.
I am so excited to learn some new recipes that I can make for our food allergy family!! I can’t wait for all that you have to share. You have been such an important voice on the SF Bay Area Food Allergy Network. Much thanks from our family to yours!
Oh wow, Debi! Thank you for taking the time to share such a heartfelt message, I got all teary-eyed! I love chicken chow fun too, but I’m not sure if I could ever let myself use all the oil and seasoning necessary! But let’s have fun trying, right? Your story about your mom is really wonderful and inspiring for me to persist in this endeavor. Thank you for your kind words and support! Hopefully we’ll get to meet in person someday if we both live in the Bay Area! Thank you!!!
Congratulations! I am thrilled to hear the conference was so inspiring to you!
I’m an adult with recently diagnosed food allergies to several foods including peanut and sesame. I have been staying away from Asian cuisine as a result and I miss it so much! I can’t wait to learn how I can enjoy Asian cuisine again.
Lots of luck to you!
– Kate
Thank you, Kate for your support and encouragement! I am so glad you took a moment to share your story with me at the Food Allergy Blogger Conference. Thank you!! Get in touch when you are settled. 🙂