Hello! I’m Lisa Lin, and thanks for stopping by to learn a little more about me. I launched Healthy Nibbles in 2014, when I was trying to distract myself from finding legal work in the Bay Area. Along the way, I discovered my passion for cooking and a strong desire to document my mom’s (Mama Lin) Cantonese recipes and culinary knowledge.
In 2018, I started to film Mama Lin’s cooking, which deeply resonated with my followers. These videos explored our multi-generational cooking and my desire to preserve my family’s history through food. As my audience grew, Elazar Sontag wrote a story about my cooking journey with my mom for The Washington Post. Through this website, I hope to continue honoring the food and traditions that surrounded my Chinese American upbringing.
MY FAVORITE COMFORT FOOD
Consider this website my recipe journal, where you’ll find a lot of Asian recipes, weeknight dishes, and recipes that explore my Toisan (台山) roots.
I grew up in San Francisco, where I could easily find good dim sum across the city. Some of my favorite dim sum dishes include: turnip cake (萝卜糕), cheung fun (腸粉, rice noodle rolls), and vegetable and pork spring rolls. You can find more of my dim sum recipes here.
I also love making dumplings because I find the process of making dumpling wrappers and pleating dumplings incredibly therapeutic. These pork and cabbage potstickers are a favorite amongst my family and friends. Every Winter Solstice, my mom cooks a huge batch of these Toisan-style savory tang yuan. I feel like I’m at home whenever I eat this dish. You can find more dumpling recipes here.
A FEW MORE FUN FACTS ABOUT ME
- I’m the youngest of 4 children. Although I grew up in San Francisco, I now live in Sacramento.
- I speak 3 dialects of Chinese: Cantonese, Mandarin, and Toisan (or Hoisan).
- Dancing is one of my biggest hobbies; I take about 4 to 5 dance classes every week.
In addition to writing for this website, I also contributed recipes to Simply Recipes and co-wrote a feature Lunar New Year article with Hetty Lui McKinnon for The Washington Post.
Site designed and developed by Meyne.
