Aliya LeeKong is a Chef, Cookbook Author, Television Personality and Mother with a passion for bringing global and socially conscious foods, spices, and traditions into everyday cooking and eating.

Posted by Aliya LeeKong FATHER'S DAY GRILLING Father's Day falls in such a sweet spot of the year - the weather is always perfect and who doesn’t love a little family gathering outside!?

America is no different and has certainly become one of the most open of cultures, evolving to embrace diversity in a way that is heartwarming. Immigrants come from all over the world – families move and migrate and marry. I’m now married to a guy from Brooklyn, whose family comes from Trinidad by way of Venezuela, Spain and China (yes ...

North African-Spiced Chicken Thighs with Oranges, Marcona Almonds, & Summer Vegetables

Serves 4 to 6 2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 medium onion, diced 1 shallot, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar 1 butternut squash, halved and seeded and cut into a 1-inch dice (optional: save the seeds for garnish)*

Oct 17, 2011 · Shrimp and Grits This weekend, I taught a class with the  De Gustibus cooking school  over at  Junoon .  I had a blast (!) chatting about spices in our spice room and walking the students through a traditional …

Jan 18, 2011 · The Fastest Baklava Recipe Ever I love a rich and fulfilling cooking process and usually don’t mind taking my time. But, authentic baklava is one of the most labor-intensive desserts as proven during my trip to Turkey.  I got a hands-on cooking lesson in homemade baklava, and it’s an insa

OXTAIL MAFÉ. There is nothing I love more than walking in to the aroma of a delicious homemade dinner that has been simmering for hours. When the weather gets brisk and the market is full of squash and root veggies, I love braising - short ribs, lamb shanks, oxtail. I am a bit old school about braising and love to take my time developing every bit of flavor: a serious brown on the meat, a ...

Butternut Squash & Apple Bread with Maple and Cardamom. I posted a photo of this on Instagram a few days back, and a number of people came back and asked for this recipe to bake for the holidays. And here it is! It’s a bit lighter than other fruit or vegetable breads (think: cake), and relies much more on butternut squash than apple for flavor.

Sep 7, 2010 · Smoky Spicy Corn Pudding Seriously.  I had a somewhat interesting story for how I came up with this recipe, but I keep going to the fridge and sticking a fresh spoon into this now cold, smoky, spicy corn pudding and taking a bite.  Then, tossing the …