How To Make a Blooming Tom Yum-ion

Chef Mei Lin of Nightshade in Los Angeles makes a blooming tom yum-ion so good that people demand it. Chef Mei’s recipe, which pays homage to the Outback Steakhouse Bloomin’ Onion, is made with a sweet Vidalia onion that's soaked in buttermilk, hand-dredged in a mix of flour and cornstarch, deep-fried, and dusted with tom yum spices. Finally, Mei makes an aerated coconut-lime ranch dip to complete this crowd-pleasing appetizer.
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[@J_just_J_yes]

she is very generous to share her recipes to the internet. Not a lot of restaurant would share their signature dish recipes openly to public. I'm really getting the homecook feels from her when she describe the dish, lots of trial and error as she cook at home probing for the correct ratio of things. Here's for you Chef Mei Lin, i'm gonna honor your generosity by trying to cook it!

[@trex1448]

No one's going to make this at home and her restaurant is going to be bombarded with customers bc of this video

[@SimplyChrisss_]

@@trex1448 jokes on you we tried it

[@nil-8026]

Aya V How was it? I realise the tom yum spice mix isn’t included in the recipe

[@maudiithius]

Anyone got the tom yum spice recipe?

[@amazingabby25]

Andrew Lee I made it, and it was not easy at all. The only risk is other places copying

[@radicalleavemealone-ist7751]

Imagine the kind of person who will fly 6 hours for a fried onion without even checking to see if the restaurant served it...

[@nodrama490]

Radical LeaveMeAlone-ist those types of ppl are full of BS

[@yujiruffhanma3095]

9 IQ

[@Kylirr]

We call them idiots for short.

[@r2dxhate]

And then he gets back on Airforce One

[@divaah4406]

Basic IDIOT 🙄

[@BigBoyPharma]

Shes so chill this was awesome to watch

[@raphtze]

right! she seems awesome

[@harryheart6018]

I find the way she speaks very annoying? Like every sentence is a question? She totally shoudln't do that? ;-)))

[@darrenkastl8160]

@@harryheart6018 I find your post pretty anoying, sounds like you need to lighten up on the estrogen.

[@brandonanaya8865]

If you ever worked with her, she is not chill. She is actually a horrible person lol

[@SquatterMoccasin]

8:26 me eating sand at age 3

[@audreyhockeyy]

Porter P. Most underrated comment

[@blazingblasian4257]

Fuck you I did that till I was 10 😂

[@hakemz.]

*Sand with extra fleas (☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞

[@josephsofaer841]

Do you have kidney stones?

[@twistytheclown9456]

@@josephsofaer841 nigga , Who the fuck got kidney stones

[@DoctorMcHerp]

One of my favorite Top Chef contestants of all time.

[@oslang1]

Mei Lin cooked my GF and I dinner for her birthday at Nightshade. One of the best meals of our lives. Concoctions that read crazy and taste incredible. Mei Lin is a revelation!!

[@harryheart6018]

You had me at "Mei Lin cooked my GF".

[@oslang1]

@@harryheart6018 And to think, grammar is one of my strengths! 🤣

[@oslang1]

@Edgy Boi Huh?

[@oslang1]

@Edgy Boi Most definitely did not. I'll have to do some research. And see how witty your comment was. Lol

[@oslang1]

@Edgy Boi ha! I see the issue--I thought you were replying to the original post. Makes sense now. I laughed lol. Cheers!

[@arcyhalk9]

Ok bloomer

[@harryb12993]

Bloomers represent

[@AlexiasPlaylist]

*bomer

[@harryb12993]

@@AlexiasPlaylist Bloomer*

[@habib1971]

We have a pro gamer in our presence

[@AlexiasPlaylist]

@@j.clementec.m.1558 *bloner

[@harlembeatfreak]

Mei and Melissa are my fav female chefs in Top Chef. I’ve watched them in their seasons and I’m glad they came out at the top 👍🏻

[@AlexiasPlaylist]

I'm convinced this is the highest form of art

[@mason3229]

Not very tasteful are ya bud?

[@BabyBlondie311]

I worked at Outback Steakhouse in Fort Worth in early 2018, and I can tell you there is a lot more flavor put into this dish than how Outback does their Bloomin Onions. This looks freaking delicious. The one thing I didn't like about the onions was the sauce. It had absolutely no flavor. It was like an orange-tinted mayonnaise. This looks sooo much better!

[@MrMtz817]

FunKy-toWn...baybee

[@SexyBibliophile]

We love Mei Lin. More of this, please.

[@action298]

That spice mix sounds amazing

[@yashrg7661]

Where's the recipe of the spice mix?

[@anton48103]

I love making these or onion petals with a zesty dipping sauce.

[@lennyleonard5926]

I bet you like the zesty dipping sauce

[@anton48103]

@@lennyleonard5926 how in the world did you know? 😂

[@anton48103]

@Bratislav Metulskiwhy not? Lol

[@anton48103]

@@kikuite9091 they're not implying anything, lol. My first reply was a sarcastic question to his question, and my second reply to the comment "nope" as in why do they not like zesty dipping sauce. Are you not able to see those comments? 🤔😂

[@OoSweetyman]

Producer: how many times can we cut and paste her audio? Editor: *yes*

[@BIackCadillac]

dude I know...

[@GRIMM2197]

Where at lol time stamps plssss

[@jadejaguar69]

I think it's also because the d eat she talks

[@patriotacting1]

editor: hey i got to go! producer:what do i do? editor: just switch between the cameras every 2 seconds and send it

[@leomartinez4398]

That's not me!

[@codyw8117]

Worked at a Texas road house and they call this a cactus blossom easily made a hundred of these in a shift. They sat In an ice bath until an order came in. From the water to the butter milk to the flour mix into oil. You had 15-20 seconds to make one to keep the line manager happy. Those flickers had their own section of the fryer. It always had at least 5 floating in oil till the night slowed down

[@h1xel_]

Awesome blossom extra awesome -Michael G. Scott

[@DSki-wh5hc]

Munchies making me want to go to Outback SH all of a sudden

[@valeriesanchez3074]

6:32 the money shot 😆🌧💧

[@wordkyle]

What a likeable person! The recipe was fine, but she made the video worth watching.

[@sillyrabbit734]

Love deep fried onions - they on the other hand, don't like me back - keep a clear path to the restroom for me.

[@jblyon2]

Same here, but they're so worth it. I remember almost crying on the toilet after a Chili's Awesome Blossom a good 15 years ago.

[@dutch4973]

jblyon2 thanks for sharing that. It made for a pretty fucking funny visual!

[@jimgearing260]

Grab a shot whenever she says 'actually.' Great recipe btw. I'm going to try this

[@Passionforfoodrecipes]

Looks bloomin awesome, really brings a tear to my eye!

[@IRVDawg]

Troll

[@Passionforfoodrecipes]

@@IRVDawg Oh no! You really.. FRIED me!

[@Hashslingingslasher-]

@@Passionforfoodrecipes look if you're getting fried you should keep that to yourself buddy

[@IRVDawg]

@@Hashslingingslasher- I think he's giving me the business

[@Joel-vz2zz]

@@Passionforfoodrecipes please change that pic, its No Nut November dude.

[@joo8622]

She is a wholesome human.

[@syraaburto873]

she has a very pleasing demeanor. but seems like a perfectionist boss.

[@angelavila9452]

Just incase you don't know what this tastes like. It tastes just like onion rings.

[@Snarkythecat]

lol flew in all the way from NY just for this? You can make it at home, ya freakin jabronis.

[@topemeister3000]

Snarky, the Cat scrubs

[@italianoDOCG]

Jabronis

[@NigelThornbery]

Snarky, the Cat rich lefty elitists from New York would so they can brag to all their friends at the next wine tasting

[@Snarkythecat]

itscold lmao but it’s not even luxury food. You can get this same crap at a Red Robin’s or something

[@cuongbui9708]

Jabronis? What that is?

[@hand2032]

If you fry anything anybody will call it a snack and won't even think about how much they are eating For example: *chez sticks*

[@imaramblins]

Yeah, it's both good and bad. Fried onions, clams, cheese sticks, are great fatty appetizers. But, the most sinister of these "snacks" are the deep fried snickers bars, etc. you typically find at state fairs. When I saw they had begun finding a way to just deep fry an entire stick of butter, I knew a line had been crossed.

[@hand2032]

@@imaramblins AN ENTIRE STICK OF BUTTER?!??

[@imaramblins]

@@hand2032 kzbin.info/www/bejne/aKCyk3Sbnqh2g5o Yep! LOL!

[@prettyclassyladyOG]

@@imaramblins nobody is making you eat it

[@nicolemarie9875]

I love how bland and mellow she is. It’s such a vibe.

[@necrohars3427]

Im confused how is this a good thing?

[@puzzlemagnet1957]

Nicole Marie The Only bland person here is you, with your lame comment.

[@nicolemarie9875]

Puzzle Magnet it’s a vibe so fuck off

[@joshs3499]

@QE ornotQE maybe he meant chill or relaxed and it came off wrong

[@pokerface4848]

@@joshs3499 i believe this is what nicole meant too.. maybe just wrong choice of words

[@no1takethisname]

I would eat and work at her restaurant. She has an explanation for every step of the recipe. It's very thought out and has care in it which feels like a lot of guidance.

[@SUN-it6rf]

Lovely !! 💕💕

[@YoMama9021]

Nothing better than quarantine cooking.

[@danielbuys5262]

What a beautiful version of an old classic

[@jasonyoung6420]

Made one tonight using a mixture of this and other methods... it's scary how easy these and the sauce are to make... My wife agrees.

[@trusted_traveler]

Use to eat these almost every night when I worked at Chili's back when they had them.

[@Liuhuayue]

That's an interesting habit.

[@trusted_traveler]

@John Campbell No I wrote what I meant. Chili's bar and grill had blooming onion around the time the world was talking about how bad saturated fat was and the blooming onion was about 3000 calories so a lot of places including Chili's revamped their menus. 20+ years of Chili's Bar And Grill knowledge 🤙🙏

[@trusted_traveler]

@John Campbell The actual name they called it was the "Awesome Blossom" been off their menu 5+ years

[@cozyvamp]

Brilliant doing the sauce in the cream aerator. I never thought of using it for this! Thank you. Every kitchen should have one of these -- so many fun uses for them.

[@captainsubtext7446]

it is actually pretty common in professional kitchens to use these syphons. i used them in every kitchen i worked and i even have one at home. fun thing: put fruit in it and carbonate it with co2/soda instead of n2o.

[@cozyvamp]

@@captainsubtext7446 I remember seeing these in old movies from the 50s where the very sophisticated hosts used them for soda. Then came the cooking shows of the 60s where the chefs used them for cream. Is it any wonder that I HAD TO HAVE them in my kitchen. But I still would never have thought to use them for something like a tartar sauce. Love it!

[@HolysauceStreams]

That whipped sauce is something else dude

[@NickMaddox0]

The sauce in the whipped cream can is genius

[@TheAceY2k]

When she said, "go to Outback- be our to go dish....." When the price was reasonable!!! 🤣🤣🤣

[@Tgoodie261]

6:37 that’s called a money shot in the industry

[@MohProbs]

just the food industry?

[@WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOO]

Tj Goodwin what industry ;)

[@jdb1478]

Tj Goodwin a man of culture

[@pilotmburu]

She's kinda sexy

[@wdai03]

That one's a little tight, that's why

[@TheOldAmishMan]

Seems like a really chill person

[@BeKozTube]

You guys should post the restaurant link and addresses for these.....

[@aznguymetal]

'Nightshade' in Downtown LA at Art District Address: 923 E 3rd St. Suite 109 Los Angeles, CA 90013

[@100daysmic9]

Yum...that looks so good.

[@Roflstab]

That coconut ranch sounds heavenly

[@jeffbrunecz2151]

What a great personality. I adore her.

[@behindyoureyes911]

Mei Lin is the best for sharing. Much Love ML!

[@pglasc]

That rocked!!!

[@jadethejaded.3703]

Tom Yum-ion sounds like a science fiction

[@ishyab011]

Awesome! Gotta try this.

[@bobbysayasane3413]

Mei: "it's like the best party food" Me: "noo, you're like the best party food"

[@timtim523]

I feel like outback is a pretty expensive place to go as a group of friends as kids lol. We went to Deny's and got a coffee and that was living large.

[@gissneric]

She said she grew up in the suburb. keyword suburb. Also, Deny's is not a luxury for me even as a student. You probably might be broke at that time huh?

[@amazingabby25]

The Denny’s in SF, the grand slam is 20 dollars

[@timtim523]

@@gissneric Well I did say I was a kid. I was like 11 lol

[@imaramblins]

I kinda thought the same thing. Unless they knew the people there, and went all the time just for the onion. My HS friends and I were all about Denny's, local cafe's, etc. Greasy spoons were great, and I couldn't imagine going to Outback all the time.

[@timtim523]

@@imaramblins in high school I did go to Olive Garden a decent amount, because the girl I was dating, her older sister was a waitress there, she hooked us up like crazy. Now I realize it was stealing, but at the time I was like "shit $10 for two people to eat at Olive Garden? Sign me up!" lol

[@PurushNahiMahaPurush]

That's now how you chop an ONYO Mei!

[@AlexanderMccarthey87]

She had me at tom yum

[@jonliu5846]

Ngl, drooled a lil bit

[@timothybenny2051]

Lovely chef

[@sammieseoul5544]

I love this Lady...

[@modica36jerkin]

I never thought a onion would be a “this guy “

[@marcellaasselta1250]

YOU ARE THE QUEEN!!! What a great Chef! A++++

[@arwen402]

Mei!!!!!!!!!! love love loved her on top chef

[@sweetboo1022]

yup, now I need one of those whippers. Anyone else just want to stay home and cook every autumn?? Just me?

[@stuart207]

I made this at home and it's awesome! It wrecked the cooking oil and the mess was rediculous but definitely worth it.

[@Adayintherain]

Im glad the youtube algorithm sent me this. Thnx youtube algorithm ! (also this video is gold and will have a special place in my heart)

[@RazaPlaysGames]

She turned street food into restaurant quality food

[@spartan1010101]

I love that it kind of looks like a Lotus flower

[@mxd-1990asn]

Tom yum itself is a type of hot and sour Thai soup, usually cooked with shrimp (prawn). ... Tom refers to the boiling process, while yam refers to a Thai spicy and sour salad. Tom yum is characterised by its distinct hot and sour flavours, with fragrant spices and herbs generously used in the broth. Im half thai half south chinese so i know most thai,chinese food and i know any thai food that is chinese or indian influenced, but i didnt see tom yum ion so far. Im a huge fan of fried food , tho i will have to make this myself someday cause im not from the US

[@mexicant777]

The chef is gorgeous, love hearing her talk. Awesome recipe!

[@PueMonTen]

You know you're a real American when you fly to a different state to pay for a fried onion you could make at home... Jesus would be proud. I'm gonna make that sauce, thank you

[@andychow5509]

At Chili's they call it an awesome blossom. According to my extensive watching of "The Office".

[@robertgriffin4118]

That looks bomb af

[@sofiasofia5966]

We order this Robert time we go to outback , thank u so much

[@MaggiesChineseFusion]

I am never a fried food fan, but this surely looks pretty. I may want to give a try.🤗🤗🤗🤗 And maybe dip into Chinese super spicy hot pepper sauce! Make it Super 🌶 🌶 🌶!😋😋😋

[@achineseperspective9438]

I just stopped by your channel. It’s warming and aesthetically pleasing. I always love some homemade Chinese food as well.👍

[@AlleyCatGhost]

SPICE

[@ThatFilmisGnarly]

Add some chili sauce to some mayonnaise, best dipping sauce around.

[@LuminoX182]

She's a genius!

[@bertoman1990]

I don't but I've always been used to how Burger King makes their onion rings. Those aren't really rings. 1) Mince onions with bread crumbs then add milk. 2) Form them into rings then freeze them. 3) Bring them out, dip in egg, flour and crumbs then fry

[@Alfredul03]

Oh Gosh, looks delicious and very easy to make! 🤤😋👌🏻🧅

[@-los-7291]

Top chef bad ass 👊🏾

[@seanmics9537]

Amazing twist looks 🔥

[@dmac2807]

🗣️Perfectooo. Sister Girl 🙌🙋‍♀️

[@dutch4973]

I keep seeing everyone talk about chili’s and outback, y’all are sleeping on the Texas Roadhouse blooming onion frfr

[@ACTlVISION]

give this woman her own show stat

[@isaiahdray]

absolutely loved this

[@Neinka]

Ah, Spike would love this

[@RepentAndBelieve1437]

So chill😎

[@okay9906]

*...that's Onion Pakoda @ Pakora. From the Tamil word Pakku + Vadai = Pakkuvadai deformed to Pakkoda @ Pakora. Plaques of Vadai @ Vada. The English word Plaque is derived from the Tamil word Pakku.* *Nota bene: ...this version of onion Pakoda @ Pakora is called 'blooming onion' in the US.* 👍👍

[@0nman]

Love blooming onion

[@quezlark7875]

Who tf goes to outback for an after school snack?

[@ademola1]

She said she’s from the detroit burbs thats what they have out there

[@00ironcross]

Man that looks delicious. Great job connie.

[@tommytuckersgoldencrown339]

That’s fancy comfort food, but simple... I love it, always wondered how its made...thanks ✌️

[@bradheiner6869]

That looks soooo good

[@cloudwatcher608]

I've never uttered the phrase "holy crap-amole" before but it just came out at 8:04

[@vengefulspirit99]

I had to stop watching at that point. I couldn't handle watching her eat it without having some for myself.

[@AnthonyGrenier]

once they are cut, if you soak them overnight in the fridge submerged in water before cooking they become more pliable and easier to bread/batter and open up more

[@SanskarWagley]

She was on Top Chef, right?

[@kutter_ttl6786]

Yes, Season 12.

[@jesusfreak7365]

"Please & Thank You"!😘😁

[@alesiaburgzorg8931]

I would enjoy that

[@ZeliardFTW]

Reminds me im hungry and I love onions! Nice cutting of the onion technique and a easy to do batter. I might have to try these, especially the end sauce and sprinkle herb thing!. I am addicted to onions!

[@generousgamer966]

Looks Good 😀

[@haleylafferty9870]

I LOVE THE BLOOMING ONION

[@lianpumanlun9634]

❤

[@CurtisAlfeld]

How did KZbin know I was craving this?

[@ekoms108]

My favorite Australian cuisine!

[@saturnGEEK]

Australians don't eat this shit.

[@Galvaxatron]

that looks amazing.

[@Smarglenargle]

Cheap and easy to make snack. Costs 30 cents to make :D Forget eating out, learn to cook and pay 1/8th the amount you'd spend.

[@amazingabby25]

Ehhh it cost me 18

[@talan2861]

where do you live a onion by its self cost more than a dollar

[@AfrewSpines]

@@talan2861 Dude you need a new onion guy.

[@oscarjames2004]

When you learn to cook, you'll stop eating stuff like this

[@Chaos6779]

That Tom Yum spice tho...

[@sireeshakanakala]

Crispy crispy