Interview with a cannabis chef: Monica Lo and her fresh cannabis chimichurri recipe
Chef Monica Lo grew up in a household with a love of food, where every meal was prepared from scratch. From a young age, she would spend a lot of time in the kitchen with her mother, “preparing mise en place or folding dumplings.”
This love of food grew into a passion project over the years, spawning “various food blogs” in the Tumblr era. Eventually, over the years, she launched her own website and became the creator of Sous Weed – Cannabis-infused Recipes From an Asian American Kitchen.
Lo began her entry into the culinary world through art with a background in advertising and design. Her career evolved while taking food styling and photography classes while living in New York. She later moved to San Francisco and began hosting pop-up dinners and events.
She learned as many of the greatest do: through the basics of cooking taught by their parents. In this case, intertwined with their Taiwanese and Chinese traditions.
Monica Lo meets cannabis
In 2015, Los’ cooking journey turned towards cannabis. It started with a training injury – a herniated disc. Her doctor prescribed a mixture of opioids and acetaminophen, but the drugs “upset” her stomach. “[It made] the whole situation worse,” says Lo.
“Raw or cooked, this plant is delicious! It’s not always about THC or CBD; Cannabis is a nutrient-dense vegetable that needs to be treated like any other as a culinary challenge.”
– Monica Lo
Eventually, Lo tried an edible cannabis in search of relief from the pain without the horrific side effects she was experiencing.
“I slept so well that night,” says Lo. “From that day on, I knew I had to make my own edibles.”
There was only one problem. Lo lived in a strictly non-smoking building, which meant the smell of cannabis emanating from her kitchen could cause trouble whether she smoked it or not. She couldn’t cook it on a stove or a pot, so she had to get creative. Luckily, at the time, Lo was working as a creative director for a sous vide startup.
Sous vide is a cooking technique in which food is vacuum sealed in a bag and then cooked in water baths at precise temperatures. The technique allows for greater precision and consistency and has been common in the culinary world since the ’70s, but didn’t really catch on in the US until the 2000s. From there it has grown and become more accessible to home cooks.
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Lo decided to put her startup’s machines to the test, and to her delight, it worked. Lo says, “Because the cannabis flower and cooking oil are sealed in an airtight bag and held under water for infusion, there is no odor! Plus, I can do multiple cannabis infusions at the same time with all of my favorite cannabis strains. I would use these infusions in a variety of sweet and savory dishes.”
Embracing the plant and its unique qualities
Lo doesn’t hold back on the possibilities when cooking with cannabis.
She uses a variety of cooking oils, fats, butter, sugar, and alcohol as the base for her infusion, and says she prefers both fresh and dry cannabis flowers and leaves.
“To get the full spectrum of benefits, you should use whole plant material. Over 100 cannabinoids have been identified,” Lo reminds us while celebrating broad-spectrum cooking. She believes that cannabis can be more of an accompaniment to dishes than an additive to hide and disguise.
“The flavors of cannabis should be welcomed, not hidden,” says Lo. “The beautiful terpenes that give each cannabis strain its distinctive smell should be celebrated.”
Lo says that by using a gentle method like sous vide, it’s possible to incorporate more phytocannabinoids and terpenes into cooking oils, and this allows her to consider her food pairings more carefully.
“For example,” says Lo, “I like to infuse a strain that’s funky and smells like garlic in lard or lard to use in savory dishes.” Or I put a lemony, lemony variety in olive oil to use in a salad dressing. On the other hand, I also chop my cannabis fan leaves to use in a chimichurri or juice them to color my dumpling dough. It’s an opportunity to be creative!”
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Ultimately, her journey into the cannabis kitchen helped Lo manage her back pain in a less invasive way and regain control of her life. She documented the process on her blog and Instagram, and the result opened doors for her to work with “truly amazing people and brands” in the cannabis industry.
“It was quite an adventure,” says Lo.
Edibles for everyone
Monica’s latest venture is the publication of her cookbook, The Weed Gummies Cookbook. Lo says it’s been her dream since she started publishing a book, and she hopes her handy cookbook can be a go-to resource for cannabis enthusiasts of all levels.
“Homemade edibles are inexpensive, discreet and delicious! The Weed Gummies Cookbook offers accessible ways to incorporate a variety of cannabinoids into your routine. With step-by-step instructions and color photos, you’ll also get tips on how to safely handle and label your confectionery.”
At the end of the day, Chef Monica is hoping that cannabis from her Sous Weed brand can be used as a superfood ingredient, and not just as a psychoactive additive.
“Raw or cooked, this plant is delicious! It’s not always about THC or CBD; Cannabis is a nutrient-dense vegetable that needs to be treated like any other as a culinary challenge. My goal is to encourage and empower people to make their own infusions at home.”
Chef Monica Lo’s cannabis chimichurri recipe
Chef Monica Lo says, “If you’re growing a cannabis or hemp plant at home and you’re not sure what to do with all those fan leaves – just eat them! While the leaves won’t get you high when raw, they can still provide you with a plethora of health benefits. Plus it makes an amazing chimichurri.”
Preparation time:
10 mins
Cooking time:
No cooking necessary
recipe yield
Makes about 2 cups
recipe ingredients
• 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup raw cannabis or hemp leaves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, finely chopped
• 1 small shallot, finely chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic. finely chopped
• 1 red jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil*
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
recipe guide
1. Chop all the ingredients separately.
2. Place ingredients in a bowl and mix well.**
3. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. Serve over skirt steak or roast chicken and enjoy.
*Substitute regular olive oil with your preferred dosage of cannabis-infused extra virgin olive oil if you like.
**To make a creamier dipping sauce that tastes amazing on empanadas, blend all the ingredients in a blender or food processor.
Follow Chef Monica Lo on Instagram to keep up to date with her recipes, books and adventures. Click here to see more of her recipes on Leafly.
Rae Lland
Rae Lland is a freelance writer, journalist and former editor for Weedist and The Leaf Online. With a focus on culture, music, health and wellness, in addition to her work for Leafly, she has been featured in numerous online cannabis publications as well as print editions of Cannabis Now Magazine. Follow her on Instagram @rae.lland
Check out Rae Lland’s articles
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