Rice and Pasta?! How about chicken salad?

As you might have noticed, my blog posts have slowed down in the past months. Morning sickness--rather, "all day sickness"--lasted the better part of four months, making it difficult for me to do just about anything, especially write about food!

When I have felt like eating, I have regressed to some of my childhood favorites: grapefruit juice, butter toast, and chicken salad on Ritz crackers--comfort food, I guess.

To my husband's dismay, Chinese food has been one of most detested foods this pregnancy: garlic has been albeit banned from the house (my keen sense of smell can detect even a trace of it), sesame oil now leaves an unpleasant taste in my mouth, and rice holds absolutely no appeal.

I went through this perplexing transformation when I was pregnant with my son, and thankfully, immediately after birth, my cravings returned (chocolate and coffee included).

This being said, I'm not giving up on writing about food...just taking a break until the cravings (and inspiration) return. In the meantime, check back for posts about family (babies!) and culture.

Has pregnancy affected your taste for Chinese or American food? 

The Gift of Food: Anhui Bing

My in-laws have always gifted us with food. Whenever we fly out to visit them in Colorado, we can be sure that a steaming bowl of noodles and an assortment of side dishes will be waiting for us, no matter how late we arrive. When they fly out to see us, we can count on enjoying a long vacation from cooking while being fed homemade spring rolls, dumplings, stir-fried dishes too numerous to mention.

My in-laws’ gift of food does not end there. When we were first married, they hand packed bags laden with tightly packaged stir-fries, sticky rice, and other treats for us to carry on the plane. After several years of dragging ten-pound bags of Chinese food through airports, we lovingly convinced them that their homemade Chinese treats were best enjoyed while in their company. 

Several years later, we again made the trip out to see them, this time with two little ones in tow. My father-in-law discovered that the kids’ car seat bag was an excellent place to store his specialty, Anhui bing.

My father-in-law describes bing as “Chinese pizza,” though the only similarity they share with this favorite food of Americans (in my opinion) is their round shape.  

Anhui bing are more like meat pies, about eight inches in diameter, with finely diced bits of stir-fried pork and pickled vegetables spread between very thin layers of dough (think Croissant pastry layers). 




The meat and dough layers alternate and the whole pie is then wrapped in a final layer of dough, which turns a lovely crispy brown when pan-fried with a dash of oil. 

Bing are addicting and vanish remarkably fast, which is too bad, because from what I've understood from my father-in-law, they are very time consuming to make.

Back to our trip from our in-laws: Imagine our surprise when we opened the car seat bag and found bing plastered to our daughter’s car seat! (Disclosure: we travelled domestically; we know better than to bring food back from our international trips!)

My in-laws spent Christmas with us this year, and as usual, my father-in-law brought stacks of freshly made bing. One night, as he watched my daughter quietly eat, licking her fingers after the last bite, he joked, “I should send Lulu (her pet name) her own private supply of bing every month.”  We laughed, but I saw a twinkle in his eye that hinted at a "Eureka!" moment.

Sure enough, one week after he and my mother-in-law flew back home, a heavy package arrived at our door. Inside were stacks of freshly made bing! My daughter was thrilled, my husband was giddy, and my dog--well, it turns out that he likes bing just as much as the rest of us. A few days ago, he swiped a lone bing off the counter and delicately nibbled his way through half of it.

I don’t know how to make Anhui bing--yet. This recipe was handed down from my husband’s paternal grandmother (who grew up in Anhui province) to my father-in-law. I hope that one day soon, my father-in-law will share his recipe with the next generation so this family treat may live on!

What gifts of food does your family share with you?  

Celebrating Togetherness with Dumplings

The hustle and bustle that precedes Christmas has already begun, and if I'm not careful, I find myself lost in the busyness and missing out on the joy and thankfulness that marks this season.

Last year, I actually sacrificed treasured traditions (making gingerbread houses with friends and family, attending Christmas concerts) because I was too overwhelmed with unrealistic demands I was making on myself (homemade gifts and cookies for everyone!)

"This year will be different," I vowed to myself. I will prioritize time spent with family and friends, or tuántuán yuán yuán (团团圆圆)--which is a Chinese phrase often translated as "the family is happy and together," but I like to understand it as "togetherness."  

One of my "go to" togetherness activities is cooking.  Before Thanksgiving, my mother-in-law taught my daughter how to wrap dumplings (jiǎozi, 饺子).  It was a "win-win" activity for the two of them: they spent quality time together, my mother-in-law shared a Chinese tradition with her granddaughter, and my daughter gained confidence by learning a new skill.

Some things to keep in mind when you want to try this "togetherness" activity at home:

1. If you are working with pre-made wrappers (found in the freezer section of your local Chinese supermarket), choose your wrappers carefully. We found that using pre-made dumpling wrappers worked best when cooked by boiling, but we preferred wonton wrappers (they are thinner) for dumplings that are fried.

2. There are many different techniques for wrapping dumplings. My mother-in-law taught my daughter the pleat method (right). In this technique, each side of the outer wrapper is pleated toward the center. Pleats are then pressed firmly to the bottom wrapper. (See my blog post from last year, Jiaozi-making Party, for folding methods we created at our dumpling party last year, and also don't miss Beijing Gourmand's explanation of the "one fold" and "crimp and fold" techniques.)

3. No matter how you fold your dumplings, each method seems to require a little extra moisture for a tight seal (this seems especially true with frozen wrappers). Dip your index finger into a small bowl of water, and run your finger along the edge before starting to pleat the wrappers. 

*Chinese dumplings do not need to be eaten right away. They freeze wonderfully (in freezer bags, for at least a month). Make sure to date and label the bag! 

How will you celebrate "togetherness" with family and friends this holiday season?

Ten Years and Counting

Last week my husband and I celebrated our tenth anniversary with a box of chocolates (from Pure Imagination Chocolatier in the North Market, Columbus for my Central Ohio readers...yum!). As I thought about years past, I realized that the love of good food has played a central role in our romance. 

I knew I was in love when on our first date, a tall, handsome Chinese man made me pasta with sautéed shrimp and set the table with linens and lit candles.  I was a vegetarian at the time, but his cooking was so good that I didn't bring up the subject until much later in our dating relationship (and then I happily converted back to an omnivore--my choice).  

Later, our dates revolved around finding the best fresh-roasted coffee beans and hand-rolled sushi in town.  We dined at fine restaurants and local food trucks, and cooked regularly for friends.


      


 When we planned our wedding, we capped our guest list at around 100 and held the event in the morning so we could afford to serve each of our guests tasty breakfast fare that included peach-stuffed french toast and smoked salmon. In order to afford a delicious cake, we skipped fondant and sugar decorations, and used extra flowers from the florist instead for decoration. 

After we married, we continued to pursue our growing gourmand tastes on a chicken-of-the-sea budget, eating simple noodle dishes throughout the week so we could afford a sushi splurge on the weekend or a yearly trip to our favorite local Japanese restaurant--that was the size of a shoebox and often had a line out the door.  


Ten years down the road, we still enjoy sharing good food. It's a passion, a hobby, a joy, but stronger bonds hold us together--our love for each other, our faith, and our children. In this season of life, we are enjoying teaching our kids to cook and introducing them to new tastes.  

Last night, all four of us watched spellbound as PBS chef Ming Tsai sliced a green papaya. The fact that we each found this simple but precise task amazing tells me that the pursuit of cooking and eating good food is something we will enjoy as a family for many years to come. 

Kids Cook! Egg Custard Tarts

With Easter just around the corner, I have eggs on the brain. My go-to egg recipes usually include quiche and breakfast casseroles. But what about the egg custard tart? This dim sum treat is typically not incorporated into the Easter spread at our house, but with its creamy, sweet custard center cradled in a flaky pastry crust, it's a perfect addition for spring.

Enlisting the help of my 3YO son, I tested a recipe for the tarts from The Young Chef’s Chinese Cookbook. This cookbook breaks down the tart recipe into eight delightfully simple steps. Pictures accompany each step, and show each ingredient and utensil used so you can’t go wrong.  A "Tips & Tricks" section (at the end of each recipe) lists essential info for each recipe. According to this recipe, the "trick" to making a perfect egg custard is to make sure that all ingredients for the filling (eggs, milk, and cream) are at room temperature--to avoid curdling during baking.

While some of the steps were too advanced for my 3YO (cracking eggs and measuring the liquid ingredients), he was able help with most of the recipe.


      

                       (beating the eggs and pressing the pie crust into tins)

We cooked the tarts an extra fifteen minutes to achieve a beautiful browned custard top (my oven temperature might be a little off--I need to check this). After waiting a painfully long amount of time, until they cooled completely, we taste-tested the tarts.  

 
       
      The verdict? Yum! A recipe we will try again.

The crust was crunchy and flaky, and carmelized where the the sugary-custard filling had spilled over the tart tins, while the center was smooth and creamy, sweet and rich (like a slighly-eggy Crème Brûlée). My son gobbled down the tart within two minutes, leaving me only crumbs to finish.  Thankfully, the recipe made five additional tarts (yield is not mentioned in the recipe) to savor over the next few days.   


Want the recipe?  Check out the Young Chef's Chinese Cookbook at your local library, or check out these links: Irvin Lin's Caramel Egg Custard Tart at "Eat the Love"  and Cantonese Egg Custard Tart at Christine's Recipes.  


What are your favorite egg-related recipes for spring? 

Yuanxiao Makeover

After coming face-to-face with freezer-burned yuanxiao (sticky sweet rice balls) on the night of Lantern Festival, I vowed to learn how to make this Chinese dish.  Now, despite what the name of my blog suggests, I am not a natural cook (my husband is the cook in our house…but that’s a topic for another post!).  I love to eat good food, and really appreciate the magic in the kitchen that produces memorable meals.  But, sadly and despite my earnestness, I often fail to conjure such magic.

Take my latest experiment of making yuanxiao for example.  I followed RasaMalaysia’s recipe (minus the ginger syrup), and all was going splendidly until I took my first taste of the steaming dumpling.  It was salty!  I searched my mind, trying to figure out where I went wrong.  Salted butter! The recipe calls for unsalted butter, and in my haste, I grabbed the salted variety instead.  Oops.
 

I was determined to find a way to redeem this treat for my family (my poor daughter gagged after her first taste!)  And then the idea hit me, Nutella!  What is the magic hazelnut spread that makes all things taste yummy to a six-year-old? 

Nutella.

So, I remade RasaMalaysia's recipe, using Nutella instead of sesame paste as a filler (I stuck the jar in the freezer for a few minutes to stiffen the spread. Don't leave it in too long, though, or it will harden like concrete.)   

My yuanxiao, all rolled and ready to be boiled.

Three little yuanxiao. Aren't they cute?

And the result was....surprisingly delicious!  The Nutella filling in the cooked yuanxiao was warm and creamy, contrasting the thick, chewy mochi-textured outside.  Next time, I'm going to try a different rice flour (I used Koda Farms' Sweet Rice Flour this time) to see if I can make the outside layer thinner.  

What are your ideas for new yuanxiao fillings?

Weekly Jiaozi Night

When life gets hectic--especially in these weeks leading up to Christmas, we are often forced to choose between cooking a meal or sitting down at the table to eat together. Some families turn to weekly pizza night as a solution, but our weekly “go to” when life gets busy is jiaozi (Chinese dumplings).

Jiaozi can be found in the freezer section of most Chinese grocers. I buy the Wei-chuan brand because they taste good, and because they have a seal (lower left corner) assuring they've been inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

   

Jiaozi are very affordable (I get mine for around $3.50 per bag), and they come in a many flavors:

  

Pork, scallops, and shrimp                 Pork and Chinese spinach

Chinese Celery and Shrimp               Pork, Leek, and Shrimp (my fav!)

Lotus Root and Chicken                    Green Onion and Beef

Leaf Mustard and Pork                      Seafood and Cilantro

According to Andrea from Viet World Kitchen, Wei-Chuan also makes a MSG-free brand, their Shandong Dumpling series (look for 山东 on the wrapper).  I haven’t seen this in the stores, but intend to keep my eyes open for it!

Jiaozi can be steamed, boiled, or pan-fried. 

Boiling Jiaozi

When boiling jiaozi, make sure to follow instructions on the package.  Jiaozi should come to a boil four times, and each time this happens, 1 cup of cold water must be added.

Here's how this works: after placing the frozen jiaozi into the boiling water, wait until the water begins to boil again.  Next, add one cup of cold water to the pot, and wait until the water comes to boil again.  Do this two more times.  When the water boils after the third cup of water is added, it’s time to take the jiaozi out.  You can dump the pot into a strainer (like pasta).  I use a slotted spoon to take the jiaozi out, because the noodle “skin” can be fragile.

Pan-frying Jiaozi

Turn burner to medium heat.  Cover the bottom of the pan with oil, and arrange the frozen jiaozi in the pan.  Add approximately 1/2 cup of water to the pan, and cover with a lid.  Cook until the water in the pan cooks off. Add around 1/3 cup water and cook for one minute.  This will keep the jiaozi from sticking to the pan when you remove them.

Next, dipping sauce!  Here is my all-time favorite recipe--a slightly spicy and sweet vinegar-based sauce.  Please alter and swap out ingredients according to taste.

Sweet, Spicy, and Sour Dipping Sauce

1 tbsp Chinkiang vinegar

¼ tsp Kadoya sesame oil

¼-1/2 tsp Guilin chili sauce

pinch of sugar

Serve with salted edamame (which can be bought in freezer section of stores like Whole Foods or Trader Joes) and enjoy!

Pumpkins! (Nangua)

It’s the time of year when pumpkins become the ubiquitous sign of autumn.  On our trip to a local pumpkin patch last weekend, my kids ran from pumpkin to pumpkin, examining the various shades, shapes, sizes, and textures.  

When it comes to fall cuisine, however, it is clear that our relationship with the pumpkin hasn’t branched far from pumpkin spice muffins--which are quite tasty and not to be underestimated! Since the pumpkin doesn’t play a major role in my in-law’s Shanghainese cuisine, I began searching the Web for regional cuisines in China that use nangua, or “pumpkin”.

In China, nangua refers to a specific variety of squash that is seedless and relatively large. The skin of a nangua can be green, orange, yellow, or grey, and it's peeled off when being prepared.  Click here for a picture of the Chinese variety of pumpkin by The Chinese Soup Lady.  

If you can’t get your hands on a Chinese nangua, do not fear! Here are two tantalizing dishes from Southern China that can be made from pumpkin varieties found in the United States.


Pumpkin Cakes (nangua bing) 

These savory cakes from Xiamen in Southern China use mashed pumpkin and rice flour as a base. Aromatics like Shitake mushrooms, dried shrimps, and scallions are stir-fried and added in, and then the cakes are delicately fried. Click here for beautiful pictures and recipe by Tiny Urban Kitchen.  

Stir-Fried Pumpkin (chao nangua) 
This simple Taiwanese dish is exactly what it sounds like, stir-fried Kabocha or Butternut squash with ginger, sugar, and a pinch of salt. 

Have fun cooking!

Cool Cucumber Salad

So it's the end of the summer, and if you're a home gardener, you might be wondering what to do with the fruit of your over-productive cucumber plant.  Here's a recipe, for a quick and refreshing "salad" that takes 5-10 minutes to make.  My kids love it, and hopefully yours will too!

(As a disclaimer, my Chinese relatives think it's funny that I count this as one of the Chinese dishes I can make. It's probably too simplistic to end up on any restaurant menu, yet we eat it all the time!)

1 medium-sized cucumber
1/2 teaspoon granule chicken stock (I use "Knorr" brand)
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil (I use "Kadoya" brand)

1.  Peel cucumber, cut off both ends, and slice in half--length-wise.
2.  Using a spoon, scrape the flesh from each half of the cucumber. It should look like this:

3.  Cut cucumbers in approximately 1/2 inch slices (Any shape is fine as long as the slices are not too thin.)
4.  Add granule chicken stock and stir until dissolved.
5.  Drizzle with sesame oil; stir until combined.
6.  Let stand 5-10 minutes, and then enjoy!