Chi Bao Le

Moving Shop

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 16:06:00 +0000

Its been a rough couple of months in my neck of the woods, and as though that weren't bad enough, two months ago I decided to revamp my blog and move house. Those situations combined have meant that I haven't been doing anything here. To be honest, I haven't been doing anything at the new blog site either because A) I've been feeling more than a little overwhelmed, and B) I thought I could design the new blog myself, finally figured out that wasn't likely to happen, and have now spent way too much time thinking about finding an affordable web designer without spending any time actually looking for one.

Anyway, I've decided enough is enough. I'm going to begin posting at the new site and I'll slowly build the thing as I go along. If you know of a good web designer (preferably someone with experience in Wordpress) feel free to leave a comment with their contact information. In the meantime, if you want to find out what I'm up to in the kitchen, check out my new site at:

www.eatglobally.com

These Are My Confessions...

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 04:25:00 +0000

I am, understandably (or so I tell myself) picky about my Chinese food.

Having lived in Taiwan and China for a combined total of 2 years, I feel like I have a pretty good sense for authentic Chinese food. As most Americans are no doubt aware, Chinese food in America is, for the most part, a completely different animal than its long lost relative back in the Middle Kingdom (aka 中国, aka China).

The kitchen at Li Qun Roast Duck in Beijing.

One of my greatest complaints with American Chinese food is that it is, generally speaking, extremely greasy and therefore quite heavy. In China, I don't feel like the stir-fried dishes I eat are drenched in oil. In fact, for the most part, what I love about authentic Chinese food is that I rarely feel weighed down after a meal.

Now, it is possible to find good, authentic Chinese restaurants here in the good ole U.S. of A. But it can be a little bit complicated. It helps to have a friend or two in the know. I've been introduced to most of my favorite Chinese restaurants by Chinese friends.

However, I do indeed have a confession to share with you today. My favorite Chinese restaurant here in the States is none other than P.F. Changs. Scandalous! I know. Its slightly embarrassing to admit this in a public forum. My Chinese food credibility is, like, out the window.

Ducks roasting at Li Qun Roast Duck in Beijing.

This is how I explain my infatuation with P.F. Changs: while their style of preparing Chinese dishes is generally not authentic, the flavors, in my opinion, are. As an added bonus, their food is not overwhelmingly greasy. So while the final dish may not look much like what I would order in China, the flavors inevitably take me back to meals I've had there.

One of my close friends in Virginia introduced me to one of my favorite dishes at PF Changs: Ground Chicken with Eggplant. Then, in a somewhat serendipitous turn of events, last year around Chinese New Year I stumbled on an Australian cooking magazine at Barnes and Noble which has quickly become a favored source for new Chinese cooking ideas. To my great excitement the magazine had a recipe for eggplant with minced pork in a spicy Szechuan sauce. I couldn't help but have an "aha!" moment, thinking that this might be my opportunity to recreate the PF Changs' dish at home. Unfortunately, as often happens, I never got around to trying the recipe.

Then 2 weeks ago, before life took an expected, but still decidedly sad turn (we can discuss that in a blog post to come), I had my friend Krista over for a belated birthday dinner and I finally made the eggplant dish. I should not have waited a year. It's fantastic. Not quite the same as the one at PF Changs, but who cares when it tastes this good.

Eggplant with Minced Chicken in Szechuan Sauce
Adapted from delicious. (volume 5 issue 2)

2 t. corn starch
1 lb. ground chicken (if you can't find ground chicken, substitute ground turkey)
2 lg. eggplants, peeled
Salt
1 1/2 T. peanut oil
1" chunk ginger, grated
1 T. finely chopped green onion
1/2 T. chili paste (I used Sambal Oelek)

Sauce:
1 1/4 c. chicken stock
1 T. light soy sauce
2 T. sugar
1 1/2 T. apple cider vinegar
1 T. Chinese rice wine (shaohsing)
1 t. salt
Mix all sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Cut the eggplant into strips about 2" long by 1/2" thick. Place the eggplant in a colander and set the colander inside a bowl. Sprinkle the eggplant with salt, toss gently, and let sit for 1 hour. Pour off any water that has accumulated in the bowl.

Meanwhile, mix 1 t. corn starch in a bowl with 1/4 t. salt and 2 1/2 T. water. Mix in the chicken. Set aside.

Heat oil in a wok or pan over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and onion and stir for 15 seconds or until starting to color. Add the chili paste and toss for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the chicken and stir-fry until almost cooked, about a minute or two. Add the eggplant and stir-fry for about 2 minutes, until beginning to soften. Add sauce, cover and cook on medium-high heat for 10 minutes, tossing 2-3 times, until the eggplant is cooked and almost all liquid has been absorbed.

Stir remaining 1 t. corn starch with 1 T. water. Stir into the eggplant mixture, and then allow to bubble for 1-2 minutes until thickened. Serve with rice.

I Am Not A Pretty Girl... But I Am A Domestic Goddess

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 05:22:00 +0000

I was all ready for 2009. Couldn't wait for the new year to begin. I was feeling the usual anticipation/optimism. I was ready to set some goals, make some plans to improve myself (and the blog). I couldn't wait to see what the new year would bring.

And then it began, and somehow, it began all wrong. I found myself in an awful mood on New Years Day. Suddenly the year stretched ahead of me and it seemed like there was nothing to look forward to. No positive news or developments anywhere on the horizon. It was most assuredly a horrible, no good, very bad day. An Ani DiFranco, angry girl music kind of day*.

So I found myself on New Years Day, mostly dwelling on all the things currently upsetting the delicate balance between feeling relatively happy/well adjusted and feeling completely out of control. In the midst of these, admittedly, depressing thoughts, I remembered that I needed to come up with a couple of appetizers for my family's Sugar Bowl party on Friday night (yay Utes!). And just like that, with that one thought, the clouds parted, the fog lifted, and a small ray of light came shining through.

That, apparently, is the power of food in my life. Seems like, more than anything else, particularly now, food has the power to provide whatever I need most at any given moment in time. Distraction: check. Calming influence: check. Nourishment: check. Joy: check.

So I imagine that in the coming months I'll be spending lots of time in the kitchen. I can't wait. I already spend a lot of time there. You don't always see the fruits of my labors here because most of what I make does not fit into the narrow parameters I currently have set for this blog (although that's likely to change in the near future). The kitchen is just about my favorite place to pass the time right now. If I'm able to show my love for friends and family at the same time by sharing my culinary creations with them, so much the better.

Domestic Goddess in the making... yeah, that's right, I fish too.

My close friends will likely know how hard it is for me to even jokingly claim the title of "Domestic Goddess". My word, there are so many things I can't and don't do. So many people more qualified for the title than I. However, if there is one area in my life that I feel an abundance of confidence, it's in the kitchen. Not everything I make is perfect, and yes, if you ever find yourself at my table, you're likely to be subjected to a litany of disclaimers before you are allowed to dig in to your repast. However, regardless of how the final product looks, I'm likely secure in the knowledge that it will be delicious and hopeful that any time spent sharing food and drink that I've prepared will be nourishing to both the body and the heart.

Today, I have a recipe, that yes, doesn't look quite as pretty as I wanted it to. And maybe could still use a tweak or two. But it was good. Actually, it was exactly what I hoped it would be. An egg custard tart with a smooth, creamy filling and a nice flaky crust. This is one of my favorite things to pick up during visits to Chinatown. As I don't have a Chinatown here in Salt Lake, I'm happy to now be able to make my own egg custard tarts whenever the craving strikes.

Happy New Year. May the year ahead bring much joy and wonder to your life. And maybe an egg custard tart or two.

蛋挞 (Egg Custard Tarts)

As noted above, this recipe could still use a tweak or two. Mostly, this is in the area of the amount of custard filling because the crust recipe makes more tart shells than the filling can fill. My solution would be to do one of the following: either double the filling recipe, or freeze one tray of unbaked tart shells. If you choose to freeze the shells, they'll be ready the next time you want to make the filling. I've already tested this out for you because I did in fact have to put my recipe-making on hold, so I put a muffin tray of tart shells in the fridge and a tray in the freezer. When I was finally able to get around to finishing the filling, I pulled both trays out, filled the tarts, and popped them in the oven together. I let them both cook for the same amount of time, and both trays came out just fine.

Crust:
3/4 c. confectioners sugar
2 3/4 c. cake flour
3/4 c. butter
1 egg, beaten
1-3 T. cold water

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar and flour. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until the butter is about the same size as small peas. Stir in the egg. Add the water slowly, adding just enough for the dough to come together. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead briefly until the dough is smooth. Roll the dough out to about 1/4" inch. Using a standard biscuit cutter, cut out rounds of dough. Give each round another quick time or two with the roller to stretch it out just a bit further. Then push the dough round into a muffin tin. You want the dough to come just to the rim, or slightly below that. Repeat until you have filled two muffin trays. Prick the base of each tart with a fork. (As noted above, at this point either freeze one tray or double the filling recipe.)

Custard Filling:
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. + 1 T. sugar
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
3/4 c. evaporated milk
1/4 t. vanilla

Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil until the sugar has completely dissolved. Set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Once the sugar syrup is cool, add eggs and egg yolks to a mixing bowl and beat well. Then add the sugar syrup, milk, and vanilla. Mix well. Fill tart shells about 90% full. Bake for 25-20 minutes. Put trays on cooling racks and let the tarts cool for 10 minutes, before removing from muffin tins. Then let the tarts cool completely on cooling racks.

* For the record, I love me some Ani DiFranco. She is one of my favorite artists, and for the benefit of the uninitiated I feel compelled to say that not all of her music is angry girl music. However, that being said, "I Am Not A Pretty Girl" is one of my all time favorite songs. I often feel like it describes me to a T.

Bring On 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 02:31:00 +0000

Every year, when the holidays roll around, I inevitably hear people talk about how the holidays are too crazy. Too much going on. People taking too much on themselves. That with all the hustle and bustle we lose sight of the true meaning of the holiday season.

I'm here to admit that I am one of those people who overloads their schedule with projects and parties and people. But I LOVE it. To me, thats what makes the holidays so fantastic... for one whole month I lose myself thinking about other people, thinking about how I can show my love for friends and family and co-workers. By the end of the month I'm completely exhausted and ready for the new year to roll on in. But by the time the next December rolls around, I get excited all over again, thinking about all the fun stuff I'm going to make and do for the people in my life.

This year, December felt even more chaotic than usual, and it has been a true relief to spend the weekend putting all of my Christmas stuff away, cleaning my closet (and kitchen and bathroom and quilt room), catching up on the many neglected emails in my inbox, etc. etc.

I've decided to use today's post to provide all and sundry with a quick recap of my life this past month... Maybe it will inspire you to forgive my sporadic posting.

With my siblings at Thanksgiving. I cooked a turkey, corn bread stuffing (made the corn bread from scratch, yeah baby), roasted sweet potato cheesecake, and cranberry sauce. Yum!

The Saturday after Thanksgiving my sisters and I decided to do a Top Chef cook-off. I ended up making dessert. This is my attempt at Richard's Banana Scallops (season 4). For the record, this is a winner. So good. But I decided not to make the banana guacamole that went with it. That was a little too strange, even for me.

The first week of December, Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake has a huge fundraiser called the Festival of Trees. Individuals and companies donate decorated trees (or wreaths or gingerbread houses) to the festival. Before the festival officially opens to the public, people can purchase a ticket for the bidding night. I went with my sisters and my aunt that night because this year my mom's close college friends decorated and dedicated a tree to her. I had planned to bid on her tree, but with a starting bid of $675 it was a little out of my price range. I bid on a wreath instead and won! Very exciting.

This shot is also from Festival of Trees. I took this for JB. A gingerbread airplane and hangar! Awesome! If they had only had a NASCAR gingerbread house the night would have been complete.

I was in San Diego from the 12-14th for a friend's wedding. Highlights include an amazing Italian meal at a great restaurant in La Jolla, the wedding (of course), driving the Pacific Coast Highway from Laguna Beach to San Clemente, Trader Joes, Balboa Park, and best of all, a long, leisurely walk on the beach. Sometimes I really do miss southern California.

This is me, looking a little windblown, on Torrey Pines State Beach.

Balboa Park

Every year at Christmas I make homemade granola for my co-workers. I made the above batch with dried cherries and blueberries I picked up at Trader Joes.

Then I make little gift bags out of fabric for the granola. Above is the finished product. Cute, eh! It gives me such a thrill to make this every year. It's really easy, and everyone loves it.

This is my cute mom on the train on our way to see Neil Diamond on the 19th. I would have taken a picture at the concert but I ended up having to sneak my camera in, and as we were in the handicapped section, there were lots of ushers around and well, I didn't want to get in trouble. If you haven't yet had an opportunity to see Neil Diamond in concert, I highly recommend it. He sang all my favorite songs. During Sweet Caroline I closed my eyes for a moment and pretended I was back at Fenway Park. If only....

This photo is from 2 nights ago. My sisters and I were playing Sorry (obviously). Notice all the little green men, sitting in the Start bubble. Yeah, those are my guys. Then observe how my opponents have all of their little guys on the board. We had already gone through the cards 1 1/2 times, and I hadn't moved any guys out of start. None. It was thoroughly depressing.

Fast forward to another time and a half through the cards. Triumph was mine! Ahhh, winning is sweet.

Earlier today, trying out my pizzelle maker for the first time. I've wanted one of these for years, and then one of my good friends surprised me with it for Christmas. She is probably the only person on the planet I have ever confessed wanting this to, so it was a total and complete surprise. I was giddy the day she gave it to me. After making my first batch this afternoon, I OD'ed on pizzelles. They are so addictive. Can't wait to share them with the folks at work tomorrow, although come to think of it, most of our staff will still be out on vacation.

And finally, the recipe you've been waiting for... OK, you probably haven't been waiting for this, but this is the recipe that has caused me months of torment. I tried it again on Saturday and I now have both sisters' stamp of approval, so even though I think it could still be perfected, I figure its good enough to post.

烧饼 (Shao Bing)

These little babies are called shao bing. They're a Chinese flat bread. My favorite way to eat these is to grind peanuts and sugar together and then stuff that into the shao bing right when they come out of the oven. The hot bread melts the peanut/sugar mixture just a bit and it is so tasty. If that's not your thing, you can also whip up a basic stir-fry and stuff the stir fry into the bread instead of eating it over rice. Hopefully soon I'll have a stir-fry recipe on the blog specifically for shao bing. In the meantime, try the peanuts. I think you'll love it as much as I, and my sisters, do.

Roux:
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2/3 c. All-Purpose Flour

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat until very hot. Add the flour and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the flour is nut-brown and very fragrant. Remove from heat and let cool while you make the shao bing dough.

Dough:
4 1/2 c. self-rising flour
1 1/2 t. salt
3 T. sugar
3/4 c. very hot tap water
1 c. very cold tap water

Also:
Sesame Seeds
Spray bottle with tap water (or you can use a pastry brush and a bowl of water)

Combine dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. With the mixer running on low speed, add the hot water and the cold water in quick succession. Knead in the machine until smooth and elastic, approximately 4 minutes. Place dough on a lightly floured surface, knead briefly, form into a ball, and let rest under a kitchen towel for 10 minutes.

Divide the dough into 20 pieces. Let rest for 5 minutes on a floured surface under a kitchen towel.

This is where it gets a little tricky....
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Take a piece of dough and roll it into a 6-by-3 inch rectangle. With a pastry brush, brush a generous amount of the roux over the dough. Fold the dough into thirds, rotate the dough packet by 90 degrees, and roll it out a second time to make a 6-by-3 rectangle. Fold the dough into thirds again and roll it out briefly to make it about 2-by-4 inches. Spritz or brush the top of the dough with water. Fill a bowl with sesame seeds. Press the top-side (the side with the water) of the dough into the sesame seeds then place sesame seed side down on a baking sheet. Repeat with all the remaining pieces of dough.

Bake for 12 minutes, then take out the tray and flip the breads over. Bake for another 12 minutes.

Peanuts and Sugar Mixture:

2/3 c. roasted, unsalted peanuts (I buy mine at Trader Joes)
1/4 c. sugar

Place in a mini food processor/chopper. Mix until finely ground. Store in an airtight container.

Hallelujah!

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon) — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 15:57:00 +0000

Hey kids. I'm back baby, back! I know, I know - you thought you had seen the last of me. You thought, That's it. She gave up on the blog. She got bored, distracted, busy. No more Chinese food a la Shannon.

And then you stopped by the blog today and got yourself a little holiday surprise: me. Here. Blogging. It's a Christmas miracle, almost too good to believe. But hey, it's the holiday season and I wanted to do what I could to spread a little cheer.

I can't take full credit for this post however. I have to give a quick shout out to Erin and Amri for gently (at least in Erin's case) nudging me back in the direction of the blog. Many many thanks ladies for the extra, and highly needed, dose of motivation.

I feel like I can't let my two month absence pass without an explanation of some kind. This is what happened - I got a bad case of extreme stubbornness. This happens to me sometimes, but this year has been worse then most. Earlier this year, I avoided my quilt room for 6 months because I didn't want to work on this one nightmare quilt I had started, but I refused to start another quilt until I had finished that one.

In the blog's case, I had one specific recipe in mind for my next post. It's one of my favorite things and I was so excited about sharing it with all of you. Unfortunately however, the recipe is, well, complicated. And a tad tricky. I made it twice (this was months ago) but felt the recipe still needed a bit of work before it would be blog worthy. I posted instead about my trip to China and shared another recipe I had ready to go. Then I was done, and I needed to figure out the recipe I was now dreading. I couldn't face the thought of going through the whole process again, making a few changes, and then (perish the thought) having to possibly make it again! So rather than do the rational thing, and just make something else, I stalled. And stalled. And stalled some more.

This past week, due to an unexpected case of the flu, I hit upon another recipe I wanted to try: egg drop soup. Growing up, whenever I got the flu, my mom would feed me the following easy to digest items: soft-boiled eggs, white rice, chicken broth. As I was laying in bed feeling miserable on Wednesday night, I got to thinking about how none of the above sounded appetizing. However, if I combined two of them as an egg drop soup, I might have something. The perfect sick girl's food; something with enough flavor to actually be appealing, but still easy enough on the system to not cause alarm. If you, like me, manage to catch a case of the flu this winter, give this baby a try. I'm quite pleased with it. So much so that I'm almost looking forward to my next bout of the flu so I can test its efficacy as healing food.

Egg Drop Soup
Adapted from this recipe.

3 cups low-sodium chicken stock, plus 2 tablespoons
1" chunk grated fresh ginger
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. corn starch
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3 green onions, chopped
7 oz. soft tofu, diced (optional)
Salt and white pepper, to taste

In a small bowl, make a slurry by combining the cornstarch and 2 T. of the chicken stock. Stir until dissolved.

Combine the remaining chicken stock, grated ginger, and soy sauce in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Slowly pour in the cornstarch mixture while stirring the stock. Stir until thickened. Reduce heat to a simmer. Pour in the eggs slowly while stirring the soup in the same direction. The egg will spread and feather. Turn off the heat and add the green onions. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

A Lasting Influence

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 03:55:00 +0000

I've moved a lot in the adult-portion of my life.

View of the Puli valley.

In the 14 1/2 years since I graduated from high school, I've lived in the following places:

Boston, Massachusetts
Valencia, California
Farmington, Maine
Taiwan: Puli, Caotun, Taichung
Salt Lake City, Utah
Shanghai, China
Washington, DC area: Vienna and Arlington, Virginia

The list itself really isn't too long. But it becomes significantly longer if you add in the number of times I've moved between those place... Currently the count stands at 15 moves in those 14 1/2 years. Because of all those moves, I've come to know, quite well, the many different challenges inherent in settling into a new place.

Regardless of how many times I go through that process it never gets any easier. The only advantage I have found is that at least now I know better what to expect. It takes time to find your niche in a new place - to feel like you have found the people and the space where you fit. It is often hard and emotionally draining to work your way through that process with enough patience to avoid becoming depressed and frustrated on a regular basis.

With Pele, my missionary trainer and one of my all-time favorite people.

One of the lessons I've learned repeatedly, as I've weathered this process so many times over the years, is that people play an instrumental role in easing your way down the road. Never was this more true than on my mission. Any move is going to have its own unique difficulties, but few, in my experience, compare to the challenge of moving to a foreign country, with a foreign language and foreign customs. Add to that, a complete and total loss of independence and you are in for a sometimes difficult transitionary period.

With my fellow missionaries, on the roof of our apartment building, celebrating my birthday.

When I look back on my first few months in Taiwan, there are a few people who come to mind as playing a major role in helping me to adjust and acclimate to my new life there. Within that group, my thoughts always return with particular fondness to Huang Laoshi (Teacher Huang).

Pele and Huang Laoshi

During my first few months in Taiwan, Huang Laoshi's home felt like a refuge to me. Huang Laoshi had an illness that made it difficult for her to leave her home. For that reason, she could no longer work or attend church meetings. My companion and I tried to visit her about once every week or two in order to make sure that she was doing OK and to provide some companionship. Two things made Huang Laoshi's home such a haven for me: she spoke very good English, and she was a very nurturing individual. Also, she expressed her love, care and concern for others the same way I tend to - with food.

Huang Laoshi was an amazing cook and she loved having the missionaries over for dinner. She was the first person I met on my mission who invited me into her kitchen and taught me to make a dish or two. My notes on how to make soy milk came from her. She also taught me how to make passion fruit juice, sweet and sour pork, as well as my favorite Taiwanese dish: stir-fired chicken with soybeans and carrots. I've been making this dish since I returned from Taiwan. I love it. It is so simple, healthy and tasty. Every time I make it I remember visiting Huang Laoshi: making sweet and sour sauce, flipping pieces of fried pork out of the oil onto a waiting plate, sitting and talking in her cozy living room, slicing carrots, and maybe best of all, drinking tall, refreshing glasses of her homemake passion fruit juice. I haven't seen her since I left Puli in December of 1998, but I still miss her.

With Huang Laoshi

Stir-Fried Chicken with Soy Beans and Carrots

1.5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 large carrots
3 c. frozen, shelled edamame
4 green onions

1.5 T. corn or potato starch
4 T. sesame oil
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
2 T. soy sauce

Cut the green onion into 1" long sections. Then cut the sections into quarters so you have long slivers of green onion.

Cut the carrots into chunks about 1" long. Cut these chunks in half. Then very thinly slice the chunks so that you are left with large, thin slices of carrots (see final photo below for a visual). Put the carrots into a Ziploc bag, sprinkle in a little bit of water, seal, and then microwave for 2 minutes.

Cut the chicken breast into small cubes. Mix with corn starch, sesame oil, salt, pepper, and soy sauce. Let sit for approximately 15 minutes.

Heat a splash of sesame oil in a wok or saute pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken and stir-fry until cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a bowl, and then return pan to heat. Add the edamame and carrots and stir-fry until cooked to your taste (for me this is about 5 minutes, but check the carrots to make sure they are cooked the way you like). Add the chicken back to the pan along with the green onions. Stir-fry briefly, approximately 1-2 minutes. Serve.

Shanghai: Let Me Count the Ways...

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:29:00 +0000

We arrived in Shanghai after a 20-hour, overnight train ride. Even with tickets in the soft sleeper carriage, that was a little too much time on the train for me. Matters were not helped by the fact that all the toilets on the train were of the squatter variety and were not cleaned during the train ride. Draw your own conclusions on the state of the bathrooms a few hours into the trip...

Shanghai at night.

It was a relief (joy) to arrive in "my town", and even more of a relief to discover that our hotel was far nicer than expected - by far the nicest of our trip. If you ever travel to Shanghai, I highly recommend it - the Astor House Hotel. It is the oldest hotel in Shanghai and has hosted many distinguished guests, to include Albert Einstein (although, in true Chinese fashion, the hotel managed to misspell his name on the plaque commemorating his visit).

Carri on the train.

Some of my favorite moments from our two-and-a-half days in Shanghai...

Dinner at Simply Thai
Seeing the Incredible Hulk at 新天地 (Xin Tian Di) - my first movie theater experience in China
Hottie trumpet boy, not to mention great jazz and blues, at the Cotton Club
Dinner at Malones
Evening river cruise... where it was once again confirmed that I can't travel without running into fellow Mormons
The Silk Market - I only wish we had hit it our first day in Shanghai so I could have ordered a custom-made winter coat
Chinese acrobats at Shanghai Centre
The Pearl Market
Watching The Prestige on HBO with Carri... and then being totally bugged by how ridiculous the storyline was
And last, but most assuredly not least, Papa Beards cream puffs

Catching a cab at the hotel.

As a little bit of background on that last point... Before arriving in Shanghai, with the exception of a few visits to McDonalds (because its hard for me to pass up an opportunity to indulge in a deep-fried pineapple pie), we had eaten Chinese food for every meal since we arrived in China. Now, although I love Chinese food, I get burned out on any cuisine pretty quickly when it's all I eat. Because that was all we had eaten for almost two weeks, by the time we arrived in Shanghai I was DONE! with Chinese food.

The sitting area next to our hotel room.

Therefore, we didn't eat any Chinese food while we were in Shanghai. I just couldn't do it. We had Thai, Japanese, Italian, and American, but no Chinese food... this of course meant that I didn't eat any of the Shanghai specialties I was excited about prior to our trip. While it now makes me more than a little sad to realize that I passed up a chance to devour a basket or two of 小龙包 (little dragon dumplings), Shanghai was definitely the perfect city to take a culinary detour because my favorite restaurants from 7 years ago are still in business, and based on appearances, thriving.

At the Shanghai Museum.

While I was avoiding Chinese food, and rediscovering my favorite eateries from back in the day, I did make one new discovery - Papa Beards. I hit it twice while we there. I'm a sucker for a good cream puff and the ones at Papa Beards, while slightly unconventional, were decidedly tasty. I became a big fan.

At the Japanese photo booth shop... finished product below. Who knew decorating these shots could be so much fun? Well, I suppose Japanese girls have figured it out as that is where the craze started.

Anyway, our few days in Shanghai passed far too quickly, especially because it took me a good day and a half to realize that this was indeed the same place I lived in for 6 months of my life... it has changed so much I really didn't recognize it. Suddenly I found myself back in the States and I then started thinking about which dishes from the trip I wanted to recreate for my blog. Beijing and Xi'an were easy, no-brainers really. But Shanghai had my stumped. What to make for my Chinese cooking blog when I didn't eat any Chinese food while we were there?

At Xin Tian Di.

And then I remembered Papa Beards and the cream puffs. Definitely not Chinese, but in this particular case it seemed fair to diverge from my blog's stated purpose. Plus, I had never made cream puffs before so it did at least meet the requirement of providing me with an opportunity to further develop my culinary skills.

Blues at the Cotton Club.

I decided, in the spirit of Papa Beards, to create a somewhat untraditional cream puff. I combined a whole-wheat puff pastry dough with Devonshire Cream, a recipe my friend Jessica gave me that seemed perfectly suited for a cream puff filling. Then, for added punch, I topped the cream with fresh raspberries (although really any fresh fruit would be good). These were surprisingly easy and very tasty. If you like cream puffs as much as I do, give this recipe a try and then let me know what you think.

On the river cruise. Good times our last night in China.

Cream Puffs with Devonshire Cream

Whole-Grain Cream Puff Pastry (adapted from The Baking Sheet)
½ c. unbleached flour
¾ c. whole wheat flour
1 c. water
½ c. unsalted butter
¼ t. salt
4 large eggs

Combine the flours and set aside.

Put the water, butter, and salt into a saucepan, and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Remove it from the heat, and add the flours all at once. Stir vigorously. Return the pan to the burner and cook over medium heat, stirring all the while, until the mixture forms a boil—this should only take about a minute. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool for 5 to 10 minutes, to 140 degrees F. It will still feel hot, but you should be able to hold a finger in it for a few seconds. Transfer the dough to a mixer and beat in the eggs one at a time. The mixture will become fluffy. Beat for at least 2 minutes after adding the last egg.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the dough in a pastry bag with a ¾” diameter opening (you could use a Ziploc bag and cut off the corner if you don’t have a pastry bag). Cover 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Pipe the dough onto the baking sheet in mounds approximately 2 inches wide. Leave at least an inch space around each mound because the dough will expand as it cooks.

Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 degrees F and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Turn off the oven, open the door a crack, and leave the pastry inside to cool for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool completely.

Once cool, use a fork to cut off the top of the cream puffs. Fill the cream puff with Devonshire Cream and fruit.

Devonshire Cream (adapted from Joy of Cooking)
8 ounces mascarpone cheese
2 c. heavy whipping cream
2 t. vanilla bean paste
3 T. white sugar
zest of 1 lemon

Add all ingredients to a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat until the mixture holds its shape and looks like softly whipped cream. Refrigerate the cream until ready to use. This cream does not hold very well and should be made shortly before serving.

The Real China

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 02:45:00 +0000

I remember having a conversation with my friend Dave awhile back. Dave lived outside of Tianjin for a few years and in this one conversation he was expressing how he didn't like Beijing or Shanghai because they weren't the "real" China. I took mild offense at his words because I had lived in Shanghai so it felt like he was saying that I hadn't really experienced China. The point I made at the time (and hold to even now) is that China is a multi-faceted place. China is both the new and the old; big modern cities and little provincial country towns, luxury import cars and bikes that are 20 years old, wealth and poverty, capitalism and communism. So in my opinion, cities like Beijing and Shanghai are the "real" China... but only one side of it.

Carri, Pippa, and I outside Hua Shan. (Notice the nasty air.)

Xi'an is a great example of the other side of China. It's dirty, polluted, messy, poor. It's not the modern, clean developed face that China likes to present to the world. Scratch the surface of any Chinese city and you are bound to find the poor underbelly of modern China - migrant workers, disadvantaged minorities, crippling poverty. In Xi'an however, I feel like there is no effort made to disguise or hide this reality.

I really like Xi'an. I think the reason for this stems from the fact that I like places that have an obvious historical heritage. Places where the long road from antiquity to the modern day is still on display. Xi'an was the ancient capitol of China and the terminus for the Silk Road. Unlike most modernized (or modernizing Chinese cities), Xi'an's ancient city wall is still completely intact. Unusual for a Chinese city so far to the east, it also has a large Muslim population, and therefore, an interesting and vibrant Muslim Quarter. I was thrilled to have an opportunity to return to Xi'an on this trip (I first visited there in 2001) and while I think Christy was thrilled to leave, my desire to return again has not abated in the least.

The Terracotta Warriors

The two highlights of our 3 days in Xi'an, at least for me, were visiting Hua Shan (more on that in a moment) and the food. On the food front, I loved being able to buy fresh, obviously locally-grown, produce. Top of my list were pomegranates (so sweet and so fresh), sweet potatoes, and macadamia nuts.

About to chow down on a pomegranate.

Our first day in Xi'an we checked into the hotel, freshened up a bit, and then headed out to the Terracotta Warriors. Along the way we passed groves of pomegranate trees and when we arrived at the warriors I was delighted to find numerous merchants selling fresh pomegranates outside the gates. Before heading back into town at the end of the day, we each bought a few pomegranates that we munched on over the next few days.

Wood carving at a historical home in Xi'an.

Other food favorites from Xi'an included roasted sweet potatoes (one of my all-time favorite street foods), and the local Muslim food like yang rou pao mo (a lamb soup), sesame noodles, and a ground beef flat bread sandwich. At the very top of my list however, were the stir-fried noodles I picked up at a mini-night market heading back to our hotel after 2 hour massages one night. The girl making the noodles looked to be about 16 but she had her system down to a science. It was so much fun to watch her throw various ingredients into her wok, and then moments later be presented with a steaming hot bowl of incredibly tasty noodles. I think I could eat those every day.

Our favorite server at the Muslim restaurant.

Food aside, a definite highlight of the trip was visiting Hua Shan. Almost everything we did during our two weeks in China were things I have done before. I was perfectly happy to revisit cities/places because I wanted to share my favorite parts of China with my closest friends. However, it was a lot of fun to do one thing that was a new experience for all of us.

The somewhat terrifying ride up on the cable car.

Hua Shan is one of Taoism's five sacred mountains and is a major tourist attraction within China. It is also considered one of the most dangerous mountains in China. Per an information card at our hotel, it is known as the "mountain of extreme peril". At the ticket booth they give you the option of purchasing life insurance for 5 yuan (approximately 80 cents) along with your entrance ticket. Of course, I couldn't help but think that if I fell off the mountain my proof of insurance would fall right along with me.

Carri on Hua Shan.

As we were short on time we opted to ride the cable car to the top. At the top there are five peaks you can hike to. We spent almost 3 hours on Hua Shan and we only managed to make it to one, Central Peak. It was more than a little bit embarrassing to constantly find myself being passed by women in heels, 8 year old children, entire families (including grandparents)... when it comes to physical fitness as a societal ethos, China pretty much has America's butt kicked.

Chains of locks on Hua Shan.

One of the elements of our visit to Hua Shan that I loved the most was being able to participate in a tradition that is practiced on the mountain. Visitors to the mountain can buy padlocks from any number of vendors on the mountain. They will engrave the lock with a loved one's name. Then you find a section of chain on a part of the mountain that appeals to you (the chains are everywhere so this is not hard to do), lock your padlock there, say a prayer for your loved one while holding the key, and then toss the key off the mountain. This act signifies that the blessing/prayer you have requested for your loved one will never be removed. I thought it was lovely and had a lock engraved with my mother's name.

More locks. More view.

My trip recap aside you may be wondering if I have a recipe for you today. Good news! I do. The recipe for today is my attempt to recreate a dish we had the day we visited Hua Shan. We ended up eating lunch at a little restaurant in the town next to the mountain and this dish aside, the rest of the meal was pretty disastrous. It's the only meal from our trip that I look back on with a shudder. However, when we sat down I noticed that they had some roasted sweet potatoes sitting out where I could see them. Once the waitress saw my interest/adoration she promised to make us a house specialty with the sweet potatoes. I didn't know what would come out, but was delightfully surprised when a plate of sweet potato fries covered in caramelized sugar hit the table. Delicious! (Although admittedly, not too healthy.)

Christy enjoying sweet potatoes during our lunch outside Hua Shan.

Caramelized Sweet Potatoes

Potatoes (adapted from Cook's Country, June/July 2008):

1 c. cornstarch

3/4 c. club soda

2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" x 1/4" lengths

Peanut or vegetable oil for frying - my fryer uses 1 gallon of oil... if you are using a Dutch oven you will probably only need 2 quarts

Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees F.

Heat oil to 375 degrees F. While oil is heating, whisk cornstarch and club soda in a medium bowl. Place a cooling rack in the sink. Working in small batches, dip sweet potatoes in cornstarch mixture, allowing excess to drip back into the bowl and then place dipped potatoes on the rack in the sink.

When oil is ready, fry half of the potatoes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crisp, approximately 6-8 minutes. Drain fries on paper towel-lined baking sheet and transfer to oven. Return oil to 375 and repeat with remaining fries.

Caramel (adapted from Classic Chinese Cooking by Nina Simonds):

1 1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. water

Combine the sugar and water in a heavy saucepan. Heat slowly until the sugar has dissolved, stirring occasionally. Once the sugar has dissolved however, do not stir. Continue cooking the mixture over medium heat, occasionally brushing down the sides of the pan with a brush dipped in water (this will prevent crystals from forming). When the mixture has turned a light golden color (310 degrees F on a candy thermometer) and a chopstick dipped in the caramel spins a thin thread when lifted from the caramel, turn the heat to the lowest setting.

Prepare a large bowl with cold water and ice. Remove the fries from the oven. Working in small batches, dip the fries in the caramel and then immediately dip them in the water (this will harden the caramel coating). Place on a serving platter and continue until all the potatoes have been caramelized. Serve immediately.

The finished product.

Note: I don't work with caramel very often (read: never), so didn't really know what I was doing and thus learned a few important lessons the hard way. The biggest lesson was the need to keep the caramel on a low heat source so that it stays liquid. As soon as you are done dipping the fries, toss the caramel (tricky... not sure what to say as it will still be mighty hot... maybe dump it in a disposable aluminum pan) and rinse your pot immediately. I did not do this and as a result was treated to the joy of spending a good 20 minutes scrubbing hardened caramel out of my saucepan. Not fun. Second lesson, I made this alone mostly because I wanted to figure out the recipe so I could get it up on the blog. However, this would be a great desert to make with friends. You can invite everyone to dip their own sweet potatoes... almost like fondue.

Beijing 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 02:00:00 +0000

I made it back from China about two weeks ago, and then spent most of that first week recovering from jet lag, a nasty cold, and the shock of returning to my 9-5 job after two weeks away. It was, by far, my worst case of jet lag to date and I'm not sure what the reason for that might be. Could be age (sadly, I am getting older). Could be the fact that the cold had me worn down. Regardless, I didn't sleep a night through until I'd been home for almost a week. For all those reasons (and maybe more), getting a post up on my blog fell way to the bottom of my list of priorities.

At beach volleyball

I'm sufficiently recovered now to cease slacking off and get back into the blog. I had to spend a bit of time trying to decide how best to approach blogging about the trip, and in the end, decided to do three separate posts, each one devoted to one of the cities we visited. Today I'm focusing on Beijing.

I visited Beijing twice back in 2001 when I was living in Shanghai and although I enjoyed it, I never really loved the city. This time around however, I became a huge fan. During this trip at least, its fair to say that I even liked it more than Shanghai... words that feel almost blasphemous coming from my fingertips.

The city was beautiful. It felt so modern and new. It was clean. The streets were devoid of traffic jams thanks to Beijing's authorities limiting the number of cars on the road. The venues for the Olympic events were amazing. And of course, there was a fantastic feeling in the air because the Olympics had come to town.

Downtown Beijing

While we were in Beijing I woke up early every morning and went for a walk around our neighborhood. Mostly this meant that eventually I stumbled upon a park of some kind and then spent an hour or so wandering amongst the groups of people practicing tai chi, ballroom dancing, hacky sack, or some other physical activity like thigh slapping. I loved being out and about at a time of day when the chances of running into other foreigners were relatively limited and I could kind of quietly enjoy being immersed in Chinese culture again.

During our week in Beijing we visited the Summer Palace, the Great Wall, took a tour of the Hutongs (old Beijing neighborhoods), and even caught a Beijing Opera performance (actually more like an introduction to Beijing Opera for foreigners, but still). On Wednesday afternoon, while Carri and Christy were at whitewater kayaking, Pippa and I rented a couple of bikes and rode around the city. That afternoon is one of my favorite memories from the trip. Initially I was terrified by the idea of attempting to ride a bike amongst the cars and scooters and motorcycles and other cyclists. But in actuality, it was one of the easiest, safest cities I have ever ridden in. Add that to the wonder of riding through old Beijing neighborhoods one moment only to find oneself cycling past Tiananmen Square the next, and it was a truly delightful afternoon (thanks Pippa!).

With our French friends on the Great Wall.

As far as the Olympics go, I was able to see three events. The process of obtaining Olympic tickets was somewhat convoluted because China retained 75% of all seats for Chinese nationals. That didn't leave very many seats for the rest of the world. The US hired a private company to distribute their share of the tickets which meant the tickets were distributed via lottery. Once in Beijing it was quite the bummer to learn that apparently every American, Carri and I excepted, made out like bandits in the lottery, while we each got just 2 or 3 of the events we requested. Regardless, I felt lucky to even be able to attend three events. I ended up seeing Whitewater Kayaking, women's Beach Volleyball, and Track and Field. I had a blast at every event. I wore my Red Sox hat a couple of times and thereby managed to meet a few more members of Red Sox nation. Honestly, it acted like a beacon calling Red Sox fans to my side. Unfortunately, I was not so lucky with my 99 Carl Edwards NASCAR hat.

My favorite Olympic event was probably the beach volleyball (although I could have done without the lame scantily-clad cheerleaders). The most exciting match of the day was between Greece and Australia and it was the only match-up that actually went to three sets. Thanks to all the crazy Aussies in the stands it was far more entertaining than the earlier matches. However, being able to see track and field in the Bird's Nest was also a great experience. I am in love with that stadium. It was so fun to get inside and marvel at the crazy, but cool architecture.

Chinese fan at Badminton.

After talking to an American family at one of the events I now have a new life goal. I want to attend every Olympics. Possibly a tad "pie in the sky", but considering how much I love the Olympic games, it seems like a genius method for planning my future international travel. Vancouver 2010 anyone? My sisters are already on board and I'm pretty sure Carri is committed....

Breakfast

Before I sign off for the day however, I do have a few sour notes I feel compelled to mention. By the end of our week in Beijing I was very ready to leave. Sadly, the reason for my impatience to be gone was the way I felt China, and by extension its citizens, approached and handled the games themselves.

My favorite thing about the Olympics is being able to watch the entire world come together, to see/experience sporting triumphs by athletes from all over the world. It's never been about the United States for me. I love my country and its exciting to see our athletes do well, but I'm just as thrilled to see a Jamaican athlete kick our trash in track and field or India win its first ever individual gold medal. I knew China wanted these Olympic games to be a sort of "coming out" party for the nation as a whole, to be a way of announcing to the international community that China is a big kid now and ready to play ball. However, I didn't really envision how that would impact the games themselves.

Peking Duck

I can't deny that it's an amazing sporting feat for China to have won the haul of gold medals it did. Being in Beijing during the Olympics however, drove home the fact, again and again, that for China (and its people) these games were not about the world, or even about sport. They were about China. The rampant nationalism the games unleashed in Beijing had me feeling sick by the end of the week. If it had been accompanied by a respect for other nations or their athletes, it might not have bothered me so much. Unfortunately, seeing firsthand how the host nation only cared about cheering for its own athletes and teams drove me a bit mad.

Silk worms ready to BBQ

As an example, at beach volleyball as soon as the Chinese team finished their match, the Chinese spectators left the event. No joke. We found ourselves sitting in a stadium maybe a quarter full. The Chinese spectators didn't care to cheer on the other countries that had yet to play.

In our experience, and in talking to other foreigners at the games, it seemed like most events were like that. For one, most of the Chinese ticket holders didn't even go to the games, so every event had oodles of empty seats. Then the people who did go only cheered on Chinese athletes or teams. The television coverage also only focused on China. OK, I know NBC mostly focuses on US athletes, but at least they show everyone that has won a medal at the medal ceremonies. In China the camera would zoom in on whichever Chinese athlete had won gold, and they wouldn't even show the silver and bronze medalists, even if they happened to be Chinese. The television coverage also never showed a Chinese athlete losing or making a mistake. Instead the networks would re-air, again and again, the same clips of a select few Chinese athletes winning their events and accepting their medals.

Hot Pot

Add all that to the fact that the Beijing Organizing Committee desperately needed to hire a few international consultants on the food front and that is was almost impossible to buy flags or t-shirts for any country other than China (Chinese entrepreneurs, where art thou?) and I found myself very ready to be gone by the time Saturday rolled around.

I did eventually find a savvy entrepreneur outside the beach volleyball venue and was therefore able to buy an American flag for my last day of events. It was definitely a "hallelujah" moment, even if my American flag cost twice as much as the Chinese flags that were also on sale. I bought the flag anyway and waved it proudly at the two events I attended that day. Honestly, I was hoping that a combination of the flag, my USA t-shirt, and the American flag painted on Carri's cheek might enable us to make it onto the NBC broadcast. Sadly, those efforts seem to have been unsuccessful.

Hollow-heart vegetable at Bellagio, the Taiwanese restaurant

On the food front, Olympic Park at least had two McDonalds locations, so you weren't completely limited to the otherwise awful food offerings available everywhere else (never thought I'd find myself feeling grateful for McDonalds). There were, oh, about 7 food options and they were the same no matter where you went (unless they had run out of something, because you know, heaven-forbid we try to plan for those kinds of developments). The food options were: Oreo cookies, Snickers bars, breadsticks, a cold hot dog baked in a sweet bun and smeared with ketchup, saltine crackers, peach yogurt, and chocolate/marshmallow cookies. Drinks were cheap, but again, limited. For the most part the food was so lacklustre that it mostly inspired the foreigners to stay away from the refreshment stands and instead eat either before or after events.

Taiwanese shaved ice at Bellagio

On that note, it wouldn't be fair to go without mentioning that outside of the venues food in Beijing rocked. So tasty and so cheap. My favorite kind. The night Carri and I arrived I took her to a little place across the street from our hotel for a quick bite to eat. We ordered just two things: 空新菜 (hollow-heart vegetable) and 番茄炒蛋 (stir-fried tomatoes with eggs), but they were both delicious and deeply satisfying after spending so many hours on a plane. Over the course of the week we followed that meal up with dumplings and noodles and Beijing roast duck and Taiwanese food, and oh so much more. A repeated theme however, that entire week, was the tomato and egg combination that Chinese people love. As mentioned, we had the stir-fried version, but we also had a dumpling version and a noodle version, all of which were delightful. Stir-fried tomatoes and eggs has been one of my favorite Chinese dishes since I lived in Taiwan, so in honor of both Taiwan and China, I'm leaving you with a recipe for that today.

番茄炒蛋 (Stir-Fried Tomatoes with Eggs)

4 eggs

1/2 medium-size yellow onion, thinly sliced

2 lg. tomatoes

1 1/2 T. vegetable oil, divided

3/4 t. sugar

1/2 t. salt

Pepper - to taste

Cut the tomatoes into 1" chunks and set them in a colander to drain.

Beat the eggs in a small bowl.

Heat 1 T. oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Shake the colander with the tomatoes a few times to get rid of any excess liquid. Once the oil is hot, add the onions and stir-fry until slightly soft, approximately 3-5 minutes. Add the tomatoes to the pan and stir-fry briefly, about 1 minute. You want the tomatoes to retain their shape so you don't want to cook them for very long. Transfer the tomatoes/onions to a bowl and set aside.

Return the now empty pan to the heat and add the remaining 1/2 T. oil. Once the oil is hot add the beaten eggs. Quickly, but gently, scramble the eggs until they have just barely set. You want big soft clouds of egg. Add the tomatoes and onions back to the pan, sprinkle with sugar, salt, and pepper and then stir-fry briefly just to get everything mixed together. Serve with rice.

Red China

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 06:39:00 +0000

Hello All,

Tomorrow I leave for China. I'll be gone for 2 weeks so you won't be hearing from me here (although, let's be honest, I let weeks go by without posting all the time).

I'll be thinking about you (and my blog) while I am gone. Hopefully I'll be taking lots and lots of pictures of food (as well as, you know, the Great Wall and the Terracotta Warriors and some of the other wonders China has to share). I have a recipe ready to post when I return. In fact, I had hoped to post it this week, but it wasn't meant to be. Too much to do and not enough time.

I'll miss you (but really, not too much because I'll be in China).

Take Care,

For Picky Eaters

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 03:06:00 +0000

My 25th birthday cake, Shanghai, China (notice how many n's they used in my name...)

Months ago, when I first launched this blog, HK, a good friend of my family who has also been like a second father to me, asked if I would write something for him. He wanted me to write a short piece about food/dining etiquette for the missionaries he works with outside Reno, Nevada.

I promised to do so but then months passed and I never got around to actually writing the article. I've spent quite a bit of time however thinking about it because it's actually an issue that is near and dear to my heart.

Matt trying snake scales at a restaurant in Shanghai.

From a culinary perspective at least, Reno might be at the top of my list of non-scary food locales in the world. However, regardless of the fact that the missionaries there aren't likely to be served anything truly frightening, they will still refuse to eat food that they don't like/enjoy. This frustrates HK because he feels like this kind of attitude reflects poorly on the missionaries, and by extension, our church. For these reasons, he was hoping I could whip up a little literary something to help explain why it's important to be a more open-minded eater when you are in someone else's home.

BBQ squid at a night market in Taiwan.

I just want to make clear at the outset that I don't have any issues with specific, overarching dietary choices people make. I recognize and respect that people limit/control their diets due to many personal beliefs, convictions, and health concerns. I myself make choices about what I eat/drink based on my own religious beliefs. I do however lose patience quickly with people who don't have any defined dietary limitations but will refuse to eat something prepared specifically for them merely because they don't like it. The below article, which I sent to HK this week and have decided to also share with you, is directed at those individuals.

Here's hoping my thoughts on this topic don't deeply offend any of my readers. However, if you disagree, please feel free to comment and we can get a mini discussion going.

The Limits of Personal Preference

Americans are spoiled. We hear this a lot, and sometimes it's justified and sometimes it's not. In one particular area however, I have found this statement to be almost universally true. We are overwhelmingly spoiled when it comes to food. We are raised in a society where its OK to not like certain foods, and where, for the most part, our likes and dislikes are indulged rather than eradicated.

Pigeon head in Shanghai.

It seems to me however, that at a certain point in one's life, some of our pickiness can and should fall away in certain situations. In particular, when you are a guest in someone else's home the simple fact that you don't like something isn't really a good enough reason to refuse to eat it.

As a missionary in Taiwan, I didn't have the luxury of refusing to eat something that didn't appeal to me. From a cultural perspective, it would have been extremely rude to tell the host or hostess that I wouldn't eat something they prepared simply because I didn't like it. I can't pretend that I wouldn't sometimes try to avoid certain dishes on the table, but it was never overt and I was rarely successful. Taiwanese people have a habit of putting food in your rice bowl, and once it is there you really have no choice but to eat it. Because I wasn't always able to avoid food I didn't want to try, I've tried such lovely dishes as Stinky Tofu, Rice in Pigs Blood, and Cow's Stomach.

Kenny's birthday BBQ in Taiwan.

Unfortunately, in America we don't seem to have this sense of propriety when it comes to eating in other people's homes. Even as adults, we feel like we can simply explain that it's a food we don't like. With friends and family that is usually fine. But as a guest in the home of someone you have only recently met, it should not be OK.

When people open their homes and their kitchens to you, it's important to graciously accept whatever food they have prepared on your behalf. Although this may not be widely acknowledged in our culture, I still feel that a host or hostess will be much more impressed/favorably disposed to a guest who tries all the food that has been prepared. Every dish requires time, effort, and money on the part of the cook. To be told that something will go to waste simple because the guest doesn't like it is probably the quickest way to find yourself in your host's bad graces.

Hot pot in Shanghai.

Thanks to my time in both Taiwan and China, I have fallen in love with many foods that I hated as a child. I have a wise friend who pointed out that as a child there were many foods she didn't like but when she gave them a chance as an adult, she found that she really liked them. Our palates change both as we grow and as we encounter more of the world. If we stick to the limits we impose on ourselves as children, we close ourselves off from many of the great things the world has to offer. While food may only be one small aspect of our life experience, it's probably the way in which our lives are the most often and most immediately impacted. (The End)

In honor of off-putting foods, I'm pairing today's musings with a recipe for mussels. I thought this recipe would have more of a Chinese flavor to it, but although I was mildly disappointed on that score, I was, on the whole, thrilled with the end result. Delightful. Mussels are one of those foods I came to love while living in Asia, but if you haven't yet been converted, give this recipe a try one night (preferably with someone who already does love mussels so if you still find yourself unconvinced they won't go to waste).

Black Bean Mussels

Adapted from this recipe in Gourmet magazine

2 lb mussels, scrubbed and beards removed - I bought my mussels at Salt Lake's most respected fish market but as it turned out, they no longer sell fresh mussels. The fishmonger explained that they had too many problems with bad mussels when they were buying them fresh so now they sell a brand of pre-cooked, frozen mussels. I was a little skeptical, but they turned out great so you should be fine with either fresh or pre-cooked/frozen in this recipe.

1/4 c. diced red bell pepper

1/4 c. diced yellow pepper

1/4 c. finely chopped red onion

1/4 c. finely chopped scallions

1 T. minced garlic

1 T. minced fresh ginger (I used my Microplane for this, so it was grated, not minced)

1 T. Chinese fermented black beans, rinsed in cold water (available at Chinese grocers)

1 c. heavy cream

2 T. rice wine

1 1/2 t. soy sauce

1 1/2 t. oyster sauce

1/2 c. chicken broth

1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large, heavy pot and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then tightly cover and cook over moderate heat until all the mussels open wide, about 3-6 minutes. Discard any mussels that remain closed after 6 minutes.

My Beverage of Choice

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 03:36:00 +0000

When I got my mission call to Taiwan, aside from being generally ignorant of what waited for me there and overwhelmingly confused by the fact that I was going to Asia and not France (as I not so secretly hoped), at least one element of life in Taiwan had me seriously excited: soy milk. Random, I know.

My first taste of soy milk at the MTC.

I don't remember now why soy milk had me so excited. It might have had something to do with the high calcium content in soy beans. At a relatively young age I watched my grandmother suffer the often excruciating pain of osteoporosis, so the importance of incorporating calcium into my diet made a lasting impression on me.

Or it might have had something to do with the fact that a number of my friends in high school were vegetarian, and for that reason I was excited about making soy milk part of my diet.

Regardless of the reason, I was determined to not just like, but LOVE, this beverage. That determination may have made me more open-minded than some of my fellow missionaries. Whereas most of the Americans I served with eventually came to like soy milk, I was a die-hard soy milk convert from day one.

The thing about soy milk in Taiwan is that every little breakfast place/stand makes it fresh daily, so it's a much different beverage from the stuff you buy here in the States. You go down to your favorite place for a 汉堡 (hamburger), 蛋饼 (dan bing), or 油条 (you tiao) and you grab a cup of fresh soy milk to go with it. In Taiwan its always sweetened and generally you have the choice of buying it hot or cold. Taiwanese breakfasts are one of my favorite food things on this planet and soy milk is a major reason for that.

However, despite my love of freshly-made soy milk, up until recently I had never tried to make it myself. As it turns out, that was silly because it's ridiculously easy. In the past month I have made it 3 times. When I told a couple of friends I was working on this for the blog they were shocked that you could make soy milk at home. You can, and in my humble opinion, should. Although the entire process takes about a day, the actual hands-on time required is minimal, and that minimal amount of effort is well-worth the end result.

豆浆 (Soy Milk)

- This really is an easy recipe (Look! Only 3 ingredients!). You may look at my lengthy instructions and get freaked out, but don't. I just wanted to be really clear about each of the steps, but it is a simple process.

2 c. dried soy beans - You can buy these at Asian grocers. I assume you can also buy them at places like Whole Foods.

7 c. water

Approximately 1/2 c. sugar, although you should sweeten it to your taste

Supplies: Cheesecloth

Soak soy beans in a large bowl of water for approximately 12 hours (or overnight). Discard any beans that immediately rise to the top. I like to put the soy beans in a big bowl in the morning and let them soak all day. Then before I go to bed I do the next step...

Drain/rinse soy beans. Add the rinsed beans to a blender and add the 7 cups of water. Puree until the beans are broken down into very small pieces. I do this in 2 batches. After each batch dump the blender contents into a large pot and cook over medium high heat for about 20-30 minutes. You'll want to keep a close eye on the pot and stir it often. The soy beans will settle on the bottom of the pot and can burn easily, which as I learned in Taiwan, yields a very unpleasant beverage. I'll be honest though, I don't keep a very close eye on my pot. I tend to stir it every 5 minutes or so, but I'm careful not to stir the contents on the bottom so that if they do burn, I don't infuse the whole pot with that flavor. So far that has worked just fine.

After you've cooked the soy milk mix you want to strain it through a couple layers of cheesecloth. I like to let the pot sit on the stove overnight so that the milk cools down. Then in the morning I line a colander with a little linen bag that a woman in Taiwan gave me. As most of you will not have one of those, just use a couple layers of cheesecloth. Put the colander over a pot and then pour the soy milk mixture into the colander. Once you have poured it all in, grab the ends of the cheesecloth and squeeze out as much of the milk as you can. Obviously, if you try to do this right after you have finished boiling the soy milk, its somewhat painful, which is why I let it sit for a little bit. Discard the soy solids and put the pot back on the stove. Add sugar to taste, and heat briefly over medium-high heat. You just want to get the sugar dissolved and the milk warmed up again because warm soy milk, especially in the morning, is one tasty treat. If you decide you're not a fan of hot soy milk, by all means, skip this step. Just add the sugar and you are good to go. The milk will keep for a couple of days in the fridge.

If you try this and find you like it, the recipe scales up very easily. You can't really go wrong with the amounts. Just add a good amount of water when you blend the beans because then you will have a larger batch. I usually figure 3 c. of water for 2 c. of soaked soy beans.

Homecoming

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:57:00 +0000

Its been almost 7 years since I left China in December of 2001. I never dreamed it would take me this long to make my way back again, and yet, life has a way of taking us down unexpected paths. While we go about living our day to day lives, doing what needs to be done, years pass and some of our dreams and aspirations are sacrificed as the vision we have of life changes.

For a long time I assumed that I would live most of my life in Asia. I thought that after I graduated from college I would return to either China or Taiwan and spend, basically, the rest of my life there. But when I finally graduated I decided to move back to Boston instead, and from there life, as it is wont to do, took me down another path.

My trip to China next month has been many years in the making, but now that it is almost upon me, I can't help but feel fully the truth of the saying, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

I decided to go to Beijing for the Olympics in the summer of 2001. I can pinpoint the exact moment in fact. It was a Friday night in Shanghai and I had just enjoyed dinner at Pizza Hut with a couple of friends. After dinner we walked down to Nanjing Rd.（南京路）to watch and wait with a gathered crowd as the International Olympic Committee announced which city would host the 2008 Olympic Games. As Beijing was announced the crowd went wild and I vowed that I would make it to those games.

This week, as I held my Olympic tickets in my hand, my trip next month suddenly felt real for the first time.

Many things had to align to make this trip happen and yet somehow, they all have. I have tickets to 7 Olympic events, a plane ticket that, miraculously, did not completely break the bank, hotel reservations in the 3 cities we'll be visiting, and best of all, 3 fantastic friends to travel with. Now that the trip actually feels real (and I've confirmed that Air China has given me back my seat on the plane) I can hardly wait to go. I'm giddy with excitement and thrilled to have an opportunity to share a place I love so much with a few of my closest friends.

Before leaving you today, I wanted to share a dish I first tried in Shanghai. This dish is actually pretty common in American Chinese restaurants so there is a good chance many of you have tried it before. Making it at home was a bit of a revelation for me. Its so easy, but honestly, so tasty. When I made it for the first time I decided on the spot that this would be my new go-to recipe when I want to impress people with my Chinese cooking skills. If you give it a try, let me know what you think.

Spicy Green Beans with Hoisin Sauce and Garlic

Adapted from Kylie Kwong's Simple Chinese Cooking

Note on peppers: You can use any pepper in this recipe, but I call for red ones below because they look pretty. Pick a pepper that complements your desired spiciness, and remember that you can remove the seeds if you want to lessen the heat. If you pick a spicy pepper be sure to wear gloves when cutting/working with the pepper.

2 lbs. green beans, stem ends trimmed

4 T. extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 t. salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 red chilies, sliced into thin rings

3 T. hoisin sauce

3 cloves of garlic, finely minced

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. vegetable oil

Optional (but highly recommended): Maldon Sea Salt, flakes

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat oven to 475 degrees. Line 2 heavy-duty rimmed backing sheets with aluminum foil. In a medium bowl toss the green beans with olive oil, salt, and a few grinds of pepper.

Spread the green beans out on your baking sheets and roast until tender, slightly shriveled, and slightly browned, approximately 15 minutes.

While the beans are cooking, combine the chilies, hoisin sauce, garlic, salt, and vegetable oil in a large saute pan. Cook sauce briefly over medium-high heat, approximately 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Once beans have finished roasting add the beans to the sauce and cook over high heat for 2-3 minutes until the beans are thoroughly coated and the sauce feels a bit sticky. Serve immediately.

If you have Maldon sea salt, sprinkle the salt over the beans after you've put the beans on a serving platter. I can't tell you how much I love the taste of the salt with these beans. The salt melts just a bit and provides a wonderful flavor. To be honest, Maldon sea salt is good on everything. I love it. If you haven't tried it before I recommend picking some up. Or just come over to my place one night and try some of mine.

Leaning Towards Laziness

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 01:46:00 +0000

A while ago, when I was having a hard time getting motivated to do any cooking for this blog, I had a brainstorm one night. I thought I could indulge my laziness and still come up with something for the blog by introducing my dear readers to various products found in Chinese supermarkets. At the time, I popped open a can of Apple Sidra, took a few pictures, penned a few words, and voila! A blog post with very little effort involved.

However, it seemed like a cop-out at the time so I never posted it. But as I've thought about it since then though, I've decided that the idea has some actual merit. Chinese grocery stores/markets are popping up all over the place. There is even a great one around the corner from my apartment here in suburban Utah. Asian markets are great because most of the products, to include (most importantly in my opinion) produce, are cheap. If your only goal is to pick up some fruits and vegetables and maybe some fish, then you don't need an education in Asian cuisine to shop there. However, if you are willing, and maybe a little bit daring, there is a world of fun products to be found throughout the store. The question is, where to start? Without a guide of some kind, I think it can be hard, possibly overwhelming, to pick out products that are likely to suit your palate. That's where I come in. Every now and then I'll post an introduction to one of my favorite Chinese products. If it sounds like something you are likely to enjoy, or piques your curiosity, you'll hopefully be able to pick it up at a Chinese market near you.

Peanut Rice Balls

I'll just say right now that I love food products made from glutinous rice. It may be an aquired taste, but for whatever reason, I love it. In Taiwan you can eat glutinous rice all sorts of ways. In my second area, 草屯 (Cao Tun), there was a little lady who rode around town on a bicycle with glutinous rice and a couple different filling options. You'd flag her down and she would make little glutinous rice packets stuffed with the filling of your choice (sugared ground peanuts for me). At dim sum I love ordering the deep fried sesame balls, where the sweet filling is enclosed in a ball of glutinous rice and then rolled in sesame seeds. There is something about the slick, sort of sticky texture of glutinous rice that I really like, so I'll admit that it's not so much the flavor, as the texture, that has won me over.

Anyway, at some point during my mission one of my Taiwanese companions introduced me to these little peanut rice balls. You buy them frozen at the grocery store and can also buy ones stuffed with black sesame seeds (芝麻) or red beans (红豆). You bring a pot of water to boil, throw in a little bit of sugar to sweeten up the water, and add as many of the balls as you want. Let them boil for about 7-10 minutes and then serve. I pour them into a bowl with a little bit of the "broth". You don't actually drink the broth, but just fish out the balls.

This is obviously not fine dining, but for those of us with a strange passion for glutinous rice, its a quick and easy way to get a fix whenever the urge strikes.

FYI, this is my favorite brand. It's from Taiwan and is actually the same brand I ate when I lived there. I've tried other brands and the rice balls have fallen apart pretty easily in the water, which I don't like. You want a ball thats got enough body to keep the filling inside while it boils away.

Addendum: Spicy Sichuan Beef

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 06:35:00 +0000

Tonight I had a BBQ at my parent's house in honor of my friend Lyn and her husband Adam who are visiting from New Hampshire. I meant to take lots of pictures. Made sure to put my camera in my bag and pulled it out when I got to the house. But alas, somehow the whole evening passed without my taking even one shot. I probably should have remembered to bring my camera outside with me if I was planning on taking pictures.

Anyway, aside from being bummed that I didn't get any pictures of their kids, or even of us, I'm also bummed because I had meant to take a picture of one of the items I prepared. I decided to BBQ kebabs, and found a couple of recipes online that looked good. But thinking back on one of my last posts, I also really wanted to try grilling steak with the Hoisin sauce from the Spicy Sichuan Beef.

I ended up trying it out on a steak kebab. I don't really have a recipe, because I just worked off of the sauce from the Sichuan Beef post. I used jalapenos this time, but totally cut out the spice by removing the ribbing and seeds (my parents have been frustrated with me of late because they claim everything I cook is too spicy for them to eat). I finely chopped the peppers and sauteed them in a little bit of oil with some grated ginger and finely minced garlic. After about 5 minutes I added approximately 1/3 c. Hoisin Sauce, mixed well, and let it cook for a few minutes more. I then let it cool. I cut the steak into cubes and about an hour before I wanted to put it on the grill I mixed it with the Hoisin sauce in a Ziploc bag. Before grilling I slid the meat onto skewers and then grilled 'til done. Everyone loved them. Very tasty. So I definitely recommend this method of preparation. You could easily add some veggies to the kebab (any kind of pepper would be good). Last note, I didn't use the Sichuan salt and pepper because I didn't want the mouth-numbing flavor. If you like that taste and have some of that mix lying around, I'd recommend sprinkling it on the kebabs when they come off the grill.

Carry Me Back to Old Virginny

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 04:52:00 +0000

At the beginning of May, my sister and I traveled back to Virginia for the Richmond NASCAR race. It was a great weekend, because although I lived in Virginia for over 2 years, I never spent any time in Richmond.

As we learned over the weekend, Richmond is a great city to explore. It has a rich history, vibrant cultural life, wonderful restaurants and beautiful old neighborhoods. For many years now, as various members of my family have lived or traveled on the East Coast, we have loved exploring Civil War battlefields and sites. Richmond, of course, played an integral role in the South throughout the Civil War, so it was very interesting to visit Civil War sites within the city. I finally visited the White House of the Confederacy, where a quite burly man decked out in General Stonewall Jackson gear intimidated me just a little. We drove Monument Avenue, where I snapped the below pic of the statue commemorating the great Confederate Calvary general JEB Stuart. We visited the brand new Civil War museum, built at the Tredegar Iron Works on the banks of the James River (I highly recommend the museum if you ever find yourself in Richmond).

However, the one element that made the weekend particularly entertaining, considering our reason for being in Richmond, was meeting other NASCAR fans and crews as we wandered the city. At the Civil War Museum we even met a couple of pit crew guys for the 83 Red Bull Toyota. To my everlasting regret, I did not get a picture with them. Maybe next time. That lesson has definitely been learned.

And of course, we went racing. The crowd in Virginia was decidedly different from the crowd we encountered in California when we went to the race in Fontana last fall. There were more than a few moments when we kind of caught ourselves asking how we ended up at a NASCAR race in the heart of tobacco country surrounded by, hmmm, not-so-gentlemanly types wearing, I'll be honest, offensive t-shirts. Thank goodness that was just Friday night. Saturday we had a blast. Everyone around us was great, with the exception of the man behind me who, oh so kindly, offered me a pinch of his snuff. If I didn't believe wholeheartedly that he was mocking me (I don't know, maybe my Trader Joes Oriental Rice Cracker mix and bottled water gave me away as an a-typical NASCAR fan) I might have warmer feelings for even him.

Anyway, what does all this have to do with today's recipe? Well, today's dish is something I have craved since I moved to Utah last year. When I was living in Virginia someone, I don't remember who, introduced me to Endo Sushi, a little Sushi place in McLean. I loved that place. I'll admit that I'm really not much of a sushi connoisseur. I like it, but I'm not super-educated or super-adventurous when it comes to sushi. I love going for sushi with people who really know sushi. I can have them order, and I always love what I get. But when I go alone I tend to stick to the few things I feel really comfortable with.

I loved Endo not for their sushi, which I do like, but instead because they served a cold tofu salad with lunch. It had a wonderfully tangy dressing and I loved it. I've actually thought about it a lot since I left Virginia but really had no clue how to go about trying to recreate it. Then, right before I left for Virginia I made a recipe one night for my brother and sister-in-law that sounded like it might fit the bill. Although it was good, it really didn't come close to imitating the salad I remembered. I thought about Endo, and this salad in particular, the whole weekend I was in Virginia, but unfortunately never had a chance to make it there for lunch. When I got home I decided to give the salad another go, and was finally able to work out a version that comes pretty darn close to the salad I remember. I'd gladly serve this salad to anyone. I actually did serve it to my parents, who thought it far too spicy, and yet I still caught my Dad going for seconds. I think its a great way to introduce tofu to the uninitiated so give it a try and let me know what you think.

Chilled Tofu Salad with Spicy Dressing

1 package Silken tofu, chilled - I like the kind you find in the refrigerated section, packed in water

Dressing:

3 T. light soy sauce

2 T. finely chopped cilantro stems - If you can find cilantro with the roots still on, chop those too

1 1/2 T. grated/minced ginger - I use my Microplane for grating ginger (see above photo). This is quite possibly my favorite kitchen tool.

4 green onions, finely chopped - use white/light green section only

2 T. Kecap Manis - This is a sweetened soy sauce you can find in Asian grocers

1 1/2 T. rice vinegar

1/2 t. chili oil

1/2 t. sesame oil

1/4 t. red pepper flakes

1/2 T. sugar

1/8 t. salt

Combine all dressing ingredients and whisk until well blended. Drain the tofu, and cut into slices. Carefully invert tofu into serving bowl. Silken tofu breaks up really easily so you want to be as gentle as possible with it. Pour dressing over tofu. Serve.

Minor Frustrations

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon) — Wed, 21 May 2008 01:02:00 +0000

Aside from the recipe at the end of this post, what I am about to write has nothing to do with China, Taiwan, or Chinese cooking. Instead it deals with one of my greatest pet peeves associated with living in Utah.

It's all about garlic. Or namely, my inability to buy fresh garlic in this state.

You probably can't tell, but in the below picture I have some minced garlic on the cutting board. Then, off to the far right side of the picture, next to my peeler you will see a couple of cloves of seriously sprouted garlic. As a bonus, you also get to see how messy my kitchen often looks when I cook.

Right before I took this picture I had a moment of extreme frustration brought on by the fact that the garlic I had bought a few days earlier had sprouted to such an extreme extent. This is a constant source of frustration for me, hence its high rank on my current list of pet peeves. I realize most people have big issues to deal with. I actually have my own fair share of "big" issues that I am trying to stay on top of. But every single week, when I go to the store, all my other frustrations and pet peeves and annoyances fade to the background because I am once again engaged in a fierce battle to find fresh, unsprouted garlic.

Whenever I am at the grocery store I sift through the whole bin of garlic looking for a head or two that has not already sprouted. I can't think of one time when I have been successful. I have tried every version of a grocery store in the greater Salt Lake City area: the regular grocery stores (i.e. Albertsons and Smiths), the specialty stores (i.e. Liberty Heights Fresh and The Store), and the organic grocers (i.e. Wild Oats). All to no avail. I've paid ridiculously high prices for a head here and there, thinking if I spend more I should be getting fresher garlic, but sadly, all of my efforts (and hard earned coin) have been spent in vain.

Although I'd like to be more of an environmentalist, I can't help but feel that if I am able to get fresh fruit year-round because its grown in Chile, shouldn't I also be able to purchase a head or two of unsprouted, fresh garlic every now and then?

Anyway, I can't think of this dish now without remembering my garlic frustrations. There I was, an hour away from wanting to have 3 finished Chinese dishes on the table for my brother's family, a small supply of seemingly unusable garlic, and no time to run to the store. Having no other choice, I did what I always do. I peeled it, cut the cloves in half, pulled out the sprout, and used the little that was leftover.

My frustrations aside, it worked out just fine. No off flavors and no bitterness. Garlic is a champ that way. It delivers even when it is past its prime (if only I could say the same for myself). Kirk and Anne loved it, and I can't wait to make this again. But still, when I think of that night I can't help but long (lust really) for just one head of unspoiled, fresh garlic.

It would seem however, that if finding fresh garlic is going to be the overriding priority in my life I probably should be making plans to move back to California.

Sichuan Beef (四川牛肉）

Adapted from Simple Chinese Cooking by Kylie Kwong

Couple of Notes:

- The technique I used to cook the meat is the one that Kylie Kwong uses. It definitely gives the beef a different sort of texture, but honestly, I'm not sure that's enough of a reason for the extra fat the meat likely absorbs while being, basically, deep-fried. The next time I make it I'm going to just stir-fry the beef in a little bit of oil. Also, its easier for me to tell when the meat is done if I stir-fry it.

- I actually think you could throw all the sauce ingredients together and brush it on steaks on the grill for a yummy summertime dinner. I'm going to try that sometime soon. Will let you know how it works out...

1 lb. sirloin steak - Actually, as usual, you can use any cut of beef. I just like sirloin.

1 1/2 c. + 1 T. vegetable oil

2-3 large red chiles, thinly sliced. You can take out the seeds and ribs if you want less heat. The quantity also depends on how much heat you like.

1 T. finely minced ginger

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 1/2 T. hoisin sauce

2 t. Sichuan Pepper and Salt (recipe here) - If making this salt is too fussy, you can just use regular salt and pepper

1/2 c. finely sliced scallions

Extra pinch of Sichuan Pepper and Salt

Wrap the meat in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for approximately 30 minutes or until a little bit firm (this makes it easier to cut the meat into thin strips). Remove the plastic wrap and cut the beef into 1/4" x 1/4" strips.

Heat 1 1/2 c. oil in a saute pan. Add half the beef and stir-fry for one minute. Stir the meat constantly while it is cooking to prevent the strips from sticking together. Line a plate with a couple layers of paper towels. Remove the meat from the pan and let it drain on the plate. Repeat process with remaining meat.

Once the meat is cooked, pour the oil out of the pan and wipe the pan clean. Heat the remaining 1 T. oil in the clean pan over medium heat. Once hot, stir in the chili, ginger, and garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly to prevent the garlic from burning. Add the hoisin sauce to the pan and stir quickly to combine ingredients. Then add the beef and stir fry for about 30 seconds. Add the Sichuan salt and pepper, stir-frying for an additional 30 seconds. Add the green onions and stir to mix well. Transfer the beef to a serving platter and sprinkle with a little more Sichuan salt and pepper.

For Toni

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon) — Sat, 10 May 2008 14:34:00 +0000

Toni was my companion for three months in my second area, Caotun (aka Nantou aka Zhong Xing Xin Chun... for the sister missionaries it was really three areas in one). She was my first, and really only, trainee. She is also the only companion I have stayed friends with post-mission. I had other companions I thought I would stay in touch with, and for a little while I did. But over time we've lost track of each other.

My most memorable moments in Taiwan with Toni, unfortunately, involved numerous bike accidents I was involved in, most of which were my own fault. Toni managed our three months together with nary a scratch, but I somehow found myself in 5 scrape-ups involving my bike. While we were companions I managed to ride (full-speed ahead) into a parked car, into an Elder (who was on his bike at the time, so its not like I ran him down), and (this one at least, not my fault) got taken down by a woman riding a scooter whose billowy jacket got a little too close to my handlebars. As most of my friends can attest, any one of these bike accidents makes a great story, but when Toni does the retelling, the stories get even more entertaining ("Surely Sister Stowell is going to move around that parked car in her path any moment now...")

Since our missions I have introduced Toni to Boston and taken her to my favorite haunts in LA. In turn, she introduced me to the wonders of the Lone Star state, to include horseback riding, an entertaining sound and light show involving a Texas-sized painting of the Day of Pentecost, a rodeo (my first), and even real, live Texas long-horn cattle (very cool in the flesh).

For all of these reasons and more, I feel more than a little guilty that it has taken me, oh, almost 10 years to finally give Toni the below recipe. This is truly authentic Taiwanese home cooking, as attested by the below handwritten recipe, lovingly supplied, per Toni's request, by one of our favorite people in Taiwan, Fan Tai Tai. I ended up with the recipe, I think, because I was supposed to translate it for Toni. I began the translation, as evidenced by my handwritten notes, but I honestly don't think I ever actually gave a translated version to Toni (sorry Toni). So 10 years later, here we are... I have translated and tested the recipe, and am now ready to (finally) share it with Toni, and by extension, all of you. Enjoy.

青椒牛肉 (Beef with Green Peppers)

3 green peppers - cut into thin strips

1 lb. beef - I like using sirloin steak for my stir-fried, but really, you can use whatever sounds good to you

1/2 t. pepper

3 t. corn starch

2 T. wine - I used Chinese cooking rice wine. You can use white wine, or even white wine vinegar if you have that on hand.

Salt - to taste

1-2 T. canola oil

Put the meat in the freezer for about 15-30 minutes. Then take it out and cut it into 1/4" x 1/4" strips. Mix the beef with the pepper, corn starch, and wine.

Add oil to saute pan or wok and heat over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the meat and brown for about one minute. Then add the peppers and salt and reduce heat just a bit. Continue cooking until the meat is cooked through and the peppers are slightly soft, approximately 7-10 minutes.

Comfort Food

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon) — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 14:20:00 +0000

Comfort food has a lot of different variations in my mind. There is the comfort food we think of in a cultural context. Here in America the term tends to invoke images of homemade, down-home cooking. Then there is the comfort food that we each individually define as such based on our own experiences or family traditions. And then there is the kind of comfort food that just sounds "right" on given days or in given seasons. For example, when its snowing outside and all I want to do is hunker down on the couch wrapped in a warm blanket, nothing sounds better than a bowl of my grandfather's chili and a slice (or two) or my homemade corn bread. At the height of summer when it stays light until after 9:00 pm here in Utah, my ultimate comfort food tends to consist of hamburgers cooked on my mom's grill served with potato salad and corn on the cob (and a Coke, but darnit, I'm trying to kick that habit).

There are a lot of reasons I love food, but certainly somewhere near the top of the list, are the cultural associations and traditions that define food in both a wider social context and more narrowly, on an individual level. We each have our individual likes and dislikes and they don't always make sense, even to our own families. A couple of mine... whenever I eat macaroni and cheese (not the orange death stuff, but the real, creamy, homemade kind) I have to douse it in ketchup. This is a lingering taste leftover from my childhood. I assume it started because I must not have liked the mac-n-cheese my mom made, but would eat it if I could add ketchup. My mom claims that adding ketchup to the mac-n-cheese was not her idea, but in my opinion, it seems like a sneaky mom trick to get a kid to eat something they are refusing to touch. Another food I developed a taste for early in life, although it was relatively unheard of in southern California is grits. My favorite meal growing up, aka the ultimate comfort food in my young, and as yet unsophisticated opinion, was grits casserole. Every birthday for years that is what my mom would make for my birthday dinner. Certainly the credit or blame, depending on your point of view, for my early love of all things grits goes to my father. But that still leaves a lot of unanswered questions because he grew up in Nevada, and I don't think grits was a particularly common element of cooking there either.

Planting rice in Puli.

Having lived in Taiwan and China for a total of 2 years, I now have a short list of Chinese comfort foods - foods that for me invoke the same feelings of coziness and down-home cooking that I associate with American comfort foods. As I've thought about this post, I realized that I've already posted 2 of my favorite Chinese comfort foods, the stir-fried cabbage with garlic and the dumplings. Today I wanted to share another favorite Chinese comfort food, egg fried rice. One of the reasons I love egg fried rice is because at its most basic, which is my favorite version, its nothing more than a way of cleaning leftovers out of the fridge. Yet the end result is homey and delicious.

In my first area in Taiwan, a little town in the center of the island named Puli, we had one particular place we always went for fried rice. This place made the best fried rice I ate the whole time I was in Taiwan. As an added bonus, they always gave you a choice of adding either hot sauce or ketchup once the rice was cooked. Its probably not hard to guess which one I went for. The ketchup of course. Because Puli was my first area I assumed adding ketchup to fried rice was common practice across Taiwan. Not so. But much like my love of ketchup with mac-n-cheese, once my taste for it was established, I couldn't shake it. The remainder of my time in Taiwan I got many a strange look when I asked for some ketchup to add to my fried rice.

蛋炒飯 (Egg Fried Rice)

This recipe is dedicated to Hillary, who has a very intense love for fried rice. Hill, I hope this lives up to your very exacting standards.

You can make this dish with or without meat. If you want to add meat, almost any kind will work. I made this right after Easter (sorry for the very long delay in posting) so I used ham leftover from our Easter dinner. Shrimp is another good choice, unless you are Hillary, in which case it's bad. Very bad.

Last note... you want rice that has cooled already, so this truly is an ideal way to use up any leftover rice you have taking up space in your fridge. However, when I made this I didn't have any leftover rice on hand, so I quickly made up a batch in my rice cooker and spread it out on a cookie sheet to cool quickly.

2 T. sesame oil

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 t. salt

1/8 t. white pepper (you can use black pepper)

3 c. cold, cooked rice, fluffed

4 T. soy sauce

3 T. chicken broth

1 c. diced ham

8 oz. frozen peas and carrots

Heat a pan or a wok over medium high heat until hot. Add the sesame oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the eggs, salt, and pepper. Cook the eggs until lightly scrambled. Don't overcook the eggs because they will be staying in the pan and will therefore cook a little more. Once cooked, break the eggs up into small pieces. I used my spatula to cut the eggs into thin strips.

Add the rice, soy sauce, and chicken broth to the pan. Stir to combine. Let cook for a minute or two.

Add the ham and the peas and carrots. Stir to mix well and let cook for 5-7 minutes, until the peas and carrots are cooked and the ham is warmed through. Serve. Enjoy.

My New Favorite Thing: Google Reader

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon) — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 02:35:00 +0000

I'll say right off that this post makes me feel more than a little bit silly. However, having just been introduced to the wonders of Google Reader a few weeks ago (thank you Jess), I feel like there must be others out there, like me, who haven't yet been introduced.

If you, like me, use gmail, then you can access Google Reader from the top bar in your gmail account. Why I love it? It's a one stop shop for all the blogs you want to read (or just feel obligated to read). Just add the blog address to Reader and anytime the blog has a new post, it will show up in your reader. No more checking my favorite food blogs multiple times a day waiting for that new post! It comes to me! I love it. I always resisted signing up to receive new posts via email because I feel like my inbox is cluttered enough as it is (hence the lengthy wait for me to respond to any and all emails). Now, I just click on Reader a couple times a day to see if any of my blogs have new posts, and then I can read them right there. Genius!

To be fair, there are other readers out there. If you don't like or use Google, feel free to check out other options. But like I said, I just wanted to make sure that my readers, at the very least, knew this was out there.

California Dreaming

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 03:38:00 +0000

This past month I had the opportunity to travel to San Francisco for a weekend to visit two good friends I haven't seen in a long time. While seeing them was wonderful, I have a confession to make.

I don't like the Bay Area.

I know, shocking! When people find out that I don't like the Bay Area, they're usually prone to gasps of horror or incredulity. It's apparently not in vogue to dislike the Bay Area. In my case, however, this dislike might possibly be explained by the fact that I grew up in Southern California. The things I love about California - warm sunny days, palm trees, long sandy beaches - don't exist in San Francisco. When I'm in the Bay Area, more often than not its cold and foggy and thanks to all the insane hills in the city I HATE driving there (for the record, I drive a stick). I end up annoyed, and more than a little bit confused as to why so many people love this particular place when LA is only 5 warmer and sunnier hours south.

However, from the start this trip was different because I was actually excited about visiting the Bay Area. My excitement stemmed from two main reasons, foremost among them being the opportunity to see two of my favorite people after a very long separation. The second reason though, had everything to do with my relatively newfound obsession with food.

I've always liked food. Thanks largely to the influences of my mother and my good friend Jessica, I've liked cooking since high school. This like has occasionally verged on love, but I don't know that I've ever been obsessed with food. Not like now.

As though this blog were not proof enough of my newfound passion for all things food, let me take a moment and share with you a few random facts from my recent life.

-- In the past year I have read 5 food-focused memoirs and The United States of Arugula; The Sun-Dried, Cold-Pressed, Dark-Roasted, Extra Virgin Story of the American Food Revolution.

-- In the pile of books yet to be read next to my bed, I currently have 3 more books that revolve around food.

-- I have subscriptions to Cook's Country, Cook's Illustrated, Bon Appetite, and Fine Cooking.

-- My cookbook collection never fails to raise my mother's ire. Also guaranteed to raise her ire: seeing the various kitchen toys she has bought for me at Christmases and birthdays collecting dust in my pantry. They get used... just not enough, in her opinion, to justify their presence in my cooking life.

Partly due to my newfound obsession with food, I was seriously excited about my trip to San Francisco. And I can now honestly say that where food is concerned, the Bay Area does not disappoint. (Although sadly, dinner at the Chez Panisse Cafe was in fact a bit of a disappointment, but maybe that's a story best kept for another time.)

My real food fun began on Saturday morning when I hit the Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market. It was like food nirvana. I couldn't believe the selection of fresh, locally grown produce to be had for pennies! Not to mention cheeses, olive oils, beans, pastries, and imported Italian tuna packed in olive oil (not to be found in Salt Lake, which in my opinion, is a true crime). Two hours after arriving at the market I walked out with a much lighter wallet and a very very heavy, newly purchased shopping bag to hold all of my treasures.

Where does a girl go to refuel after a busy morning shopping for produce? In my case, Taylor's Refresher for a hamburger, mint-n-chip shake, and downright delicious sweet potato fries. I'm a sucker for sweet potato fries.

Sunday morning, Jessica (of "high school best friend" fame) and I be-bopped around Chinatown and its environs. While wandering we got to watch a local youth group perform a lion dance for some important looking Chinese gentlemen. Even I, with my relatively broad understanding of Chinese culture, have no idea what it was about. But it definitely made for a more interesting morning. I couldn't wait to eat lunch and will admit to initially being a little bit skeptical of the spot we picked, a place in Chinatown called House of Nanking. It always worries me when I go to a Chinese restaurant and no one eating there is Chinese. It doesn't tend to inspire a lot of confidence in the authenticity of their food. As it turns out, their food was definitely a bit on the new-agey/fusion side of Chinese cooking, but it was delicious. I loved everything we ordered and I can't even take credit for that because we just told the waiter what kinds of things we like and he did the ordering for us.

While in town, we paid a visit to City Lights Bookstore where I promptly forgot my New Year's resolution to not purchase any new books until I finish the rather large pile of unread books sitting next to my bed (and on my desk, and on my bookcases). I choose a couple of books on China, because as I told myself, I really should get a little more educated on Chinese history before traveling there in August (any excuse that works, right?). I did however steer clear of the Anarchy and Muckracking sections.

In the end, it was a wonderful weekend and I haven't even taken time to go into the best part of the trip. Although the food was fantastic (to include yummy corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's Day), the defining moments of the trip were the ones I spent reconnecting with two old friends. It's been five years since I last traveled to the Bay Area and it was so nice to spend hours with them talking about food and life and family and friends and kids and politics.

I've now been back in Salt Lake for almost 2 weeks and I can't wait to go back again. To the Bay Area, no less! It's true. I've been doing a lot of California dreaming these past 2 weeks, but for the first time in my life, I'm dreaming of cold, foggy San Francisco, not warm sunny LA.

Guo Nian Kuai Le - Part 3 (The Final 2008 Installment)

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 04:00:00 +0000

Chinese cooks in the know may feel somewhat inclined to mock me for posting a recipe for steamed fish. This method of preparing fish is so common in China that any Chinese cook with even a modicum of culinary ability can pull it off. However, given the fact that I have only recently begun to develop/increase my Chinese cooking skills, it seemed prudent to go to someone who has already mastered this technique. Enter Edi. Edi is my good friend and former roommate in Boston. She grew up in Hong Kong. She makes lots of yummy Chinese food... one reason among many to love living with her. I loved it when she would go to Chinatown and buy fresh fish and vegetables because it usually meant that I could enjoy a little of whatever simple, tasty, meal she whipped up. She made this kind of fish often, and although its been a favorite of mine since I lived in Taiwan, I'm a little ashamed to admit that I have never even attempted to prepare fish this way myself.

However, I recognize that it is silly to pay someone else to make something for you when it's ridiculously easy to make yourself. As an added bonus where this fish is concerned, it's the kind of dish that elicits "ohhs" and "ahhs" when presented to your fellow diners. I should be honest and note that it's also the kind of dish that might elicit a few "ughs" from the slightly squeamish or from those less enamored of seafood. Those types don't particularly relish seeing a whole fish plopped down on the table in front of them, but in my opinion, that just makes for more entertaining dining.

Because fish is a quintessential New Year's dish I wanted to be able to share this method with all of you, which left me little choice but to finally tackle it myself (many thanks to Edi for furthering my education by sharing her tricks of the trade). I've always understood that fish is served at Chinese New Year because the character for fish in Chinese sounds the same as the character for "surplus". I'll spare you a lengthy explanation on how characters work and why tones are important, etc etc... just know that my above explanation simplifies things somewhat. Anyway, because the two characters sound the same, eating fish during the New Year's celebrations is believed to mean that the coming year will bring surplus into one's life. I like fish, so I don't really need a reason to eat it. But if eating it means I might have a more prosperous year, I'm certainly willing to oblige.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I didn't like any seafood until I lived in Taiwan. Since living in Taiwan, I am a full-blown, died in the wool convert/believer/advocate. There is something about the way Chinese cooks prepare fish that helped me to see the light. Mostly I think they flavor the fish so adeptly that you can't help but love it. I'm hoping that over the coming year I'll be able to convince other seafood skeptics to give it one more try. In the meantime, for those of you who have already been converted, I hope you enjoy this super simple, yet amazingly delicious preparation as much as I do.

Whole Steamed Fish with Ginger and Green Onions

As noted above, some people don't exactly relish the idea of digging into a whole fish. If you are preparing this dish for people who might fall into that group, you can certainly use something less alarming, like fish fillets.

Whole Fresh Fish:

This one, admittedly major, ingredient is the key to this dish. I can't stress this enough. As Edi said, "The most important thing is to get/catch a died-not-long-ago fish." If you have a Chinese supermarket near you, I suggest going there. The fishmonger can tell you which of their fish is the freshest. The fish I prepared was a black tilapia, but you can use any fish. Just make sure it is A) fresh, and B) one you like. Also, have the market clean/degut the fish and remove the scales.

Fresh ginger - good size chunk, maybe about 2" long

3 green onions

Cooking oil

Soy sauce

Salt and Pepper (preferably Chinese white pepper, if you can find it)

Peel the ginger and julienne into small, short strips. Cut green onions into 1" chunks and then slice (I quartered the green onion chunks so that I had long, thin strips.)

Put the fish on a glass plate. Sprinkle salt and pepper in the cavity and on the outside of the fish. Place about 1/3 of the green onions and ginger on the inside of the fish and another 1/3 on top.

Boil water in a large pan. Place a rack of some kind in the pan (see photo above... I used a wok stand). You don't want the water to touch your plate, so make sure your plate is elevated high enough. Once the water is boiling, place the plate on the rack and cover.

Steam fish for 15-20 minutes. The fish is ready when the meat at the thickest section of the fish flakes easily and a fork or chopstick goes straight through.

Take the plate out and drain off any water that has accumulated on the plate. Heat 2 T. oil in a pan. Once hot add the remaining ginger and green onions and fry briefly until fragrant.

Pour oil mixture on top of the cooked fish. Pour some soy sauce on top of the fish as well. I didn't measure the soy sauce... just gave it a couple good shakes. Serve, with great applause, to your amazed guests.

Guo Nian Kuai Le - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 04:08:00 +0000

It's more than a little bit embarrassing to call this post "Guo Nian Kuai Le" when it is so long overdue. But nonetheless, Chinese New Year was the inspiration for today's recipe, so I'm sticking with the theme. I promised in my last post to provide my readers, however few they may be, with a noodle and fish recipe to help celebrate the Chinese New Year. As both of those dishes are easy enough to make, I thought it would be a simple matter to get them both onto the blog before the end of February. I was wrong. I made the noodles about 3 weeks ago, but didn't feel like my recipe had enough flavor to recommend it to others (see how seriously I take my recipe-crafting responsibilities). That meant I had to go back and tweak it a little. Sadly though, having just eaten my fill of stir-fried noodles, I wasn't in the mood to make them again right away. Thanks to my gourmand friend Carri who agreed to be my guinea pig, I perfected both the fish and noodle recipe on the same night last week. However, I don't want to overwhelm you with too many choices, so today you'll have to settle for only the noodle recipe. Next time around I'll bless your lives with one of the simplest, yet yummiest ways, to prepare fish (so stay tuned).

About noodles, they are eaten during Chinese New Year because their length symbolizes long life. For this reason, you never want to do anything to make them shorter. Which means usually you end up slurping them up in one long string... remember, we are eating these with chopsticks so you can't wind them around your fork. Anyway, it makes for fun and entertaining dining.

Noodles are one of my favorite things to eat when I am in Taiwan or China. I love all the different ways they can be prepared: beef noodle soup, zha jiang mian, dan dan mian, etc. I also love Japanese noodle soups, which thankfully, are easy to find in China. However, all of those noodle dishes are hard to find in the States, which is one of the reasons I started this blog... so I could learn how to prepare the food I miss the most. It's therefore somewhat anti-climatic (for me at least) to be presenting you with a noodle recipe that is something of a no-brainer, and not at all exotic. Good ole Chow Mien. However, chow mien is one of those dishes that manages to be both authentic and appetizing to the average American. Plus, as an added bonus, its a cinch to make. Therefore, before moving into more esoteric directions, I thought I would start with something appealingly familiar to most of my readers. Enjoy.

Chao Mian, aka Chow Mien

(Adapted from Martin Yan's Chinese Cooking for Dummies)

Noodles - really any kind will work, but I used a Chinese kind

1 lg. boneless skinless chicken breast

2 T. oyster sauce

1 lg. carrot, julienned (I like julienned pieces about 2" long)

1 1/2 c. bean sprouts, rinsed

Sauce:

1/2 c. chicken broth

6 T. soy sauce

1 t. plus 1 T. sesame oil

1 T. Chinese rice cooking wine

1/2 t. sugar

Cook noodles in boiling, salted water until almost done. They'll cook a little more when you add them to the stir-fry so you don't want them to be totally cooked. Drain and set aside.

Cut chicken breast into small dice. Mix with oyster sauce in a small bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes.

Sauce: Whisk together in a small bowl the chicken broth, soy sauce, 1 t. sesame oil, rice wine, and sugar.

Heat 1 T. sesame oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Once hot, add chicken and cook until the chicken is done, approximately 8 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Add carrots, bean sprouts, and sauce to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are almost cooked through, maybe 8 minutes. Then add the chicken and noodles to the pan. Mix well and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Serve.

Guo Nian Kuai Le (Happy New Year) - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 06:06:00 +0000

As many of you likely know, Thursday, February 7, was Chinese New Year. As in other cultures, Chinese holidays have certain foods associated with them... foods that help to define and shape holiday celebrations. The 3 foods I associate the most with Chinese New Year are dumplings, fish, and noodles. I'm hoping that before the month is over I'll have a recipe for each one of these on the blog.

There is so much that I love about Chinese New Year. I love that it is celebrated for a week. Why don't we have any week-long holidays in America? Literally, life stops for a whole week. People travel back to their hometowns to spend time with their families. They clean their houses so the new year gets off to a fresh, clean, tidy start. They eat lots of yummy food with their family and friends. They visit Buddhist temples and honor their ancestors. They are in a perpetually good mood (for the week at least) because no one wants to ring in the new year with a bad spirit in their heart. They hang red banners around their door frames with good fortunes or positive sayings written on them. These banners stay on their doorways until the next year, so when you wander through neighborhoods you see them, weathered and looking a little worn, but still festive and welcoming. They also hang upside down characters on their doors to invite good fortune or to welcome spring. It's a very exciting, joyful time and I loved experiencing it during the one Chinese New Year I spent in Taiwan.

My, admittedly belated, gift to you this Chinese New Years is a recipe for some super tasty dumplings. A quick history of the dumpling's place on the New Year's table... In a nutshell, dumplings look like an old form of Chinese money, the gold ingot. Eating them at the New Year means you are hopeful that the coming year will be full of good things, i.e. money. I apologize that my tardiness in getting this post up means that none of you will be able to ring in the new year with a plate full of dumplings. However, you now have a good eleven months to perfect your dumpling technique in time for the next Chinese new year.

Dumplings have actually been part of my Chinese cooking repertoire for a number of years now and whenever I make Chinese food for people, dumplings inevitably make an appearance on the table. The only exception so far being the time, in Virginia, when for some as yet unexplained reason they all fell apart in the water and the meat tasted strange to boot, so they all got thrown away. Usually however, I'm quite successful at throwing together a good tasting dumpling. In addition, people like them and they're kind of fun and look complicated (which they aren't), so they're an easy trick to pull when you want to impress people.

In Taiwan and China you can order dumplings three ways: steamed, boiled, and pan-fried (i.e. potstickers). The boiled variety tend to be the most common and that's how I prepared the recipe below. My favorite version is actually the steamed variety. However, I tend to boil them now because its the easiest method to pull off at home. I always have plenty of pots hanging around my kitchen, but I can't say the same for steamer baskets.

The below recipe is a new take, for me anyway, on dumplings. Usually when I make dumplings I go to a Chinese supermarket and pick up some zhou cai (Chinese chives). However, I really wanted this recipe to be super-doable for any adventurous soul out there willing to give it a try, and zhou cai can be a bit of a pain to find. Fortuitously, my friend Joanne, who hails from Taiwan, stayed with me in January and while at my apartment she made a batch of dumplings using cabbage, not chives. I had many dumplings made with cabbage in Taiwan, and while I liked them there, I've never liked my attempts to recreate the recipe here at home. Joanne kindly agreed to school me in her cabbage-pork dumpling technique and I'm now thrilled to share the below recipe with you. Enjoy!

Shui Jiao (a.k.a. Boiled Dumplings)

1 small head of cabbage

1 1/2 lbs. ground pork

2 T. sesame oil

2 1/2 T. soy sauce

6-7 cloves garlic

3/4 t. salt

Asian dumpling wrappers - You can buy these at pretty much any grocery store. I like the round kind, but the square ones work just as well

Chop the cabbage very, very fine. Part of what makes Joanne's method so good is that you don't have large chunks of cabbage so this step is key. Mince the garlic, also very fine.

Mix all ingredients, except the wrappers (of course). I usually use my hands for this step because it goes faster, but if that kind of tactile pleasure does not appeal to you, feel free to use a spoon. Just make sure everything is mixed up really well.

Fill a small bowl with water. Open the wrappers and put them next to the bowl of meat and the bowl of water. You want everything within easy reach. Get out a baking sheet (preferably rimmed) and sprinkle with flour.

Fill the dumplings. This is actually not complicated, so don't let this step stop you from attempting this recipe. Place a dumpling wrapper on the palm of your non-dominant hand. Take about a tablespoon of filling and put it in the center of the wrapper. Dip your finger in the water and run it around the edge of the dumpling wrapper. The water will seal the two edges when you fold your dumpling. Fold the wrapper in half and press along the edge to seal. Tada! You're done. You have officially made your first dumpling. Put it on the baking sheet and carry on until all the wrappers or filling have been used.

You may notice from my earlier photo that I do this little crimping/folding thing with my dumplings to make them look pretty. A nice, older Taiwanese woman taught me how to do this and I like the way it looks, so whenever I make dumplings, they look like that. However, it is absolutely not necessary, so I recommend just folding the wrapper and sealing it, as outlined above, because it will save time and stress.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. When you have some dumplings ready, dump about 10 into the pot. The dumplings will sink to the bottom and slowly rise back to the top as the water comes back to a boil. You may want to give them a quick stir or two though so they don't get stuck to the bottom of the pot. Once they have risen back to the top and the water is boiling again, add enough cold water to the pot to stop the boiling. Once the water comes to a boil again, again add enough cold water to stop the boiling. Do this one more time. When the dumplings come to a boil after you have added water 3 times, they are ready to eat.

They are good with all kinds of sauces. Soy sauce is the most common. I like to add a little fresh minced garlic, hot pepper flakes, and a little sesame oil to jazz it up. You can also try Asian hot sauces or Thai sweet Chili sauce (my current favorite).

Also, if you make a big batch, cook up however many you want to eat that night, and freeze the rest. Then whenever you want some, you have some ready and can dump them in the water without defrosting. They'll just take a little longer to cook.

My Favorite Thing

noreply@blogger.com (Shannon) — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 04:46:00 +0000

One of my favorite experiences in Taiwan, which thankfully, I was able to repeat many times, was eating dinner in people's homes. At the beginning of my mission, it was one of the more terrifying experiences. You never knew what kind of food was going to be served, and although I now like to think of myself as a fairly adventurous, open-minded eater, at the young age of 21, things like seafood still scared me. You can only imagine how terrifying it was to contemplate eating chicken feet or rice soaked in pigs blood.

In America, we have an open-minded attitude towards people's dietary tastes and restrictions. Which just means, if someone doesn't like something, we're not going to make them eat it. Not so in other cultures. In Taiwan, we weren't allowed likes and dislikes. Partly, that was a result of the fact that as missionaries, we wanted to be open-minded to Chinese culture and not offend people by rejecting elements of their culture they felt strongly about (food, of course, being at the top of that list). However, our inability to foster our dislikes while in Taiwan was also a result of the fact that Chinese people don't let you have dislikes when you are dining in their homes.

You learn quickly to guard your rice bowl, always keeping it turned slightly towards your body so that your hosts never know how much food you have in it. This also makes it hard for your hosts to dump food in your bowl when they think you haven't eaten enough or you need to try more of any one particular dish. You can't say no, so you do what you can to maintain as much control of your food intake as possible. You eat slow, every once in awhile refilling your bowl a bit with dishes you like, thereby allowing your hosts to see that you really do love the food... but trying at the same time to ensure that they never pick up on the fact that you haven't touched the stinky tofu or the chicken feet.

Thankfully, the experience of eating with Taiwanese people in their homes introduced me to food that I previously would not have touched, but which I now love - squid, mussels, any kind of fish. It also helped me to understand Chinese culture in a way that would have been difficult without those moments shared in people's homes, eating food they had prepared for myself and my fellow missionaries. Regardless of what might be served during these times, my saving grace was knowing that there was one dish in particular that was likely to make an appearance. This dish could, for me at least, redeem the experience regardless of what else might be served. That dish was stir-fried cabbage with garlic.

This dish, in my opinion, is the epitome of Taiwanese home cooking. I've tried to order it in restaurants here in the States and it is never the same. Never the same kind of cabbage and never the same flavor I remember from Taiwan. In Taiwan it is one of the simplest dishes to make. As the name implies, it's nothing more than stir-fried cabbage drenched in oil-soaked garlic. Part of the reason I choose it as the first recipe for this site is because for me it embodies what I love about authentic Chinese cooking. The recipe is about as uncomplicated as you can get. It uses the simplest ingredients and yet delivers great flavor. It's also one I haven't ever really tried to master. However, after a few tries, I think I've gotten pretty close.

Stir-fried Cabbage with Garlic

This recipe is dedicated to Amri... I hope it is one you can easily reproduce in the wilds of Peru.

Couple of notes before starting:

You can use the technique outlined below with any kind of cabbage. I used green cabbage because that's what I ate in Taiwan. However, Regan makes it to great acclaim with bok choy, so feel free to experiment with any cabbage you come across.
If you want added depth of flavor you can add oyster sauce (also Regan's method). To do that, after you add the cabbage let it steam for a minute or two. Then mix maybe 1-2 T of oyster sauce with a little bit of water, add it to the pan, and let it steam for a few minutes more.
Lastly, almost all Chinese cooking is look and feel rather than recipe based. The below is what I worked from but feel free to tweak it.

1 smallish head of green cabbage

5 cloves of garlic, finely minced (I put the garlic through my garlic press and then minced it some more)

3-4 T. vegetable oil

Salt and Pepper

Cut the head of cabbage in half and remove the core. Chop the outer, mostly flat, layers of leaves into 1" squares. Don't use the inner leaves of cabbage that are thick and sort of mutated looking. They will take too long to cook so save them for something else (like Chinese dumplings).

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. I used a regular saute pan and it worked fine, so don't worry if you don't have a wok. Truth be told, I don't have a wok myself. Once the oil is hot, but not too hot, add the garlic. Cook the garlic until soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes. The key here is that you want the garlic nice and soft, but not crunchy hard. So be sure to use medium heat. Anything hotter seems to cook the garlic too fast for me.

Add the cabbage and sprinkle generously with salt (the salt will draw water out of the cabbage to help it steam) and a little bit of pepper. Mix thoroughly so the cabbage is nicely coated with the garlic-oil. Turn the heat up just a tad, cover and let cook about 2 minutes. Give the pan a couple good shakes, or if using oyster sauce, add it now. Let cook for another 2-3 minutes. Its likely done by now, but if not, let it cook a little longer.