Northeastern Chinese-style Braised Squash

This comforting, hearty recipe is my adaptation of Old Northeastern Cuisine's great recipe for northeastern Chinese braised squash with pork (肉片炖板栗瓜 / ròupiàr dùn bǎnlì guā). The original recipe is worth a try, but I've made some adaptations to make the dish match one of my favorite lunches from my days teaching at public schools in Manchuria. That version also had pork (pork knuckle) and often had chunks of corn on the cob too, but I've gone for a somewhat simplified dish easy to make on any weeknight. If you're wanting that extra bit of protein, then replace the vegetable oil in my recipe below with some ground pork, sautéing it until it's thoroughly cooked through before proceeding with the recipe. Whatever you do though, I hope this comfort food favorite of mine hits the spot for you too!

Kimchijeon

Kimchijeon (김치전) or savory kimchi pancakes are a beautiful dish and have long been a family favorite. My recipe is largely the Korean Bapsang recipe with a touch of influence from Maangchi's version. I usually make my jeon in a wok and tend to make them on the smaller side (I really enjoy the crispy edges!). Even so, about three kimchijeon fill me up if I'm making a meal out of them. I've also seen larger, pizza-sized jeon as well though, so do as you feel led, and enjoy!