Dumpling Dipping Sauce

Dumplings are rarely (never?) served in China, Taiwan, or other countries with communities of the Chinese Diaspora without some sort of dipping sauce, which can range from fairly simple (a bit of vinegar or soy sauce) to complex. What follows is largely Vicky Pham's lovely recipe, tweaked (as always!) to better fit my family's more northern Chinese tastes. The original is worth checking out if you have a bit more of a sweet tooth, but this version works great for us. Whichever you try, enjoy! 

Manchurian Kung Pao Chicken

When I moved to northeastern China I quickly discovered that as a foreigner I was supposed to really like kung pao chicken (宮保雞丁 / gōngbǎo jīdīng in Mandarin), which was news to me as I couldn't even remember if I'd had it before! I grew up with Cantonese food and stereotypically Chinese-American food, but we moved enough during my childhood that I really couldn't say whether or not kung pao chicken made an appearance on my plate when we were in North America and Hong Kong - if it did it certainly didn't stand out. Despite all this I caved to the pressure to try the kung pao chicken in Manchuria and was a little embarrassed to realize I did indeed really like kung pao chicken!

"Mongolian" Beef 'n Rice

Voltaire once said of the Holy Roman Empire that it was "neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire," and I must say that I have a similar feeling whenever I come across "Mongolian" barbecue, "Mongolian beef," et cetera, when in North America. I have never had the privilege of visiting Mongolia, but I did live next door to it for years and my favorite cousin has actually lived there for quite some time, so I do have an idea of what Mongolian food is...and this recipe isn't it!

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!

Atkilt Wot' / Cabbage 'n Potato Stew

This is one of my all-time favourites from growing up in the Horn of Africa, and a relatively simple dish too if you disregard all the chopping. It's a comfort food for me, and also a good way to get more vegetables into your diet if you're not a big salad eater.

Roasted Carrot Soup

This is a nice, flavorful soup and great on a cold winter night with a piece of baguette. If I make this in the future I want to try adding some dill to the seasoning mix, and perhaps also some peas or cubed carrots. As usual, if you dislike something or think the recipe needs more of something else, then go for it!

Ginger Cookies

It's funny how the change of seasons can bring about a change in tastes and desires. Fall comes and I crave all things pumpkin, and then American Thanksgiving comes and goes and suddenly all I can think about are these ginger cookies :-). And since the Advent Fast gets going shortly after Thanksgiving, having a vegan recipe is a must! This is a tweaked version of a recipe that can be found here.