recipe roundup: chinese new year dishes

countdown to… the year of the dragon!

with chinese new year just around the corner, i thought i’d roundup some of my fave chinese-inspired recipes for my readers celebrating this weekend. while i’m no expert at cooking authentic chinese cuisine, i like to think that these simple dishes could grace a lazy-suzy or takeout box. :) so grab your chopsticks and dig in! (ps – don’t forget your fortune cookie.)

cashew beef & veggie stirfry
chicken & chinese broccoli in black bean sauce
egg tarts

ginger shrimp & edamame noodle bowl
orange pomegranate chicken w steamed broccoli & nutted couscous

spicy beef & edamame noodle bowl
wonton dumplings (siomai)

quick poll: what is your fave chinese food?

egg tarts

it sure feels great to be back in the kitchen! :)

it’s been truly wonderful spending quality time visiting family and friends during the christmas holiday season – and, of course, indulging in many a holiday feast! over the past few weeks, i’ve noshed on some pretty incredible food and also learned how to cook some family favorite dishes. there’s nothing quite like mom’s homecooking! :) here’s a recipe for one of my all-time faves, from my family’s kitchen to yours. happy holidays!

pre-heat oven to 300F

prep ingredients:
- 12 egg yolks (separate egg whites and reserve for another recipe)
- 28-30 frozen pie tart shells
- 1 can condensed milk
- 1 can evaporated milk

mix the batter:
- in a large mixing bowl, beat egg yolks until smooth
- add condensed milk and evaporated milk to egg mixture and beat well

wonton dumplings (siomai)

do you have one of those fave, homecooked dishes that you’ve loved ever since childhood? well, this is that dish for me. siomai, or wonton dumplings, is one of my fave things to eat — and my mom’s recipe is the best, in my opinion. :)

this weekend in honour of heritage day (an awesome civic holiday celebrating multiculturalism), i visited my parents’ home and we enjoyed a filipino feast on the patio. my special request was siomai. not only is it a great appetizer for sharing, but it’s also fun cooking together with mom & dad. what a fantastic way to enjoy sunday dinner…

typically made with pork, wonton dumplings are a staple on chinese dimsum menus. there are many different variations on this popular dumpling recipe from several countries throughout asia (check out more details on wikipedia). here’s my mom’s version of the filipino recipe for siomai…

prep wonton stuffing:
combine the following ingredients well in large prep bowl:
- 500g ground lean pork
- 2-3 green onion stalks (rooted stems removed, diced)
- 2-3 chinese sausages (finely chopped)
- 2 medium eggs
- season w/ salt & ground black peppercorns to taste

(tip: you can substitute chinese sausage for ham or shrimp. for extra texture & flavour, you can also add green peas, carrots, dried mushrooms or water chestnuts to the wonton stuffing.)