Sweet Glutinous Rice Dumplings with Black Sesame

This is my interpretation of my grandma’s (my mom’s side) recipe. It is a dish from a specific region in China called “Chaozhou/Chiuchow 潮州”. My grandma is from Chiuchow. The original name of this snack is “Lok Tang Ci 落湯糍”, but most people will know this as “Nuomici 糯米糍”. Why is this sweet snack being served on Chinese New Year? It is because the word “Ci 糍” sounds almost exactly like the word “Chin 錢 (money)” in Chiuchow dialect. The dumplings are the symbol of wealth.

The dumplings should be made on New Year eve. On the first day of New Year, everyone in the family will go to grandma’s house. We greet each other, give red packets, receive red packets, sit around, eat and chat. These dumplings are one of the things that everyone loves. When the steaming hot dumplings come out of the kitchen and arrive on a table, everyone would run over with a pair of chopsticks and munch on their dumplings. Great memory!

One really interesting thing: My mom and my aunt are never allowed to eat the dumplings. It is because they are married. In Chinese culture, when a daughter married someone, she is the member of the husband’s family. Any family traditions from the daughter’s side of the family will not pass down to the daughter. And the daughter is considered an outsider. Since the dumplings symbolize wealth, my mom never got to eat the dumplings after she got married. But this year, my grandma has suddenly changed the rule to allow my mom to eat under one condition. No take out. (No money is being taken away from the family). Mom said that she hasn’t eaten that for 30 years. Haha… Lucky mom!

But yes, these little dumplings are gooey. Dip as much sugar as you want when eating. Don’t start talking when eating. I don’t think anyone will understand you when you have that sticky dumpling in your mouth. It is fun and tasty, and it will bring you wealth! Have a great new year!

P.S. Special thanks to my fifth uncle for helping out with the background information and recipe tips! I can’t finish this post without his help.

Creamed Corn with Pork and Rice

Creamed corn with pork and rice (粟米肉粒飯) is one of those classic simple dishes that you can find in Hong Kong. It is very basic, tasty and affordable that people love to get this for lunch. The sweet creamed corn was cooked down and turned into a sauce along with the savory and tender pork cubes. Then, scooped that over a plate of steamed hot rice. This is definitely my kind of comfort meal. Hope you will like this too!

Happy Lunar New Year! Welcome Year of The Dragon!

My New Year Corner at Home

新年快樂! Happy Lunar New Year!

恭喜發財! Kung Hey Fat Choi! Wishing you prosperity!

步步高陞! Be promoted to a higher position!

身壯力健! Be healthy and vigorous all year!

At my New Year corner this year, I have a pot of orchids, a dragon piggy bank, some red pockets, a few mandarin oranges, a gold piggy bank, hui chun (red paper with greeting words), and a Chinese dragon hand work needle craft. It is very festive, and I love it. Right now, I need to get started on my turnip cake. Have a Happy New Year! New recipe will be up later this week.

Chinese New Year Recipes

Chinese New Year is next week starting on Monday. I haven’t had time to look into new Chinese New Year recipes this year. But I have some ideas for you from my previous posts. Enjoy!

Turnip Cake. This is a must for Chinese New Year! I am making this on Monday.

Sweet Ginger Light Syrup with Glutinous Rice Balls. This dessert is warm and delightful. Perfect ending for a great meal.

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

Lantern Picture from Last Year

Mid-Autumn Festival is my favorite holiday! This is the day that Chinese gather with families and friends to enjoy a great meal and some good time together. After dinner, the adults would sit around to talk and eat some mooncakes and fruits under the big bright full moon. The kids would play with their friends and show off their beautiful lanterns. And, all kids look forward to getting a brand new lantern every year. When I was a kid, I loved to play games with friends and eat some delicious mooncakes.

Other than that, mid-autumn festival is also my birthday on the Chinese calendar. It is a double meaning day for me. Even through I am very far away from my home town and family, I would continue to keep the tradition with me and share with Bryan. Tonight, Bryan and I will go for a short walk with a lantern, enjoy the bright full moon, and eat some mooncakes.

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! Enjoy the beautiful full moon with your family and friends!

Yolk-free Mooncake

Fried Chicken with Lemon Sauce

I don’t cook Chinese food much because I don’t know many of the recipes. My mom gave me some of her old recipe books a few months ago. But, I have only tried this chicken with lemon sauce. The chicken was crispy, and the sauce was very creamy and lemony. It is a very good dish. And, it is definitely easier to make than I would imagine. This recipe probably is the most authentic Chinese food that I have made and posted so far. I am sure you will like this. Enjoy!

Beef Rolls with Enoki

Enoki mushrooms are thin, white and long. They are very healthy and full of antioxidants. This is a very common dish in Hong Kong. The black pepper sauce is the key of this dish. Since the beef and mushroom has no season, the black pepper sauce keep the beef moist and flavorful. The only problem is buying thinly sliced rib-eye beef. I bought them in Chinese supermarket. But if you can’t go to Chinese supermarket, you can probably ask your local butcher to slice your rib-eye thin.

Chinese New Year: Turnip Cake

Turnip Cake is the one thing that can’t be missed during Chinese New Year! I love that so much that my mom used to make them specific for me while I was in Hong Kong for vacation, even though that was during Christmas! But it doesn’t matter, who doesn’t want turnip cake? Turnip cake is actually made with daikon or Chinese white turnip. Every family has their own recipes. Some use dried mushroom, some use dried ham, and some use salted radish. Everyone makes them differently. This turnip cake recipe is my mom’s recipe. I have been eating this dish for years. If I am in Hong Kong, there is no reason for me to learn how to make turnip cake. Since I am far away from home, I have asked my mom for the recipe. Finally, I made it! And, I am so glad that this is good! My sister said that my turnip cake tastes 90% like mom’s. Bryan asked whether I can make it during other time of the year.

Happy Lunar New Year! Welcome to Year of The Rabbit!

Happy Chinese New Year! Wish you all to have a wonderful year of the rabbit!

Orchids, Red Envelopes, Mandarin Oranges, Piggy Bank

恭喜發財! Kung Hey Fat Choi! Wishing you prosperity!

花開富貴! Fortune comes with blooming flowers! (The orchids)

新春大吉! Good fortune in the New Year! (The mandarin oranges)

招財進寶! May money and treasure be plentiful! (The piggy bank)

When it comes to holiday, it makes me think of my hometown, Hong Kong, a bit more. Chinese New Year is a holiday that everyone looks forward to, especially kids. Every year on new year day, my parents would give my sister and I red envelopes. Each envelope contains money that symbolizes to suppress the evil spirit. Then, we would head over to my grandma’s house and meet up all my uncles, aunties, and cousins from my mom’s side families. We all just get together to chat and eat all day long. We eat candies, dried fruit candies, melon seeds, turnip cake, and taro cake. Later in the afternoon, we go to my another grandma’s place and meet up my dad’s side extended families. It is always good to get to meet everyone. By the end of the day, my sister and I would get many many red envelopes.

Now, I am all grown up and married. Instead of receiving red envelopes, I have to give out to children and unmarried juniors. Since I am far away from home, I try to keep some tradition in the house. I set up a corner for all my new year decor. You can see from the picture above. Two days ago, I have also made some tasty turnip cakes. Turnip cakes symbolizes prosperity and growing fortunes. Finally, I didn’t forget Hui Chun. Hui Chun is a piece of red/gold paper with greeting wordings. I have printed out a couple Hui Chun and posted them on the door and walls. May all my wishes come true!

Tonight, I will pan-fried some turnip cake for dinner. Again, wish you all to have a year full of happiness!

If you want to print out and post some Hui Chun?

Hong Kong Tourism Board has a website with all the easy print out Hui Chun. Read

Chinese New Year: Sesame Glutinous Rice Balls

Chinese New Year is tomorrow. In Chinese tradition, at least from what I know, tonight is the dinner for the end of the year. All family members should get together and enjoy a meal. In this meal, we should always end with the perfect sweet treat, which is the glutinous rice ball. The round shape of the glutinous rice balls symbolize the family togetherness.

Glutinous rice balls are made with glutinous rice flour. They are boiled in a sweet light syrup which is usually made with water, rock sugar/brown sugar pieces, and a few ginger pieces. The syrup is sweet and warm. The hint of ginger flavor is infused into the light syrup. The glutinous rice balls are like dumplings. They are stuffed with filling and roll into a ball shape. The filling can be sesame paste, red bean paste, peanut paste and rock sugar. After the glutinous rice balls are cooked, the bouncy and chewy skin texture is amazing. And, the hot filling oozed out the skin and spoon. It is so delicious! My personal favorite is sesame paste. It is nutty and sweet.