This unleavened xian bing stuffed with ground beef fillings is a hallmark of Northern Chinese cuisine. People often translate xian bing to “meat pie,” but it’s more of a seared dumpling. The dough is a wetter, chewier dumpling dough that’s been rolled out to a thin disk, filled with minced meat and vegetables, and pan-fried.

The story of the Chinese bing begins more than two thousand years ago. Its’s importance to Chinese cuisine has not changed, even if its form has. Nowadays, it’s usually a flattened, wheat flour-based circular bread product. From that base, though, an endless variety of bings spring. Bing doughs can be leavened, unleavened, or scalded. Their cooking technique varies, too: steaming, frying, and toasting are all common.

Yields 6        

Make wrappers

• 300g          plain flour 中筋面粉
• 200g          water in room temperature

Make fillings

• 300g           ground beef or pork
• 1/2 teaspoon      salt
• 1 teaspoon      sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon   dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon     light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon       sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon     Chinese cooking wine
• A pinch of ground white pepper
• 125g           chopped green or yellow chives

Dipping Sauce (optional)

• 2 tablespoons, Sichuan Chili Oil
• 1 tablespoon, Chinkiang Vinegar

Method

1. First let’s make the dough – add the flour in a bowl. Gradually add into the water and mix it with chopsticks. Keep stirring the dough in one direction for about 5-6 minutes. You will get a quite soft and sticky dough. Cover the dough (you can just flip it onto the working space and cover it with the mixing bowl.)  Rest for about 10-15 minutes.
   

   

   
2. In the meantime. start making the filling. Cut the chives into 0.5cm-length small pieces. In a separate mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients together.
   

   

   

   
3. Thirdly, let’s make the wrapper and assemble. Divide the dough into 6 pieces and place them on a heavily floured working space.
   

   
4. Pick one piece and roll it out to a big circular disc in 18-cm diameter. To wrap the bing (meat pie), you make a bun first. Hold a wrapper flat in one hand, place 1/6 of the fillings in the center of the wrapper. Use your other hand to pinch the edge of the dough to enclose the filling. Fold the edges to the center around the filling while twisting so the bun is completed sealed. (just like the way you make Chinese Pao).
   

   

   

   
5. Flip the fun upside down. Place it on the floured working space. Press it down to a flat circular piece. Repeat with rest of the wrappers and fillings until all are done.
   

   

   
6. Now let’s cook. Place 2 tablespoons cooking oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, arrange a few meat pies in the frying pan. Cook for about 6 to 7 minutes until golden. Then flip the meat pies and work on the other side until golden. Place cooked meat pies in a kitchen towel to remove grease while keep cooking the rest.
   

   

   
7. Serve hot!

A perfect tasty summer salad dish for your family meal. Those colourful peppers are pretty and healthy for you. You will surely ‘wow’ your guests when serving them as the appetizer at your dinner party.

Serves 3-4

• 4             large bell peppers, red and yellow, slice individual pepper vertically into 8 pieces. Remove the seeds

  For the dressing

• 3 tablespoons   extra-virgin olive oil
• 2             garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 2 tablespoons capers in salt, rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons   balsamic vinegar
• salt and ground black pepper

 Method

1. Arrange the peppers in a preheated oven (200℃) for 20 minutes
2. Remove the peppers from the oven and put in a plastic bag, seal the bag and leave for 10 Minutes. Then open the bag letting the hot air out and cooling off for another 10 minutes. Peel the peppers. This step is optional. Peeling the peppers definitely help the vegetables absorb the sweet and savory dressing. But if you find it troublesome, you can skip the step.
   

   

   

3. Cut the peppers into bite-size strips and place them in a salad bowl.

To make the dressing,

4. Mix the olive oil and garlic together in a bowl, crush the garlic with a spoon to release as much flavor as possible. Add into capers. Mix in the balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper.
   

   
5. Pour the dressing over the peppers, mix well and allow to stand at least 30 minutes before serving (or leave it in the fridge – it tastes equally good as long as it is consumed within 2-3 days.).

 

This recipe showcases the delicacy of this wonderful fish by keeping the seasoning to a minimum and grilling it to give a subtle taste. By having it largely cooked in the oven, you get to enjoy the charred, crispy skin with a very amount of cooking oil. It goes so well with the fresh, sweet and a little bit sharp orange dipping sauce.

You can substitute the whole fish with fish fillet. But grilling the fish with bones intact adds flavour, succulence, and juiciness to the fish. If you prefer, you can cut off the head, but I love its render parts, including the cheek and the insides.

Serves 3-4,  

• 1 Whole red snapper (or seabass), about 600g红鲷鱼或者海鲈鱼, gutted and cleaned
• 2 tablespoons Mirin (Japanese Cooking wine), Sweet White wine or high-quality Chinese Cooking wine (see the recipe for homemade one)
• 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
• 1 garlic clove roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon ginger, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/3 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1 spring onion, sliced green part for garnishing, minced white part to add into dipping sauce

Dipping sauce

• 2 teaspoons                caster sugar
• 2 tablespoons                 fresh orange juice (save the zest for garnishing)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons             light soy sauce生抽
• 4 tablespoons vegetables stock or water
• 1 and half tablespoons    white rice vinegar
• White part of the spring onion, minced
• 1 teaspoon     ground red chili pepper (optional)

Method

1. Scale the fish, discard the guts and clean well (hopefully you can get the cleaned one from your grocery store.) Pat dry with kitchen paper towel. Slash the fish to allow your seasoning to penetrate evenly later. Place it in a dish.
2. Mix the cooking wine, sesame seeds, garlic, ginger and sesame oil. Pour the mixture over the fish. Rub the mixture into the slashes in the fish and also into the fish cavity. Leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 200C°(400F°).
4. Meanwhile make the dipping sauce. Simmer the sugar and orange juice in a sauce pan over a low heat until reduced to a concentrated syrup. Add the soy sauce and stock to simmer for 3 minutes. Then pour the liquid in a dipping sauce plate. Add into the vinegar, minced spring onion and ground red chili pepper. Mix well. Set aside.
5. Heat a grill pan (any oven heat proof pan) on the stove (it should be able to be placed in the oven later.) over medium heat and add the oil. Pat dry the fish (just remove some of the liquid but can still easily be coated with flour) Dust the fish with flour on both sides. Sprinkle the fish with salt on both sides. Wrap the tail in aluminum foil (so it won’t get burned in the oven later). Turn up the heat to high. Place the fish and cook for 2 minutes till fish nicely charred. Turning the fish and char the other side of the fish for another 2 minutes. This searing process will help lock the moisture of the fish after it is placed in the oven later. Place the fish in the oven. Cook for another 15 minutes.
   

   

   6. Remove the fish from the oven. Garnish the fish with sliced green part of spring onion and orange zest. Serve with the dipping sauce.

 

Steak fajitas are quick and easy to assemble with a bit of prep work and organization. It is a really fun dish because it gives the sizzling, wow factor when serving the beef at the table. If you have access to butcher, ask for outside skirt because it is tender and more marbled. A secret of the recipe is to add soy sauce to the marinade which you would not expect from a Mexico restaurant.

Fajitas, derived from the Mexican word for skirt steak, were created by Mexican farmhands, who grilled this cut of meat, wrapped it in flour tortillas, and ate them out of hand. Although originally made with skirt steak, they now are made with everything from shrimp and lobster to portobello mushrooms.

Serve 4

The Marinade:

• 3 tablespoons         olive oil
• 2 tablespoons         fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons          light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon          cumin孜然
• 1/3 teaspoon          salt
• 1/8 teaspoon           black pepper

For the Fajitas Filling:

• 1​ beef skirt, about 650g or 1 and half pounds
• 2 medium bell peppers, a mix of red, green, and yellow, cored, seeded and cut into 12 wedges
• 1 large yellow onion or purple onion or mixed both, cut into wedges
• 12 (8-inch)​ flour tortillas (stacked and wrapped in foil) and sour cream, optional

Method

1. Gather the ingredients of the marinade. In a 1-gallon zipper-lock food storage bag, mix the oil, lime juice, soy sauce, cumin, salt, and black pepper.
2. Scoop out 2 tablespoons of the marinade sauce and save it for later use. Now add the beef skirt into the bag. Close the bag, pressing out the air, and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
3. Place a cooling rack on the baking tray. Drain the beef skirt by leaving the tray in the fridge for about 1 to 2 hours. “The drying’ process will help get charred steak and enhance the sizzling wow factor later on. Save the leftover marinade.
4. Do not throw away the zipper locker bag. There would still be plenty of leftover marinade there. You can choose to place into your vegetable wedges. Shake the bag to help vegetables evenly coated.
5. Now let’s cook the steak. Place a skillet or caster iron pan (it can be placed on the table as a serving dish) on the stove and turn up to the high heat. When the pan becomes piping hot, add the beef steak (the side facing up in the fridge/the drier side to be placed down on the pan). Cook for 1 to 2 minutes on both sides or medium-rare. Remove the steak onto a cutting board to rest.
6. On the same pan, place peppers and onions. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Cook over medium-high heat for a few minutes.
7. In the meantime, slice the steak diagonally across the grain into bite size.
   

   
8. Return the beef to the frying pan and place the beef onto cooked peppers and onions.
9. When ready to serve, turn up the heat to high. Pouring the 1-2 tablespoons of the marinade sauce you’ve saved earlier. You will immediately hear the sizzling sound from the pan.
   

   
10. Serve immediately! You can enjoy the dish with or without Tortilla.