happy happy 2010 wishes twelve hours early from beijing where the clock ticks first

In the wee hours of the morn' here in Beijing I'd like to wish those of you in the States and elsewhere to the west an early happy new year! This is the year of the Tiger (老虎, lǎohǔ), a year that from what I hear is one that represents optimism, strength, and energy. Chinese New Year isn't until February 14th so a lot of my Chinese friends weren't doing anything to celebrate tonight and saving themselves for plenty of celebrations and fireworks next month. Last year the fireworks show in Beijing on Chinese New Year was out-of-control literally, catching a new multi-billion RMB building downtown on fire and completely burning it down! Hong Kong had an amazing fireworks show for this Jan. 1st New Year tonight! I wish I could have seen it in person; it looked amazing. Check out this blog to see pictures of 2010 New Year's celebrations from around the world including HK.

I spent some time this evening wandering around Tiananmen Square with friends. The picture above is of a building in the middle of the Square under the beautiful full moon that shone in the otherwise pitch black sky. It was absolutely freezing out but people were still out and about ready to throw confetti. Here's my friend Joy, me, and Mao pausing for a photo op.

I hope everyone, wherever you are when clock ticks over, has hopes for a wonderful 2010. I know I'm looking forward to all the possibilities. Tomorrow I'm going to write out my annual New Year's Resolutions list. I could probably just use the same one I made last year-- and it's similar to the one before that. But this year one of my resolutions is to keep my resolutions. Can you do that? Did any of you actually keep yours from last year? I'd love to hear some success stories. What are your resolutions for 2010? Now back to finishing my champagne....... I think it's bad luck to leave left

-mk

merry christmas y'all from beijing!

While Nate is staying with our grandparents in Little Rock, Arkansas and celebrating the holidays with all of our family, I'm here alone in Beijing and it doesn't feel much like Christmas at all.

I've been here almost two weeks but everything has been so exciting that my first bout of homesickness didn't hit me until Christmas Eve morning when I talked to my family on the phone and realized that this was my first Christmas away... and that I live on the other side of the world from their voices. Nate emailed me a picture of my dog Nelson taken after he chased ducks in my uncle's pond, butted heads with a goat, and chased a dozen chickens mercilessly. That photo of a wet dog is the only picture anyone in my family sent me of their holiday so yes I'm feeling left out. Christmas Day, my uncle and cousin went hunting before the sun rose and later cooked the ducks they killed for dinner. I know Nate was glad he got to sleep in and just get to help with the cooking and eating.

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breaking: we got a book deal!

Photo: Me and Mary Kate, 1992-ish, cooking in grandma's kitchen. Little did we know, fifteen some odd years later, we'd write a cookbook together...

It's official. We got a book deal for our book, Feeding the Dragon: A Culinary Travelogue Through China! Our publishing house is Andrews McMeel and we couldn't be happier. Andrews McMeel focuses on making beautiful cookbooks that not only have great recipes but also tell the story behind the food-- this is our goal as well.

So now that we have a book deal we have a TON of work to do. Over the next several months we will be finishing the chapters ( Beijing, Nanjing/Shanghai, Fujian Province, Hong Kong, Macau, Yunnan, Sichuan, Tibet, and Xinjiang) and we'll be testing and standardizing the remaining 2/3 of the recipes. You can follow our progress here on the blog and we will try to be as candid about the process as possible (kitchen disasters and sibling arguments included). You'll also get to hear about our experiences in China while finishing the book. Mary Kate just moved back to Beijing for a few months and I will be heading over in January.  

We're re-launching this blog next week once Mary Kate gets settled in Beijing. Thanks for reading and happy Chinese cooking!

-Nate

lion's head meatballs (shizi tou) for thanksgiving

I just finished off the last of the Thanksgiving leftovers. Last Thursday some friends came over to Mary Kate's apartment and cooked a turkey, cornbread stuffing, and mashed potatoes. Mary Kate made a Paula Dean recipe with macaroni, cheese, potato chips, and bacon. I made cranberry martinis (keeping it festive) and Chinese Lion's Head Meatballs or 狮子头 (shi zi tou). We all did the required stuffing of our faces and then crashed in the living room and to watch the movie The Brother's Bloom (none of us would recommend watching).

The Lion's Head Meatballs I made are traditionally very large (about the size of a baseball) and are served with one meatball on a bed of cabbage which is supposed to look like a lion's head and his mane. I can kind of see the resemblance if I squint. For Thanksgiving I decided to keep it simple and make small meatballs that would fit better on a plate crammed with turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and everything else. They turned out really good and I actually like the smaller size better. To make the meatballs you just quickly mix together the pork and other ingredients, form into 2-inch diameter balls, fry in a wok for 2 minutes, and then let the meatballs simmer in chicken stock for half an hour with the greens. They come out of the pot tender and gingery. I've seen them made with garlic and even oyster sauce but I think the simpler the better. Mary Kate mentioned how similar they taste to the pork filling in Chinese Soup Dumplings and she's right, the ingredients are basically the same. If you're going to make a meal of them, serve the meatballs with white rice to soak up all the good soup broth.

-Nate

The meatballs before frying.

super convenient noodles (fang bian mian)

I love cooking elaborate meals, and the smug sense of joy I feel at making too many dishes to fit on the table, but a lot of times I just want/need something tasty, quick, cheap, and healthy-- and that's when I reach for a package of 34¢ Top Ramen noodles. Wait-- I know what you're thinking. The last time you ate instant noodles was when you lived in a dorm and the noodles were most definitely not tasty or healthy. But I've got a secret. 

In China, just about everyone eats instant noodles. Most brands of instant noodles in China come in a plastic bowl and sometimes with a piece of cured meat wrapped in foil.They're eaten as quick meals for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The name of these noodles in Chinese says it all 方便面 (fang bian mian) or convenient noodles. They're not going to wow a guest or make you proud of your culinary expertise, but you will most likely find them a great option for when you've only got 10 minutes to prep and eat. (That's how my lunch break goes most everyday, anyway.) 

So, on to my secret ingredients. Add greens, soy sauce, and sesame oil into the boiling water with the noodles and spice packet. Drop a fried egg on top and sprinkle chopped green onions and maybe a little hot sauce on top. And voila! 5 minutes and you've got a balanced meal: protein, vegetables, and carbs. 

Incidentally, the word "ramen" is Japanese. "Ramen" sounds like the Chinese word for hand-pulled noodles "lamian" so people say the noodles were invented in China. But I've also heard that pizza was invented in China and brought back by Marco Polo to Italy. Anyone tried Chinese pizza?

-Nate

Convenient Noodles

(makes 2 bowls)

1 package beef flavored Top Ramen noodles
2 Tbs light soy sauce
2 Tsp sesame oil
1/2 Tsp salt
6 leaves of swiss chard or Chinese spinach, stems removed
2 eggs
2 green onions, chopped
chinese hot sauce

Combine 3 cups of water, the Top Ramen spice packet, soy sauce, sesame oil, and salt in a small pot and bring to a boil. Add the noodles and swiss chard leaves and boil for 3 minutes, then remove from heat. In a hot skillet, fry the eggs sunny side up until the whites are cooked but the yokes are still a little runny. Divide the noodles and broth into two serving bowls and top each bowl with a fried egg. Sprinkle with chopped green onions and add hot sauce if desired.