Scallion Pancakes with Chili-Ginger Dipping Sauce

I have very fond memories of going to a Chinese restaurant on Sundays as a kid (not every Sunday, probably more like once every couple of months, but it was as close to a "regular" spot as we got). I think it was the previous iteration of Pao's Mandarin House - this would have been in the 80s and early 90s, and I remember it being in Central Austin. Anyway - two things were always ordered - pig ears and scallion pancakes. When I saw this recipe and realized I had all the ingredients in the house, I was so excited! It really brought back some nostalgic feelings for easier times.

Scallion Pancakes with Chili-Ginger Dipping Sauce

From Bon Appetit

Ingredients

Sauce
1 ½" piece ginger, peeled, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce (I used dark soy)
2 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp. chili oil (I used chili flakes once, then sriracha the other time)
1 tsp. sugar

Pancakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup cornstarch
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 cup chilled club soda (I used lime sparking water since that's what I had on hand)
2 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce (I used dark soy)
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
10 scallions, thinly sliced on a diagonal (about 2 cups)
4 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Method

Sauce

Whisk ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, chili oil, and sugar in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Set sauce aside.

Pancakes and Assembly

1. Whisk flour, cornstarch, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk club soda, soy sauce, and sesame oil in a medium bowl to combine, then pour into dry ingredients and whisk until smooth (be careful not to overmix; it’s okay if there are a few small lumps). Fold in scallions.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high. Pour ¼ cup batter into skillet. Cook, moving pan around on the burner for even cooking, until bottom of pancake is set and golden, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook, pressing down on pancake to create direct contact with pan, until other side is golden, about 1 minute. Continue cooking, turning often to keep scallions from burning, until golden brown and crisp and cooked through, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer pancake to a wire rack. Repeat process with remaining batter and remaining 3 Tbsp. oil 3 more times to make a total of 4 pancakes.
3. Cut each pancake into wedges if desired and serve with reserved sauce on the side for dipping.

Sook Mei Faan (Cantonese Creamed Corn With Tofu and Rice)

Sook Mei Faan (Cantonese Creamed Corn With Tofu and Rice)

Adapted from the NYTimes

The original recipe caught my eye as I had all of the ingredients already, and I looooove corn dishes. I was a little dubious as to whether A would be into this, as he sometimes finds the more subtle, soft-textured Chinese dishes (like congee) a little off-putting. But he loves corn too, so I went ahead. Turns out he found this just as delicious as me and it was a comforting, healthy lunch dish that he asked for more of.

Ingredients

2 (14-ounce) packages silken tofu, drained (I have also used firm tofu if you're wanting a more hearty chew to your tofu)

3 cups corn kernels (1 pound), from 3 large cobs or thawed from frozen

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

2 scallions, finely sliced, plus more for serving

1 ½ cups vegetable stock (used Better than Bouillon)

 Kosher salt

 White pepper (used black pepper instead because I didn't have white)

2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water

 Steamed rice, for serving (I didn't serve this dish with rice - just on its own)

 Cilantro leaves and tender stems, for garnish

 Sesame oil or chile oil, for drizzling (only had sesame oil on hand)

Method

1. Carefully pat the tofu dry with a clean kitchen towel, and cut each block into 8 slices.
2. Place half the corn kernels into a blender or food processor, and blitz until creamy but still chunky. (I had to add water to the blender to get it to blitz, but I just reduced the amount of vegetable stock I added later accordingly)
3. Heat a medium saucepan or deep skillet over medium-high. When hot, add 1 tablespoon oil. Add the ginger, garlic and scallions, and cook for 20 seconds until aromatic. (They shouldn't brown too much.) Add the remaining corn kernels, along with the blitzed corn and vegetable stock, season well with salt and white pepper, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes to bring the mixture to a boil. Stirring constantly, slowly add the cornstarch slurry, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture is slightly thickened.
4. For each serving, lay half a package of tofu in a bowl and top with a generous amount of the creamed corn. Finish with scallions, cilantro and drizzle with sesame oil.
   

The Sichuan Restaurant

14 City Rd
London 
EC1Y 2AA

After reading several rave reviews of a new Sichuan place around Moorgate, I made plans with P to give it a whirl. P is one of my favorite people to have a big Chinese feast with - he is just as adventurous as me, and we both love variety. Pictured above are frog legs, pork in a spicy broth, and "man and wife" offal slices. Sadly I forgot to take a picture of the dry fried green beans with minced pork. Everything was fantastic and there was a true numbing heat to some of the dishes that spoke of high quality Sichuan peppercorns. It was also a bargain for the quality of the cooking. Can't wait to go back and try a whole different range of dishes.

Ho-ja

39 Goldhawk Rd
Shepherds Bush
London W12 8QQ

I was in Shepherds Bush for a gig and since I'm so rarely in the area, I had a quick look at interesting places for a casual dinner beforehand. Ho-ja popped up and as soon as I saw that it was Taiwanese, I was sold (my dad's from Taiwan, I miss that food sometimes). I went with popcorn chicken, which came with a generous scoop of rice, along with beansprouts and broccoli. You also choose a sauce, and I asked for curry - which essentially turned my meal into the Taiwanese version of a katsu curry. It was an ideal solo meal, cost less than a tenner, and fulfilled some nostalgia for me, so thumbs up all around!

Bian Dang

Bian Dang
Various locations, this from KERB Kings Cross on a Tuesday

My dad is from Taiwan - so this lunch box is pretty nostalgic for me as he loved pork chop rice accompanied by soy sauce eggs and preserved vegetables. I had a chance to swing by KERB one lunch time and took the opportunity to order the Beast - which is the Bian Dang's stall dish where they put pork chop, chicken and oyster mushrooms all together in one box. I figured since it would be hard for me to ever get to them again, I should go all out, and I'm glad I did - every element was fantastic and I wish I worked in the area so I could treat myself to this lunch more often.

Bao

Bao
53 Lexington St
London W1F 9AS

Bao is one of those restaurants that is hyped so much that I was quite nervous about going - but I found myself in the area around lunch time and decided to treat myself to a solo meal, something that I am getting fonder of. It lets you order exactly what you want, eat at whatever pace you feel like, and not have to worry about whether your dining companion is enjoying themselves. Especially with the dumb queues - I would feel horrible dragging someone else along to wait and then for the meal to suck. Thankfully the meal was good, though I'm not sure I will queue again, since a meal there adds up quite quickly and some elements were a bit repetitive. I had four things - house pickles, the mushroom and century egg dish pictured above, a classic bao, and the guinea fowl rice. I think because there were pickles in the guinea fowl rice, it ended up tasting a little too similar (possibly my fault for ordering both but I didn't know!) The mushrooms were the best dish for my tastes - savory with a hit of fresh cilantro. The bao was a little sweet for me, but they often are - so again, no fault of the restaurant, just not quite my thing. I see why people like it - but if I have to wait I'm going somewhere that excites me a lot more.

Yipin

70-72 Liverpool Road  London N1 0QD I've already been back to Yipin, which given the number of restaurants on my must-try list, is quite a feat. There are good reasons for this though - 1) the food is fabulous, 2) they're very nice and never empty but never too full, and 3) it's in my neighborhood. Above you can see dry-fried green beans and braised pork belly. Not pictured is the deep fried beef with cumin, which I liked but A had objections to as he's not a huge fan of cumin. On a different visit with my adventurous friend Paul, we went for some more off-piste items that definitely included quite a lot of offal, and we scarfed down every morsel. One thing to note - Yipin is technically a Hunanese restaurant, though they also include Szechuan dishes and some more "regular" dishes that you would typically see in a Chinese restaurant. I'm enjoying the trend in London of more specialised Chinese restaurants, as each region really does have very different flavors. I think it's just a level of care that people are taking with their food now - they want to see and eat things that they might not have had before, and especially amongst food-lovers there's a whole new vocabulary around ethnic food. Anyway - if you're curious as to what Hunanese food tastes like, go check out Yipin - you'll at least get an accurate idea (and hopefully you'll get addicted!)

Red Chilli

70-72 Portland Street

Manchester

M1 4GU

Red Chilli is one of Manchester's well known Szechuan Chinese restaurants, and ever since Jay Rayner wrote about it I've been wanting to go. On a previous trip to Manchester, G & H took us and a bunch of other friends there, but I had a strange illness that made me lose my appetite and therefore missed out on the joy of all that spicy numbing food. So when I was back in Manchester for work, I made sure to detour to Red Chilli for a takeaway dinner. After some consultation with the waiter about what would travel well and be good with rice, I ordered two of their cold starters: Sliced Ox’s Heart, Ox’s Tongue, Ox’s Tripe in Chilli Sauce with Crushed peanuts, and Special Flavored Shredded Chicken. These were promptly wrapped up and I couldn't wait to dig in - I was starving and could tell from all the red hot chilli oil that I was going to need all the steamed rice and napkins that were included. It was wonderful - and perfect at room temperature, since the stinging/numbing chilli sensation didn't need to be coupled with burning my tongue. I valiantly tried to eat it all but had to give up about two-thirds of the way through. I might demand we go back there next time I'm in Manchester - it's possibly the favorite meal I've had there.

Scotland Day 8 & 9 - RAIN, RAIN and MORE RAIN (and Edinburgh)

Here we come to our final day of vacation (I'm not really counting the last half day we had in Edinburgh before catching the train back to London). Thankfully the prior days were more gracious, weather-wise, as this day managed to depress us all slightly with its dreariness.

The drive from Dunkeld to St. Andrews was a steady slate-gray view, and I did experience some reluctance to get out of the car once we were parked. Our umbrellas struggled with the rain and wind as we walked to St. Andrews Cathedral, which is unfortunately a ruin with no sheltered spaces, as you can see below.

A photo cannot capture the misery of this day

A and C were so fed up with trying to keep their umbrellas from blowing inside out that they headed immediately for a cafe. My parents and I attempted to take some pictures at the cathedral and then at St. Andrews Castle, but we ended up crying uncle as well and soon all of us were in the cafe, trying to get warm again.

While St. Andrews was a bit of a disaster (though I'm sure it has many redeeming qualities when you aren't being soaked), we were looking forward to Anstruther, home to some very famous fish and chips.

I found chips at a fish and chip shop that I actually like!

Anstruther Fish Bar was noted on our itinerary as being the best fish and chips in the UK. I was a bit dubious about this as my experience with chippies has not been that extraordinary, but it seemed worth a stop just to check. An order of traditional battered cod and then some haddock in breadcrumbs arrived quite quickly - they were happy for the five of us to share and brought us extra plates to make it easier. Surprisingly, I loved the traditional batter more than the breadcrumbs - it was light and greaseless, and the chips were fried so well that they were actually crisp on the outside and full of potato-ey flavor on the inside.

Our next destination was Dunfermline Abbey, but A the politics geek noticed that Kirkcaldy, Gordon Brown's patch, was on the way, so he insisted that we drive through it. All I can say is that I don't recommend this journey to anyone else. Perhaps the route we took through Kirkcaldy was particularly industrial, but as far as I could tell there was nothing to see.

Again, the rain scuppered most of our hopes of touring Dunfermline - we basically went into the Abbey, took some pictures, and then decided to head off to Edinburgh to make sure we could return the rental car before closing time.

At least we are somewhere dry

After dropping off the parents and the luggage at Abcorn Guest House, A and I had a traffic-jam-filled journey to the rental car drop off, then took a train back into the center of town. By the time we got back to the B&B, my parents were heading out for a walk, so we decided to grab C and head to a local pub with a great whisky list. Leslie's Bar was just around the corner from where we were staying, which made it a perfect place to hide from the rain. It was lovely and cozy inside, with wooden panelling and red velvet upholstery everywhere, and A was delighted by his whisky options.

My parents were pretty excited about more Chinese food, and the street that Leslie's Bar was on happened to be home to Huaxing Chinese Supermarket, as well as two Chinese restaurants. After grabbing some snacks at the market, we chose Good Year for a celebratory last meal. The salt and pepper chicken wings that came as our starter were enormous, meaty, crispy and spicy and boded well for the rest of the meal. As dishes poured out of the kitchen, my parents were absolutely delighted - there was no way we could finish that meal but we did give it a valiant try, and they kindly boxed up the leftovers so my parents could enjoy a second dinner the next night. Another big bonus point - the restaurant is BYOB and doesn't charge corkage, and there is a wine shop just a few doors down called Vino where we picked out a great Riesling and Rioja.

Holy cow, Chinese feast

We waddled back to the B&B for a good night's sleep, and when we woke up we had our last full breakfast (sadly the least appetizing of them all, though that was partially because it was the eighth full breakfast we'd had). A wander around drizzly Edinburgh found us looking at the Olympic rings and the National Gallery of Scotland to duck away from the wetness. Luckily all of us like the Impressionist painters so we spent a bit of time in there, before trodding around in the drizzle a bit more. Our taxi driver had pointed out the Elephant House cafe where J.K. Rowling wrote her Harry Potter books so we popped in there for a coffee break as well. And then, it was time to leave...

Doesn't this make you excited for the Olympics?

Goodbye Scotland. It was good knowing you. You may be grey, wizened and a bit damp, but your redeeming qualities are many as well. 

Scotland Day 5 - Cairngorms

Out of the places we stayed, The Boat Hotel was my favorite. The dark wood-paneled bar with big squashy sofas was a delightful place to have a glass of wine (or a whisky) after dinner, and it was ideally located for walking and taking a trip on a steam railway. The breakfasts were also top notch - we tried Arbroath smokies and Scottish smoked salmon, and you could order warm croissants.

In the morning we walked to Loch Garten and the osprey centre (ospreys disappeared from Scotland for a while but when they returned, the first pair were spotted here).

Alone, again

Then we hopped on the Strathspey Steam Railway for a very slow but peaceful journey.

Choo choo!

In the afternoon, A and his mom dashed off to Glenfarclas for another whisky distillery tour, while my parents and I did almost all of the walks on this map. We saw a hell of a lot of sheep, and one bunny.

One of what seemed like a million sheep

All that hiking (or in A's case, drinking) meant that we were up for a hearty dinner. We were looking for something a little less fancy that our previous dinners, and The Craig Bar (Woodside Avenue Grantown-on-Spey, Highland PH26 3JN) seemed like just the right thing. What really sealed the deal was the note on their website that while they served pies of all ilks, they were also happy for people to bring in food from the local Chinese takeaway. They even give you plates and cutlery for it so you can dine in style! My parents are very easy to accommodate, but they really miss Chinese food after a few days, so this seemed perfect. They would go order Chinese, while A, A's mom and me would have pies and chips. And so it was.

Mmm, pie.

Side note - the Chinese takeaway, Chinatown (47 High Street, Grantown-On-Spey PH26) was actually good - Yangzhou fried rice, chow mein, and roast duck were prepared quickly and made my parents go completely silent as they ate (seeing my dad clear two enormous plates made me realise how much they were craving Chinese food).


Again, everyone was so full after dinner that we stopped in Nethy Bridge for a little walk (and to see the bridge for which it is named). 

A Thomas Telford bridge (which was exciting until we saw them everywhere)

And another evening was capped off in the bar of The Boat Hotel.

Ba Shan

24 Romilly St
London W1D 5AH

P and his friend L were up for some spicy Chinese food, so we ended up in Ba Shan. So many things looked good on the menu, it was actually difficult to decide what to order. We got a garlicky plate of smacked cucumbers to start, and then there was some brisket in a spicy sauce, sliced lamb with loads of chillies and coriander, and some dry fried green beans covered in minced pork. All of it was fantastic, though I had an especially soft spot for the lamb - the leftovers from dinner made for a very exciting lunch the next day. It's got more atmosphere than a lot of Chinese restaurants, which makes it a nice place to go if you want to actually enjoy a long evening over food rather than rushing in and out.

Red N Hot

37 Chalton Street
London
NW1 1JD

Red N Hot is a small chain of Szechuan restaurants that also has outposts in Manchester and Birmingham. Since there's one in London, P and I had to try it out to continue on our attempt to eat at as many Szechuan restaurants as possible. C joined us as well and we quickly dove in with "Cucumbers in Garlic Sauce", "Fire Exploded Kidney Flowers", their specialty dish of "Dry Fried Boneless Chicken Leg Marinated in Cumin & Dry Chilli" and some gai lan on the side, just to be healthy. The chicken was the star of the night - little chunks of dark meat, deep fried in a light batter with a good hit of cumin and fiery spice, and crunchy addictive peanuts mixed in. Chopsticks returned to this dish again and again, picking out everything aside from the red hot chillies. I'm sure I'll be back, once I'm satisfied that I've tried as many places that serve this cuisine as I can find.

Chinese No Clay Pot Chicken Casserole

While the highlight of Chinese New Year dinner was dumplings, I also tried a new dish that seemed to go over well. It's a quick and easy one - and feeds the masses - so I'd certainly recommend it for dinner parties if you want something tasty and comforting.

Chinese No Clay Pot Chicken Casserole
Adapted from The Kitchn
Serves 8

Ingredients

1/4 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch
450g boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 scallions, roughly chopped, plus extra to serve
1 handful coriander, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1-inch piece fresh ginger, roughly grated
2 ounces / 55g smoked sausage, such as Chinese lapchang or good Italian salami, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
300g fresh button mushrooms, caps thinly sliced
8 dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated and sliced into thin strips
1 tablespoon canola or peanut oil
3 cups Chinese long grain rice
1 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 cups chicken stock

Method

Heat the oven to 350°F. Whisk together the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and cornstarch in a medium bowl. Stir in the chicken, scallions, garlic and ginger, and toss so that they are coated with the liquid. Place this mixture in the refrigerator and let marinate for at least 15 minutes (I marinated them overnight) while you cook the mushrooms.

Place an oven-safe pan, like a 3-quart Dutch oven, over medium high heat on the stove. When it is hot, add the sausage and turn the heat down to medium-low. Let the sausage slowly release its fat. When the bottom of the pot is slick with the sausage fat, add the mushrooms. Turn the heat back up to medium high heat and let the mushrooms cook, without stirring them, for 5 minutes. Flip them over and cook for another 3 minutes.

Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pot, and sauté the rice briefly to develop some toasty flavor (you don’t want to brown the rice here, just sauté it for 1 minute or so), then add the salt and the chicken mixture from the fridge. Pour in the stock. Bring to a boil.

Turn off the heat, cover with a lid or with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Make sure to taste the rice for doneness before taking it out of the oven. I like my rice a little chewier; some might want it more cooked. Let stand 5 minutes, covered, before serving. Stir up the rice before serving, as the chicken and mushrooms will have risen to the top during baking. Stir thoroughly so that they are incorporated throughout the rice.

Garnish with chopped coriander and scallions and serve with extra soy sauce and chili garlic sauce, if desired.

Nian Gao

After my failure to make the nian gao of my childhood last year, I tried again this year. I think the baking dish shape made a difference, as the pan was too small last year so it took too long to cook all the way through. This time, the cake turned out perfectly, and I was actually excited to serve it to my friends so they could taste what it is supposed to taste like.

Nian Gao
Adapted from Frances Kai-Hwa Wang

Ingredients

450g glutinous rice flour
3/4 cup of vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 1/2 cups milk
1 1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbs baking soda

Method

Mix everything with an electric mixer at medium speed for 2 minutes. Beat for 2 more minutes at high speed.

Oil or spray a 9"x13" baking dish with Pam. I used a nonstick baking pan that helped.

Pour batter into pan.

Bake in oven at 350F / 180C degrees for 40 minutes.

Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick—if it comes out clean, it is done.

Sun Wah BBQ

5039 N Broadway
Chicago, Illinois 60640

A lucky trip to Chicago for work meant that I could hang out with M, C and their adorable baby O. N also came along because we're generally unseparable when we have the chance to be in the same place. Anyway, since M lives pretty close to this place and it was dinner time, we headed off here for a girly meal. Apparently they are famous for their Peking duck, but we opted for a mixed BBQ platter instead, which came with roast pork, roast duck, and soy sauce chicken. I also ordered some Chinese broccoli and a small order of the fried chicken (which is not at all what you would think - it's not battered, it's just lightly fried so the skin gets a bit brown and crisp). M got some wonton noodle soup which she finished, so I assume she enjoyed it. Everything tasted fresh and I really liked the BBQ meats - plus it's all really reasonably priced. Funnily enough, when I met up with my cousin later, she said this was her favorite place for Chinese BBQ in Chicago and goes there all the time herself, so there you go - two stamps of approval.

Empress of Sichuan

6-7 Lisle St
London WC2H 7BG

P and I continued our quest for numbing Sichuan food at the Empress of Sichuan. This came highly recommended by some friends and as soon as we walked in, I thought it was one of the more nicely decorated Chinese restaurants I've been to. It's certainly a more luxurious joint than Chilli Cool (which I thought I blogged but apparently haven't yet), and the service was some of the most helpful and gracious I've ever experienced (P and I wanted to hug our waitress, she was so sweet). But what about the food, you ask? Brilliant. We went a bit nuts with the ordering - spicy duck tongues, some pickled vegetable that was crisp and chewy at the same time, kung pao chicken full of chillies and crunchy cashews and peanuts, dong po braised pork knuckle which fell off the bone with the slightest prod of a chopstick, and beef tripe in extremely spicy soup, which carried a powerful kick of heat that became more and more enjoyable as we ate. We managed to finish almost everything, which is a testament to how good it was, and certainly plan on returning, once we've tried a few other places to make sure we've covered all our Sichuan bases in London.

Lu Rou Fan (Taiwanese Pork Belly)

I was doing some grocery shopping in Chinatown and couldn't resist picking up a piece of pork belly. I had seen this recipe a while ago and it stuck in my head - it's very similar to a dish my mom used to make and so once the craving struck, I had to obey. Chinese home cooking is definitely one of my favorites - it's delicious and brings back great memories at the same time.

Lu Rou Fan
Adapted from Food Mayhem

Ingredients

500g pork belly
2-inch chunk of ginger, peeled and sliced into rounds
1 star anise
2″ piece of cinnamon
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons fried shallots
1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice powder

Method

Dice pork belly into small pieces, no wider than 1/2 inch. Add pork belly to a large wok and start to fry over medium heat. Cook until all of the pieces are beginning to color.

Add soy sauce, rice wine and sugar. Add the ginger, star anise and cinnamon and two cups of water. Bring it to a boil. Boil for two minutes, then sprinkle fried shallots and 5 spice powder over the top and lower the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 1 hour. 

Serve over rice, with sauteed vegetables on the side to cut the richness a bit.

Bon Bon Chicken

As soon as I saw this recipe, I knew it was something I would enjoy. Perfect for when you want something healthy but still incredibly tasty - makes for great packed lunches as well, especially if your workplace doesn't have a microwave for heating up food. 

Bon Bon Chicken

Adapted from Serious Eats

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
½ cup Shaoxing wine (I used Noilly Prat dry vermouth)
2 green onions, chopped into approximately 3 inch lengths
1 inch fresh ginger, sliced thinly

1 Thai bird's eye chili, cut in half
2 ½ teaspoons whole black, white, or Sichuan peppercorns
2 large cucumbers, peeled
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chinkiang black vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

Method

Place the chicken in a large pot. Add the wine, green onions, 3/4 of the ginger, 1 teaspoon of the Sichuan peppercorns, and enough water to cover by 2 inches. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to a simmer, cook for 3 1/2 minutes. Cover the pot, turn off the heat, and let sit for 30 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot and let cool for a few minutes. Also remove the spring onion and ginger slices and reserve for the sauce. Then thinly slice the chicken against the grain.

Quarter the cucumbers and scoop out the seeds. Then slice into 1/4-inch thick half-moons.

Combine the reserved spring onion and ginger from the poaching liquid, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, the rest of the Sichuan peppercorn, rest of the ginger, garlic, sugar, and cilantro in a blender. Process until smooth.

Place the cucumber pieces in a deep bowl. Top with the shredded chicken, and pour on the sauce. Tos thoroughly to combine. Garnish with more cilantro.

Great Wall Szechuan House

1527 14th Street Northwest
Washington, DC 20005-3706

Another fantastic place not too far from J's place - he took our family there on our last visit to DC and we ordered everything at full spicy strength, which blew our heads off. This time, we wisely requested the dishes to be made at half strength, which was still plenty spicy. Favorites are the double cooked pork belly (in picture above), the dan dan noodles and the bok choy sauteed with garlic. We also ordered the house special chow mein, which was fine, and salt and pepper shrimp were pretty good, but couldn't hold a candle to our amazing place in Austin, Tien Jin. I think the Szechuan specialties at this place are the standouts - stick to those and you won't be too disappointed, as long as you can handle the ma la spiciness!

Pearl Liang

8 Sheldon Square
London
W2 6EZ

Pearl Liang was the last meal for our west London weekend, and boy was it a doozy. I can now see why so many people have gone hunting for this restaurant in the strange area known as Paddington Basin - on a Sunday morning, there is nothing else open in the area except for a lonely little Sainsbury's and a Starbucks. We probably over-ordered for two, but it didn't matter - A and I polished off everything like champs. Next time I have a craving for dim sum, I will be running back here - everything we had tasted fresh, with good quality ingredients, and the atmosphere inside the restaurant was great too.

List of goodies we ate, with the really exceptional ones in bold: Wasabi Prawn Dumpling, Shanghai Dumpling with Pork, Pork Shu Mai, Shredded Taro Crispy Prawn Roll, Crispy Aromatic Duck Roll, Fried Octopus Cake, Bok Choi with Garlic, Chrysanthemum Custard Buns