In a year when many of us are separated from family for the holidays, it’s more than tempting to lean on familiar ingredients to make old favorites from home. But trying to replicate recipes in Beijing can quickly get expensive, not to mention the amount of food miles products rack up on their way from the US or Europe to China. So, this year, I set myself the challenge of coming up with some holiday dishes that offer a taste of home but use no imported ingredients.

Overall, this was easier than it sounds, although perhaps the most challenging was the stuffing. Wholegrain mantou, which can be bought from most larger local supermarkets, makes a good substitute for the bread, although they end up with a slightly gummier texture than regular bread. A loaf of sourdough from The Bake Shop (WeChat ID: thebakeshop) would also be perfect (although I can’t attest to whether their flour is imported or not).

Sausage stuffing
Serves 6-8

Ingredients
500g Andy’s Craft Sausages Maple sausage, casings removed
1 onion, finely chopped
4 sticks of celery, finely chopped
6 wholegrain mantou, cut into 1-2 cm cubes
2 cups chicken stock
2 eggs
1 small bunch of parsley (you can also save the leaves from the celery and use those)
Cooking oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
1. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and add the sausage meat. Cook over medium heat, breaking up the meat as you go, until golden brown. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and add to a large bowl.
2. Meanwhile, toast the mantou cubes in a 320℉ degree oven until dry and lightly golden.
3. Add the onion and celery to the pan, season with salt and black pepper, and cook for 8-10 minutes until golden brown (if you have dried herbs like parsley, sage, and thyme lying around your cupboards, add a teaspoon here). Remove from the pan and add to the bowl with the sausage.

4. Mix the bread cubes with the sausage and vegetables, and then set aside to cool.
5. When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350℉ and grease a large baking dish. Mix the stock and the eggs and whisk thoroughly to combine. Spread the bread and sausage mixture out in the baking dish, then pour over the stock and egg mixture (you want the stuffing cubes to be infused with the stock but not wet — if the dish is looking wet, don’t use all the stock).
6. Cover with foil and bake until the stuffing is hot, about 20-30 minutes, then uncover and bake for a further 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

Note: Make sure the sausage and bread mixture and the stock are at room temperature before mixing with the eggs, otherwise you’ll end up with scrambled eggs.

This next side is quick and healthy and has the added benefit of being vegan.

Whipped sweet potatoes
Serves 4-6

Ingredients
1kg sweet potatoes
1 pot of Yeyo coconut yogurt (150g)
Sea salt

Instructions
1. Prick the sweet potatoes all over with a fork, place on a plate lined with kitchen paper, and microwave for 5-10 minutes, turning every 3-4 minutes. You’ll know the potatoes are cooked when you can pierce them easily with a blunt knife.
2. Scoop the potatoes out of their skins into a food processor and add the coconut yogurt and few good pinches of salt. Process until light and fluffy and serve.

Soy-honey glazed Brussels sprouts
Serves 4-6

Ingredients
700g Brussels sprouts, cut in half, lengthways
2 tbsp honey
1.5 tbsp Chinkiang vinegar (镇江香醋 zhènjiāng xiāng cù)
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Cooking oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
1. Blanche the sprouts in boiling water for about 2 minutes, then drain and leave to cool in a colander.
2. Heat a little cooking oil in a frying pan over medium heat and add the sprouts, trying to ensure most of them are cut side down, and increase the heat to medium-high. Fry for 5-6 minutes until the sprouts start to caramelize, seasoning with a little salt and pepper towards the end.
4. Meanwhile, mix the honey, vinegar, soy, and sesame oil in a small bowl.
5. When the sprouts are nearly ready, add the honey mixture to the pan. Stir thoroughly so the honey coats the sprouts, then serve warm, sprinkled with sesame seeds

A sweet-sour glaze of honey and fragrant black vinegar help take away the bitter edge Brussels sprouts have that some people dislike. Sesame seeds add a toasty note — just don’t forget them like I did!

KEEP READING: A Little Turkey Told Me: More Thanksgiving Meals For You

Photos: Robynne Tindall, Pixabay

Enjoy the best that Beijing has to offer this weekend. As always, click the link in the event title for further details and ticketing info.

Friday, Nov 20

Chinese Movie Night at Home

There’s nothing quite like a Friday night movie night! But if you’ve already watched Frozen and Frozen 2 for 86 million times combined, it might be time to swap it out for something different. Click to check out our list of recommendations for family-friendly Chinese films. There are great picks for kids, as well as some more suited older kids and teens that will also keep Mom and Dad happy.

Saturday, Nov 21

Cookie Cooking Class for Kids

Thanksgiving isn’t a French tradition, but that isn’t stopping O’Steak from getting in on the action! For the coming two weekends, they’re hosting a charitable “Frenchgiving” event, whereby all proceeds go towards the Migrant Children’s Fund. Head over to their cozy restaurant for a fun cookie baking class for kids.

Sat & Sun, 10am-12pm or 3-5pm. O’Steak. RMB 98 per family

WAB Winter Charity Bazaar

Beijing’s biggest winter bazaar is back! Western Academy of Beijing (WAB) is famous for its annual charity bazaar, and although this year they are relocating to Beijing Riviera Club (we all know how difficult it is to get onto campus due to COVID-19 restrictions), it’s set to be even bigger and better than ever! The event will feature a wide range of Beijing’s best makers and gift sellers, as well as loads of food and drinks, charity organization booths, and live entertainment. (Psst – a little beijingkids birdie even told me we’d be there!) Proceeds will go towards supporting EGRC, which provides scholarships for girls in rural China, as well as Operation Blessing Love and Hope Center, the Migrant Children Foundation, RenYuYuan Learning House, Roundabout, and Surmang foundation.

10.30am – 3.30pm. Beijing Riviera Country Club. Free admission

Junior Master Chef at Park Hyatt Beijing

Are your little ones budding chefs and patissiers? If so, they’ll love this weekend’s Junior Master Chef event at Park Hyatt Beijing. Under the guidance of Executive Sous Chef George, kids will be encouraged to ignite their creativity and explore a range of ingredients to create their very own cakes. The cooking session will be followed by an afternoon tea set prepared by Hyatt staff while the kids explore the hotel’s playground.

3-5pm. Park Hyatt Beijing. RMB 488-888

Sunday, Nov 22

KEEP READING: Put Your Trust in Beijing’s Best Local Tour Guides and Agencies

Images: Courtesy of the event organizers, Cindy Marie Jenkins

Better known as Chinese steamed buns, mantou is a staple food in the Chinese diet. Originating from a folk tale over 2,000 years ago, mantou has evolved from simple, plain buns to a wide range of shapes, sizes, and colors. Initially, it was popular mainly in northern China because rice is seldom grown there so people had to find alternative foods. Now, it graces the menus of every city, every town, and every village in China.

Mantou in its most basic form is white and round, often considered part of the main course. As a dessert, smaller deep-fried versions are dipped in sweetened milk. Nowadays, mantou is a cross between food and art, with chefs racing to find a new, creative way of styling the dough. My household was first introduced to this innovation on Valentine’s Day this year when my mom decided to steam Mantou roses. Since then, we’ve been working our way through mantou crabs, porcupines, frogs, and many more.

Qinglan and her mom with their mantou creations

Ingredients (makes 6 medium or 3 large mantou)

• 250g all-purpose/plain flour
• 1 tsp dried active yeast
• 130ml lukewarm water
• 1 tbsp sugar, or to taste (optional)
• Food dye or raw ingredients for coloring (yellow mantou can be made from steamed pumpkin, green from crushed spinach, pink from dragon fruit, and purple from purple sweet potato.)

Method

1. Decide on a color for your mantou;  In my case, I’ll be working with yellow, made from 1 small pumpkin.
2. Start by washing the pumpkin, then slicing it, and finally steaming it.
3. Put the flour in a clean metal pot. Squash the steamed pumpkin pieces and blend them in with the flour. It’s optional to add white sugar at this stage depending on your preference.
4. Dissolve the instant dry yeast in the water. I suggest the brand Angel (安琪 ān qí).
5. Once it’s fully dissolved, pour the liquid into the flour and pumpkin. Stir the mixture thoroughly until thoroughly blended, and cover the pot.
6. Allow the dough rise for two hours.
7. Shape the mantou into your desired design, below I show how to make a mantou rose, crab, and porcupine.
8. Place your creations in a steam pot and allow them to rise for another 10 minutes before turning on the stove.
9. Steam for 15 minutes, turn off the heat and wait another 10 minutes before removing the mantou.
10. Enjoy your very own colorful, creative mantou collection.

Mantou Rose

• When the two hours are up, retrieve the dough and a cutting board, and break off a handful of dough.
• Using your hands, sculpt that piece of dough into a long strip.
  
• Now split the strip into six equal pieces with a knife and use a rolling pin to knead each piece into a flat circle, just like with dumpling wraps.
• Layer the six circles on top of one another so that they overlap.
  
• Take a chopstick and press it down along the center of the stack’s length. Roll the stack up, along its length, and cut it with a knife according to the mark previously made by the chopstick.
• This produces two separate roses.
  
• Adjust the petals of the roses to your liking by pulling them out and opening them up. Then, place the two finished products in a steam pot.
  

Mantou Crab

• Break off another handful of dough from the metal pot and split that into five even pieces with a knife.
• Take out a rolling pin and knead one of the pieces into a flat oval. This will serve as the crab’s body.
• With the remaining four pieces, sculpt them into thin, long strips of equal length for the crab’s legs. Lay the legs horizontally across the crab body.
  
• Fold the two sides of the oval over the strips and make sure they stick firmly. Flip the whole structure upside-down and insert two beans, (both red beans or green beans work great) into the edge of the oval to resemble eyes. You may need a small knife to properly embed the beans.
  
• Lastly, take a comb and press it into the crab’s back repeatedly to form a pattern. Place the finished product in the steam pot and move onto the final design.
  

Mantou Porcupine

• Probably the most heartwarming of mantou designs, mantou porcupines requires just one piece of dough. Mold it into a teardrop shape with your hand and flatten one side slightly so the porcupine appears to be crawling on the ground.
• Take a pair of scissors and cut and lift small pieces of dough all over the rounded side, forming the porcupine’s prickly back. Make sure to maintain the scissors in an upright position so that with every cut, a triangular spike is created. Don’t cut too deep into the dough or else the spikes will be too large.
  
• Take two beans and insert them into the pointed area of the teardrop structure, serving as the animal’s eyes.

Qinglan Du is a 16-year-old student from Beijing City International School. She’s originally from Beijing but is currently living in Jerusalem with her mother due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Aside from her passion for writing, she enjoys singing, spending time with friends and family, and experiencing new cultures.

KEEP READING: A Step-By-Step to Homemade Laozao Sweet Fermented Rice

Photos: Qinglan Du, food52

My grandparents don’t show affection in the traditional way. They don’t tell us they love us and they aren’t used to hugs. Instead, they say it all through food.

My yeye (grandpa) and nainai (grandma) live about three hours away by train. But we’re all so busy with our lives  that we hardly get to see each other. Every time we visit, nainai fusses over whether or not we’ve eaten and yeye spoils us with snacks, pale pink hawthorn flakes, and mint-flavored throat candy he buys just for us. Some of its gone stale from sitting in the dark for so long, and some of its just… a little weird. We eat it anyways.

But nothing beats the dumplings, made from scratch by the entire family. We eat it to say hello, to say goodbye, and they never let us leave without packing more for the road. Every dumpling says “I love you”.

In Chinese culture, dumplings or jiaozi 饺子 signify reunion. Just like during Chinese New Year, whenever my parents bring us back to our hometown, everyone comes home to eat. We each play our part in the dumpling assembly line, and with each pair of hands the dumpling passes through, we are reminded of all the ways we’re connected.

Yeye starts off early in the day by kneading the dough. The finished dough is passed down to my dad and uncle, who tear them into chunks, smoothing them into little balls to be coated in flour and flattened with the press of the palm. Around and around goes the rolling pin, hands twisting the dough and churning out perfect circles of dumpling skin, slightly thicker in the middle and impossibly round.

Making dumplings at the speed of light

Then it’s time to add the fillings and shape the dumplings. Every family folds them in their own way. My dad’s family is from Shandong. They make it the northern way: a quick pinch to the middle and two thumbs that press the corners together like a golden nugget. My mother’s dumplings are different. She taught me to pleat them the southern way, with a ring of folds decorating the dumplings like a crown. These dumplings are slower to make and stand out from the others with their intricate folds. I learned how to fold both, northern and southern.

But the real test comes when it’s time to put them in hot water.

Will the jiaozi hold? Or will they spill precious fillings? My grandpa slides them from the chopping boards into the boiling water. In the pot, it doesn’t matter what the dumpling skin looks like as long as they don’t fall apart. Just like how we stay together as a family, despite all our differences.

We may live 500 km apart. My sister and I may struggle to understand our grandparents’ local dialect and old-fashioned ways. But when it comes to dumplings, no translation is necessary.

Even after we return to Beijing, we continue to feast on our grandparents’ love. We inherited more than family recipes and cooking skills. Making jiaozi with my family gave us a better understanding of where we came from.

With everything going on in the world, there’s no telling when we’ll be able to visit my grandparents next. But my sister and I have learned enough from them about making dumplings that the next time we see them, we’ll be ready to show our love.

KEEP READING: A Step-By-Step to Homemade Laozao Sweet Fermented Rice

Photos: TianTian Xu, unsplash