It’s the new year and almost all of us are a bit thicker in the middle, regretting our holiday indulgence. But no kid wants to sit down to a plate of lettuce and boiled chicken for dinner, and to be honest that doesn’t sound appetizing to me either. So we turned to Pebbles Courtyard owner Ray Yue Heng to find out what he feeds his family when they want to be healthy without skimping on taste or style. Heng told us “Any masa-based dish is very healthy with the nixtamalized corn process…which is the only way to extract nutrients from corn. Corn tortillas are very healthy and low carb.”

But with so many masa-based dishes to choose from, where do we begin? Well, Heng’s son Arthur loves it when dad makes enchilada suizas at home, and he was kind enough to share the recipe with us, adding, “If you’re a fast cook and have all the ingredients ready, you can put this dish together within 30-40 minutes. If you pre-cooked the sauce, then it’s even faster, with just an assembly job!”

And if this still seems a bit daunting, well you could always stop in at Pebbles – which is currently celebrating its 12-year anniversary – or order take out!

ENCHILADA SUIZAS
Start to finish: 30-40 minutes
Servings: 4

8 4-inch or 6 6-inch corn tortillas
300 grams of shredded rotisserie chicken
100-120grams swiss or mozzarella cheese

For the salsa verde
794g or 1 can tomatillo
1/2 small white onion
4-6 garlic cloves
1 green bell pepper
*3 green chiles or jalapenos
1 bunch cilantro
80-100ml chicken broth
3-4 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil, can use avocado oil for a healthier approach
1 cup heavy cream
Salt to taste

*For kids, you can also make a nonspicy version by replacing green chiles with more bell peppers.

Utensils & equipment
1 large skillet or saucepan
Blender
Rubber spatula
Containers for salsa verde and shredded chicken
Baking dish
Oven mitts
Oven

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180-200 degrees Celsius.
Heat the pan on medium-high for about a minute, pour in the oil, and heat for another minute.
While the pan is heating, blend all the salsa verde ingredients until it’s a smooth puree.
Bring your shredded chicken to room temperature, and have it ready to assemble.
When oil is hot, pour in salsa mixture from the blender top – rinse the blender top with some drinkable water, you don’t want to waste anything that’s left behind – and bring to a boil. Stir and turn down heat to let it simmer for about 8 to 10 minutes. The salsa should sizzle when poured in the pan, or else your pan is not hot enough. But be careful when pouring in the mixture, make sure your children are not around, it may splash! And wear an apron at all times.
After 8 to 10 minutes your sauce should begin to thicken. Add in the heavy cream and turn up the heat. Stir for another 3 to 5 minutes, and season with salt to taste. Remember: the tomatillos have been in a brine, so it’s actually salted, therefore you should not season the sauce until the end, as you may not need to add much.
Once the sauce is done, pour it into a container. Have your chicken, cheese, and baking dish on the side, ready to assemble. Conversely, you may also let the sauce chill, refrigerating until use.
Scoop 1 ladle of salsa verde into the baking dish covering its bottom. Fill one tortilla with chicken, roll it up and place it into the baking dish. Repeat this step with the tortilla and chicken until baking dish is filled. Ladle more sauce on the top, covering all the enchiladas. You may put the cheese on at this step if your sauce is warm and the chicken is at room temperature. If everything came out of your fridge then bake at a lower temperature for a few minutes longer.
Place the assembled baking dish in the middle rack of your preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and turn up to 250 degrees (broiler mode). Sprinkle the cheese over the enchiladas and put it on the top rack for another 3 to 5 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly, melted, and caramelized!
Use oven mitts to take out the baking dish, and be sure to place it on a rack or a towel so it doesn’t burn your expensive wooden table!

Pebbles Courtyard
74 Wudaoying Hutong Dongcheng District
东城区 五道营胡同74号
Phone: 8404 0767

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Images: Ray Yue Heng

Halloween is awesome…and busy. Growing up, our house was like Grand Central Station on Oct 31. There were three kids and between afterschool rehearsals, practices, meetings, Halloween parties, and trick or treating, we were in and out of the house at all different times. Not wanting her children to survive on candy alone, my mom would double up on a batch of slow cooker sloppy joes that we could grab and go as needed, ensuring that at least some protein and vegetables made it into our systems. Before long it was a family tradition and my siblings and I would bring friends to the house to refuel after practices but before we went out into the cold, begging strangers for sugar.

Similarly, life in Beijing is hectic. So if you’re looking for an easy go-to Halloween dinner that’s ready when you are here, are a few local options… including my mom’s recipe for sloppy joes! All restaurants mentioned can be found on Meituan, Sherpas, or JSS. For tips and tricks on how to use these apps check out this article Food at Your Fingertips.

Huluween at Hulu by TRB is a Beijing tradition! I mean, where else can you devour some batwings and salmon fingers before hitting up your costume party. No time to eat out this year? Simply order the Halloween Box from Peach by Hulu.

Meanwhile, Feast at East will have a Halloween-themed buffet, and kids who attend get free admission to Xian’s haunted house! For booking and directions scan the code in the flyer.

Larry the Bird delivers now, which is great if you’re looking for food that anyone in the family can quickly grab between activities! Order a whole chicken and some sides.

Dia de Los Muertos – aka Day of the Dead – is Nov 1, so for a Latin spin on the spooky spirit, order in tacos or a mixed grill from Pebbles Courtyard!

Moms Super Easy Fix-and-Forget Sloppy Joes:

• 1 lb. ground beef (browned in a skillet)
• 1 yellow onion diced
• 1 green or red bell pepper diced
• 1 cup ketchup
• 8 oz. can tomato sauce (not paste)
• 2 tbsp. mustard
• 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder or 4 cloves of chopped garlic
• 1/4 tsp. chili powder (optional)
• Hamburger buns

Dump everything except the hamburger buns in the slow cooker. Set on medium. Leave it alone for anywhere from 3-12 hours.

When you are ready to eat, spoon it onto the bun and serve.

Told you…easy!

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Images: Unsplash, Hulu, Feast, Larry the Bird

Tacos, burritos, nachos … all tasty treats, without question. But these familiar dishes are only a small corner of the extravaganza which is true Mexican cuisine. Unfortunately, here in Beijing, it’s easy to feel limited in our options and understanding of Mexico’s food culture, and what it can really be.

Well, no more. Enter Pebbles Courtyard.

Pebbles is an innovative restaurant nestled in Wudaoying Hutong, Dongcheng District, which delves into the farther reaches of Mexican cuisine, boldly bringing less familiar dishes and flavors to the plates of Beijingers. During our visit, we had the pleasure of speaking with Ray Heng, one half of the husband-and-wife duo who own and run the whole operation.

Ray Heng is both a genuine, cool guy and a real culinary aficionado. He’s no regular Beijing restaurant owner—having trained under his friend and mentor, celebrity chef Rick Bayless, the depth of his knowledge of and love for Mexican cuisine was palpable both in our conversation and in the food we tasted.

Our first dish, the Shrimp Cocktail appetizer (RMB 68), was delightfully refreshing. Having walked through the midsummer Beijing heat to get to the restaurant, the coolness of the shrimp, tomatoes, and avocado was immensely satisfying. A just-right hint of saltiness, too, was capped off perfectly with the crunch of the crackers which were paired with the dish.

Soon after, the staff brought out our second appetizer, the Empanadas de Queso (RMB 68). Before the dish got close enough for even the aroma to reach us, my eyes feasted on the colors on the plate. The perfect golden brown of the dumpling-shaped pastry sat gently on a bed of carrot and sweet potato purée and was garnished with flower petals. I would later learn from Ray that the principle of this “carrotine” purée is that its ingredients vary by season, but the end product would always hold this vibrant and tasty color.

Cutting into the empanadas, we discovered a generous stuffing of melted cheese in each. On my first bite, I was taken aback by the way that the savory flakiness of the crust and the rich fluffiness of the cheese inside complemented one another—a superb blend of textures. Even just the purée itself probably could have made for a splendid appetizer. The creaminess of the mashed carrot and sweet potato was seasoned just right—absolutely not too salty, but just enough kick to maintain an amazing flavor.

Each component of every dish is handmade. Nothing that a customer pays for comes out of a freezer or a bag. As he walked us through the thought processes behind his food, I was amazed by the sheer attention to even the smallest details that is responsible for making each dish just right. It’s not just about flavors, Ray says. It’s also about the texture, and believe or not, even the colors (as the empanadas demonstrate) that really make each dish hit their full potential.

The crackers paired with shrimp cocktail, for instance, were chosen in the stead of a perhaps more familiar stack of chips for its milder flavor, which allows for the other ingredients to shine.

Ray very well may have put more consideration into that single dish than I did for my semester final English paper…

A few moments later, our main dish was served. Again, the aesthetic quality of our food was on point. The presentation of the Street Tacos Platter (RMB 98) was rustic and beautiful. Along with the five tacos (chorizo con papa, carnitas, barbacoa, lengua, and tinga-de-pollo), we were presented with a range of eight different styles of salsa to try. If you think that’s impressive, remember that their entire menu offers over 30 different salsas!

The taco I tried—the barbacoa—was incredible. It was unlike any taco I’d had before. While the slow-cooked beef, coated in its smoky savory sauce, boasted a formidable flavor, it was the homemade tortilla that especially stood out. It had a rich and crumbly quality you simply would never be able to experience from its store-bought counterparts.

Ray explained that it is the simplicity of the ingredients that gives the tortilla its outstanding texture. The cornflour gives it a distinct aroma, while the pork lard incorporated into the recipe gives it its crumbly, rich texture that almost melts in the mouth.

The innovation behind the re-imagined Pebbles Courtyard brings a fresh slice of Mexican cuisine to the plates of Beijingers. Its unique offerings introduce the city to a genuine take on the vast potential of Mexico’s diverse culinary world—and is sure to leave an impression on anyone who makes to the satisfying trip.

Pebbles Courtyard
Daily noon-11pm. 74 Wudaoying Hutong, Dongcheng District 东城区五道营胡同74号 (8404 0767)

Photos: Uni You
This article appeared on p24-25 of the beijingkids September 2018 Teen Takeover issue