Rather than preparing a Christmas feast ourselves, many of us may have already made plans to dine at restaurants with friends and family. There’s no shame in sitting down at a restaurant on the holidays, but we don’t want to risk getting as red as Rudolf’s nose because we can’t order a single item off the menu! So to help you to order whatever you want with ease this holiday, here are some words and phrases for all your dining needs.

Food 食物 Shíwù

Vegetables 蔬菜 Shūcài

– Cabbage 白菜 Báicài
– Scallion/Green onion 葱 Cōng
– Onion 洋葱 Yángcōng
– Celery 芹菜 Qíncài
– Coriander 香菜 Xiāngcài
– Bamboo shoot 笋 Sǔn
– Mushroom 蘑菇 Mógū
– Tomato 西红柿/番茄 Xīhóngshì/ Fān qié
– Potato 土豆 Tǔdòu
– Corn 玉米 Yùmǐ
– Eggplant 茄子 Qiézi
– Cucumber 黄瓜 Huángguā
– Bean sprout 豆芽 Dòuyá
– Spinach 菠菜 Bōcài

Meat 肉 Ròu

– Pork 猪肉 Zhūròu
– Beef 牛肉 Niúròu
– Chicken 鸡肉 Jīròu
– Lamb 羊肉 Yángròu
– Ribs 排骨 Páigǔ
– Pork belly 五花肉 Wǔhuāròu
– Steak 牛排 Niúpái

Seafood 海鲜 Haixian

– Crab 螃蟹 Páng xiè
– Shrimp 虾 Xiā
– Fish 鱼 Yú
– Lobster 龙虾 Lobster
– Spicy Crawfish 麻辣小龙虾 Má là xiǎo lóng xiā

READ MORE: Mandarin Monday: Don’t Let a Menu Get Between You and Your Seafood

Famous Regional Dishes 有名的地方菜 Yǒumíng de dìfāngcài

– Peking duck 北京烤鸭 Beijing kǎoyā
– Shanghai small steamed buns 上海小笼包 Shànghǎi xiǎolóng bāo
– Xi’an hamburger 西安肉夹馍 Xī’ān ròujiámó
– Sichuan hotpot 四川火锅 Sìchuān huǒguō
– Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles 兰州拉面 Lánzhōu lāmiàn
– Hangzhou braised pork belly 杭州东坡肉 Hángzhōu dōng pō ròu
– Changsha-style stinky tofu 长沙臭豆腐 Chǎngshā chòu dòufu

READ MORE: Festive Feasting: Pamper The Family with These Christmas Dining Offers

Drinking 饮品 Yǐnpǐn

– Tea 茶 Chá
READ MORE: Mandarin Monday: Knowing the Types of Chinese Tea
READ MORE: Hold That Tea Bag! What You Need to Know Before Brewing Another Pot

– Red wine 红酒 Hóng pútáojiǔ
– White wine 白葡萄酒 Bái pútáojiǔ
– Beer 啤酒 Píjiǔ
– Juice 果汁 Guǒzhī
– Ice water 冰水 Bīngshuǐ
– Coca-Cola 可乐 Kělè
– Herbal tea 王老吉 Wánglǎojí

Phrases

Hi, what do you want to order?
你好，请问你要点什么？ Nǐhǎo，qǐngwèn nǐ xiǎng diǎn shénme？

I’d like to have __.
我想要__。 Wǒ xiǎngyào__.

Hi waiter, I’m a vegetarian, can you recommend some vegan food to me?
你好，服务员， 我是素食主义者，请问你能推荐我一些素食菜给我吗？ Nǐhǎo fúwùyuán, wǒshì sùshízhǔyìzhě, qǐngwèn nǐneng tuījiàn yìxiē sùshícài gěiwǒ ma?

I really like to eat steak!
我很喜欢吃牛排! Wǒ hěn xǐhuan chī niúpái!

Photos: Pixabay.com

Last week Ayi Yuan and I gave you Steamed Pork and Spring Onion Baozi, and this week we are sharing our recipe for a side staple that’s slightly more simple but packed full of flavour and crunch. This week we’re going back to basics with another veggie dish!

Now if you’ve been in China long enough you would have already become very much aware that in Chinese cuisine, the humble vegetable is regularly elevated to higher heights. I have always been partial to cooked vegetables, but I have a new found love for familiar and new veggies after living in China for almost six years.  From clay pot medleys, to hot pot delicacies, vegetables are taken from lackluster steamed or roasted sides (looking at you U.K), to explosively robust and flavorsome must-haves when dining out or in.

If you liked the spicy fried egg-plant dish but you like a more tempered side dish when it comes to spice, this one is for you and of course if you like a little spice in your life, you can up the ante with a few Sichuan peppers. Enjoy!

Get familiar with the basics of the dish

Ingredients

1 cup chopped Chinese cucumber (any of your choice)

2 eggs

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. Chinese dark vinegar

1 tbsp. light soy sauce

1/2 cup chopped spring onion

2 crushed garlic cloves

1 tsp. corn flour

1 cup peanut oil

Keep the scrambled eggs in larger chunks

Instructions

1. Over a medium-high heat, place a skillet or frying pan with half of the peanut oil. Beat the two eggs and add. You don’t want to scramble the egg too finely, so wait until the eggs start to form an omelet and then split and turn over. Stir-fry until you have medium sized fluffy pieces of egg. Set aside.
2. Add the rest of the peanut oil and garlic. When the garlic is aromatic, add the slices of cucumber. Stir-fry until slight soft and add the fried egg.
3. Add the vinegar, corn flour, and salt. Continue to stir-fry.
4. Add the soy sauce and continue to stir-fry until the cucumber is al dente. Add the chopped spring onion and continue to stir-fry for a further minute or so. Serve steaming hot!

Serve hot as a side dish

Photo: Nicole Bonnah

Spoiled by technology and the marvels of modern agriculture, nowadays you can find almost every type of produce all year round in the supermarket, be it seasonal or not. However, food that is in season is fresher, tastier, and healthier than at other times during the year because there’s less chance of it having been subjected to long-distance delivery or harmful preservation techniques.

Because the cycles of nature contribute to a balance between natural diversities, eating according to them is important, not only to our health but also to the health of the entire planet. Additionally, buying food in-season is also much more affordable than when it’s not. So remind me, why exactly are you eyeing up that pumpkin right now?

Enrich your springtime menu with these vegetables currently in season in Beijing, available at most local markets or seek them out on your favorite Chinese restaurant’s menu.

Toona Sinensis (香椿 xiāng chūn)

Toona sinensis deserves its place on the top of this list. It’s only available during a very short period each year given that the early sprouts, when their color is still reddish, are considered to be the most delicious and nutritious. The young leaves are so welcomed among Beijingers due to their floral, onion-like flavor that trees are planted exclusively just for this yearly vegetable treat. Beijing’s long-time love towards toona sinensis is even evident in the hutongs, where a number of alleyways are named after the plant, such as Changchun Jie and Xiangchun Hutong.

Dishes available now: toona egg pancake (香椿鸡蛋饼 xiāngchūn jīdàn bǐng) and toona with tofu salad (香椿拌豆腐 xiāng chūn bàn dòufu).

Bamboo shoots (春笋 chūn sǔn)

Spring also means freshly-erupted culms of the bamboo plant. They’re tender, crisp, and chewy, and go great with various cooking methods, be it in soups, braising with pork, or simple stir-fries. Bamboo is also an excellent source of fiber – win-win!

Dishes available now: braised bamboo shoots (油焖春笋 yóu mèn chūn sǔn) and bamboo shoots with pickled cabbage (雪菜春笋 xuě cài chūn sǔn).

Asparagus (芦笋 lú sǔn)

Asparagus is a very low-calorie vegetable, yet packed with nutrition such as potassium and vitamin A and C. Though not universally enjoyed (especially among kids) due to its somewhat bitter flavor, the stalks are crunchy, buttery, and go great with other strong-flavored ingredients.

Dishes available now: asparagus with shrimp meat (虾仁芦笋 xiā rén lú sǔn) and scaled asparagus (白灼芦笋 bái zhuó lú sǔn)

Sugar snap peas (豌豆荚 wān dòu jiá)

If you’re looking an easy health boost, add sugar snap peas to your diet. They are high in vitamin A and C, and contain moderate amounts of iron, which helps the body regulate blood sugar levels. They’re also super versatile and can be consumed in a number of ways: steamed, stir-fried, and even raw.

Dishes available now: fried sugar snap peas (清炒豌豆荚 qīng chǎo wān dòu jiá) and sugar snap peas salad (豌豆荚沙拉 wān dòu jiá shā lā)

Shepherd’s purse (荠菜 jì cài)

Sounding similar to 聚财 jù cái “gather the fortune,” jì cài or shepherd’s purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) is extremely popular in China given that it lies at the crossroads of auspiciousness and high edibility. With its herb-like fragrance and sweet aftertaste, jì cài works especially well alongside pork as a dumpling filling. Great, now I want dumplings…

Dishes available now: pork and Capsella bursa-pastoris dumplings (荠菜猪肉饺子 jì cài zhū ròu jiǎo zi), Capsella bursa-pastoris wontons (荠菜馄饨 jìcài hún tún), and tofu and Capsella bursa-pastoris stew (荠菜豆腐羹 jìcài dòufu gēng).

READ: Beijing’s Best Brunches Worth Getting Out of Bed For: Spring 2019 Edition

Photos: Pixabay, Xiachufang

I always told myself I’d never be one of those parents who uses their kids to interpret for them. Now, after 15 months in Beijing, I’m one of those parents who uses their kids to interpret for them.
Noah (10) and Joseph (7) attend Yew Chung International School (YCIS) of Beijing, and their Chinese proficiency has accelerated so fast that it’s left their mother and I choking on their dust. One reason for this, I’m convinced, is YCIS Beijing’s co-teaching model, in which classes are taught simultaneously in both English and Chinese. They’re learning the language not only formally in lessons, but also from hearing it spoken all day long. As a result it comes naturally to them, and they’re able to understand and respond easily in real life situations.
To put this to the test, I took them down to the market to buy some vegetables.
“Get some potatoes,” I tell the boys, “and I’ll make chips.” (That’s French fries to you non-Brits.)
Their enthusiasm for the task immediately increases.
“土豆 多少钱?” (tǔdòu duōshao qián) they ask – how much are potatoes?
“土豆三 块一 斤,” (tǔdòu sān kuài yī jīn) the stallholder answers – potatoes are RMB 3 for half a kilogram.
(The jīn is a traditional Chinese weight, sometimes in English called a “catty”, which is where we get the word “[tea]caddy” from. It’s been metrically rounded to 500 grams, or 600 grams in Taiwan, and remains the usual measure for food in both markets and supermarkets.)
The boys pick out some spuds and hand them over to be weighed.

“If we were in the south of China I’d have asked for 马铃薯 (mǎlíngshǔ),” Noah tells me. “土豆 there means peanuts.”
We buy lettuce (生菜, shēng cài) and tomatoes (西红柿, xī hóng shì). “That means ‘western red persimmon’,” Noah says, and I am amazed. When I was his age I didn’t even know what a persimmon was.

“二十四块”(èrshísì kuài) is the final bill. I hand the money to Joseph, who counts out RMB 24.

“你的中文说得很好,” (nǐde zhōngwén shuōde hĕn hǎo), the stallholder says to the boys, and even I understand that, because I’ve heard it said to them so often: “You speak Chinese very well.”
Joseph says “谢谢.”
Then she turns to the man who has been watching the 老外 children shopping.
“这些男孩真的漂亮,” (zhèxiē nánhái zhēnde piàoliang), she says.
“What does that mean?” I ask Noah, and he blushes.
“She said these boys are really handsome.”
Of course. They take after their father. Ahem.
But it’s YCIS Beijing we have to thank for their 中文说得很好.

This post is sponsored by YCIS Beijing

Photos: Uni

My son and daughter are each refusing to eat their vegetables in turn. It’s pushing me over the edge of the patience volcano into bubbling lava of irritation. I’ve just stood up from the table, struck with helplessness about wasting the plates full of organic (and decidedly overpriced) vegetables. Why won’t my babies eat these?

I leave the table.

As I let my shoulders relax in the little galley kitchen of our very Chinese-style apartment, I’m wondering if I’ll have to quietly put these remaining veggies into a smoothie yet again, disguised with fruits and yogurt, and then freeze them as popsicles for my two stubborn kids. Maybe that is every parent’s only option when dealing with a pre-schooler-with-attitude and a toddler obsessed with copying his sister? Maybe that’s called nutrition management for frustrated parents? Maybe that’s success, not failure.

My friend Laura, who used to own and run the restaurant The Veggie Table, personally visited all the organic farms before ordering their products for her restaurant. I admired this. When she and I met, I was pregnant with my daughter and rubbed my belly while deciding that I should do the same for my children. I had no reason to suspect I’d have no time for such luxurious fact-finding missions.

Five years sped by, and in an era of obsession for market shares in growing industries, particularly the fresh organic produce industry in Beijing, many companies have popped up that offer free delivery services of organic vegetables. It’s hard to know which is the most reliable. Are they all using clean soils, clean water, and adhering to non-pesticide use? And while most don’t offer the official stamp of organic certification (apparently very difficult to obtain in China), how then are their farming practices regulated? What are the standards to which their produce is being upheld? Who does the monitoring?

As a conscious consumer, I am skeptical, but certainly have no time to visit farms as a working mother of two. So, what should I do? Without an answer forthcoming, I’ve moved forward: I’ve done orders from four different farms and purchased organic at my local fruit shop. I’ve even travelled slightly farther on my bike to the organic imports shop and then plunged into my pocket for twenty yuan in exchange for six tomatoes.
Surely some of this spending will be smart, I rationalize. Surely someone is following ethical organic farming rules, even if there is no official stamp. Surely the taste (those expensive tomatoes were truly divine) is evidence of superior quality!

Standing in the kitchen on this day, I take a deep breath while glancing at my blender. I envision the smoothie I will make this evening and shrug it off. I have some of these exact same popsicles still in the fridge from last week, dyed blue with food coloring. The kids love them.

My volcano stops bubbling. I edge back down into the foothills of patience and return to the table, ready to tackle stage two of the dinner consumption persuasion hour. I smile. I decide to model behavior rather than disciplining and start devouring the vegetables, happily, telling them how delicious they are.
“You can’t have any,” I say, winking. “These are all for mommy! Look, yum!” Chew, chew. “Too bad you can’t have any!”
My daughter is intrigued. “Why can’t we have any?” she asks, brow furrowed.
“Because they’re too delicious,” I say, between chews.
“But mommy,” she says, still confused, adding another sentence that astonishes her so-called “mastermind” of a mommy:
“I like them better in popsicles.”

This article originally appeared on page 40 of the August 2016 Issue of beijingkids magazine. Click here for your free online copy. To find out how you can obtain a hard copy, contact distribution@truerun.com.

Photo: thestar.com

People always ask me why I love cooking: did you take some classes when you were little, is your Masters in Food and Beverage, etc.? Not at all. I think treasuring cooking is very simple. In my family, cooking was part of our daily life. Seeing my mum cooking every day and me helping her naturally gave me love for food. At home we rarely baked together, but often I helped her to make soups or salads. She never forced me to eat vegetables and never asked me to cook. Everything was very natural. And today I’m grateful to her for this!

Cooking with kids has a lot of benefits.
1.    It’s fun and having fun with your child in the kitchen builds positive memories, good vibes, and good food.
2.    Cooking provides an opportunity for kids to get hands-on experience with basic science. Too much salt, baking powder, not enough flour, or the wrong timing, and you’re likely to have a flop on your hands.
3.    It gives you the chance to introduce them to fresh, healthy food and testing out interesting ways of cooking it.
Parents often complain that kids don’t want to eat vegetables. Have you ever tried to cook veggies with them and offer them the chance to enjoy what they prepared?  Cooking allows kids to get instant feedback, which helps them learn and grow in self-knowledge.

For example, My sister in law often struggled to my niece anything other than pasta. One day during vacation, I invited her to cook some baked vegetables with me. First she discovered real vegetables she heard about. Second, she learned the name of new vegetables as well as where and how they grow, last but not least she was so proud for having cut so many vegetables that she couldn’t stand the waiting needed before she could taste what she prepared.

Many parents tend to bake instead of cook because it’s easier. Indeed preparing vegetables can sometimes be difficult with kids, as they need to use a knife. But this needn’t always be difficult.
I remember this amazing cooking workshop with a 4-year-old little girl, preparing my favorite kid recipe, the Clown salad (I’ve shared this with you below). This recipe is the first one I made by myself with one of my friend when we were 7 years old. We were so proud for having this fun idea and also very proud to become the cook of the house for one day!

Maybe you don’t know where to start with your own child for helping encourage a delight in cooking, so I’ve shared two delightful recipes below, including my childhood favorite. The video for French crepes I’ve linked to is in Chinese so your ayi can make it! Please feel free to reach out to me at info@cuisinemeiwenti.com should you desire the recipe in English. (Note: If you can’t load the video in mobile, please click on “French Crepes Video” header.)

French Crepes Video

Clown Salad

Ingredients: 1 head lettuce, 1 can corn, 4 cherry tomatoes, 1 tomato, 1 can black olives, 1 cucumber, 2 eggs, French mustard dressing

•    Cut off the stem of the lettuce. Thoroughly clean leaves under cold water.
•    Rinse 3 times. Dry the leaves in a colander, shaking off excess water. Tear the leaves into thirds.
•    Wash the tomatoes, cut off the stems and cut tomatoes into quarters.
•    Wash the cucumber. Peel and slice it in half lengthwise.
•    Slice 4 black olives. Cut cherry tomatoes in half.
•    Strain the liquid from the can of corn.
•    Place the eggs in a saucepan and cover with water.
•    Place over the stove. Once the water starts simmering, begin timing. Boil eggs for 8 minutes. Remove from the stove and put them into cold water. When the eggs are cold enough, peel and slice them.
•    Arrange the vegetables in each plate to form a clown.
•    The lettuce will be the hair; the tomato, the mouth; eggs and olives, the eyes; the cucumber, the bow tie; the cherry tomato, the nose; the corn, the shoulders. The clown’s make-up is French mustard dressing.

Olivia is from South of France and is a food lover with an eye for nutrition. When she arrived in China she felt the need to iron out everyday kitchen problems so decided to teach her wonderful Ayi about balanced meals by introducing her to Western food culture. “Cuisine mei wenti” Academy was born out of this need. Later in 2014, as she became a busy mum, she realized how cooking varied food for her little girl was important. This is how she came up with Babyfood Program.
 Follow her on wechat: guinebaultolivia, email her at info@cuisinemeiwenti.com, or sign up for her newsletter on www.cuisinemeiwenti.com/blog, where this article originally appeared.

Photos: Courtesy of Olivia Guinebault

Like me, you’ve probably noticed tatsoi before in supermarkets. This member of the Brassica family looks somewhat like a squashed head of lettuce, with dark green leaves radiating from the center. It’s known in Chinese as tacai (塌菜), takecai (塌棵菜), or wutacai (乌塌菜), and in English as spinach mustard, spoon mustard, or rosette bok choy. The hardy tatsoi can withstand temperatures as low as -10°C, making it an excellent winter alternative to leafy greens like spinach. It’s best stir-fried, sautéed, steamed, or used raw.

Asian Miso Sesame Soba Stew with Tatsoi
This simple vegetarian recipe from the Daily Meal is tangy and light, with tatsoi stirred in right at the very end for a shot of color and nutrition.

Ginger Beef Stir-Fry with Tatsoi and Jasmine Rice
This Blue Apron recipe makes heavy use of hoisin sauce and Thai basil for an easy, aromatic stir-fry.

Tatsoi Salad with Warm Maple Dressing
Yes, you can use tatsoi raw in salads. Lady Locavore (VPN needed) has a version with toasted pecans, red onion, mixed salad greens, cucumber slices, and crumbled goat or feta cheese with a dressing made of maple syrup and apple cider vinegar.

Tatsoi with Avocado and Egg
Short on time for breakfast? The Sweet Beet has you covered. Just throw together some avocado, a fried egg, a handful of sautéed tatsoi, and a slice of rye bread for a quick and delicious start to your day.

Tatsoi Stir-Fried with Mushrooms, Carrot, and Bamboo Shoots
It doesn’t get much simpler than this Douguo recipe (Chinese-only). Add some oil to a wok; throw in chopped mushrooms, carrot, bamboo shoots, and tatsoi; lightly salt; and stir-fry for a few minutes until cooked through.

Photo: baldeaglebluff (Flickr)

As westerners turn to apples and pumpkins in October, a little-known Chinese crop is coming into season: jiaobai (茭白), also known as wild rice stem or water bamboo shoots. According to The Hutong, jiaobai is a yin food that can "clear away heat, relieve thirst produce body fluids, promote urination, reduce dampness and induce bowel movements." Had one too many glasses of Pinot with the girls? Apparently jiaobai can help detoxify the body. Read on for five simple ways to cook with this vegetable.

Pork and jiaobai stir-fry 茭白炒肉丝 (jiaobai chao rousi) Former Time Out Dining Editor Shanti Christensen shares a three-step recipe for Nanjing-style pork and jiaobai stir-fry on her blog. Using ginger, green onions, soy sauce, vinegar, and chilies, the ingredients are basic and easy-to-find.

Stir-fried jiaobai and edamame 清炒茭白毛豆 (qingchao jiaobai maodou) It doesn’t get any easier than this, folks. Put sliced jiaobai and edamame beans into a wok, stir-fry with a bit of oil, remove from heat, and sprinkle with salt. Original recipe in Chinese here.

Jiaobai with mushrooms This recipe refers to jiaobai as "water bamboo." Jiaobai can often be substituted for young bamboo in recipes, owing to its firmness and mild taste.

Hot-and-sour jiaobai Featuring step-by-step pictures, this slightly Chinglish-y recipe uses chili sauce for a bit more of a kick.

Stir-fried three-veggie combo 炒素三丝 (chao su sansi)
This vegetarian recipe combines julienned jiaobai, carrot, and mushrooms. Simply toss them into a wok with a bit of garlic and oil, remove from heat, and add salt and chopped green onions. Step-by-step pictures with Chinese instructions here.

When produce is available year-round at Beijing’s farms and greenhouses, it’s easy to forget that each fruit and vegetable has its own sowing and harvesting cycle. Eating seasonally not only ensures the best-quality produce, it also helps maintain our body’s yin and yang balance, according to TCM. The Seasonal Eats series on beijingkids introduces foods best eaten this month.

Photos: Wikimedia Commons, Xiachufang,

Taro (known as 芋头, yutou in Chinese) has been called “the potato of the tropics” and is widely used in Asia, the Pacific Islands, and Africa. This purplish vegetable is the corm of Colocasia esculenta. It’s similar in size and texture to a potato, and can be used for similar purposes in cooking. As a tropical and subtropical plant, taro needs at least 200 frost-free days to mature and must be harvested before the weather turns in fall.

In China, taro is often steamed, boiled, stir-fried, braised, or used as a food flavoring (taro pie from McDonald’s, anyone?). With a bit of experimentation, you’ll also come to appreciate the versatility and wholesomeness of taro. When grocery shopping, choose firm, blemish-free tubers that are heavy for their size.

Steamed Pork with Rice Powder 粉蒸肉 (fen zheng rou, pictured above)
My mom used to make this delicious Sichuan dish for special occasions; the pork comes out tender, rich, and wonderfully fragrant. The recipe calls for rice powder (蒸肉粉, zheng rou fen), an ingredient that is luckily easy to find in China. This version uses sweet potato, but you can easily substitute taro.

Taro and Coconut Sago Dessert 芋头椰汁西米露 (yutou yenai ximilu)
This Cantonese dim sum dessert is like crack. It only includes a few ingredients – tapioca, taro, condensed milk, and coconut milk – and can be served hot or cold. Sure, it’s not the healthiest thing on this list but you gotta live once in a while. Here’s a simple recipe from Homemade Chinese.

Braised Taro with Pork Belly 芋头烧五花肉 (yutou shao wuhua rou)
In Chinese cooking, taro is often braised with pork or beef. Pork belly (五花肉, wuhua rou) in particular holds up well to slow braising and ends up really tender. Here’s a super-simple recipe from Homemade in Hong Kong that you can dress up as much as you like with extra vegetables or seasoning.

Taro Cake 芋头糕 (yutou gao)
First steamed then pan-fried, taro cake is a sweet-savory treat that is also commonly found in dim sum restaurants. It contains shrimp, mushrooms, onion, grated taro, and Chinese sausages in a rice batter. Find a recipe with step-by-step pictures at The 350 Degree Oven.

Masala Arbi
For something a bit different, try making a Northern Indian arbi curry (arbi is the Hindi word for taro). eCurry has an easy recipe (with beautiful pictures) with ingredients that can be found in Beijing. Just head to Sanyuanli or Qiyuan Supermarket (more commonly known as “the little Indian shop”) across from the police station in Sanlitun.

More taro recipes can be found at Shape, Yummly, and Allrecipes.

When produce is available year-round at Beijing’s farms and greenhouses, it’s easy to forget that each fruit and vegetable has its own sowing and harvesting cycle. Eating seasonally not only ensures the best-quality produce, it also helps maintain our body’s yin and yang balance, according to TCM. The Seasonal Eats series on beijingkids introduces foods best eaten this month.

Photos: Alpha (via Flickr), The 350 Degree Oven, Ruocaled (via Flickr), ecurry.com, Homemade in Hong Kong