(~30 dumplings)

Preparation Time: 60 minutes
Cook Time: 90 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

I ate these dumplings for the first time in Shanghai. This is hands down my favorite Chinese dish. After moving to NYC I’ve made innumerable treks to Cina town come rain, shine or snow to get Xiao long bao at Shanghai Café or Joe’s Shanghai. Another little restaurant that serves really good soup dumplings and not a lot know about is 21 Shanghai House. It’s quieter with not a lot of people and good value for money! Since I have my own steamer, decided to finally give it a try myself. These dumplings burst with broth and if you have the patience well worth the effort. The key to the soupy burst is to make fresh broth in advance and add gelatin to it to have it in semi solid form. This lets you add the jelly broth along with the filling and seal the dumplings. When you steam the dumplings the jelly melts to make the juiciest dumplings ever!

Continue reading “Xiao Long Bao – Chinese Soup Dumplings” →

(2 servings)

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes
Total Time: 21 minutes

If anyone of you have had a perfectly marinated and cooked swordfish, you know exactly why I consider this fish one of the best out there. However, cooking a steak of swordfish is not the easiest. Cook slightly over and it will get dry. And of course you don’t want to end up with raw fish on your plate unless you are going for Sushi! Most swordfish you get in the market are boneless and about 1 inch in thickness which equates to about 3 minutes on the frying pan on either side. Swordfish is high in omega-3 fatty acids and good for cholesterol. It has a delicate taste and a texture you can say closer to chicken. This 5 spice recipe is quick and easy to make and more importantly tasty and healthy!

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(4 servings)

Preparation time: 60 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes

This dish comes from the Xinjiang region in China & is a staple in the Chinese Muslim community. Traditionally it is made with lamb, but I decided to use goat instead here. Growing up we ate a lot of goat in my family and I just feel goat has a deeper flavor. You can also use thinly sliced pork as a substitute if you like. I gave pork a try when I was visiting my sister’s and it came out just as good! If any of you have visited Xian famous foods in NYC, you know exactly what I am talking about. If you do try this recipe, leave us a comment!

Continue reading “Spicy Cumin Goat” →

(4 servings)

Preparation time: 90 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 2 hours

Hand pulled noodles are surprisingly simple to make and who does not prefer fresh home made noodles to the packaged kind. My wife had seen the process of making these noodles in Xinjiang during her three years in China and encouraged me to try it out. The texture of these noodles is great and the taste even better. These noodles cook really quick and you can pair them with a variety of dishes. Whether you decide to serve up the noodles with pork in black bean sauce, chicken soup or spicy cumin goat like we did, you cannot go wrong.

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