liuzhou

I used them here for two main reasons. First and mostly for their æsthetic appeal contrasting with the green of the melon. Secondly, because I find they have a stronger garlic taste and smell. Possibly not a good thing in some people's minds, but a definite plus in mine.

Beef and bitter melon (a classic pairing here) with hothouse raised garlic chives (raised in reduced light so that they never develop the green tops in the regular variety). With garlic, ginger, chilli, potato starch, Shaoxing wine and soy sauce. Served with rice.

The same time as it takes to cook the rice. From cold to steaming to ready about 20 minutes.

Stuffed peppers also are common here but are filled with raw pork mince with the usual Chinese flavours - garlic, ginger etc. These can then be fried, grilled or my favourite - lay them on top of the uncooked rice in the rice cooker and steam them with the rice. They are never baked - no ovens. Often they are served with a chilli sauce. Every supermarket sells them pre-prepared, but I like to make my own - I prefer to know what's in that pork mince.

What were the chilies stuffed with, please?

I was kind of the same. Korean food isn't my favourite, but I may reappraise it after reading that and seeing the pictures.

I knew this was going to be impossible to photograph well. Soup for breakfast. 速食紫菜 (sù shí zǐ cài - instant seaweed soup.) Basically, it is seaweed (laver) in a seafood broth with sesame oil to finish. I could have pimped it up with some shrimp or squid or something, but I don't have any and I ain't going out at 6 am looking for it! It's fine as it is. A umami wake-up.

This is a great article from Eater, entitled "How I Ate My Way Through 14 Days in a Korean Quarantine Facility". Basically a diary of the writer's experience in a situation where the only relief is his meals. Great looking food, too. I almost want to go to Korea and be locked up for 14 days! I guess I should emphasise we are talking about SOUTH Korea!

卤鸭心 (lǔ yā xīn) - duck hearts stewed in soy sauce with chilli.

It's been a while since I did boiled eggs in edible eggcups.

Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year 2021 – winners Some excellent; some run-of-the-mill.

Yeah, I had one of those pans, too. The idea was that the stems would boil, while the tips would steam. Never quite worked like that, though. No idea what happened to it. Thankfully I found better ways to cook sparrow juice!

For anyone who doesn't know, Borough Market is London's prime 'foodie*' destination. The market dates back to at least the 12th century. Despite being overwhelmed by tourists and egotistical morons making YouTube videos and mispronouncing 'borough', it does still have amazing food. They have published a guide to spring vegetables, which is available to view or to download in PDF format, free of charge. Here. Click on the download symbol in the top left corner of the screen. Information and some very attractive recipes. * Not my description! Loathsome word!

... prepare dinner and load it into the slow cooker, turn the switch to the appropriate setting, then go out for the rest of the day, only to return hours later to find that I hadn't plugged the damn thing into the electric socket! Dinner may be delayed!

Mr Google returns no story with that headline, but there is this one from a couple of weeks back. Only the Economist seems to be reporting this. Possible because it happened over a year ago. Mr. Wei was imprisoned last year for 15 years. His second conviction for this type of offence. Quite why the Economist chooses to run this story now is a mystery.

Hmmm. That isn't what I call doubanjiang. Although it says 豆瓣酱 (dòu bàn jiàng) in Chinese, it says "soy bean paste" in English. Real Sichuan doubanjiang is predominantly broad beans and chili. Is it possible to see a picture of the back of the packet where the ingredients are listed? As to spiciness, some doubanjiang from other parts of China are rather mild, especially those from Guangdong and Taiwan. That sauce is from Shandong in the north of China, far from Sichuan, and an area known for its mild cuisine. The characters to look for are: a) 四川 (sì chuān) b) 辣 (là) - meaning hot or spicy.

Thai red curry with deboned chicken thigh meat and spinach. Served with Tom Mali rice. The chicken was a chance for me to play with a new toy.

So Google led you to an explanation!

found via Twitter. May need explaining. Facebook reminded me this morning that it's recommended you run the launch of any product for the UK market past someone Scottish

Unfortunately, there is no such law in China.

I want! Delicious. Fortunately, I know where to find them - or did pre-pandemic. I ate some on 2019 when I went to the UK last for my mother's 90th birthday.

No. Not a restaurant. A friend/colleague's home. We met there before going off to do some very light work together. The book holder is hers; the book is mine. But the holders are common here.

I like my chilli with a baked potato! But then I'm just a dumb Brit who lives in China. What do I know?

油条 (yóu tiáo) - Deep fried breadstick; 豆奶 (dòu nǎi) - Warm soy milk. Very popular breakfast round these parts. Book not essential, but recommended.