Roast Duck, Beijing 北京烤鸭

With China bullet train, Beijing - also the gateway to Forbidden City 紫禁城, Temple of Heaven 天坛, Summer Palace 颐和园- all UNESCO World Heritage Sites with footprints of the Ming and Qing dynasty (Qing being the last imperial dynasty of China) - is less than five hours from Zhengzhou, Henan.

Some say mutton hotpot 涮羊肉 is a must when visiting Beijing. But it was summer and hotpot was really not enticing in sweltering heat!

Others say, the visit to Beijing is not complete if you miss the Great Wall or Beijing Roast Duck. We did both. The Great Wall of China, also UNESCO World Heritage Site, dates back to Qin dynasty (though unfortunately the section from Qin dynasty is already much in ruins) to the existing main wall that dates back to the Ming Dynasty. Spectacular and magnificent the wall is, the only flip-side is the massive crowds walking The Great Wall - BaDaLing entrance.


Though it is not our first time eating Peking Roast Duck, it is our first time  feasting on Peking Roast Duck in Beijing. There are two traditional methods of cooking Peking Roast Duck that have resulted in the two main schools of roast duck preparation: closed-oven method 焖炉 vs open-flame open-oven 挂炉 method.

The oldest technique of closed-oven roasting method originated from BianYiFang 便宜坊 , established in 1861.


Way before the trip, we have made plans to have roast duck everyday. Well, Beijing is all about roast duck. And considering our short stay, having roast duck everyday is actually...hmmm....not going overboard or being overly ambitious. There are so many roast duck food establishments in Beijing.

Duck feast at BianYi Fang: sliced duck pieces with crispy duck skin with moist and succulent duck meat, braised duck liver, duck feet in mustard

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Rice Stuffed Hatch Chili Pepper

Hatch is to chili pepper, just as Champagne is to sparkling wine. Now, this is how I remember what Hatch Chile is all about.


As the pickled Hatch chili was "tested" mild- or even non-spicy, the rest of the hatch peppers did not share the same fate. They were stuffed with some leftover fried rice (e.g. Turmeric Spiced Rice) and roasted instead.

Before roasting

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Chayote with Woodear Mushrooms 佛手瓜拌麻油黑木耳

The hot summer days usually spearhead me to do the minimal, especially in the kitchen. Moreover, a vegetable salad (e.g. Gado Gado, Broccoli Mushroom Salad) is easier and more comforting on the stomach when one loses appetite in the scorching heat. It might be a salad in name but in my kitchen, salad does not always mean raw vegetables tossed in a bowl finished off with a dressing.

Look at the recipe, how it is prepared - you might want to classify it a stir-fry or saute?


Did I say preparing vegetable julienne (e.g Zucchini Noodles "Zoodles" with Mushrooms) became a breeze ever since I got hold of this simply nifty gadget - the vegetable peeler.

You can choose to blanch the chayote and carrots altogether, however carrots are better off when sauteed in a little oil as the beta-carotene will be better absorbed in the body.

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Korean Spicy Baby Bok Choy 韩式辣酱小白菜/奶白

After stocking my fridge with gochujang, there was a new-found motivation to create other Korean dishes in addition to bibimbap, then banchan came to mind.

These Korean sides-cum-appetizers including Korean Chilled Tofu and Korean Spicy Tofu, are not difficult to prepare, and complement very well with rice or noodles. With the right ingredients to "marinate" and flavor the vegetables, things look all set.


There came an opportunity to channel this urge of preparing banchan when there was some Nai Bai (also known as White-Stem Baby Bok Choy, a variant of Bok Choy) leftover from making soups and stir-fries. A kimchi-style Nai Bai it shall be as I have seen baby Bok Choy kimchi working out well over at LCOM.

Well, not all banchan need to be spicy e.g try making this non-spicy Sesame Broccoli or Sesame Edible Chrysanthemum (Shungiku).

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Pickled Hatch Chili 自制泡椒/腌辣椒

Hatch Chili season is usually short. I roasted some (e.g. Roasted Hatch Chili) the last season to make sauce-salsa.

Today, I took the easier route to pickle. I do not know if Hatch Chili can indeed be pickled as most chili-pickling ideas from the web were either Jalapeno (most common variety for pickling), or other chili e.g. Habanero, Thai chili. Anyway, I am guessing it can work for the Hatch variety.


To make it a fuss-free pickle that everyone at home can do and will do, the recipe is kept to the bare minimum - chili and vinegar. That's it. I did not even add salt or sugar.

If you have pickled chili, you can try this Pickled Chili Steamed Whole Fish.

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