Tea eggs (茶葉蛋) is one of the few street foods that I remember eating as a kid in Hong Kong. My favourite thing about tea eggs, besides the slightly salty flavour and spices that tingle your nose, is how they look. Once you peel away the shells, you’re faced with a marbled egg glistening from the delicious marinade that it’s been bathing in. My recipe for tea eggs is slightly different, while the egg might not be as marbled looking like the traditional version, it preserves the runny yolk and definitely does not lack in flavour.

Temari sushi is a ball-shaped sushi that is fun to make and eat! This particular type of sushi is characterized by its round shape and colourful toppings. The fun part about making temari sushi is coming up with the topping and garnish combinations. If you’ve never made this type of sushi before, read on and impress your guests with these pretty sushi balls!

During a trip to Japan, Mr. Chau and I took a home cooking class and learned how to make pork and cabbage gyoza or Japanese dumplings. When I looked up comparisons between the pan-fried Chinese dumplings (鍋貼 or guoti) and the pan-fried Japanese dumplings (餃子 or gyoza), the difference seems to be in the dumpling skin and the filling. While both types of dumplings usually contain meat and veggies, I find the ratio of veggies to meat is higher for the Japanese gyoza. I’m not sure if that’s true but both types of dumplings are super yummy.  Plus dumplings are so freezer friendly that I’d always make a batch to keep in my freezer for a quick meal or snack.

The first time I tried pork belly with chili garlic sauce (蒜泥白肉) I was surprised to find that it was not fatty. When I think of pork belly, I usually think it’s greasy and coats your mouth with oil. However, this cold appetizer features moist and tender pork belly slices with a spicy and garlic-y sauce. After trying this dish at the restaurant a few times, I am recreating pork belly with chili garlic sauce at home. 

Recently I found some mini mozzarella (or bocconcini) in the grocery store and made some mini Caprese salad on a stick. I couldn’t believe they turned out so tasty and are so easy to make! Simply get all your ingredients ready and thread them through some skewers. Voilà, you’ve got some fancy looking appetizers ready for entertaining.