Hakka Ban Zong 【客家粄粽/粿粽】

The Hakka Clan is known for their kueh made of glutinous rice/flour and several types of fillings called "Ban". The one stuffed with vegetable is called 'Choi Ban', Choi means vegetable and Ban means cake or kueh in Hakka language. 

As the Hakka is known to make Ban in almost all their celebrations and festivals, it is not surprising that they also celebrate Duan Wu/ Dragon Boat festival with a dumpling version of Ban, called "Ban Zong" or "Kueh Zhang" in Hakka language. It is basically 'Choi Ban' wrapped in dumpling leaves and shaped like a dumpling. A very unique way to enjoy Ban, and dumplings at the same time! 

Note: I have earlier made one of the type of Hakka Kueh called "Ai Ban", a common dish eaten somewhere around Ching Ming Festival/Tomb Sweeping Day. Ai Ban's skin/wrapper is made with glutinous rice flour, adding some mugwort leaves (艾草）and the filling is normally dried radish.

客家人制作的粄远近驰名，他们还会按不同季节盛产的食材制作不同的粄。譬如清明节时盛产艾草，就会制作好吃的‘艾粄.’ 春天竹林里收集的竹笋制作成笋干，秋冬季节可以做成‘笋粄’等等。

至于端午节，当然就要制作一个富有意义的粄粽（也叫粿粽）啦！粿粽是粽子和客家粄的完美结合，既享用了好吃的菜粄，又庆祝了端午，真是一举两得！

Red Date Zongzi/Dumplings 红枣粽

It will be Duanwu/Dragon boat festival in a week's time. One of the ways to celebrate the festival is to make and enjoy some Zongzi/dumplings. 

Zongzi is traditionally made with glutinous rice and different kind of fillings wrapped in leaves of bamboo or Reed leaves, which give very unique aroma to the glutinous rice and its fillings. 

Choices of fillings vary vastly in China in regions. Northern regions in China prefer sweet or dessert-styled zongzi. Southern regions in China prefer savory zongzi, with a variety of fillings including marinated pork belly, salted duck eggs and chestnuts. 

As I am a southern Chinese decent, I have only had the savory type of zongzi back home, it was not until I came to the USA that I learnt there are many other types of Sweet zongzi, including this Red date zongzi. 

再一周就是端午节了，每年端午节我都要做几款粽子和朋友分享，一起过节。身为闽南人的我，从小吃的就是闽南肉粽和娘惹粽两种咸口味的粽子。直到出国后才发现原来粽子也有甜的，也别有风味。

今天做的这款枣粽带有粽叶的清香和红枣葡萄干的香甜，非常软糯好吃。

Assam Pedas Fish 【亚参鱼】

Assam Pedas' direct translation in English is “sour spicy”. It is a classic Malaysian dish that almost every housewives in Malaysia will have their own recipes for Assam Pedas.

Albeit endless versions of the recipe, one thing never change, that is : It has to be sour, spicy and burst with flavor in the mouth!

亚参鱼是一道非常家常的马来（西亚）菜。在马来西亚，几乎家家户户都会有自己独特的食谱和烹饪方式。

虽然食材和烹饪方式有些变化，不变的是这道菜的味道：酸辣开胃，丰富的味道让人欲罢不能哦！

Chinese Style Prawn Fritters 【炸虾饼】

One of the famous supper choices in my hometown is this Chinese Style Prawn Fritters. The hawker selling this also sells fried tofu, fried fish cakes/balls and the likes.

To order a plate of fried goodies from the stall and dip into their special Sweet sauce and Chili sauce was one luxury thing to do as a kid. Probably one reason this snack still holds a very special place in my heart.

I have attempted a few times on this fritters but the recipes I followed are mostly flawed, they failed to deliver the taste and texture of the fritters as I remembered.

I recently found out that the Asian supermarket near my house is carrying the fresh water shrimps that is perfect for this shrimp fritters. I brought a packet home and this time, is determined to create a recipe of my own.

The result is amazing and I just have to write the recipe down right away!

年少时周末口袋里要是有几毛钱，一般就会呼朋唤友到离家不远的小摊子吃夜宵。我最喜欢的一款夜宵就是这个炸虾饼，摊子老板也会同时卖炸豆腐炸鱼丸等等炸物。

点上一盘炸虾饼和炸物，沾着老板特制的辣椒酱和甜酱，边吃边和朋友聊天调侃，是那个年代最简单的乐趣。

出国之后我尝试炸过几次虾饼，尝试过的食谱我都不甚满意。前不久在亚洲超市发现了泰国进口的冷冻小河虾，最适合拿来做炸虾饼。让我又忍不住想再试试这款炸虾饼。

今天设计出来的食谱非常棒，做出来的炸虾饼非常好吃，必须得写个帖子记录一下。

Chinese chive pockets 【韭菜盒子】

Chinese chive pocket is one Chinese dish that loved by all three of us in the house, even my 5 year old is able to finish two pockets at a time, which is pretty rare.

This Northern Chinese delight is a type of pan fried flat dumplings filled with chopped Chinese chive, scrambled eggs and some people likes to add mung bean noodles or Shrimps. We liked ours to be just simple Chinese chive and eggs.

韭菜盒子是我们家少有的一个一家三口都爱吃的美食，连胃口像小鸟的俊宝都能一次吃两个再加上一杯豆奶。

我做的韭菜盒子材料只有韭菜和鸡蛋，喜欢粉丝或虾仁的朋友可以按自己喜欢的口味加入。

Pickled Wild Garlic 【糖醋野蒜】

Wild garlic (Allium vineale, also called wild garlic, onion grass, crow garlic or stag's garlic) is one of the first feral foods available in Spring, when the weather still cold.

These alliums are very easy to spot as it stands out in grounds that are still brown/dry from winter, pull a leaf and sniff at it, if you smell the strong garlicky odor, you just found yourself the close relative to the shop bought garlic.

Years back when I was a novice to foraging edible wild plants, wild garlic was one of the first few that I had the confidence to bring home to our plate, use only tender young leaves as they merge out of soil in early spring to cook , these alliums grow very fast and within days the green will become tough and too fibrous to be eaten.

The bulbs, though can be used for cooking at any stage of the growing. I have used it as a substitute to shallot or garlic in most cooking and find the taste to be very agreeable. It is especially delicious when pickled, taste like Pickled leeks （罐头藠头）that I used to eat as a kid.

每年春天万物苏醒的时候，第一批出土的植物里一定有野蒜（Allium vineale）。野蒜是葱属植物，美国这里的野蒜和中国国内的小根蒜/薤白应该是同一个属科的植物，味道用法也接近。

刚来美国的时候我摘过野蒜回家切碎了煎蛋吃，谁知摘回来的野蒜已经老了，绿叶部分纤维很大，味道虽然不错，却有让人点难以下咽。后来我才知道野蒜的绿叶只有在春初刚出土的时候才能够入菜。

自从我发现了野蒜头的用处比蒜叶大得多，味道也更好后，摘野蒜基本就是奔着蒜头去的了。野蒜头可以在野蒜各个成长阶段摘取食用，收成期更长，而且它完全可以取代大蒜和小葱做菜，真的让我如获至宝。

前几周有一天我不上班，送了孩子上学后我就到附近的公园逛。公园后边是一大片我们这里的自然保护区，里头有非常干净的小溪和许多的野生植物，我几乎每个春天都要去那里挖点野菜吃。

小溪边已经钻出许多郁郁葱葱的野蒜，我不一会儿就挖了一大把，顺手在小溪里洗去泥土，带回家做一罐糖醋野蒜，夏天没什么胃口时拿来下粥一定非常好吃！

Black Locust Blossom Syrup 【槐花糖浆】

It is May and is the season to forage black locust flowers (Robinia pseudoacacia) again, I made Steamed Black Locust Blossoms and 

Black Locust Blossom Pancake  in the past years.

This year I decided to make a batch of black locust flowers syrup, it can be use to mixed with liquor and seltzer to make cocktails or used on pancake/pastry as drizzle. 

阳历五月，又来到了槐花香的季节。自从知道槐花能吃，还特别好吃后，我每年的槐花季都要摘点回家做蒸槐花和槐花煎饼吃。

今年我家附近树林里的槐花又开了满树，带儿子去公园玩的时候顺便摘一盆槐花回家做槐花糖浆。做好的槐花糖浆能够用来做鸡尾酒或者淋在糕点上吃，非常当即美味。

Hakka Style Braised Duck 【客家卤全鸭】

Braised duck is one very common dish Malaysian Chinese prepared for the Chinese reunion dinner. I personally liked to have it the next day, the taste of it will be fuller.

This recipe I am sharing today was given to my mom by my aunt, slightly different than my mom's recipe, it is very tasty.

卤全鸭是马来西亚华人过节时都会煮的一道菜。选择肉质比较紧实的番鸭来制作，口味丰富，隔天吃更是美味。

今年过年我妈口传了阿姨家的卤鸭秘方，和平常妈妈做的有点不一样，味道更醇厚，非常好吃。