This week, valmg’s got a twist to the usual Four Foods on Friday. She wants “everyone to post a recipe or menu idea based on at least one item from each letter”.

I was a little confused at first. But after valmg clarified that we should “end up with one recipe or one meal using the ingredients given”, I’m taking it as a challenge .

I could come up with a recipe using one ingredient from each letter but then, I don’t think it’ll be edible . So I’m going to try putting together sort of meal from this list instead.

A - asparagus, applesauce

B - balsamic vinegar, bread

C - chicken, cinnamon

D - dressing, dumpling

What we’re going to have today are man tou, or flower dumplings, which are plain, white flour dumplings shaped like a twirl of flower petals. They’re actually very pretty and I like looking at them more than eating them. Methinks they originated from Szechuan (yes, the same Sichuan where the recent earthquakes happened) but I can’t say for sure.

Typically you eat it with Szechuan chicken which is diced chicken cubes stir-fried with dried chillies and oyster sauce. Szechuan food is pretty spicy unlike most other kinds of Chinese food.

Our second dish would typically be boiled long beans stir-fried with ground pork, chopped chillies and beancurd paste. But I think if we were to substitute the long beans with asparagus and add a dash of balsamic vinegar for a tangy finish, this dish would taste just as good.

A good pot of tikuanyin or pu erh tea completes the meal. Enjoy…

It’s Friday, my brain has switched to weekend mode. This is the best I can do for now. I’m surprised I even managed to come up with this meal . Have a great weekend y’all.

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