Yes, I admit it right away: I’m a Muesli lover! At least when I can help it! True, living in China, one doesn’t always have a chance to get muesli. But I call myself lucky! A couple of months ago, my parents brought me one of my favorite muelis ever: Strawberry Yoghurt Muesli, and every once in a while I’ll allow myself this special treat!

Cold dishes on the side are a very common addition to every proper meal here. Usually, various kinds of vegetables, nuts and tofu are offered in all different kinds of variations. These, for example, are beans combined with a kind of tofu. Tofu in China comes in many different ways, and the tofu here has the texture of bread.

I have to say, salads and fresh vegetables are not very common in Chinese Cuisine. Most vegetables come fried in the wok (like almost everything else). If you look hard enough, though, you can find some fresh vegetable dishes like this green leaf salad. I can’t even tell what kinds of leaves actually made it into this salad, though around here, salads often come with mint leaves. The dressing usually consists of some spices combined with vinegar, and though they may not look like the typical green salads we can get in the West, Chinese salads still can be quite tasty!

I have yet another very typical dish that I want to introduce to you today: fried mixed vegetables. This dish is comprised of onions, carrots, bamboo sprouts, and mushrooms, which are fried in the wok, together with peppers and other spices. It’s very popular in our area, and quite delicious, too!

Yes! Strawberry season has begun, and for us that means lots of delicious delights. My friend just got me a huge bag of fresh strawberries just the other day, and now I can enjoy them for breakfast, with yogurt, or as a snack on the side. Since I am talking about snacks already – have you ever tried to make strawberry ice cream? All you need to do is, get a couple of strawberries and freeze them. Then you throw them into a blender, add plain yogurt and a teeny-bit of vanilla extract, and there you have the most delicious, and yet very healthy ice cream dessert!

Maybe not my personal favorite, but definitely very popular with my American colleagues is Macaroni & Cheese in our dining hall. It usually will be served on Monday nights, though we never know exactly, which Monday night of the month that happens. Macaroni and Cheese is part of the Western dishes that get served in our cafeteria along with many others.

Have I ever told you about my favorite dish? It’s generally called “Dragon Eggplant,” and it’s a sweet & sour dish. Basically, a whole eggplant is taken and cut into thin slices that are still attached to the whole. Then, the eggplant is breaded and fried in sweet & sour sauce, and lots of foreigners around here agree with me: it’s one of the most delicious dishes we can get!

I think it’s time to start talking about soups in my little Food Corner. They are not to everyone’s liking, and especially foreigners might easily think there is not much taste to them. That, of course, is a vast generalization, as there are quite some delicious soups in Chinese cuisine. Today, I’d like to start with the Sweet Corn Soup, though it’s not on the strong-taste side of the spectrum. It’s rather bland. Usually, corn is the base of this soup, and sometimes eggs are added during the boiling process. It’s slightly sweet in taste. Generally speaking, soups in China come towards the end of the meal, and not (like usually in the West) at the beginning.

Originated in Sichuan Province (China), Kung Pao Chicken (gong bao ji ding) is a very classic dish even in our local area. Diced chicken is its primary ingredient. Vegetables (carrots, cucumber, leek) and peanuts are added during the cooking process. Everything is fried in oil and chili peppers, and a special marinade gives the kung pao chicken its characteristic flavor. It is said that this dish is named after Ding Baozhen, a late Qing Dynasty official of some political influence in both Shandong and Sichuan Province.

I have another very delicious dish for you today: Eggplant with pork and potatoes. Add green peppers, fry everything in the wok, and there you have another tasty dish. It’s on the savory side of Chinese dishes and quite common in these parts of China. Anyways, posting this picture kind of makes me hungry, and maybe it can whet your appetite for Chinese cuisine as well …?