Tag Archives: dim sum recipe

Festive Pearl Meatballs for Lunar New Year — and Beyond

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Ring in the Lunar New Year with these delectable pearl meatballs.
Ring in the Lunar New Year with these delectable pearl meatballs.

Now’s the time go all in on festive gold, jade, and pearls for the Lunar New Year.

Especially when it comes to “Pearl Meatballs.”

This celebratory dish was believed to have been served in the imperial court in central China, as far back as 700 years ago. Covered in glutinous rice, these juicy meatballs are thought to resemble pearls, symbols of unity and prosperity.

A dim sum staple these days, they are also very much a New Year’s essential. And best yet, they are a cinch to make at home.

Although there are many recipes for them, with their own small variations, this particular one comes from “Classic Chinese Recipes” (Hamlyn, 2025), of which I received a review copy.

This 7-inch-by-5 1/4-inch book may be small, but it’s mighty. That’s because it was written by Ken Hom, the legendary Chinese American chef, cookbook author, culinary instructor, and television host who helped popularize and demystify authentic Chinese cooking for Western palates. For a time, he studied art history at the University of California at Berkeley, then segued into teaching cooking classes, most notably at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco.

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A Cake With An Unusual Ingredient

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Simple and not-too sweet. A perfect pick-me-up with Chinese tea.

Simple and not-too sweet. A perfect pick-me-up with Chinese tea.

 

This cake is like the vanilla wafer of cookies.

Its appeal lies in its plainness, simplicity, and for me, its nostalgic taste.

Other kids may have grown up with snack cakes baked in a square or rectangular pan in the flavors of chocolate, vanilla or apple spice.

But I grew up eating this pale golden sponge cake that was steamed, and bought by my Mom at Chinatown bakeries. It usually came in tall squares or big wedges, its interior sporting tiny, airy bubbles. I could never resist squishing a corner of it between my fingers before taking a bite.

It was the polar opposite of a birthday cake. It was unadorned, plain-Jane, and hardly sweet at all. But unlike birthday cake, I didn’t have to wait for a special occasion to enjoy it, just a regular trip by my Mom to pick up other provisions in Chinatown. She brought it home in the familiar pink box tied with red twine that I tore into the moment she walked through the door.

I have eaten countless squares of that cake, yet I never knew it included a rather surprising ingredient: soy sauce.

all-under-heaven

That is, until I spotted a recipe for it in the new cookbook, “All Under Heaven” (Ten Speed Press and McSweeney’s), of which I received a review copy.

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There’s Always Room for (Almond) Jello

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An oldie but goodie Chinese dessert.

An oldie but goodie Chinese dessert.

 

Like most everyone, my first taste of jello as a kid was of the wiggly green (lime) or red (cherry) variety.

But my heart belongs to the white type.

Namely, almond jello. As in the Chinese version so often offered at dim sum or — if you’re very lucky — at the end of a banquet dinner (just say “no” to red bean soup!).

It was cut into little cubes, spooned into a Chinese rice bowl, and topped with canned fruit cocktail, lychees or mandarin oranges, with their sugary syrup, too.

OK, farm-to-table it was not.

But after a multitude of warm, savory dishes, it sure hit the spot. It was cold, a fun texture, heady with the taste of almond extract, and sweet from the canned fruit and thick syrup.

As a kid, I would make it all the time at home. It’s that easy. If you can make regular Jell-O, you can surely make this with your eyes closed.

I admit it’s been years since I’ve made it, though. My love for baking won out, and I’m more apt to be baking a batch of cookies than stirring up a pan of flavored gelatin.

But Danielle Chang got me in the mood to revisit this old-school Chinese dessert.

LuckyRiceBook

Chang is the founder of the LuckyRice festival, a celebration of Asian cultures and cuisines, which takes place in seven cities, including San Francisco.

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