Green Pepper and Eggplant
1. Chop half an onion, a small green pepper and half a round eggplant into large pieces
2. Put it all in a wok with a small amount of oil
3. Heat for a couple of minutes and add salt
4. Add 1 cup of filtered water
5. Add a handful of raw peanuts
6. When water is mostly gone, add soy sauce
7. Enjoy!
Chinese Pasta Sauce
1. Chop a tomato and quarter of an onion into large pieces
2. Heat a with a small amount of oil in a wok
3. Add vegetables and heat
4. Add 1 cup of water and some soup noodles
5. When noodles are soft (1-2 minutes) add soya sauce and remove from heat
6. Add a handful of raw peanuts
7. Enjoy!
Giulia left early this morning so I got up early to say goodbye to her. I miss her already and keep wondering when she is coming back into the room. It’s going to be really weird after Mona leaves tomorrow as well.
I went back to bed and got up around 11, at which point I spent most of my day fighting to get my VPN connected. In the meantime I read some of a book and cooked lunch (see green pepper and eggplant above). It was awesomely tasty! I went to the local vegetable store to buy supplies and apparently I’m still not trusting enough. You have to go into a cellar behind the store to get your vegetables and when I came back with an eggplant, a green pepper, an onion and a tomato the owner started weighing them to calculate the price. I kept seeing numbers like 30 and 40 on the scale-cash register thing and her calculator and I was thinking “oh boy, they’re going to cheat me now that I’m not here with Tana.” And then she turned to me and said “5 quai” which is approximately $1. My faith in nice locals has been restored!
On the other hand, when I got home I discovered that the peanuts I bought weren’t the tasty ones Mona got last time, but raw ones (hence the use of them in my recipes).
I made the second above dish for dinner and it was one of the best things I have ever tasted! Perhaps it was a tribute to Giulia’s Italianness. We were going to go to Begalar (the local restaurant) for dinner, but we decided to just hang out here instead.
I’m going to pick up my new visa tomorrow (yay!) and am catching a ride into the city with Mona.
On an even more awesome note, I’m going to Inner Mongolia with Tana next week!!!!!
I am so jealous that you are going to Inner Mongolia - and while the Naadam festival is on, too! Can't wait to see pictures and hear your stories.
ReplyDeleteI really can't get over this "Inner Mongolia" business. I mean China sounds remote and exotic (from here), but Inner Mongolia sounds like the moon! So cool.
ReplyDeleteI like this idea of fetching your own vegetables. Sort of like going into the cold room at a local dep here to fetch your own beer.
You'll have to do a Chinese cooking lesson for my blog when you get back! Sounds delish!
ReplyDeleteMy mom and good (Guiding) friend are coming next week and we are planning on doing a cooking class in Beijing!
DeleteI read it just now, uff It makes me cry. I miss you too, I miss everything there, It already seems so far away :( At least your blog keeps me updated :) I'll try your receipes ;) it sounds good!
ReplyDeleteI read it just now, uff It makes me cry. I miss you too, I miss everything there, It already seems so far away :( At least your blog keeps me updated :) I'll try your receipes ;) it sounds good!
ReplyDelete