Chinese Cooking Stories from the Heart 煮食故事

Dear readers, I want to first of all thank all of you that wrote in to tell us your wonderful Chinese cooking stories for a chance at our cookbook giveaway!  We reviewed 'Chinese Feasts & Festivals: A Cookbook' and made the delicious Homemade Chinese Pork Jerky Bakkwa  自制猪肉干 from a recipe in the same cookbook.   For a chance to win a free copy of the cookbook we asked for your best Chinese cooking stories.

 Well, we have chosen our two favorite stories (the winner's cookbooks are on their way!) and we thought that you might enjoy reading the winning stories as much as we did.  I have to say, (excuse the cheesiness!) that it was wonderful to see how cooking really brings people together!

Homemade Chinese Pork Jerky Bakkwa 自制猪肉干

Kung Hei Fat Choy!!  恭喜發財!! Welcome to the Year of the Sheep!!  I don't know about y'all but it's been a busy few days of cooking for us.  Lots of delicioso type of traditional Chinese New Years dishes that we make once a year to celebrate the coming of the New Lunar Year!  

We've been a-making new year treats like Chinese Sweet New Year Cake 年糕, Steamed Radish Cake 蘿蔔糕, and the Braised Dried Oyster with Black Sea Moss 髮菜蠔豉燜燒肉.  

One of the things we made for the first time this year is Homemade Chinese Pork Jerky, also know as Bakkwa,  or 自制猪肉干.  The reason we attempted to make our own jerky is because we received a most beautifully illustrated cookbook to review, Chinese Feasts & Festivals: A Cookbook, by S.C. Moey, and we were delighted to discover what looked like a pretty easy recipe for making this delicious treat at home.  

I love chinese jerky and never realized you could make it yourself at home!