Tomorrow we’re going back to San Francisco after spending 10 days in my husband’s home in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Grandparents were very happy to see their grandchildren and they were spoiled especially by grandma. Our children enjoyed experiencing different cultural aspects – language, food, busy city lifestyle, traffic, noise, weather… even though we go back to Japan and Taiwan every year, it still surprises me how easily children can adapt to the new environment.
As both of our parents don’t live in the US, it’ was a nice break for me and my husband as well. We went to see a movie (MI4), had a nice long massage twice (I love Chinese massage – painful but works for my tired body!), and had a relaxing time at hair salon. I’ve also shared some pictures on my Facebook fan page if you are interested in checking some of the food I enjoyed in Taiwan.
Before moving forward, I want to thank all my blog sitters for their amazing posts and also thank you my readers for your support and kind messages on their posts. Now I have one last guest post to share. My blog sitter today is Cindy (aka Jeno) of Weeknite Meals.
Unlike other guest bloggers that I’ve met through food blogging, I met Cindy in a different way. I was introduced to her by our mutual friends because they think of us as a “food blogger”. Cindy lives in Houston, Texas with her husband and a daughter so we haven’t actually met in person yet. But we started to talk frequently and discuss food and family life.
Cindy started blogging about her recipes when she started to cook at home more often to save money. What I admire about her is that she has a full time job as a business owner/web & graphics designer during the day, and she still tries hard to cook healthy meals for her family. Her site, Weeknite Meals, features mainly Chinese and other Asian dishes that even full-time working parent can come home and prepare in a short time. Her recipes are fool-proof as she had prepared all the recipes after her work hours. I’m especially happy to introduce her site to all the busy moms/dads who want to feed children good meals. You can also visit her online at Facebook. Please welcome Cindy with her traditional Chinese New Year’s dish. I actually had this dish for the first time in Taiwan this time, and it was so delicious! I am going to make this myself soon.
Welcome Cindy! Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
I live in the great State of Texas, where it’s pretty much Summer all year long. I am married to a fun and wonderful husband, we have a sassy little girl, an old sweet dog, and a mischievous bunny. I am a Graphics/Web Designer by trade, Mom/Wife 24/7. Been known as a terrible cook for years, in fact hubby refused to eat my cooking so we resorted to eating out every single night. With the economy down turn, the beginning of 2009 I decided to start cooking at home to save money, with mad online recipe searching skills and determination, the family actually seem to enjoy what I’ve come up with, which encourage me to experiment more with cooking.
Please tell us a little bit about your blog.
I started Weeknite Meals in 2010 to keep track of recipes in case my daughter wants to learn how to cook when she’s older, also to share photos of the food we enjoy. Most of the recipes I cook are Asian, it’s not that we don’t like non-Asian food, it’s because the few times I tried to cook non-Asian, they turned out disastrously. My blog includes recipes that I’ve tried and enjoyed, though after cooking for the past few years, lately I’ve started to modify and come up with recipes of my own, I also started to include tidbits of my life, so Foodie friends can get some insights into my life.
How do you feel about your own food blogging experience so far?
I LOVE food blogging! Well at times when I get stressed out with the design business, I do tend to disappear from the blogsphere. But the food blogging community is a super supportive one, and even when I am not posting, I am always reading.
If you can give one advice to a new food blogger, what would it be?
I am relatively new at blogging, so still learning as I go. I would suggest newbies to set up a “Foodbuzz” account, I met so many lovely people there! Instead of searching blindly on Google, the Food Buzz community has an extensive database of people with similar interests as you, which makes finding and following other bloggers much simpler.
What would you advise to a new cook or someone who wants to start cooking at home more?
Since I started cooking due to the economical downturn, saving money was a big goal. By cooking mostly Asian food, it meant most likely I had the ingredients in my pantry already. If you are starting to cook, try to build up your pantry and maybe stick with recipes from similar regions, it will make your life much easier and wallet much fatter!
Thank you Cindy! From here I will let Cindy take over and show us what she prepared. Enjoy!
Hi all! This is Jeno from Weeknite Meals. I am so honored to be chosen as one of the Nami’s guest food bloggers while she’s on holiday break. I am honored to share one of my family’s old time favorite Chinese New Year’s dish: Pearl Balls! This is something we only got to eat once a year when families visit, and due to a house filled with guests, we only got to eat a few Pearl Balls at a time. I’ve always imagined it’s a difficult dish to make, this is why a seasoned cook like my Mom would only make it once a year. Come to find out that’s not the case at all! In fact we really had a great time cooking together (Well mostly my Mom did the cooking, while I took photos), my little girl and her cousins devoured so many as their afternoon snack, and still asked for more to take home for the evening. I hope you will give this recipe a try and let me know whether you like them as much as we do!
Enjoy as an appetizer or a side dish!
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Pearl Balls
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups sweet rice/glutinous rice (mochigome) (soak in water overnight, drain and set aside right before you are ready to prepare)
Meatball Mixture
- 1 lbs ground pork (try to buy the ones with a little big more fat content so the pearl balls won't come out too dry)
- 1 Tbsp green onions/scallions (chopped)
- 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell)
- ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ¼ tsp MSG (optional)
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp usukuchi (light-colored) soy sauce
- 6 water chestnuts (peeled, smashed then minced)
Instructions
The Night Before Cooking Day
- Soak sweet rice in water overnight. Drain and set aside.
To Prepare Meatball
- Except for the sweet rice, mix all other ingredients together in a large bowl. Grab handfuls of the mixture, pat them in your palms to make the mixture stickier. Roll the mixture into a meatball, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) diameter each. Roll the meatballs in sweet rice, make sure all sides are covered. Now the meatballs should resemble beautiful pearls!
To Steam
- Start boiling water to prepare the steamer. Place a cheesecloth on the bottom of the steamer basket. Place the pearl balls into your steamer.
- Steam on high heat for 20 minutes. Enjoy!
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 2 days.
Dear Jeno,
These pearl balls look really delicious and I think they would be great as canapes for my next home party. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Hi Chopin! Thank you for the compliments! I would be honored if you try this recipe at your next party, they are always a hit at my Mom’s Chinese New Year celebrations!
Happy Holidays!
Hello Nami and Jeno 🙂 Thanks for sharing this great recipe! My parents only like Chinese food but i dun think i’ve ever had these pearl balls ~ definitely gotta try soon hehe!
Nami – I didn’t know you were in Kaohsiung too what a small world! I had such a great time I love all the food and liu he night market ~
Jeno – Nice to meet you! I’m gonna follow your blow from now on, my boyfriend is getting sick of the non-Asian food i keep making hahaha
Hi Daisy! Nice meeting you also! I am so excited that you are thinking of trying this recipe. That’s funny your boyfriend is getting tired of the non-Asian food, my husband is the opposite, since I such at cooking non-Asian food!
Happy Holidays!
Hi nami :0
glad to hear that u and ur child have a wanderful time in Taiwan 🙂
tq for introducing us to cindy… Hi cindy! very nice to meet u…
tq for sharing this easy and delish recipe to us 😉
here in Indonesia, we have the similar chinese dish called “bacang” the ingredients most of the same but we wrap the rice ball in a leaf 🙂
Hi Elies! Oh Bacang sounds delicious! Do you steam it and are the leaves eatable?
I would LOVE these! The whole thing sounds great and I love that they are “bite size”. I hope your trip was great. Thanks for sharing so many great bloggers, Nami!
Hi Cassie! Thank you for your kind words! The pearl balls are definitely bite size, and I can eat about a dozen in one setting, which is probably not healthy, considering they are just appetizers! Hope you have a great Holiday!
I hope you have a good trip home and thanks for introducing the very talented Jeno to us. Will definitely be keeping up to date with her blog! 🙂
Hi Sylvia! Thank you for your kind words! I am excited to have met all your lovely folks today on Nami’s blog, it’s been an exciting day!
Merry Christmas!
When I saw the picture on top, I thought those balls were a sweet dessert. Could never guess they have meat in them 🙂 Very interesting recipe!
Hi Melanie! That’s interesting you think the Pearl Balls would be a sweet dessert, I never though of them that way because we grew up eating them, but it does make a lot of sense. Maybe there’s a way that I can develop a recipe for Sweet Pearl Balls!
Happy Holidays!
Hi Kristen! Thank you for the compliment! The girls finished the whole plate in record time then begged grandma for more, it was hilarious!
I am glad that you had wonderful time. The pearl balls look good. Those pretty girls are waiting to pop them in their mouth.
Hi Balvinder, thank you for the compliments, the girls popped those pearl balls in their tummy in no time and begged for more!
Thanks for the intro to a new blogger – these looks wonderful!
Hi Delishhh, thank you, I am honored to blog sit for Nami! Happy Holidays!
I’m so glad you had a good trip. Looking forward to seeing your posts when you return, but this is a great guest post–I would love those for an appetizer.
Hi Cucina49! Thank you for visiting, I would love to have a plate of those pearl balls right now also! 🙂
Happy Holidays!
Jeno, congratulations for this fascinating post and extraordinary photos! I cannot take my eyes off the first one and you are so beautiful on your profile photo! Not to mention the last cute picture!
I cannot believe you started to cook only in 2009! (I must have missed this detail on your blog!). Your dishes are always appealing and sometimes very complex.
At first I was afraid it would be a sweet dish (I am not a big fan of rice with sugar), but now that I see this is a savoury dish and with my beloved pork, you can be sure to find it on my blog soon! I hope you don’t mind me stealing it. I shouldn’t say this, but this is my favourite guest-posted recipe on Nami’s blog!
Nami, thank you for asking Jeno to blog sit for you! I love Jeno’s blog and her recipe is sensational!
Hi Sissi! Oh my goodness, I am so humbled by your compliments! Like I said on the my blog, cooking is fun but I am still learning everyday, hoping to get more consistent in the new year… Yes this is definitely a savory dish, It would be my honor for you to “steal” it, and I truly hope you enjoys the Pearl Balls!
Have a safe trip back Nami! I envy the long massages and delicious food you’ve been feasting on for the past 10 days!! =) And thanks for introducing Jeno here. Her pearl ball recipe looks so simple and easy to make. It’s like making a meatball with chestnut chunks rolled with rice on the outside. These are delicious and I’ve had them before in restaurants. Now, I can try making this at home too!
Hi Sharon, you are totally right, the Pearl Balls are super easy to make, I am glad my Mom finally gave me the recipe and I am able to share with you all!
Happy Holidays!
Beautiful!!!!
Thanks for introducing Cindy to us, what a talented blogger and what a delicious recipe.
Love the pics of the girls…. SO Cute!!!
I had been down with flu so missed ur last 2 post will go to them now.
Hope you have reached safely, can’t wait to hear about ur fun trip….
Hi Reem! Thank you for the compliment, sorry to hear about the flu, but hopefully you are recovering nicely, drinks lots of hot chicken soup and take good care of your self, you should feel 100% by Christmas!
Happy Holidays!
Thats a realy interessting recipe and way of preparing chestnuts. We eat those a lots at this time of the year in austria, but we simply peal them and eat them just like that. Very nice guestpost cindy. I am glad I found u over nami. =)
Hi Helene! I had no idea people from Austria eat Pearl Balls also, that’s so interesting! Thank you so much for the compliments, I am so glad to have met you through Nami’s blog also!
Happy Holidays!
Hello A_Boleyn! Yes you are absolutely correct, sweet rice is glutinous rice, also called sticky rice. Chinese people use them for a lot of dessert dishes, they have higher starch content and stick better. I understand your pain with shopping in Asian markets, I see that happen from time to time, and when I am able to assist I would usually chime in to resolve the dilemma… 🙂
I don’t actually have the steamer shown in the photo, anytime I work on dishes that require steaming, the good old American steamer comes out and does a great job, hope you will make that investment soon (or maybe Santa will give that as a gift this year?) Happy Holidays!