What can I say, I have a weakness for Asian cuisine…This, combined with my Spanish penchant for tapas explains why I absolutely adore dumplings, sushi, and all bit-size delicacies from the Far East.

This recipe derives from David Lebovitz’s…In his Parisian blog he explains about food and French cultural habits (which more often than not clash with the American’s), quite hilarious at times…

Ingredients for the dumplings:

- 1 pound (500g) minced pork meat

- 1 pound (500g) raw, peeled, clean shrimp

- a handful of chopped cilantro

- 2 tbsp fish sauce

- 3 tbsp cornstarch

- 1 egg

- 1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil

- 2 tbsp grated ginger

- won ton wrappers

Ingredients for the dipping sauce:

- 1 tbsp grated ginger

- 1 tbsp grated garlic

- 2 tbsp fish sauce

- 1 tbsp rice vinegar

- 1 tbsp brown sugar

- 1 tbsp sesame oil

Cooking instructions:

Mix all ingredients except the wrappers. Put a teaspoon of mixture in each wrapper, gather the ends up, press firmly together and turn them to ‘close’ the dumpling.

The recipe said to use a bamboo steamer to cook the dumplings, but mine is really tiny and I was too impatient, so I stir-fried the dumplings instead of steaming them.

Serve with some greens, white rice, the dipping sauce and sweet chili sauce.

Enjoy!!

Do not be fooled by the picture, they are the size of a large marble…These mini-meatballs are extremely easy to make, and quickly done. They are tiny, they are tender, they are tasty and they are cute! Perfect for children and picky eaters.

I based myself on a recipe from canarygirl, and I served them with some white rice and sweet chili sauce. Some lettuce or cucumber would have been lovely too, but when I made this dish I had ran out of greens!

Ingredients:

- 1 pound/500g of lean pork meat
- half onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- ground black pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- vegetable oil, to fry

Cooking instructions:

I put all ingredients in the food processor (except for the oil) to obtain a paste. I then took little portions of the meat and rolled it to make tiny balls, which I then fried. That is it! I told you it was quick and easy…

Enjoy!!

OK, this is my own version of chile con carne (in Spanish: hot pepper with meat), not sure how close or how far it is from the “authentic” dish eaten in Mexico, but hey, I can’t help it, I just love it

Ingredients:

- 28 ounces – 800g canned tomatoes  (or else choose from peeled tomatoes, minced tomatoes, pureed tomatoes, whatever you like -  because I like the texture, I used peeled tomatoes, which I chopped in the skillet once they softened. You could also use about 2 pound-1kg of Roma tomatoes, peel them and chop them)

- 1 pound – 500g minced meat (I used beef, but you could use pork as well)

- 28 ounces – 800g cooked red beans , drained

- 1 tsp cumin

- 1-2 tsp dried chili flakes, quantity depends on how much heat you can handle (alternatively use one of the following: tabasco, fresh chopped chili peppers, cayenne pepper… you see, I’m easy!)

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 tsp black pepper, crushed

- 2 or 3 garlic cloves, minced

- 1 onion, minced

- 2 bay leaves

- 2-3 tbsp vegetable oil

- coriander, chopped

- optional (this time I didn’t have it available): crema agria / Mexican cream / sour cream, to go with the chile

Cooking instructions:

In a skillet, heat the oil. Add then the garlic and the onion, saute until the onion becomes translucent.

Add the meat, cumin, pepper, salt, chili. Break the lumps of meat with a wooden spoon. When the meat is cooked, add the tomatoes and the bay leaves. Let simmer until the sauce thickens a bit, and the flavours mix.

Five minutes before serving, add the red beans, stir, let the whole simmer another 5 minutes, remove from the heat and remove the bay leaves.

Serve with fresh coriander sprinkled on it. The other two partners in crime: white rice and a dot of sour cream.

Buen provecho!!