Eat: Red Bean Bun!

红豆包 (red bean bun) is a standard Chinese snack and dessert. They are basically a sweet red bean paste wrapped in dough, and then steamed. I tried my hand in making them today, and found them very simple and homey. I am looking forward to going home for the holidays; thinking about eating these as a child makes me so nostalgic for the warm comforts of home cooking.

1. Wrap!

2. Steam!

3. Eat! 

You can find a good recipe for the skin here and you can find the red bean paste at any Asian grocery store. My mom's secret for an even tastier filling is adding coconut oil.

Many people disagree on the proper way to wrap them, depending on where your family is from in China. As a novice at this, I was not so good with creating a very elegant design - but I did try to imitate my mother's "rose petal" style of folding, where you fold around a central point to make a belly-button-esque center.

With exams finally over, I'm finally free to catch up on my guilty pleasure - Korean dramas. One called Flower Boy Ramen Shop emphasizes "you are what you eat," comparing the rich to caviar and the poor to ramen noodles. What food would you be? What food in particular brings you home?

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