Chinese Breakfast Platter

If ever there was a cuisine that fascinates me[apart from my favorite India cuisine] more than anything , then my friends will right point out that it is the Chinese Cuisine!

My friends who are running this marathon with me are always sure I would come up with Chinese dishes especially in the Mega Marathon.I did not want to disappoint them and hence made this platter yesterday.

 If you are new to my space, here is why I love the Chinese Cuisine. If you know this story, feel free to skip to the platter…

China was place I landed with hubby as soon as we were married. I spent almost 6 years there exploring the country, their culture and falling in love with their cuisine.6 years may seem like a small period but for me it holds a life time worth of memories.

It is a known fact that the Chinese cuisine is predominantly a non vegetarian one. That made it all the more fascinating for me. I enjoyed looking up for vegetarian options when we dined out during trips outside our province and then talking to the chefs at the restaurant asking them to replace certain things in the dish with vegetarian options.

Every place that I dined / ate out, the chefs gladly came to talk to me and did their best to get a vegetarian dish for me. For that , I am eternally thankful to those wonderful souls!

At home, I used to experiment with fruits and vegetables that I had never seen back home. Also turning their dishes into vegan / vegetarian meals became my hobby. Thus my love for this cuisine continues to grow.

Now, back to the post for the day..

Though the Chinese cuisine is predominantly a non vegetarian ones, there are certain dishes that are vegetarian and need no alternations! Such dishes were a boon to me when we traveled.

One of the go to dishes in a take-away is the dumpling. Lil Angel and me loved it so much that we used to always buy a huge batch of frozen dumplings with a spinach,tofu and mushroom filling when ever we passed the dumpling restaurant. The lady at the counter got so used to seeing us there that she would automatically place our order as soon as she saw us through the huge door she was seated next to.These dumplings are so inexpensive and seemed more than worth buying them instead of making them at home! But now a day, I make them at home.Sadly there are no dumpling places in my home town….

After the dumplings are the varieties of steamed buns.These too were available in abundance everywhere-in malls, small shops on the streets, in pushcarts,almost everywhere! Piping hot buns that smelled so wonderful and tasted so soft and delicious was a snack that we enjoyed while roaming the parks.

So when I was thinking of making a Chinese breakfast, I knew the time had come to make these buns at home as it was ages since we ate them. Lil Angel was excited at the prospect and Lil Dude who had never seen these buns thought it was a cake!!!

Here are some other Chinese Breakfast options…

• Jui Cai Bing – Chinese Scallion Pancakes
• Xi Fan – Chinese Porridge / Conjee
• Xiao Mi Zhou – Millet Porridge
• Shanyao Gojiqi Zhou – Chinese Yam and Goji Berry Porridge

Just like the plethora of porridges, steamed buns too are one of the most popular breakfast dishes there and I have attempted a few steamed buns here. I wouldn’t say that they have turned out to be perfect as it takes a lot of practice to get it right but I can safely say that it come out nicely and the kids loved the platter.

This platter is the 6th dish for Blogging Marathon #56, Week 4 with the them  – Breakfast dishes across the globe.

Here is what  I made..

Mantou – is steamed bun / bread made with all purpose flour. This is a popular dish from North China wheat is a major source of carbohydrate while in the rest of the country Rice finds a predominant place.Mantou can be pan fried, steamed and deep fried after steaming.

Hua Juan – Flower shaped steamed buns flavored with spring onions and sesame seeds.

Baozi – Buns with fillings are called Baozi.In Northern China, even Mantou is seen with filling.

Soy Sauce Dip – A simple dipping sauce with Chinese flavors that is so apt with Mantou

Chili sauce – Fiery condiment with Sichuan flavors to go with the steamed buns,

Take a look at all that was served so far on The Buffet On Table…

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 56

Bon Appetit…