This weekend I had a go at making my own wonton dumplings with Laverstoke organic pork mince. When I was a kid, I remember helping my mum make jiaozi dumplings in preparation for dinner parties. I found great pleasure in pleating the folds of the pastry and getting them just right. Later in life, this obsessive repetitive action turned into an interest in modular origami. There is much to be said of folding flat planes into 3D units, multiple times over. Continue reading
One of the great things about living in East London is the bottom of Kingsland Road, where lines of cheap and authentic Vietnamese restaurants cluster and clamour for your attention. It was here that I tried my first bún – cold vermicelli noodles topped with refreshing salad and hot grilled pork / beef / seafood / chicken / spring rolls, into which you mix a tangy dipping sauce called nước chấm. I love it so much that it’s the only dish I order when I go for my regular Vietnamese. Continue reading
