Chinese Starter Recipes

They are hot, flavourful and spicy without being too spicy. If you prefer a mild flavour you can leave out the chili sauce.

You will need:

1 tablespoon black bean sauce

2 tablespoons soy milk

2 tablespoons millet flour

1 teaspoon water

1/2 teaspoon chili sauce

1/2 spring onion, sliced

1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil

2 small square crackers

1 tablespoon torn fresh coriander leaves

1 beaten egg

Cooking spray

How to make them:

Whisk the soy milk with the vegetable oil and millet flour to make a batter. Add a teaspoon of water if it is too thick. Stir a teaspoon of water into the black bean sauce. Mix another teaspoon of water into the chili sauce. Put these two sauces to one side.

Spray a frying pan with cooking spray and heat it over a moderately low heat. Pour the batter into the pan and spread it so you get a thin crepe. Cook it for a couple of minutes or until firm, then pour the beaten egg over it. Cook it until the egg sets. Sprinkle the coriander and spring onion slices on top, pressing them into the egg.

Flip the crepe over and spread the chili sauce and black bean sauces on. Put the crackers in the middle, leaving 1cm of space between them. Flip the top third of the crepe over the crackers, then fold the bottom third up. Double the crepe over so the crackers are on top of each other. Serve hot.

It's autumn, and veggie shops are overflowing with beautiful golden pumpkins. Pumpkin is a highly nutritious vegetable, rich in antioxidants, fiber and vitamins, so it's a great way to add goodness to fall menus.

You can substitute canned pumpkin in any recipe using pumpkin puree, but you'll get a better flavour if you cook fresh pumpkin yourself. For the best flavour, slice and seed fresh pumpkin and roast in a medium oven for 30-40 minutes until tender. When cool enough to handle, remove skin and mash or blend the flesh. Substitute 90ml (1/2 cup) pumpkin puree for the same quantity of milk in your favourite pancake recipe and cook in a hot pan, pouring just enough batter to make small pancakes.

Pumpkin in savoury dishes Try cubed pumpkin, browned with onion and garlic, then simmered in a tomato sauce with a dash of chilli. Great with pasta or rice. Or use pumpkin in risotto. Finely chop and soften 4 shallots or one onion in a little olive oil. Stir in 250g ( 1 ½ cups) risotto rice, 500g (3 cups) grated fresh pumpkin (use a food processor to do the grating), then gradually add 850ml (5 cups) hot vegetable stock, making sure each addition has been absorbed into the rice before you add the next. When rice and pumpkin are tender, stir through a generous grating of Parmesan cheese, and leave to stand, covered for 10 minutes to allow the rice to swell.

Pumpkin is only in season for a couple of months, so make the most of it this year in these fresh pumpkin recipes.

The crockpot produces healthy, delicious meals your family. Because the foods are cooked slowly, at low temperatures, flavors have time to blend and send an appetizing aroma through the house.