You know how your relationship begins to fall apart when your significant other quietly binge-watches a show without you? Yeah well. That almost happened to me. This took place a few months ago when I was traveling, but we brushed the elephant in the room under the carpet then & were tiptoeing around a comically large bump in the centre of the TV room ever since. Last weekend, just as she was leaving on a week long business trip, Paro decided to take matters into her own hands & gave me strict instructions to finish watching Downton Abbey by the time she got back so we could get on with our lives. I complied & am happy to note that I’m having a lord of fun. Yesterday, I wanted to make a quick dinner that I could eat while watching Professor McGongall being mean to people in ridiculous hats, so dived into the back of the fridge and produced this #recipe:—

1. To 250 gm chicken / pork mince, add 1 tsp soy, some white pepper, 1 finely minced carrot, finely chopped spring onion, 1 egg & 1 tbsp corn flour. Mix well & shape into balls.
2. Heat 1 tsp oil in a wok & gently slip in the meatballs. Cook for 2 min on high. You only want to sear the outside slightly so the ball retains it’s shape. Drain & set aside.
3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in the wok, throw in 1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns, 6 dry red chillies (cut into pieces) & 1 tbsp Doubanjiang (red chilli & broad bean paste) 
4. Add 4 chopped cloves of garlic & 1 inch of ginger & stir fry
5. Add 1 tbsp soy, a pinch of sugar & a splash of water.
6. Time for the veggies. I only had soy bean sprouts so chucked in a cupful but you can totally add anything you like at this stage. Bok choy, mushrooms, bamboo shoot all work nicely.
7. Mix well, add meatballs & cook gently for 7 min. Make sure there’s enough liquid in the wok to poach the meatballs in. Don’t overcook, or they’ll become tough.
8. Add some chives cut nice & big, & serve with a bowl of steamed rice. I really should have taken more pictures, but the chauffeur was about to shoot the General in the face.

Not a classic by any stretch of the imagination, but it works. Over and out!