Chicken-Taro Meatballs and Tofu Hot Pot 香芋雞肉丸油豆腐粉絲煲

Lately, I've been missing the Chinese hot pot. My mom often made it for the Chinese New Year or on cold days. Unfortunately I can't have it at home because I don't own a portable stove for the table (due to not having enough storage space). I decided that I'd make a hot pot dish that is similar to the traditional one I grew up with, but is done on the stove, and with fewer ingredients. Instead of the fish balls (which are very difficult to find here without all the msg and chemicals) or thin slices of hot pot meats, I made these really yummy and unique taro-chicken meatballs to replace the fish balls, and it still has the cellophane noodles and the tofu I love, plus three other ingredients (because six is the lucky number for Chinese!). Everything is cooked in the same broth like the traditional hot pot, so in the end, all the flavours come together. I didn't even have to season the broth much at all! It was sweet and flavourful all by itself! I hope you make this during the Chinese New Year, and I wish you all a happy and peaceful sheep year!

Chicken-Taro Meatballs 香芋雞肉丸

Chicken Over Rice Taiwanese style 雞肉飯

So here I am, after three months in Taiwan, I'm finally back! I know it's been too long to be away from the blogging world. I tried here and there to post something in between, but alas, no recipes. I can't tell you how much I missed writing and taking photos for my recipes, but I had no choice; I had to return home for some important family matters. It was a difficult time for all of us, and while there, I went through many different emotions: there was sorrow, relief, joy, tension, grief. It's hard to describe, it changed everyday. Thankfully, those emotions are slowly diminishing… Having gone through it, it's now time to go forward.