The dumpling files, volume 1

What: Mei Sum's Sui Lung Pao Main ingredients: Pork and cabbage in wheat flour wrappers Flavour and texture: Very smooth and gently flavourful filling, with a soft, tender wrapper. Reminds me of a chicken bun, despite the main ingredient being pork. A bit juicy.

Best served with: Either a mild dipping sauce (soy and vinegar, perhaps), or something with just a little kick (sweet chilli sauce?) Marks out of 10: 8. A good, steamed dumpling. Also available in packs of assorted dim sum, like this one: Also included in the pack: Beef siu mai Pork siu mai Prawn har gow Main ingredients: Prawns, fish, waterchestnut, bamboo, in a semi-translucent rice flour wrapper. Flavour and texture: Very soft filling, gentle taste, not a lot of flavour. The wrapper is soft and slightly chewy. Best served with: Definitely something with kick, like sweet chilli sauce or a vinegar dipping sauce with chili Marks out of 10: 7. Texture's lovely, but I personally prefer bolder flavours.

Peking duck pancakes

The pancakes served with Peking duck are traditionally very thin, soft and floury. They're an okay tool for transferring chunks of juicy duck meat, crispy duck skin, and gobs of sticky sauce to your mouth... but really - don't your taste buds deserve more than that? This recipe makes tasty, crispy-edged "pancakes" that add a whole new dimension to Peking duck, making this classic Chinese recipe even more delicious. Who needs store-bought wrappers?

The sauce files, episode 2: Peking Duck Sauce

What: Lee Kum Kee's Peking Duck Sauce Cost: £2.55 for 383g Main ingredients: Sugar, fermented soybean paste, tomato paste, salted plum, sesame Appearance: Very thick and glossy. Warm, chestnut brown colour. Flavour: Never before has such an unprepossessing list of ingredients come together into such a heavenly choir of flavour. It's sweet, it's salty, it's weirdly meaty... it's delicious, and my go-to sauce for dim sum as well as jazzing up leftovers. Would go well with: Pork or vegetable dumplings, roast chicken or duck, or pretty much anything else you'd care to dip. Marks out of 10: 9.5

Braised mushrooms

This Chinese-style recipe for braised mushrooms is the simplest dish around. Use whichever mushrooms you like, or have in the house. Add in any other veggies you want to use up. At it's simplest, this recipe takes about 10 minutes to make (including prep). That's not an amazing picture on the left (I find it very hard to get cooked mushrooms to look attractive on film) but - trust me on this - it tastes terrific.

Sichuan noodles

This vegetarian main dish can be made in about 6 minutes. It's that quick and easy. I made this version with the traditional beansprouts and cucumber, but you could use whatever fresh vegetables you had in the house: thinly sliced mushrooms or bamboo shoots, julienned peppers or daikon, or anything else. Just ensure you cook the vegetables for a short time, so they're still crisp.

Black bean and garlic mushrooms and spinach

Here's my little secret: sometimes I cheat. I buy ready-made pastry, because my own pastry is mediocre at best. I buy jars of minced garlic and ginger, as it saves me time, and means I always have a supply on hand. And I make black bean sauce using a jar of black bean sauce paste. Simple! This sauce can be quite salty, so I only eat this as a side dish, rather than a veggie main.