What Made Me Happy Recently #3
March and April favorites, and I'm travelling in China!
A bit late, but Happy May!
Here’s my casual roundup of what I’ve been cooking, eating, and enjoying over the past two months.
Berlin has officially entered its most beautiful—and approachable—season of the year. We’ve had a few chilly spells, known in Chinese as dao chun han (倒春寒), but overall, it’s that magical time when cherry blossoms bloom, outdoor dining returns, parks are packed, and every ice cream parlor has a line out the door.
This has been a period of rehabilitation for me. After straining my thigh and knee muscles months ago, I finally started physiotherapy (training) and got a full orthopedic gait analysis. I’m now doing targeted exercises to strengthen the weak spots. I also accidentally stumbled upon (or it’s the algorithm?) this video about what shoes chefs wear in kitchens and invested in a pair of kitchen clogs—hopefully, my knees will be thanking me.
Around the same time, I restarted learning German. I’d learned the language before moving to Berlin for grad school, but it had grown a bit rusty. On some afternoons, physiotherapy and class are scheduled back-to-back, which gives me a chance to wander through the city center. I sometimes make a stop at Dussmann, my favorite multi-story bookshop, to browse the cookbook section (it’s bigger and filled with great newly published English cookbooks), then grab a comforting meal at Ishin—a Japanese canteen I’ve loved since my student days—for sushi or a simple steamed rice bowl. Relearning a language and rebuilding physical strength turn out to have a lot in common: both require patience, repetition, and a surprising amount of humility.
And, I’m travelling in China!
As you read this, I’m already eating my way through Shanghai. I’m thrilled to be back—it's been nearly a year and a half since my last visit. Besides seeing family in Sichuan, I’m also visiting Shanghai and Hangzhou, which, of course, have food-focused agendas, and I’m taking many notes. I’ll be sharing some updates on Instagram, and longer stories will come soon here, too.
March & April Content Roundup
Here’s everything I published recently, in case you missed it:
Meat & Seafood: Sichuan Water-Boiled Beef // Buttery Asparagus Stir-Fry with Douchi
Noodles: Yibin Burning Noodles
Vegan: Blanched Asparagus Salad // Crunchy Mala Preserved Daikon Radish
Pantry Talk: Deep dive into Chinese preserved vegetables
Sweet Things & Small Eats (Video only): Qingtuan (mugwort sticky rice dumplings—this time made with carrot greens) // Snow Fungus Soup with Stuffed Dates
Also, my Sichuan Dry Pot recipe (with chicken wings and shrimp) was published on The Mala Market Blog! Dry pot is like a lesser-known but equally flavorful cousin of hot pot—and for me, a deeply nostalgic dish that’s accompanied me across cities and years.
What I Cooked
Homemade Doubanjiang (from Sichuan):
I rarely travel with sauces in my luggage, but last year my aunt sent a jar of homemade doubanjiang with my parents to Berlin (handmade by a good friend of hers). It nearly leaked despite careful wrapping, but it was worth it. This kind is slightly different from the store-bought Pixian doubanjiang. Called yin douban (阴豆瓣, shady douban) or Jiachang douban (家常豆瓣), it’s not sun-fermented and has a fresher, punchier taste, with chunks of fava beans, fresh chilis, and ginger slices. You can dip cooked tofu directly in this sauce, but I mostly use it for chicken stir-fries and pair it with aged doubanjiang in mapo tofu for a layered flavor.
Young Ginger
I found a piece of young ginger at a farmers' market—a rare treat here! It’s often used in Sichuan cooking to stir-fry with meat to give the dish a refreshing, floral, and light pungent note. Not as tender as what you’d find in Sichuan, but it was a joy to use in stir-fries, with pork slivers and chicken gizzards, to add some refreshing, almost floral note.
A Tuna Puttanesca pasta
Canned tuna has been a pantry favorite of mine. I love it in salad, kimbap and of course, in pasta. One weeknight favorite at home: a quick, warm Tuna Puttanesca from NYT Cooking (by Lidey Heuck).
What I Ate (But Didn’t Cook)
Dining out has been quieter these past two months, but a few highlights stand out:
I checked out a new Chinese la mian noodle spot in Berlin (Mr. Noodle Chen) that’s gone viral—think 30-minute lines in the cold at 5 p.m. As I was standing there, the scene reminded me of the SNL sketch about “big dumb line”. The noodle is made in Lanzhou-style: the texture was great, and the flavor was solid (for European standards). They also serve noodles of different thicknesses, and what I liked better was the spicy homemade pickles and a fermented oat dessert, similar to the fermented sweet rice (maybe I’d try to recreate this!).
A new French grocery store opened near me! Stocked with tinned fish, pastries, and delicacies, it’s a dangerous place to “just browse.” We tried an orange syrup cake, Spanish salami, and some tinned fish (I liked the sardine ones)
Lots of cosmic crisp apple: I’ve never been an apple fan, but the Cosmic Crisp won me over (they’re also grown in Europe, now). It’s fruity, crisp, and the perfect balance of sweet and tart. Despite the (slightly) odd marketing campaign, the flavor speaks for itself. They’re not always stocked, so I grab a few whenever I see them.
What I Read and Clicked
I read two books by Shen Jialu—Old Flavors in Shanghai (《上海老味道》)and its sequel, which explore the city’s food culture through a deeply personal lens. They’re not typical eaters’ guides; many of the places Shen remembers from his youth have already vanished in the city’s rapidly changing dining landscape. Instead, these books read more like memoirs, offering a nostalgic glimpse into the flavors, seasons, and rituals of everyday life in Shanghai.
Besides, here are a few pieces I’ve clicked (not mindlessly scrolled over):
Is Making Your Own Century Eggs Worth It? (I made a small cameo here!)
What I Watched
Documentary:
Chinatown ChaCha by Luka Yuanyuan Yang is a tender, beautifully shot documentary about a group of senior dancers in San Francisco’s Chinatown. What made it extra special was that after the screening, some of the performers actually traveled to Berlin and danced live for us.
Shows:
Adolescence: Deservedly discussed and praised. One of the best shows I’ve seen in years.
The Studio: I wasn’t sure I’d like it (wasn’t a big fan of Seth Rogen’s latest show, Platonic), but it had me, a former cinephile, giggling hard, especially the first and second episode with Martin Scorsese and the one shots. The perfect comic relief after The Last of Us.
The Residence: Light and fun, in Shonda Rhimes’ fashion. More Knives Out than Sherlock, and I’m a longtime Uzo Aduba fan since Orange is the New Black!
Hope you enjoy the beautiful early summer weather (in the Northern Hemisphere mainly)!
Xueci
Being Shanghainese myself, I'm so excited to read about your round up of food adventures there!
Thanks for reading and sharing, and safe travels! Your post made me hungry.