八寶飯 $3.99
Ba Bao Fan
Ingredients: 糯米, 紅豆沙, 白砂糖, 精致菜油, 蓮心, 瓜子, 蜜枣, 核桃仁, 葡萄乾
Sticky rice, red bean paste, white cane sugar, vegetable oil, lotus fruit, watermelon seed, dates, walnut, raisin

中餐傳統甜食。以糯米和八種干鮮果品為主料蒸制而成。此飯歷經几千年，流傳全國，各地用料、制法大同小異。 江南烹制的八寶飯是最為著名品種之一，為中餐酒席的佳肴。
Ba Bao Fan is a traditional Chinese dessert with more than a thousand years of history.
This dessert is made in all regions of China with their own local ingredients and recipes;
however, all recipes are based upon the ingredients of sticky rice and eight different
dried fruits. The most famous Ba Bao Fan recipe is from “Jiang Nan”, a southern
area of China.

趣聞Story
　　公元前1123年，周武王率諸候東征，敗商紂王于河南省洪縣南的牧野，紂王自焚而死，周武王乃定天下。
在周武王伐紂建立天下的大業中，伯達、伯適、仲突、仲忽、叔夜、叔夏、季隨、季蝸等八士，功勛赫赫，
深為武王和人民稱譽，在武王伐紂慶功宴上，天下歡騰，將士雀躍，廚師應景而做"八寶飯"以示慶賀。
八寶象征有功的八位勇士，其中使用了山楂以喻意火化紂王。
In 1123(BC), Emperor Zhou defeated Emperor Shang in the Henan province and became the Emperor of China. During the war, Zhou had eight brave generals that fought alongside him. So the Emperor asked his chef to make Ba Bao Fan in celebration of their victory. “Babao” represents the eight generals.

紅豆珍珠圓子 $2.99 (4 份) (Four Pieces)
Red Bean Zhen Zhu Yuan Zi (Red Bean Pearl Balls)
Ingredients: 糯米, 糯米粉,紅豆沙
Sticky rice, sticky rice flour, red bean paste

創始人張光禮，原是成都名餐館“榮樂園”的白案廚師。
珍珠圓子是川菜中的著名小吃。圓子蒸熟後，外面粘的整粒糯米發光油亮，形似珍珠，因而得名。它形色美觀,
味甜香糯,受到人們的喜愛。

Invented by Guang Li Zhang, chef of a famous restaurant called “Rong Le Yuan” in Chengdu,Sichuan. Zhen Zhu Yuan Zi is a famous dessert in Sichuan. After being steamed, the sticky rice ball shines like a pearl. So the literal translation is “Pearl Balls”. People like its beautiful appearance and the sweet flavor inside.

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Decadent Desserts 傳統甜食

For North American diners, dessert typically represents the chef's triumphant finale, his last chance to perform before a captive audience.

Chinese cuisine is a little different. Mention the words Chinese food to most people and they tend to think of an assortment of stir-fried dishes, usually accompanied with rice and the ubiquitous cup of tea. While frozen ice concoctions may have originated thousands of years ago in China's snow covered peaks, desserts do not feature prominently in Chinese cooking.

There are several reasons for this. First, while westerners traditionally end their evening meal with a fancy dessert, the Chinese prefer to eat fruit (a much healthier custom). Not that the Chinese don't ever crave sweets. A frequent complaint from westerners is that the few sweet Chinese desserts that do exist are too sweet. However, they normally prefer to indulge their sweet tooth between meals, especially when entertaining company or celebrating special occasions such as the Moon festival.

Second, chilled desserts have never been overly popular in China, since until recently most homes lacked a refrigerator. (Ovens are also rare in Chinese kitchens, which is why cake recipes often call for the cake to be steamed rather than baked). Finally, Chinese restaurants - even those in the west - tend to avoid offering fancy desserts. This is understandable when you consider that many desserts have a lengthy preparation time and Chinese dinners normally consist of several fast-cooking, stir-fried dishes.

Still, a few Chinese desserts have caught on in the west. One is Peking Dust, a gooey concoction featuring fresh chestnuts and whipped cream. According to one source, Peking dust is not truly indigenous to China, having been invented by western residents of Peking in the 1920's. However, another source states that Peking Wall - a more elaborate version of the same dessert - was traditionally served to foreign ambassadors during the Ching dynasty.

Another popular dessert is Almond Tea. In "Chinese Home Cooking", Helen Chen shares her mother's reminiscences of how Chinese vendors used to sell almond tea from door to door. In those days it was made by hand grinding raw rice and almonds; fortunately, today you can use rice flour and almond paste. Adding agar-agar or unflavored gelatin to Almond Tea gives you Almond Junket.

Another well-known treat - normally reserved for special occasions - is eight precious pudding (it may also be called eight treasure pudding or eight precious rice). This rice pudding is filled with an assortment of colorful fruits such as maraschino cherries and dates, each representing a "treasure" - a precious stone such as ruby or jade. One word of caution: some people find both this dessert and Almond Tea to be overly sweet.

Of course, you can always follow Chinese tradition and conclude your evening meal with a piece of fruit. Cooks with access to an Asian supermarket will have trouble choosing between an array of luscious tropical fruits - everything from mandarin oranges to mangos and lychees may be available. Fruit can be served fresh, chilled, or marinated with a liqueur. Many Chinese recipes feature steamed fruit covered with a honey syrup, and references to steaming pears with honey and wine dates back to ancient times. Fritters, batter-covered fruits fried in oil and sprinkled with sugar, are also popular.

Parkinson, Rhonda. “Chinese Cuisine: Decadent Desserts” October 2005. About, Inc. November, 2004