Dinner Party Diaries Vol. 3
A Very Delicious Chinese-Inspired Feast
Hello hello :) It feels far too late into January to be saying this, but Happy New Year! I hope 2025 has been kind to you so far. This newsletter is coming to you a month late, and I’m very sorry about that. Without boring you with too many details, I was just very, very burnt out. Instead of scrambling to publish something subpar, I decided to wait until I could give this the attention it deserves.
I’d like to think that this Chinese-inspired menu is well worth the wait. Most of my dinner party menus are built around a hero dish, and this one is centred around Lanzhou Beef Noodle Soup. If you’ve not had it before, it’s loaded with chewy noodles, swimming in a clear, deeply flavourful beef broth with stewed beef, Chinese radish and a vibrant red chilli oil. It’s so good.
Until last year, it was a dish I’d only ever enjoyed out, specifically, at Lanzhou Lamian Noodle Bar in Leicester Square (it doesn’t look like much from the outside but they make the best beef noodle soup with homemade hand-pulled noodles). Thanks to The Woks of Life, it’s now something I’m able to recreate at home and it always goes down an absolute treat.
For starters, I served my famous (only to my friends and family) pork and prawn wontons. They’re plump, juicy and packed with flavour, and they freeze really well so I highly recommend making a big batch. You can cook them straight from frozen for a quick and delicious meal any day of the week.
For veg, I went with two salads: one with roasted aubergines (aka eggplants) and the other with smashed cucumbers, both tossed in a chilli oil-based dressing. And for dessert, I went with some very delicious port poached pears, which isn’t in keeping with the Chinese-inspired theme. However, the poaching liquid does contain four of the five Chinese 5-spices, so it tied into the menu really nicely.
Finally, if you read my last newsletter, you’ll know that I love a good game/quiz, so naturally, this dinner party included one too. The theme (which was also the party dress code) was best of 90s TV/cartoons, so if this sounds like a bit of you, I’ve included it at the end of this newsletter.
Big love and happy cooking,
Zena x
The Recipes
Pork and Prawn Wontons
These homemade pork and prawn wontons are so incredibly delicious. No mysterious fillers or additives, just real, fresh ingredients.
Get the full recipe here.
MAKE AHEAD
Freeze the wontons in a single layer on a greaseproof paper-lined baking tray for 15 minutes, then transfer to a freezer bag or airtight container and store for up to 1 month. Boil from frozen for 4 to 6 minutes, or until the wontons float, then drain and serve, ideally with my homemade chilli crisp, soy sauce and black vinegar.
Roasted Aubergine Salad with Chilli Oil Dressing
A newsletter exclusive recipe
This salad was a surprising favourite of the night. You simply roast aubergines until they’re beautifully jammy, then toss them in a flavour-packed, chilli-oil based dressing. As they sit in the dressing, they get more and more flavourful, making this the ideal make-ahead salad. Bonus: it can be served cold or at room temperature, so there’s no need to stress about timings.
3 aubergines
4 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp Chinese chilli oil
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, grated
2 tsp sugar
small handful of crushed roasted peanuts (or crispy onions for a nut-free option)
small handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped
Heat your oven to 220°C / fan 200°C. Line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper.
Cut the aubergines into large 3 to 4 cm chunks. Arrange them in a single layer on the tray without any oil or seasoning—this may feel counterintuitive, but trust the process! Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until softened and golden brown on the outside.
Meanwhile, add the rice vinegar, chilli oil, toasted sesame oil, light soy sauce, garlic and sugar to a large mixing bowl and mix to combine.
Add the roasted aubergines to the dressing and toss to coat, then leave to cool completely. Once cooled, cover with cling film and refrigerate until ready to serve. This can be done up to 1 day in advance.
When ready to serve, transfer the aubergines to a large plate or platter and drizzle over any remaining dressing. Top with crushed peanuts and fresh coriander, then serve.
MAKE AHEAD
This salad can be made up to 1 day in advance, or you can prepare it the morning of and store it in the fridge until ready to serve.
Spicy Smashed Cucumber Salad
This salad is as refreshing as it is fiery. It’s packed with flavour, thanks to the zingy, garlicky dressing that comes together in minutes.
Get the full recipe here.
MAKE AHEAD
This salad can be prepped the morning of. After salting the cucumbers, let them drain in the fridge until needed. Prepare the dressing in a jar and store it in the fridge. When ready to serve, drain the cucumbers, toss with the dressing and serve immediately.
Lanzhou Beef Noodle Soup
I used The Woks of Life’s recipe and it was absolutely sensational! It’s a labour of love and does call for a few specialist ingredients, but trust me–it’s well worth the effort.
Get the full recipe here.
MAKE AHEAD
You can prepare the beef and broth up to 3 days in advance—simply store them in the fridge until needed. If you’d like to get even further ahead, they can be made up to 1 month in advance and stored in the freezer. However, I recommend boiling the noodles just before serving for the best texture and flavour.
4-Spice Port Poached Pears
A newsletter exclusive recipe
This is an elegant dessert with minimal effort. Simmered in a fragrant spiced syrup, these pears perfect with a dollop of crème fraîche for a balanced, indulgent finish.
2 star anise
4 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp fennel seeds
150ml port
150g white caster sugar
1 litre water
6 ripe but firm pears
crème fraîche, to serve
Place the star anise, cloves, cinnamon sticks and fennel seeds in a medium sauté pan. Add the port, caster sugar and water, then stir to dissolve the sugar. Set the pan over a medium-high heat and bring to a gentle simmer.
Meanwhile, peel the pears, leaving the stems intact. Carefully lower the pears into the poaching liquid. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer covered for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the pears are tender all the way through when pierced with a knife.
Leave the pears to cool in their syrup, ideally overnight, so they can soak up all that gorgeous flavour and take on a deep colour. They’ll keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Before serving, you can boil the syrup to thicken it and concentrate its flavour. Drizzle some of the thickened syrup over the pears, then serve with a dollop of crème fraîche to cut through the sweetness.
MAKE AHEAD
The pears can be poached up to 3 days in advance.
The Make Ahead Plan
The pork and prawn wontons can be prepped up to a month in advance if stored in the freezer.
The Lanzhou beef noodle soup can also be prepped up to a month in advance if stored in the freezer. Alternatively, it can be made up to 3 days in advance if stored in the fridge. The noodles, however, are best cooked to order right before serving.
The 4-spice port poached pears can be prepped up to 3 days in advance.
The roasted aubergine salad can be prepped up to 1 day in advance.
The spicy smashed cucumber salad needs to be made the day of, though this can be done in the morning, keeping the salted cucumbers and dressing separate, then draining and assembling right before serving.
The Quiz
Finally, here’s the quiz I made for the night. The theme was 90s tv shows/cartoons—the millennial guests crushed it, the Gen Z ones, not so much.
And there we have it! I hope you’ll give this menu a go, either in its entirety or just a recipe or two. And if not that then perhaps the quiz :)
This is the last newsletter in my dinner party series. I’ll be back in two weeks time with more delicious recipes (and a fun new series!).
See you then!
Zena x