polo

2 凉拌 dishes plus this week's meal prep:

蒜泥白肉 / spicy pork with garlic 

poached chicken with ginger and scallions

I think poaching meat is one of the most forgiving ways to achieve a juicy texture. The key is low heat (barely simmering water) and checking with a thermometer. It's easier if you take the meat out and rest it in cold water, but I tend to just turn off the heat a little earlier and let the meat cool in its broth.

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Grain salad with farro, black lentils, sweet potato and a squash of some kind

I went with a Chinese flavour dressing (sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce) and felt kinda of awkward pairing it with a super non-Chinese dish. It taste good enough. What I really nailed is the texture of both of the farro and lentil. For the farro, I soaked it in boiling water for about 2 hours (since I forgot to soak it in the morning before work, opps), and checked for doneness pretty frequently. Lentils I just boiled and checked frequently.