Here is a recap of our Chinese Vegetarian Potluck Dinner from Ricefield Volunteer, Laura Matheson:

“On Wednesday 25 May, I joined Ricefield at the Project Cafe for their annual vegetarian potluck dinner, carrying my tupperware of spring onion pancakes. The cafe was a great spot in the evening sunshine and the smell of fried noodles was very inviting, as was the over flowing dessert table! This year’s event was part of CCA’s Cooking Pot, and the variety of dishes we shared was definitely in keeping with this programme. Marie, our Chair, welcomed our guests from all over Glasgow, before we gave our own introductions. Ya Hong very kindly brought two dishes, a cucumber salad and potato pancakes, while Else showed off her husband’s excellent, Malaysian-inspired coconut dessert. Family played a part in Marie’s dish also, with her mother offering a helping hand earlier for her red bean soup. Chantel’s traditional Emperor’s Rice Pudding doubled as an art project, where she sent us home with the recipe and challenged us to rival her cooking skills. Sadly, Bella and I were newbies to Chinese cooking, but there wasn’t much of our pancakes and shredded potatoes left at the end of the night either! My favourite part of the dinner wasn’t just the food, but having a chance to share the memories attached to our dishes and to learn more about each other. And of course, home cooked food is the best kind of food. I think we can say for sure that no one left hungry, and that we were all a little inspired to try to bring a bit more of China into our cooking.”