Chinese New Year may have come and gone, but remember Chinese food is not just for Chinese New Year; it's for life!  I've loved Chinese food since I was old enough to make my own decisions about what I want to eat.

I never really been 'into' cooking Chinese, being more of a Chinese restaurant enthusiast.  But recently I find that I'm doing more cooking of it at home. I would probably put it all down to Momofuku. That's right Momofuku made me do it. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

I'm a huge fan of smoked flavours in food and drink.  After playing around with recipes from Momofuku, I've become slightly obsessed in using smoked flavours in food where it would not normally be found. 

In this recipe I combine smoked chicken with pork to make an Chinese dumpling.  If you can cold smoke your own chicken legs, by all means go ahead, But I get my smoked chicken legs from the local Polish supermarket. If you can't find smoked chicken legs, use 2 chicken thighs and a couple of smoked streaky bacon rashers.

These are lazy-man dumpling, meaning that I leave them open around the sides kind of like a taco. If you are more of a aesthetically purist dumpling lover take the time to crimp and seal them properly.

Gone are the summer days when you walk to the market and see piles of gleaming tomatoes, asparagus and ruby coloured strawberries.  But all is not glum, because in their place are the Kings of autumn vegetables, the glorious squash!

Butternut Squash really comes alive when it is roasted. It's naturally sweet flesh lend itself perfectly to be the star of a velvety simple soup. I know that I am not alone here, but I love the fact that autumn heralds the beginning of soup season. There is nothing more comforting than a big bowl of soup.

I've also looked to the seasonal markets for inspiration for the garnish of this soup. Cobnuts are great at the moment with their creamy bite. They really work with the butternut to add some textural dimension to the soup. If you cant find some trusty Kent Cobnuts, then by all means use hazelnuts.