In the Rakhletsova-Quyen household, a standard family ritual is watching the “MasterChef” series (either the United States or Australia version), after which they like to go online, get the recipes, then try to make something similar. This Franco-Russian household is dad Dam Chi Quyen, mom Oksana Rakhletsova, and 4-year-old Nina. Quyen works as a salon director, Rakhletsova is the head of a pharmaceutical company, and Nina attends the French International School of Beijing (LFIP). Nina speaks fluent French, Russian, and Chinese; she understands English but was more than happy to teach us a little French and Russian while we were discussing her love of photography.
Quyen and Rakhletsova met on New Year’s Eve 12 years ago in Beijing, and Quyen cooked for her. To this day he still cooks for the whole family when Rakhletsova is out of town for work. “His family refused to believe that he knew how to cook until they saw him in the kitchen,” recalls Rakhletsova. They like to cook dishes from their respective countries and sometimes Chinese cuisines. Quyen learned how to cook here in Beijing and advises families to experiment with recipes. “You can follow the main recipe, but you can put your own twist by adding or replacing some ingredients of your choice according to your taste.”
Tomatoes Eggplant Mozzarella Salad 圣女果茄子奶酪沙拉
Ingredients 材料：
– Small tomatoes圣女果
– Mozzarella马苏里拉奶酪
– Italian parsley意大利香菜
– Eggplant茄子
– Olive oil橄榄油
– Salt & pepper 盐和胡椒
Instructions 做法：
1. Cut the eggplant in thin slices and then panfry them with olive oil and salt and pepper on medium heat. 茄子切片，平底锅里放橄榄油，中火煎，撒适量盐和胡椒
2. Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes and put them in the plate or bowl. 圣女果切成两半，装盘
3. Take the mozzarella and tear into small chunks. 马苏里拉奶酪撕成小块
4. Once the eggplants have cooked let them rest for a few minutes. 茄子煎好后，放凉
5. Add some seasoning, drizzle of olive oil salt and pepper and then put the eggplants on the top as well as the mozzarella and some Italian parsley leaves and serve. 盘中加入调料——少许橄榄油、盐和胡椒，然后将茄子置于沙拉顶部，撒上马苏里拉奶酪，撒上意大利香菜。上桌。
Paprika and Turmeric Boneless Chicken Leg 香辣无骨鸡腿
Ingredients 材料：
– 1 boneless chicken leg一个去骨鸡腿
– Paprika辣椒粉
– Turmeric黄姜粉
– Olive oil橄榄油
– Salt & pepper盐和胡椒
Instructions 做法：
1. Season the chicken leg with paprika, turmeric, salt, and pepper. 将鸡腿用辣椒粉、黄姜粉、盐和胡椒腌制。
2. Put a drizzle of olive oil and start to panfry the leg skin side down on low-medium heat; flip it over from time to time until it gets golden brown and caramelized. 平底锅里加入少许橄榄油，用中低火煎制鸡腿肉，多次翻面，直至两面都煎至焦黄色。
3. Once cooked, remove it from the pan, cut it into pieces and serve. 煎好后，将鸡腿切块，装盘。
This article originally appeared on page 21-22 of the September 2016 Issue of beijingkids magazine. Click here for your free online copy. To find out how you can obtain a hard copy, contact distribution@truerun.com.
Photos by Dave’s Studio
