A RECIPE FOR Pnmpkin Rice with Spicy Chicken FROM THE KITCHEN OF AI YONG, MEMBER OF SHANREN

INGREDIENTS PREPARATION

• ½ a small pumpkin, cubed 1 In a large pot, bring the chicken and water to a boil. • ½ c bok choi 2 Add pumpkin; boil for 15 minutes. • Tbsp. salt ½ 3 Add rice, and let the mixture boil for another 20–25 minutes. • 2c rice Then remove the chicken, de-bone, and shred. Set aside. • 12c cold water 4 Cook rice for another 5–10 minutes and then stir in bok choi. • 1 small chicken Add salt to taste. Rice should be moist with some soup remaining • 8 cloves garlic, crushed but dry enough to eat from a plate. • ⅟ c fresh ginger, crushed ³ 5 Heat a pan over high heat with no oil. Add peanuts, and cook • ½ c peanuts until browned. Crush the peanuts and set aside. • 3 ½ Tbsp crushed 6 red chili pepper Add the Sichuan pepper to the pan and cook until dark, then remove, crush, and set aside. • Juice of one lemon • 1 handful fennel, chopped 7 Toss the shredded chicken with chili, garlic, ginger, fennel, once in the middle peanuts, Sichuan pepper, goji berries, salt, and lemon. • 1 tsp Sichuan pepper Mix until all ingredients are incorporated. • 1 tsp goji berries 8 Serve shredded chicken on top of pumpkin rice.

Most U.S. schools probably overlook dragon-slaying in their “[Arts Midwest] curriculum. But during Chinese folk-rock ensemble Shanren’s World Fest not week-long Arts Midwest World Fest residency, students are transported to the Yunnan mountains, where ancient lore about only developed how to defeat a dragon is told through a dramatic dance. a positive understanding Sisseton, South Dakota was one of nine communities that heard about international this folktale during Shanren’s two-year Midwestern tour. And while cultures, it Shanren’s stories may seem like a fantasy, the connections they reshaped the made with local residents felt very real. way we see each other in this small From a flute exchange and drumming circle with the local Dakota community.” community, to their first ice fishing experience (they caught a —Jane Rasmussen, walleye!), to unexpected connections about creative expression director, Sisseton and cultural heritage, this exchange was filled with moments that Arts Council demonstrated our similarities far outnumber our differences.