Shrimp and Chive Dumplings

When I look at cook books, I never thought it is possible to make dim sum at home. It always seems like dim sum is very hard to make, until I come across this recipe, which I can use wonton wraps instead of making the wrapping from scratch. And I am surprise how well it turned out.

I have left over chives after making the dumplings, so I used the rest of it to make egg scramble.

Also, we ate the dumplings and egg scramble with some cold soba noodles. What you need to do is to cook the soba noodles in hot water. Drained the noodles and add to ice cold water. At the dinner table, you will have a soba noodle dipping sauce so you can grab the noodles from the ice cold water to dip in the sauce.

Ingredients

*12 oz. peeled and deveined shrimps (medium to big size)

*1 oz. chives (cut into very short pieces)

*1 teaspoon egg white

*1/2 teaspoon tapioca starch

*1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder

*1/4 teaspoon salt

*1/4 teaspoon fish sauce

*1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

*3 dashes white pepper powder

*1/2 teaspoon sugar

*1 teaspoon oil

*Wonton skin

*Some cooking oil for pan-frying

Soy-Vinegar Dipping Sauce:

*1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

*1 1/2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar

Directions

1) Clean and rinse the shrimps with cold water. Pat dry with paper towels. Mix the soy-vinegar dipping sauce and set aside.

2) Cut the shrimps into small pieces (about 3-4 pieces per shrimp), add chives and mix well. Marinate the filling with the rest of the ingredients for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

3) Lay a wonton skin on a flat surface. Dab your index finger with some water and trace it along the four outer edges of the wonton skin. Add a teaspoon of the filling and fold the wonton skin towards the middle. Dab some water to the wonton skin to seal tight. The dumplings should look somewhat round. Repeat the same until the filling is used up.

4) Heat up a pan on medium to low heat and add some oil. Transfer all dumplings into the pan and cover it with its lid. Pan-fry the dumplings on one site until golden brown and then turn over to pan-fry the other site. (Add more oil to the pan if required.) Repeat to make sure that both sites are equally done. Dish out and serve immediately with soy-vinegar dipping sauce.

Indonesian Fried Noodles

Everybody that knows me would know how much I LOVE noodles. When I am doing my research on South East Asian meals, I asked one of my co-workers who is from Indonesia. She suggested me to make this dish because it has my favorite tofu, shrimp, hot sauce and NOODLES! She gave me a more complicated recipe and I simplified it a little bit to fit into the ingredients that I have in my pantry.

Ingredients

*1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth or water

*3 tablespoons ketjap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce)

*1 1/2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce

*1 tablespoon sambal oelek or Sriracha (Southeast Asian chile sauce)

*1/2 teaspoon black pepper

*3/4 teaspoon salt

*4 large eggs

*2 large onions, halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices

*2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic

*1/4 teaspoon minced fresh red or green Thai or serrano chile, including seeds

*1 package firm tofu, cut into small cubes

*1/2 pound of shrimp

*6 ounce snow peas, cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces

*6 ounce Chinese long beans or haricots verts, cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces

*1 pound spaghetti noodles, cooked

*2 scallions, cut diagonally into very thin slices

Directions

1) In a small bowl, stir together broth, ketjap manis, fish sauce, sambal oelek, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

2) In another bowl, beat together eggs and a pinch of salt. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in wok at high heat, then add eggs, swirling in wok, and cook until barely set in center, about 2 minutes. Gently slide egg crêpe out onto a cutting board, then roll into a loose cylinder and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips (do not unroll).

3) Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in wok over high heat, add onions with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt until deep golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and chile and stir-fry 1 minute, then add tofu and shrimp and stir-fry 3 minutes. Add snow peas and long beans and stir-fry until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add sauce and bring to a boil, then add noodles and stir-fry (use 2 spatulas to stir if necessary) until noodles are hot. Transfer to a large platter and arrange egg over noodles. Sprinkle with scallions.

Claypot Chicken with Rice

In continuation of my Chinese/Southeast Asian food week, today I am making Claypot Chicken with Rice. The dish normally is serve during winter time because the Claypot can keep the food warm during the meal and the Chinese Sausage has a little more fat so it will keep you warm during winter. I cheated making this dish with a rice cooker instead of a claypot because its easy! But I wrote this recipe for you to use on a stove top.


Ingredients
*1 pound chicken meat, deboned and sliced into 2-inch pieces
*1 tablespoon cornstarch
*3 teaspoons Chinese rice wine
*3 teaspoons sesame oil
*A pinch of salt
*2 tablespoons vegetable oil
*3 cloves of garlic, minced
*A 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
*1/2 cup dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated in hot water and sliced
*3 pieces of dried Chinese sausage (Lap Cheong), sliced
*2 cups white rice, rinsed in cold water until the water runs clear and drained
*2 teaspoons light soy sauce
*2 teaspoons sesame oil
*¾ cup of water, at room temperature
*1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
*1 teaspoon sesame oil

Direction
1) Whisk the cornstarch, rice wine, sesame oil and salt in a bowl, then pour it over the chicken pieces, mixing well to coat. Set aside for 30 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2) Heat the oil in a wok or a deep frying pan, then add the garlic and ginger, frying until fragrant. Add the marinated chicken and stir. When the meat starts to brown, add the mushrooms and chinese sausage, stirring for a minute to mix well.
3) Add the rice to the wok and turn the heat to high, mixing as you go to allow the rice to fully absorb the flavor of the other ingredients. Add the light soy sauce and sesame oil to the wok and keep stirring and mixing for another 2 minutes.
5) Turn off the heat and transfer the contents of the wok to the saucepot or claypot. Add the water, then cover and increase the heat to medium.
6) Leave the ingredients to cook for about an hour, checking-in every 15 minutes and giving the rice a stir or two.
8) When the rice is done, drizzle the dark soy sauce and sesame oil over the rice.

General Tsos Chicken

I resumed my Chinese/Southeast Asian week today. I am making the most popular Chinese dish, General Tsos Chicken. I don't remember if I have had this dish before when I was living in Hong Kong, but the sweet and sour, plus a little spiciness increased my appetite. Instead of deep frying the chicken, I breaded it and baked it.


Ingredients
*10 oz boneless skinless chicken meat (thigh or breast), cut into bite-sized pieces
*1/2 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
*Pinch of salt
*1/3 cup cornstarch
*1 1/2 tablespoons oil
*3 slices peeled ginger, finely minced
*1 clove garlic, finely minced
*4-5 dried red chiles, rinsed and deseeded
*2 stalks scallion, white-part only, cut into 1-inch lengths

Sauce:
*2 1/2 tablespoons Chinese rice vinegar
*2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
*1/2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
*1 tablespoon Hoisin sauce
*1/4 cup water
*2 tablespoons sugar
*1/2 tablespoon Shaoxing Wine
*1 scant tablespoon corn starch

Direction
1) Marinate the chicken meat with the Shaoxing wine and salt for 15 minutes.
2) Mix all the ingredients for the Sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.
3) Pre-heat the oven to 375F. Coat the chicken generously with the 1/3 cup cornstarch. Bake the chicken of 10 minutes and turn to the other side, and bake 10 more minutes.
4) Heat up a wok with 1 1/2 tablespoons oil. Add the minced ginger, garlic, and dried chilies into the wok, stir-fry until you smell the spicy aroma of the chilies. Pour the sauce into the wok. When the sauce boils and thickens, add the chicken, stir to combine well with the sauce. Add the scallion and stir a few times, dish out and serve immediately.