Sticky Rice Roll (Chi Fan)

There are a couple of Shanghai breakfast places only a few block away from where I grew up.  They mainly serve Chi Fan, which is sticky rice roll with soy milk all day long.  After talking with some Chinese friends, I found out that making sticky rice roll is very easy.

Ingredients:

*2  Fried bread sticks/crullers (油炸鬼)

*2 cup glutinous rice, uncooked

*1 bag preserved vegetable (炸菜)

*1 cup pork floss (肉鬆)

Left pickled vegetable \Right pork floss, also called dried shredded cooked pork 

Directions:

1) Soak the glutinous rice overnight.  Cook the drained, soaked glutinous rice in a rice cooker after adding water 3 cups of water. 

2) Place a piece of plastic wrap on a working surface. Spread 1 cup of cooked rice on the plastic wrap and form a rectangular shape. Use your wet fingers or a wooden spoon to spread the rice. Put 1/2 fried bread sticks on the rice towards the middle.  Spread 2 tablespoons of pork floss along the bread sticks, as well as the preserved vegetable. 

3) Life the plastic wrap from the end nearest to you and roll against you to form a cylindrical roll. Tuck in all the ingredients inside the rice roll. Cut the roll into half or third, serve warm.

Chicken with Cornmeal Dumplings

Cornmeal dumplings was surprisingly tasty. This dish is very easy to make despite a long ingredient list.

Ingredients

*3 tablespoons unsalted butter

*5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1-inch pieces

*Coarse salt and ground pepper

*1/2 bunch scallions, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

*1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and diced medium

*2 celery stalks, diced medium

*2 medium carrots, diced medium

*1 teaspoon dried thyme

*1/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

*2 bottles pilsner or another light- or medium-bodied lager (12 ounces each)

*1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes

*1 to 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar 

*2/3 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

*1/3 cup fine yellow cornmeal

*1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

*1 teaspoon sugar

*1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

*1 tablespoon unsalted butter

*1/2 cup buttermilk

 

Directions

1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper, add to pot, and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer chicken to a medium bowl. Add 2 tablespoons butter, scallions, bell pepper, celery, and carrots to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until scallions and celery are soft, about 4 minutes. Stir in thyme and flour and season with salt and pepper; cook 1 minute. Return chicken to pot and whisk in beer. With your hands, roughly tear tomatoes and add to pot along with juices. Bring to a rapid simmer and cook, uncovered, 30 minutes. Season to taste with vinegar. 
2. To make the dumpling, in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Using your fingers, work in butter until small crumbs form. Stir in buttermilk. Set a side.
3. Back to the chicken. Reduce heat to a medium simmer and drop dough by rounded tablespoons on top of stew. Cover and simmer until dumplings are cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes.