I love Chinese food. I love small plates/appetizers. Therefore, it is just logical that I have a strong love for dim sum. In “before times”, when given the choice for where to go to lunch - whether with colleagues, family, or friends - it was never even close. I would always pick Joy Luck Palace in Cupertino. My brother and I set out to learn Mandarin when he was wooing my now sister-in-law. He got the girl, I pivoted to learn all the dim sum names in Cantonese...mmmmm....char siu bao and shao mai.
My dad had this well stained cookbook. I don’t really remember anything he made from it, but there are several recipes with he or my mom’s rating on them. I’ve struggled because this was written in 1978 - a time, I can only guess, where asian ingredients were harder to find and people didn’t know the actual regional names of the dishes. I looked at their dumpling recipes, but without knowing if they were har gow or jiaozi, I didn’t know whether they could be easily frozen. I decided to use my standard jiaozi/potsticker recipe and make “Noodles with Chinese Chives and Roast Pork” from the book.
Ingredients:
Potstickers:
Dumpling wrappers
1/2 c. finely shredded carrots
1 tsp kosher salt, plus ½ tsp (if used the 1st tsp on cabbage)
2 scallions, finely chopped
½ lb ground pork
1 slice bacon, finely chopped
2 tsp soy sauce
1 TB Shaoxing wine
2 tsp sugar
½ head Napa cabbage [optional]
1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Noodles:
1 lb Chinese egg noodles
½ lb Chinese chives
½ lb Chinese roast pork [I am using BBQ pork from the asian grocery store]
3 eggs
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
1 TB dry sherry
3 TB dark soy sauce
1 TB light soy sauce
¼ c. sesame seeds to garnish
1 TB peanut oil
½ tsp salt
If you are using Napa cabbage, process it in the food processor with the 1 tsp salt until finely chopped. Let sit 30 minutes. Once it has released all of it’s liquid, roll up in a kitchen towel and squeeze until it’s completely dry - you don’t want wet dumplings!
Mix together the rest of the dumpling ingredients (other than the wrappers).
To make the dumplings, put a small amount of filling in the middle of the wrapper (you’ll need to play with the amount depending on the size of your wrappers - you don’t want too much filling or too much air, either way they could pop. Start with a rounded teaspoon). Run your finger around the edge with water to dampen it so it seals well. Fold in half over the filling and pleat your way down the seam (or you can squeeze with a dumpling maker). You can freeze them at this point by separating them out on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Once frozen, you can throw into a freezer bag so they are at the ready to cook from frozen at a moment’s notice.
If you want to make them without the press (I think they are prettier and stand up better in the pan):
To pan fry (my favorite way of making them). Heat a skillet over medium heat with 2 TB peanut oil. When the oil is moderately hot, arrange jiotzi in the skillet bottom side down [if you can stand them up, that’s preferred]. Cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 2-3 minutes. Pour ¾ cup water around the edge of the skillet and cover. Cook over high heat for about 5 minutes until the water has almost evaporated. Turn heat to low for 7 minutes. Return heat to high to evaporate the rest of the water. Then remove to a serving plate with the dipping sauce of your choice. I like half light soy sauce, half chinkiang vinegar for dipping and what I call “Angry Grandma sauce” for topping.
For noodles, there’s some prep then we’ll throw it all in the wok.
Start by boiling the noodles for 10 minutes or until al dente. [Mine are already cooked so I’m just rinsing them].
Wash the chives thoroughly. Cut off and discard the roots. Chop the chives into 2 inch pieces.
Shred the pork.
Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan over medium heat for 5 minutes or until seeds are fragrant and browned slightly. Shake the pan frequently to stop sticking/burning.
Beat the eggs in a bowl [I add a bit of soy sauce] and scramble until firm over medium heat. Cut the cooked eggs into 1 inch squares.
In a small bowl, combine the sesame oil, sugar, sherry, and soy sauce.
Heat a wok or skillet over high heat until a drop of water immediately sizzles into steam. Maintain high heat throughout the cooking process. Add the peanut oil and salt. Stir. Just before the oil begins to smoke, add the chives and the pork. Stir fry for 90 seconds. Add the cooked noodles, eggs, and soy sauce mixture. Mix well over high heat for 3 minutes. Serve and garnish with sesame seeds.
This was a winner for all three of us. The toddler loved that she helped with the dumpling press and ate the eggs right off the cutting board. The noodles and dumplings struck the right note for a not so takeout dinner.
Noodles: Great
Dumplings: Great
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