Happy Chinese New Year!
This has been a rather chilly and wet Winter so far. Just what I love so that I don’t have to make excuses for spending all day in the kitchen playing with food. I have been having a real blast too working on some ideas that I have always wanted to work on, but rarely have the time to just play.
For instance, about 2 weeks ago I came down with a wicked head cold. It was way to frigid to go out and about, and I only had about 2 hours of energy before I had to climb back in bed with tissues and tea. During my active intervals I decided to give a go at making Gua Bao- or those puffy sandwichy things with sticky hoisin laced filling. It turned out to be a little trickier than I had initially thought it would be, but in the end I can say I experienced mild success. The buns need just a little more tweaking before I share it with you, but the grilled shiitake with hoisin, cabbage and scallion filling was sooooooo yummy! I am going to give them another try seeing that Chinese New Years is actually next week- so stay tuned for that.
Meanwhile I DID make a fantastic batch of pot sticker dumplings.
Yes they are a little fiddly to make, but you have time while you listen to the cold wind blowing outside, don’t you? I heartily recommend making the biggest batch you can manage and freeze them in batches. Shiitake mushrooms will cure your winter ills along with it’s good friend Brussels sprouts. All good things to make your New Years happy and healthy!
Ingredients
- 1 cup diced shiitake mushrooms
- 1 cup shredded brussels sprouts
- 1/2 cup sliced scallions
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 package of wonton wrappers
- 4 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon gochujang or sriracha
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/4 cup sliced scallions
Instructions
Warm a saute pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms start to release their water. Add the sprouts and sautee for 2 more minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and salt and cook for a minute to dry out the mixture. Set aside to cool.
To make the dumplings gather a bowl of water and a brush (alternatively you can use your fingers). Lay out several sheets of the dumpling wrappers and moisten the edge with some water. You want enough to make it tacky, but not too wet to make it soppy and floppy. Spoon some filling into the middle of each wrapper and fold over and pinch.
To cook the dumplings warm a cast iron pan over medium heat. Add the dumplings so that they are not touching. Add 3 tablespoons of water and cover with a lid to create steam. Cook for 3 minutes then remove the lid and cook off any remaining water until the bottoms are dry and release from the pan without sticking. If they stick they are not done. Take care not to cook on too high of a heat to avoid scorching the bottoms.
Combine all the ingredients for the dipping sauce and serve with the dumplings.