Chinese Take-out.....In

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One thing that I pride myself on is knowing my limitations. There are many things that I do well. There are some things that I do very well. There are even a few things that I do exceedingly well. And, of course, there are quite a few things that I totally suck at and leave to the experts, like performing brain surgery or taking apart a carburetor. One of the things that falls in that vast grey area in between is Asian cooking. This is actually ironic because Asian food is one of my favorite things to eat. I've never met a noodle bowl that I didn't love, a sushi roll that didn't sing to me or a Thai curry that didn't make me swoon! I don't think that I can't do it. I just never learned how. There are a some dishes that I've managed to master over the years, but not nearly as many as I'd like.

One of the best things about blogging is discovering other blogs written by all sorts of talented and creative cooks from all over the world. Whatever kind of cuisine you're interested in, someone is out there blogging about it. This is particularly true of Asian food. Asian food blogs abound and the seemingly endless array of gorgeous and mouthwatering dishes is truly inspiring. I drool over many of them daily, and every so often, when I can find the required ingredients, I try to recreate some of the recipes.

When the adorable Mochachocolata Rita announced that she was hosting a blog event called Chinese Take-out, I knew I wanted to participate. The only question in my mind was what would I make. I immediately thought of one of my favorite Steamy Kitchen recipes, Spam Fried Rice. This dish has become a regular fixture on our dinner table. We all love it and it is easy to make. I like to change the recipe around a little, and I thought I'd add some pineapple and carrots this time. Done!

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Then, a few weeks ago, I was watching Throwdown with Bobby Flay on the Food Network, and the subject was dumplings. Not dumplings as in "chicken and", but dumplings as in "potstickers". Sohui Kim, chef and co-owner of The Good Fork in Red Hook, New York, was on the show with her legendary pork and chive dumplings. As I watched her prepare her delectable little pork-filled purses, I knew I had to attempt them as well. I scrambled to write down everything she did. With my notes and a little help from Google, I put together a version of Kim's recipe that I think is pretty close to the original.

Sohui Kim uses garlic chives in her filling for these dumplings. Garlic chives are supposed to be a little more pungent than their subtler cousin, the regular chive. Kim also uses silken tofu in her filling to give it an almost creamy texture. In addition to lots of garlic and ginger, she also seasons her filling with hoisin sauce. Luckily, I was able to find these ingredients at a local Asian market along with the recommended wrappers she suggested. I thought about making them from scratch, but you have to crawl before you can walk, you know?

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The dumplings were not especially difficult to make, but assembling them was very time consuming, especially for a novice like me. Once I got to four dozen, I wrapped up the rest of the filling and quit. While they were cooking, I whipped up a kicky little dipping sauce with soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, black vinegar and chili oil.

Those dumplings were the best I've ever eaten. Honestly, they were out of this world! The filling was light and fluffy and bursting with flavor. Those delectable little pillows of greatness have spoiled me for life. I'll never be satisfied with anything less!

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Pork and Chive Dumplings

Adapted from Sohui Kim

(Printable Recipe)

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2 tbsp. canola oil, plus more for frying dumplings

1 cup diced onion

3 tbsp. minced garlic

2 tbsp. minced ginger

1 cup chopped garlic chives

1 1/2 lbs. ground pork

1 8-oz. package silken tofu

2 tbsp. hoisin sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

1 16-oz. package dumpling wrappers (look for the Twin Marquis brand, Hong Kong style)

1 egg, beaten and reserved in a small bowl

1/2 cup of water or chicken broth

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In a large pan with a lid, heat the canola oil over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, ginger, and garlic chives and cook for 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and let cool. Wipe out the pan for frying the dumplings.

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In a large bowl, combine pork, tofu, and hoisin sauce with the chive mixture. Test-fry a small portion of the pork mixture and adjust seasoning.

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Holding dumpling wrapper flour side down, place a teaspoonful of pork mixture onto the middle of the wrapper.

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Dip your index finger into the beaten egg and rub it over half of the outer edge of the dumpling. Fold dumpling in half, crimping it in the middle and sealing along the egg-moistened edge, taking care not to leave any air pockets. Repeat procedure until all dumplings are made.

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Heat more canola oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Pan fry the dumplings until crisp and golden brown on both sides, about 2-3 minutes.

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With the lid in hand, pour the water or broth into the pan (It will spatter like mad!), and quickly cover the pan with the lid. Continue to cook the dumplings a few minutes more and remove to a serving dish.
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Serve with the dipping sauce of your choice.

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Makes about four dozen dumplings

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Dipping Sauce

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3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon black vinegar

1/4 tsp chili oil (optional)

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Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Serve with dumplings.

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Spam and Pineapple Fried Rice

Adapted from Steamy Kitchen

(Printable Recipe)

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4 cups cold leftover rice, chunks broken up so grains are loose & separate

2-4 tablespoons canola oil, as needed

1 can of Spam, cut into a small dice

2 eggs, beaten

4 scallions, finely

1 cup carrots, julienned

1/2 cup fresh pineapple, cut into a small dice (You can use canned pineapple tidbits, if you prefer.)

3 cups fresh baby spinach leaves

2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)

2 teaspoons fish sauce (or soy sauce)

freshly ground black pepper to taste

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Heat canola oil in wok or large, wide saute pan over medium high heat. When oil is hot, add eggs and gently stir to cook eggs. When eggs are about 80% done (still a little runny), remove from pan and set aside.

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Turn heat to high. Add a little more cooking oil to pan. When hot, add diced Spam to the pan. Cook until browned. Add green onions, carrots and pineapple and fry until fragrant and tender. Add spinach and saute until wilted.

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Add rice and the cooked eggs and toss to incorporate all ingredients. Let it all just sit still in the pan for a few minutes so that the grains of rice have a chance to heat up. Toss again so that the rice that is on the top now is on the bottom. Add cooking wine and fish sauce and mix well. Heat through completely.

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Taste and adjust seasonings. Add a little more fish sauce if needed, and season with pepper as desired.

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Enjoy!