How to wrap wonton dumplings - Video

Does this remind you of traditional Chinese gold ingots (金元宝, pronounced jin yuan bao) ?
 
Now, it is time to "showcase" how these little wontons, dumplings gems are wrapped (Click "Play" in the video clip below). I promise I would in this post. Though I enjoy gyoza for its crisp dumpling bottom, I absolutely love boiled dumplings and favor them for the simplicity of preparation and cooking. With boiled dumplings, I can dump them in all kinds of soups and create so many comfort meals such as Wontons in Chicken Soup, Spicy Wontons - Wontons in Korean Stew and Wontons in Cabbage Soup. Of course, the dumpling fillings can have thousands of variations ( I exaggerated, or did I?). So you can imagine the variety of exciting comforting meals you can have. Click "Play" in the video clip below.


Tag: wontons, boiled dumplings

Mushy Fava (Broad) Beans with Green Onions

Like malt vinegar, mushy peas remind me of fish and chips. When my friend made this Mushy Fava (Broad) Beans dish, fish and chips just came to mind. The texture is...as the name suggests...M-O-O-S-H-E-E....(mushy) but this Chinese way of cooking does not make the dish any way less superior than the mushy peas made usually with peas and cream.


My entry for My Legume Love Affair #17 is Mushy Fava (Broad) Beans. Pop by the MLLA host lineup here.

Mushy Fava (Broad) Beans
Ingredients: About 2-3 cups cooked(frozen) shelled broad beans, thawed (note: previously in this broad bean recipe, the shells were still intact); 1 tablespoon chopped green onions, pinch of salt, 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar, 1-2 tablespoons water to simmer

Directions:
1. In a heated wok of cooking oil, add green onions and fry till fragrant, followed by broad beans and fry till broad beans turn slightly soft. Use the spatula to mash the beans in the wok, and mash it evenly by turning and "wokking" through at the same time.
2. Add some water to simmer in covered wok for 2 to 3 minutes. When water dries off, add pinch of salt and sugar, mix well, dish up and serve immediately. So good...you can eat it on its own!


Other broad bean recipe:
Stir Fry Broad Beans - Shanghai style

Have a great Thanksgiving.

Tag: beans, legume, broad beans, fava beans

Pumpkin or Acorn Squash Stir Fry

The variety of pumpkin and squash in the supermarkets or grocery stores confuses me a lot. Even the name "pumpkin" and "squash" confuse me. Is pumpkin = squash? Is pumpkin  part of squash family, or maybe the other way round? I know there is Google Search but there are times (at this minute) when I just do not want to do it. I am sure my fellow blogger friends would be able to stimulate and open up my mind more, on pumpkin and squash. I have already learn from them, that some pumpkins are more suitable for baking while others, more suitable for cooking. And some, suitable for Savory Pumpkin Cake.

Stir-Fry Acorn Squash*
Ingredients: 1 small acorn squash, remove seeds (note: keep the seeds aside for roasting**), peeled, then cubed; 2 stalk green onions, cut into small pieces; pinch of ground cumin, salt and pepper, to taste

Directions: Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan. Add green onions and fry till fragrant. Add in cubed squash, pinch of cumin and mix well. Cover the pan and allow to simmer at low heat till squash softens. Add some water, if mixture too dry and continue to simmer at low heat. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Serve when squash completely cooks through.

*If unsure, ask! And the friendly staff at Whole Foods recommended Acorn Squash for stir-frying. It works!
** Roasted Pumpkin Seeds


Penzeys Fall Spices Giveaway is ON! To learn how you can be a winner, go read their special announcement. Well, I'm thinking...Fall pumpkins and Fall spices...what a great match!

Tag: pumpkin, stir fry, squash

Spiced Okra with Tomatoes

Turmeric is definitely a spice that I have used more often now, because of my likes all around Indian food. Remember Spicy Green Beans, Spicy Green Beans with Carrots, Cabbage Curry and Curried Potato and Mushrooms? Love them with turmeric! And for Think Spice event, hosted at Bengali Cuisine in November, I have this easy tomato okra recipe that makes use of spices such as turmeric, cumin and black pepper. Turmeric.....AHhhhhhhhh...this spice has touted health benefits too.


Spiced Okra with Tomatoes
Ingredients: 3 gloves garlic, minced; 3 shallots, thinly sliced, 1 medium-sized tomato; okra, sliced into cubes; salt, to taste; 1/4 tsp of ground cumin; 1/4 tsp of turmeric; 1 tsp curry powder; ground black pepper, to taste

Directions: Heat 1tbsp of oil in a frying pan. Add garlic and shallots and saute till fragrant. Add tomatoes and okra, mix well; add cumin turmeric, curry powder, then some water, and allow it to simmer at low heat for 10-15 minutes. When mixture(okra) start to turn tender, add salt and black pepper to taste and continue to simmer till gravy is mostly absorbed into the okra. Serve with steamed rice.



Tag: okra, turmeric

Kale: Stir Fry Kale with Garlic (Chinese Style)

I should be ashamed of myself that despite living in the US of A for more than 2 years, I have not tried KALE. What is that? Nothing fascinating, ok. Just green leafy vegetables that I would have never thought of putting into my grocery basket. Well, they are really not that popular, I remember. I did not recall them being as extensively used as compared to celery, fennel, lettuce in most of the cooking shows I have watched. And even if I have seen or heard about kale, this vegetable has registered as being a "tough" one - difficult to cook.


Stir Fry Kale with Garlic (Chinese Style)
Ingredients: bunch of kale, leaves only; garlic gloves, finely minced; salt, white pepper
Directions: In a heated pan, add some canola oil. Then add in garlic and fry till fragrant. Add in kale leaves and stir fry quickly, mixing well. Add 3-4 tbsps of water , cover the pan and allow kale to simmer (so that leaves soften and cook). When leaves softened, add a pinch of salt to taste, then add in some white pepper, stir briskly.

Kale leaves take a longer time to turn tender compared to most of the Chinese vegetables such as Bok Choy, Choy Sum and Gai Lan. To some, kale might be an acquired taste (as they may taste somewhat bitter and strong). But as the Chinese saying goes - 苦口良药, which means "bitter is good medicine" and in fact, kale is super- healthy: its bitter taste because of iron content; and it has load of good vitamins.

This was my first attempt at kale and what lies ahead is more exploration into this nutritious green. The more I experiment with this vegetable, I find better ways to cook it. Stir-frying is not one of the easiest. So, what is ?

My first attempt at kale is going to Weekend Herb Blogging host of the week, Winnie of Healthy Green Kitchen. For recaps and round-ups, check out Cook Almost Anything.

Tag: kale, stir fry, vegetable