Gung Hay Fat Choy! Yep, even after 3 years of Mandarin classes I still say it the super-whitey way. It’s a hard language, OK?
With the feasts, parades, monetary gifts, candy, superstitions and firecrackers, Lunar New Year is like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween and the 4th of July rolled into one. Seriously: get on board. Being a culturally sensitive Californian means a formidable number of holidays to thwart your New Year’s resolutions. After January 1st caps off else’s celebrating, we fire up the Yule Log all over again on the 7th for Orthodox (Russian) Christmas. Then Chinese New Year comes knocking, followed by Easter and THEN Orthodox Easter… and then we just have April through October to work off all the turkey, wine, vodka and piroshky before we start all over again. Thank god they threw Lent in there or we’d all have one politically correct foot in the grave.
So you know: Chinese New Year is a serious holiday here. People take time off with their families. There’s a giant parade, music, people celebrating in the streets. My 7 year old stepdaughter came home from Catholic school last week and informed me that this year we “honor the dragon”. I'm so proud of this.
Given we’re not Asian, our celebration’s contained to 1 day and consists of giving out HongBao (red envelopes) with a VERY small amount of money in them (after two Christmases, Santa’s a broke-ass), and of course DUMPLINGS. They’re easier than they look so don’t be intimidated by the folding. By next year my stepdaughter’s will be better than mine. Although she does have those pirogi-making babushka genes. Not fair!
I’ve used this recipe for years. You can double or triple the recipe as they freeze well. Freeze them in a single layer first before transferring them to a large freezer bag or Tupperware. Otherwise they’ll stick together.
CHINESE NEW YEAR DUMPLINGS
For Dumplings:
½ lb Napa Cabbage, very finely chopped. (regular green cabbage will work)
1 tsp salt
1 bunch green onions or chives, finely chopped
3 Tbls sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
¼ tsp white pepper
1 egg white
1 Tbls Chinese rice wine
½ lb. ground pork
25 dumpling wrappers
For Dipping Sauce:
2 Tbls Chinese Rice Wine Vinegar
2 Tbls soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbls chili paste
(mix together and serve on side)
Make the filling:
Toss the cabbage with ½ tsp of the salt and allow to sit for 20 minutes. Drain any excess water and stir in the green onions.
Mix sesame oil, sugar, remaining ½ tsp salt, white pepper, egg white and wine into the pork. Add the cabbage and green onions and mix well.
Fold the dumplings:
Place a small bowl of water next to your workspace. Place about a tablespoon of filling in the center of a wrapper. Dip your finger in the water and trace the rim of the wrapper to help it seal.
Pick up the wrapper in a taco shape and, starting at one end, create folds and seal the sides of the wrapper together into a half moon shape.
**Beginner tip: Start with a smaller amount of filling in the dumpling until you get the hang of making the seal without everything squirting out the end.
Cook the dumplings:
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add dumplings, cook for 7 minutes then drain.
-OR Potsticker Style-
Place several dumplings in a large skillet. Add ½ inch of water and bring to brisk simmer. Cover and cook until water is gone and dumplings are browning, shaking pan to dislodge dumplings from the pan. TA DAAAA!
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