While living in Sydney, La Diva devoured many a dumpling when she lived just down the street from an amazing Chinese restaurant that did dim sum daily. (In Australia, it's called "yum cha.") One of my all time favorite dishes were the garlic chive dumpling. Since La Diva scored some garlic chives in her farm share this week, she decided to try to make her own.
Now, there's something you should know about La Diva. She does not like to make her own dough. From puff pastry to shortcrust to wonton wrappers and pasta, La Diva believes it's best for others to pursue these efforts and wholeheartedly believes in purchasing these items for shortcuts whenever possible! La Diva just does not like frustration.
La Diva found a recipe online from her beloved Australian Gourmet Traveller magazine, so click here to get started. But before you do, here are some things to keep in mind:
1. The recipe is for jiaozi, the boiled version. To make the dumplings gow gee, steam in a bamboo steamer. In the photo, you'll notice the steamer is lined with cabbage leaves. This prevents the dumplings from sticking to the bottom of the steamer.
2. For the dipping sauce: La Diva forgot to buy the black vinegar when shopping at the Asian market the other day. Therefore, I substituted a bit of balsamic with rice vinegar....but, it was only ok. And, be careful adding the chili oil, I found it was very hot.
3. La Diva didn't bother with the Chinese wine (shaoxing) and used a dry sherry instead and found the dumplings tasted just like she remembered without it. But, don't omit, the flavor comes through and really makes the dumplings taste authentic.
4. I bought the wrappers pre-made in the frozen section of the asian market. The brand is Twin Marquis and labeled "Dumpling wrapper (Hong Kong style.)" The hardest part for me was pinching the little dumplings evenly so they looked pretty and uniform! Must take a bit of practice!
5. I think you could easily substitute ground dark turkey meat for the ground pork for those that don't partake.
Final result for the dumplings: EXCELLENT!
Darlings, I'd like to take this opportunity to direct you, my dear readers, to another blog site La Diva is reading. Click here.
"Tinkering with Dinner" is a courageous food adventure where Bill shares his daily kitchen triumphs and trials. Bill gets a weekly farm share from the same farmers as La Diva and as great foodie minds think alike, had the same idea for his garlic chives but in a different version: the potsticker.
Hope your dumplings were divine, darling!
cooking class, cocktails, parties, cocktail party, Miami, coral gables, events, bartending class, cocktail class, Laura Lafata, Miami Beach, miami cooking classes
Posts
4 comments:
Those aren't warts; they're beauty marks, thank you very much.
I think its great that you are honest about your mistakes and victories!
Hey, put the "warts and all" back into the description! My comment isn't funny if you don't deliver the straight line.
Comedy aside, it's an accurate description. Some blogs, like yours, about about effortlessly delivering one fabulous success after another. Others, like mine, are about wrestling with unworkable recipes, recalcitrant ingredients and fumbly fingers all in the hopes of creating something presentable.
It's the difference between dining at a fine restaurant and what's actually going on in the kitchen and I think you need both to get the most out of the foodie experience.
I thought it offended you dear! I've HAD a lot of success lately but not always! and will be happy to tell that tale too. My dumplings looked horrible compared to yours but they sure were tasty! My sauce was not a success either...too much vinegar, then too oily and too hot! yikes! La Diva's cooking philosophy is all about being fabulous without hiring a caterer or going to a restaurant, having the confidence to try it at home as well as being clever and using what's in the cupboard. I readily admit when I don't like to make something (like dough!) and something doesn't turn out that well! (like my dipping sauce) I just don't want to discourage people from trying!
Post a Comment