Who doesn’t love potstickers? I’ve always loved them. I’d always order them from the local chinese restaurant. But, they’re usually flabby and greasy. Neither of which I find to be an appealing trait. So, a few years ago I decided to try to make them at home. My first few attempts I found to be very frustrating, and more or less fruitless. I used the packaged round wontons, and they just wouldn’t cooperate for me. I ended up throwing them all away in disgust.

So, when this dish came up in cooking class last fall, I must admit that I was a bit nervous. Visions of balled up dough and bits of ground pork all over the kitchen came flooding back to me. Thankfully, these were a breeze to make. The homemade gyoza wrappers were so much easier to work with than the store-bought variety. ‘Round these parts we like pan-fried dumplings, but feel free to steam, or (Heaven forbid!) deep fry them as well.  If you think this batch will make too many for your needs, no worries. They freeze beautifully! Just quick-freeze them on a baking sheet, then place them in a Ziploc bag for storage. Good for up to 3 months. Cook as directed, but add about 7  minutes of cooking time when covered.

Pork Potstickers

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup warm water

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced

1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled

3 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 lb ground pork

Stir together flour and 1/2 cup lukewarm water in a bowl until a dough forms. Knead on a lightly floured surface until just smooth, 1 to 2 minutes, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature at least 10 minutes.

While dough stands, halve ginger, then finely chop 1 half and cut remaining half into very thin matchsticks (less than 1/8 inch thick).

Combine 5 tablespoons soy sauce with ginger matchsticks in a small bowl.

Reserve 2 tablespoons scallions to add to the ginger soy dipping sauce.  Then finely chop remainder and put in a bowl along with pork, finely chopped ginger, garlic, and remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce. Gently knead with your hands in bowl until just combined. Chill, covered, 10 minutes.

While pork mixture chills, line a large baking sheet with paper towels and dust lightly with flour, then lightly dust a work surface with flour. Halve dough and rewrap 1 half. Pat remaining half into a flat square. Roll out dough into a 13-inch square (less than 1/8 inch thick) with a lightly floured rolling pin, dusting work surface with additional flour as needed, then cut out 12 rounds (very close together) using round cookie cutter. (If dough is sticking to cutter, lightly dip cutter in flour and shake off excess before cutting out each round.) Reserve scraps.

Transfer rounds to lined baking sheet and cover loosely with another layer of paper towels lightly dusted (on top) with flour. Roll out remaining half of dough and cut out 12 more rounds in same manner, then transfer rounds to lined baking sheet. Combine scraps of dough and wrap in plastic wrap, then let stand at least 10 minutes.

While scraps are standing, begin forming dumplings. Line another large baking sheet with paper towels and dust lightly with flour. Put 1 dough round on fingers of 1 hand near palm and put 2 slightly rounded teaspoons pork mixture in center of round. Fold round in half, enclosing filling, and pinch edges together to seal. Put dumpling on lined baking sheet and form 23 more dumplings in same manner (you may have some filling left over). Cover dumplings loosely with more paper towels. Roll out scraps into a 10-inch square (less than 1/8 inch thick) and cut out 8 more rounds. Form 8 more dumplings for a total of 32. Discard remaining scrap

Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Place dumplings in pan and cover, cooking for 7 minutes. Remove lid and continue cooking for an additional 3-5 minutes, until bottom of dumplings are nice and golden brown on the bottom. Remove from pan and drain on paper towel lined plate. Serve with ginger dipping sauce.
Source:  adapted from Gourmet

I’ve always been a fan of stir-fries. Crisp veggies, tender strips of various proteins, savory sauces, rice – the perfect one dish meal. I came across this recipe when browsing old issues of Cook’s Country Magazine. I love their recipes because they are usually very easy. Wonderful on those nights when you just don’t feel like cooking!

I’ve always got a cache of boneless skinless chicken breasts, and we adore snow peas in this house…so I knew this one would be a winner.

On another note – can anyone believe it’s November already? This year has just flown by. I’ve signed up for a cooking class at the local community college. I have to wear a chefs jacket and hat – it’s so much fun! It is an International Cuisine course. This semester is mainly focusing on Asian and Caribbean cuisine. I have another 3 weeks of class, and I’m looking forward to signing up for another in the spring. Hoping to make a few “foodie” friends in the area. Not many of my friends really enjoy cooking, so I’d certainly like to find some who do!

Anywho, enjoy the cashew chicken. Really was a great dinner!

Cashew Chicken

Serves 4

Marinade and Sauce

1/2 cup mirin

6 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp + 2 tsp toasted sesame oil

2 tbsp + 4 tsp cornstarch

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Stir-Fry

2 tbsp vegetable oil

8 oz snow peas, halved crosswise

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

6 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 (8 0z) can whole water chestnuts, drained and sliced

1 cup toasted cashews, half of them roughly chopped

1. Whisk 3 tbsp mirin, 2 tbsp sesame oil, and 2 tbsp cornstarch in large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.

2. Whisk broth, Worcestershire, remaining mirin, remaining soy sauce, remaining sesame oil, and remaining cornstarch in separate bowl and set aside.

3. Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Heat 2 tsp vegetable oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown half of the chicken, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate. Repeat with additional 2 tsp oil and remaining chicken.

4. Add remaining vegetable oil to empty skillet and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook snow peas until bright green, about 1 minute. Add ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes to pan and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in water chestnuts and reserved broth mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes. Return chicken, along with any accumulated juices, to skillet and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, stir in cashews. Serve.

Whenever we order Chinese carry-out, I usually end up getting lo mein. When I saw this post on Annie’s site, it looked so delicious, I couldn’t wait to try it. Very glad I did! It was a delicious dinner that came together in a matter of minutes. Not to mention, it’s pretty figure friendly! Any vegetables would be wonderful in this. I kind of used what I had on hand. Also, I cannot wait to try it with Chinese roasted pork (you know – the red tinted stuff?). I’ve seen it at my local grocer, have wanted to try it, but just wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. Now I know!

I sort of had a hard time finding the lo mein noodles. Chances are you will find them in the International or Asian aisle of your supermarket. It seems to be hit or miss! You could use spaghetti noodles, but semolina pasta doesn’t absorb the sauce as well. I was shocked how much soy sauce goodness that these babies absorbed. It really was delicious!

This was plenty for myself and my husband, with a small portion leftover for leftovers. If you’ve got more than 2 folks to feed, I’d double the recipe.

Chicken Lo Mein

6 oz. lo mein noodles
1 tbsp  oyster sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large chicken breast, cut into thin strips
1/2 small onion, largely diced
1 bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin
1 cup snow peas
4 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. sesame oil

Bring a pot of water to boil.  Cook the lo mein noodles according to the package directions.  Drain and set aside.  In the meantime, make the sauce by combining the oyster sauce, soy sauce, chicken broth and red pepper flakes in a small bowl.  Whisk well and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken to the pan and cook until browned and cooked through.  Add in the vegetables, each a few minutes apart, starting with the onion, carrot and bell peppers and ending with the snow peas.  Cook until tender, but retains a slight crunch.  Add in the garlic and saute just until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the sauce to the pan, and then the cooked lo mein noodles.  Toss the mixture well to coat everything.  Drizzle with the sesame oil and toss once more.  Serve immediately.

Source: adapted from Annie’s Eats and Elly Says Opa!

I have my mother-in-law, Linda, to thank for this wonderful recipe.  Jon and I had been dating for about a year and she came to visit.  I guess I was 19? Maybe 20. At any rate, at the time, I had zero interest in the kitchen. Needless to say, Jon was looking forward to his Momma’s visit. Not only to see her, but also in hopes of getting a few home cooked meals.

She was here for a week or so, and made several delicious rib-sticking meals during her stay.  But the egg rolls. I know it sounds absurd, but these egg rolls changed my life. After learning how to make them, that I could make something like that from a dingy little bachelor pad kitchen…it’s like something clicked inside. I began trying new and different recipes. I looked forward to coming home and cooking dinners. I couldn’t get enough information about different ingredients and techniques.

That was 8 years ago, and I still have that hunger and love for cooking. I think it’s awesome that I can pinpoint the moment where it all started. I’m pretty sure it will never end!

Chicken Egg Rolls

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

3/4 head cabbage, shredded thin

3 carrots,  peeled and shredded

2 cups fresh bean sprouts (1 package)

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 tbsp soy sauce

4 scallions (green and white), sliced

4 tbsp vegetable oil

1 package egg roll wrappers

1 tbsp cornstach, mixed with 3 tbsp cold water

Combine 3 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp oil, 1 clove minced garlic, and half of the scallions into a resealable bag. Add chicken to marinade. Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes up to 3 hours.

Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in wok or large pot over high heat for 2 minutes. We’re talking HOT here, kids. Add chicken to the wok. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until chicken is mostly done and starting to brown on the edges. Remove chicken to a plate and set aside to cool.

To the same pan, add the remaining tbsp of vegetable oil. Add shredded cabbage and carrots. Add remaining tbsp of soy sauce. Use tongs to “toss” the vegetables. Cook, over high heat, for about 2 minutes. Or, until cabbage begins to wilt. Toss in the bean sprouts, and cook for about 1 minute more. Off heat.

Once cool, dice the chicken breasts and add them to the vegetables, mixing in well. Place a colander in your sink, or over a large bowl. Add egg roll mixture to the colander. Using several layers of paper towels, press down firmly on the egg roll filling, pressing out as much moisture as possible. Repeat process several times. Let filling cool for 30 minutes before rolling into wrappers.

Heat 3 inches of vegetable oil in a dutch oven. I like to fry the rolls at about 375. While the oil is coming up to temperature, wrap the rolls. I’ve found that the different brands of wrappers differ greatly. My preference is Frieda’s.  I live in the Boonies, but my local grocery store has them. I like them because they are square, and I find that easier to roll. It seems like most of the other brands I’ve tried are slightly rectangular, and that’s bothersome to me. If you do end up with rectangles, all is not lost. I just cut off a little strip and make them into squares. At any rate, here’s how I “roll” :

Step 1: Place wrapper on a flat surface in front of you with a corner towards you.

2. Fold the bottom corner up and over the filling.

3. Fold the two side corners in over the bottom fold.

4. Pressing down on the tops of the “corner fold”, roll the egg roll over onto itself.  Dip your finger into the cornstarch/water mixture and wet the edges of the remaining top corner before finalizing the wrap.

Fry, 4 or 5 at a time, at 375 degrees until golden brown. Usually about 5 minutes. I usually add the rolls, wait one minute, then turn over with tongs. It seems like if you try to completely fry the first side, the gas released from the cabbage “blows out” the raw side, and then it doesn’t want to flip. I’ve found that a initial flip right from the get-go corrects that situation.

Remove from oil with tongs, and place VERTICALLY into a large pot or casserole dish that has been lined with paper towels. This vertical drain is key, as it really helps the rolls not to become soggy.

Serve with plenty of soy sauce, chinese hot mustard, and duck sauce.

If you’re feeling lazy, feel free to buy a couple of bags of coleslaw mix instead of shredding the cabbage and carrots yourself. It’s a great time saver!