Dumplings

Dumplings (饺子) are common all over China and made in many different ways depending on the region. Today, we focus on the boiled dumpling of the north. It's filled with minced meat and vegetables and the thin wrapping is made of wheat flour. It goes great with soy sauce and black vinegar. Above, we enjoy them topped with a sauce of fresh sautéed tomatoes.

Method

Make a firm but pliable dough from wheat flour and water. Ball it up, cover it, and set aside.
 

Fill up a large bowl half way with minced pork. Finely mince ginger and scallions and mix them in. Also mix in some ground Szechuan pepper and a good amount of light soy sauce (more than you think you need). Next add the appropriately minced vegetables desired, anywhere from half to equal the amount of meat.

- For pork and leek dumplings, you just add minced garlic chive (韭菜) to the mix and no leek (the common name is a mistranslation). 

- For cabbage dumplings, you add finely minced napa cabbage leaves with the water removed. Before you add them, salt the chopped leaves and squeeze them as dry as possible with your hands.

- For root vegetable dumplings, grate daikon or carrot into fine shreds. Daikon has a bitter taste which is best removed by boiling. This will require cooling and squeezing to get the water out before mixing into the meat, which is fairly tedious.

Heat up a spoonful of the filling in a microwave to determine if it has the appropriate saltiness and adjust accordingly.

Roll out the dough into thin sheets with a pasta machine and cut out palm sized circles using an empty can. Place a little bit of filling in the center and wrap with the dumpling sheet, crimping the edges to seal it. Work fast as dried dough does not shape or seal well.

Add the dumplings to boiling water and stir to prevent sticking. When the water boils up again, add a bowl of cold water to temporarily stop the boiling. Do this 2 more times. At the final boil, you can scoop out the dumplings and eat them immediately or run them under cold water to prevent further cooking and sticking.

Notes

Dumplings are rather tedious to make from scratch. As a result, they are ideal for making in large quantities as a family activity. They are often eaten on Chinese New Year and year round as well.

Making the wrappers from scratch give the dumplings a better texture. The dough can also be rolled into a long roll, cut into little segments and individually rolled by hand with a small rolling pin. This is a more traditional way to make the wrappers, but I've always found this to be pretty difficult, so I opt for rolling a big sheet then cutting out the wrappers.

These dumplings go well with savory sauces like black vinegar and soy sauce. Other sauces include sambal oelek (rooster sauce) and soy sauce + sugar + scallion.

Maifan : Steamed Potato Shreds

Maifan (麦饭) is a well known dish from Shaanxi, but pretty much unknown elsewhere. Potato shreds dusted in flour are steamed and served with scallion oil, soy sauce, vinegar, and other condiments. It is simple and honest comfort food from China's northern countryside.

Method

Grate a few potatoes into a large bowl. Rinse the shreds with water to remove some starch. Dry them as much as possible using a strainer and paper towel. Use another plate or bowl for the dried shreds.

With dry hands, add flour to the shreds. Coat the shreds thoroughly with the flour using your hands. Place the shreds in the basket compartment of a metal steamer pot and shake off excess flour. Fill the steamer pot with a couple cups of water and set it on low heat. The water should bubble before we place the steamer basket on. When it does, put the basket compartment in and let it cook for about 15 minutes. 

When ready, the shreds should be soft but firm. The shreds will stick to each other, but they can be separated into smaller clusters by fork . 

Everyone should scoop however much they want into their bowl and mix it with scallion oil, soy sauce, black vinegar and chopped cilantro to taste. Other condiments like minced garlic chives can also be used.

Notes

A recipe for this is hard to find, even online. I learned this from my father-in-law and his mother from Wuqi, located within the northern part of Shaanxi province. It is a mostly rural area where many people live in houses carved from mountains called yaodong (窑洞). However, it has been rapidly developing since petroleum was found in the area relatively recently.

In the preparation of Maifan, it is very important to get the potatoes mostly dry before flouring them. This ensures that each potato shred will be covered with flour, preventing them from clumping into inseparable globs that won't cook evenly and have a strange texture. Also, make sure the boiling water from the steamer never bubbles so high that it touches the potato. This is why we use a just a couple cups of water on low heat. The low heat also prevents the water from boiling away within the 15 minutes.

Note that a few potatoes make a lot of Maifan. This was a food eaten during tougher times in China when food items were scarcer, so every bit of food was stretched as far as it could go.

Twice Cooked Bacon

This my take on Twice Cooked Pork (回锅肉), another Sichuan classic, made with ingredients from my fridge. Thick slices of bacon and crunchy broccoli rabe stems with scallions, red oil and soy sauces.

Method

Boil the slices of bacon in water to remove some of the salt, scum, smokiness, and fat. Do this twice.

Remove bacon and let it cool. Cut up a lot of scallions and broccoli rabe stems into big pieces in the mean time. Make some red oil if you don't already have some. When cool enough, cut the bacon into big pieces.

Heat up a little oil and toss in the scallions and stir. Then, toss in the bacon and stir fry. 

Add broccoli rabe stems and stir. Toward the end, add soy sauces (light and dark) and red oil.

Notes 

In Sichuan, twice cooked pork involves boiling fatty pork in water and spices, then slicing it thin after it cools. Boiling tightens up the pork and removes some fat, as well as infusing the pork with flavor. This is why it's called twice cooked pork (not because it's leftovers or anything). The pork is then stir fried with vegetables like leeks, cabbage, and peppers. It tastes porky and earthy in good way.

I subbed pork belly slices with uncured bacon, leeks with scallions, and cabbage with broccoli rabe stems. Uncured bacon  approximates the pork belly slices pretty well and has its own flavor. The scallions are much milder than leeks, but they'll do. I didn't have cabbage, so I used its distant relative. Broccoli rabe has some bitterness that pairs well with the fatty bacon. It's not too watery and holds very well for the few minutes it's cooking. Looking back, this dish probably could have handled the entire bunch. Normally, I use green cabbage for this, but I didn't have any. No worries.

Mapo Tofu

Mapo Tofu (麻婆豆腐) is a tingling and spicy dish from Sichuan, a region known for fiery hot chili peppers and tingling Szechuan peppers. Normally made with minced pork, my variation today is made without meat.

Method

Make a simple red oil. Heat up 1 to 2 cups or two of oil. When hot, remove from heat and add a lot of dried chili flakes and whole Szechuan peppercorns. Toss in some other aromatics like scallions. Let it sizzle for 10 minutes or so. Strain out the bright red hot oil. You can grind the solids into a spice mix paste for future use.

Cut tofu into small cubes. Mince garlic and ginger (optional). Heat up oil in a pot and toss in these aromatics. When they are fragrant, add some bean sauce and stir. Then add soy sauces and a good amount of the red oil. Add tofu and stir. Pour in rice wine to cover the tofu two-thirds the way and stir.

Lower the heat to medium and let it simmer until the liquid reduces down in ten minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Add scallions and more soy sauce toward the end if desired.

Notes

Sichuan cuisine uses a lot of red oil, which has a very complex flavor. The soul of the oil is the dried red chili pepper and Szechuan pepper, also called "prickly ash". The enormous amount of chilies makes the oil (and everything it touches) both chokingly hot and red. The Szechuan pepper numbs the tongue a little bit, so you get a tingling sensation. It also has its own subtle fragrance.

Making a true Sichuan red oil involves stir frying a lot of dried chili peppers and a lot more aromatics than Szechuan pepper and scallion. These include ginger slices, star anise, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon peel. This alone is worth its own discussion.

Mapo tofu is normally made with minced pork and soft tofu, which is a great combination. Here, I made it with firm tofu because I didn't have any minced pork in the fridge. It also holds itself really well in a little pot.

You'll notice that this dish looks greasy from the red oil. If it freaks you out, you can add some cornstarch mixed with cold water to thicken the sauce. 

One final note, Szechuan is an alternate spelling for Sichuan, from the old days. It's still widely used in America.

Sweet and Sour Ribs with Zhenjiang vinegar

Sweet and Sour Ribs, or Tangcu Paigu (糖醋排骨), is one of my father-in-law's great dishes. It is made with tender pork ribs stir fried with a mix of scallions, soy sauces, Zhenjiang black vinegar, and sugar. 

Method

Stir fry the pork ribs to get a nice sear and some flavor. Then add soy sauce, a few slices of ginger, a lot of water and boil for 20 minutes.

Remove the ribs from the liquid. Heat up oil in a big pan. Add scallions. Then, add ribs and stir for more searing. In quick succession, add soy sauces (light and dark), black vinegar, and sugar and stir. When the ribs are coated with sauce in a few seconds, the dish is ready.

Notes

The ribs are pre-boiled to remove some fat and tenderize the meat. The soy sauce and ginger also infuse the meat with flavor. The liquid can be reserved for soups and sauces. Sometimes my father-in-law fries the ribs before saucing them up, but I prefer the boil method because the meat is tenderer, less oil is used, and you have a lovely pork broth in addition to great ribs.

Zhenjiang black vinegar is also called Chinkiang vinegar. It is one of China's four famous vinegars and easy to find in Asian groceries. It is made from glutinous rice and has a complex aroma and taste than combines well with soy sauce. It's frequently eaten with fattier foods like ribs and all sorts of dumplings.

The combination of light and dark soy sauces are for flavor and coloring. The light soy sauce is what most people use when they say soy sauce. It is light in color, but big on flavor (and sodium). The dark soy sauce is thicker and darker and has a slightly different flavor. A few drops of it will color any meat dish dark brown.

Chicken and Hot Peppers

One day, we bought some beautiful hot frying peppers from the local farmer's market. I decided to stir fry them with some chicken, Hunan style. It was fragrant and purely hot - an addictive burn with every bite.

Method

Cut chicken into thin small slices and mix in salt and a little cornstarch. Cut hot frying peppers into thin cross sections. Smash mince several cloves of garlic.

Heat up a good amount of oil in a pan. Add the garlic and stir for a few seconds.  Add the hot peppers and stir for a few seconds. Add the chicken and stir fry until done. Add soy sauce at the end if desired.

Notes

The goal was to make this fresh and spicy, so I used peppers and chicken in a 1:1 ratio. The fumes from the peppers frying in the oil are very strong. Do not be surprised if you find yourself coughing and gasping for breath. 

Keep stirring to avoid burning any of the ingredients, especially the garlic. That means no searing the meat. The sauce was already created by the hot peppers and oil.

Hunan cuisine is known for being "purely hot" from its extensive use of chili peppers, whether they're fresh, dried or pickled. It's a bit different from the numbing hot of Sichuan cuisine which extensively combines chili peppers with Sichuan pepper to counteract the burn, resulting in a tingly sensation. Instead, a lot of Hunan dishes burn with every bite and leave eaters sweating. Awesome.

Beef Broccoli

The well known American Chinese takeout dish. Quite literally just beef, broccoli and some sauce. However, very easy to mess up.

Method

Marinate/flavor thinly sliced beef strips with salt, sugar, vinegar, and rice wine. Cut up the broccoli into small florets. After a few minutes, squeeze out as much liquid from the beef as possible.

Heat up some oil and sear the beef. When the beef starts browning, add the broccoli and stir. Let the broccoli sear for a few seconds, then stir again. When the broccoli loses its rawness after a couple of minutes, add the soy sauce and oyster sauce and stir until mixed.

Notes

Again, we sear the beef to create a pan sauce. The dry little bits of broccoli cook in and absorb the pan sauce. It is important that the broccoli is dry before you toss it in. Otherwise, you will end up boiling the beef, ruining the flavor and texture. There is enough liquid from the oil and the juices released by the beef to cook the broccoli, as long as the broccoli isn't too big. 

Worse than using broccoli wet from washing is using steamed or boiled broccoli. Not only will it ruin the beef, it itself will be ruined because all the moisture in the florets will turn it to mush when tossed in the pan. Furthermore, it's an extra unnecessary step that uses up a pot.

I use a small amount of beef to prevent crowding in the pan and a large amount of broccoli since it does not release too much water. However, the little spaces in the broccoli florets absorb the sauce nicely. I didn't find garlic necessary, but you can add it and other aromatics after the beef sears if you want.

This dish traditionally is made with Chinese broccoli (kai lan) instead of broccoli in China. It's a bit more leafy and has a slightly bitter taste but not a strong as kale. Chinese broccoli is popular in Cantonese cuisine and you'll find it served in dimsum restaurants.

Lion's Head : Steamed Pork Meatballs

The name is poetic and refers to the appearance of large pork meatballs on a cabbage looking like a lion's face and mane. 

Method

Combine minced pork with bread crumbs in a 2:1 ratio. Add chopped scallion, minced ginger, soy sauce, Szechuan pepper, salt and mix. Shape the meat into meatballs to your desired size. 

In a sauté pan, heat up oil and quickly sear the meatballs to brown the outsides. Keep them moving so they stay spherical. Set the meatballs aside and place a few leaves of napa cabbage to cover the bottom. Put the browned meatballs on top and add enough water or stock to cover the leaves. Put the lid on and let the liquid reduce down and steam the meatballs.

Notes

The meatballs will cook mostly during the steaming process. The napa cabbage braises in the pan sauce and will become very soft and flavorful. You can substitute napa cabbage with cabbage, but it won't be as soft or absorb as much flavor. Napa also goes superbly with pork as any dumpling lover will tell you.

Be sure to use unflavored bread crumbs, preferably homemade. In China, they use such things like chopped Chinese steamed bread (mantou), chopped boiled potato, or chopped water chestnut. I blended up some dried leftover homemade no knead bread because it was easy and available (my wife made some). It also gives the meatballs a soft texture and tastes delicious.

Lion head meatballs can also be cooked in soup instead of steaming atop napa cabbage.

Zha Jiang Mian : Handmade Noodles with Meat Sauce

This dish is popular in Northern China, where wheat is a staple. The noodles are hand-pulled and the sauce is savory from the stir fried mix of minced pork, fermented bean sauce, and aromatics. It's usually eaten with slices of raw vegetables like carrot and cucumber.

Method

Create a basic noodle dough of flour and water. Roll it flat and cut it into strips. Lovingly, but firmly, stretch these strands to the desired thinness. Drop into boiling water and cook until done in a few minutes. Drain the noodles and run them through cold water to stop them from cooking. Set aside.

Add minced scallions, garlic, ginger, and fermented bean sauce to a pan of hot oil and stir fry until fragrant. Then, add ground pork and stir fry some more. Then add soy sauce and water and let it reduce.

While it cooks, slice your carrot and cucumber into thin slices. You can use other ingredients like enoki mushrooms and slices of wood ear mushroom.

When all is done, assemble your plate of noodles and sauce with the fixings to your preference.

Notes

Zha Jiang Mian (炸酱面) is also called noodles with Peking (or Beijing) sauce. However, this dish is common in other parts of northern China and even Korea. Every region has its own characteristics. For example, different regions use different fermented bean sauces such as yellow soybean paste, sweet bean sauce (we use this one), broad bean paste, and hoisin sauce. 

Beef and Garlic Chives

Tender garlic chives have a nice fragrant and earthy flavor and a slight crunch. It's complemented by the beefy goodness of seared beef slices. Very simple and quick to cook up.

Method

Cut beef into very thin shreds. Add salt, sugar, and vinegar to tenderize and flavor the beef. Set aside and cut up garlic chives into segments matching the beef. 

Heat oil in a pan. Sear, then stir fry, the beef. When there's just a little pink left, add the garlic chives and cook until the chives are slightly softened. Add a little soy sauce if you want near the end.

Notes

You can replace the beef with pork (more common in China).

Cook with a good amount of oil. Don't overcrowd the beef. You want it to sear not boil. That way, you'll get flavorful beef pieces and brown pan drippings that will be raised and flavored by the garlic chives. This pan sauce is why soy sauce is optional.

Be sure to use young garlic chives. They'll have little bulbs on the end. Don't use the mature garlic chives because they're tougher. Save those for dumplings.