Wontons

I have memories of eating dozens of mom’s wontons for dinner as a kid. I would help wrap them at the kitchen table. Although not every year, we often made dumplings to celebrate the New Year, but as we made a tradition of making steamboat on New Year’s Eve, and a more elaborate dinner for New Year’s Day, it has been awhile since we’ve honored this New Year’s tradition.

Variations are endless with wontons. I prefer the thicker Northern Chinese style wrappers. One thing to keep in mind is to minimize moisture. Also, taste test for seasoning before wrapping by putting a sample of the filling in the microwave to cook.

Filling Options:

• Ground Chicken, Chopped Shrimp, Napa Cabbage (salted and squeezed of excess water), Cilantro, Shitake Mushrooms (rehydrated), Ginger, Garlic, Leeks, Soy Sauce, Sesame Oil
• Ground Pork, Chopped Shrimp, Napa Cabbage (squeezed of excess water), Ginger, Garlic, Green Onion, Soy Sauce, Sesame Oil

Wrap wontons by placing about 1 TBSP filling in each wrapper. Wet edges with a mixture of water and corn starch and crimp the ends.

Bring water to a boil and place wontons into the pot. Cook until they float, then add cold water to the pot and bring to a boil again. Repeat this proces two more times.

Wontons made ahead, then frozen (uncooked) individually on a tray. Store in plastic bags in the freezer

Ah Ma’s Fried Rice

Every family and cook has their own version of fried rice.  I loved my mom’s fried rice which has a different flavor profile than most fried rices I have had at restaurants.  She used to make it for lunch on the weekends, most commonly.  She would make some substitutions here and there, but her quintessential fried rice always had 1) broccoli  2)Chinese sausage  and pork 3) dried shiitake mushrooms  4) green onions.  If any of those are missing, it is not my mom’s version.  Almost always, pork was added and often times, my mom would also have dried shrimp in the mix, but I don’t consider these mandatory ingredients. My mom said that this is actually her mother’s version, which is why it is called ‘Ah Ma’s’ fried rice.

I’ve changed up the ingredient list a bit, but it still has the three ingredients that makes it taste like home to me.

• 2 cups cooked brown jasmine rice (day old rice preferred to freshly cooked)
• half small stalk broccoli, chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 zucchini, chopped into small pieces*
• 2 large handfuls of fresh spinach, chiffonade*
• 6-8 medium dried shitake mushrooms, rehydrate and chopped into small pieces
• 2 small Chinese sausages, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
• 3 oz fresh pork, sliced into small pieces
• handful cooked shrimp* or 1 tbsp small dried shrimp, rehydrated
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed in a mortar and pestle
• 3 eggs, slightly beaten
• 2-3 green onions, sliced
• soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste

*ingredients not included in my mom’s traditional version

1. In a large flat bottomed pan, add oil and saute sausage and pork on medium heat.  Cook until fat has rendered
2. Add garlic and veggies. If using, add dried shrimp too.  Season with say sauce to taste
3. Once veggies are cooked, remove from pan
4. Add more oil to the pan and scramble the eggs, adding salt to taste.  Remove from pan once cooked
5. Add more oil, turn up the heat, then add the rice and green onions, stirring constantly, adding soy sauce to taste
6. Once the rice and soy sauce is well combined, add the cooked shrimp and the rest of the cooked ingredients.  Stir to combine.  Add pepper (but not too much) to taste

Here’s another variation that is a little bit more heavy on the veggies and plant protein:

• 2 cups brown rice
• 3/4 cup quinoa
• garlic
• fresh shitake mushrooms
• baby broccoli, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
• 1 Chinese sausage
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 green onions
• handful of green peas

 

Mixed Paella

INGREDIENTS

• 2 chicken thighs or legs (skin-on, bone-in
• 1/2 pound chorizo sausage
• 4 shrimp
• 6 clams
• 8 oz fish fillets, cut in 1 inch chunks
• 16 oz whole tomatoes, crushed by hand
• 1 Spanish onion, diced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 TBSP sweet paprika
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup rice
• 1 tsp saffron

Season chicken with oregano, salt and pepper and cook till all sides are browned (but not fully cooked)  Remove from pan.  Then cook chorizo till browned.  Cook shrimp till almost done.

Remove chorizo and shrimp, then add onion, garlic, paprika till onion caramelized.  Then add tomato, season with salt and pepper.  Let cook about 15 minutes

Add rice, then saffron.  Add water and simmer for 10 minutes.  Do not constantly stir, just shake the pan a few times

Tuck in the fish and clams, let cook till the seafood is almost done.  Then reintroduce the chicken, chorizo, shrimp and add peas

Seafood Stew (modified Ciopinno)

Using up left over fish in the freezer, I pay homage to the City By the Bay, making cioppino.  What I have hears is that ciopinno did not originate from Italy as the name may suggest.  It is a San Francisco dish created by fisherman who wanted to make use of the leftovers from their catch.  The very nature of using whatever is around lends to the variety of seafood that is in the dish.  Apparently some purist believe that a fish stew is not cioppino without the one of the Bay Area’s best catches, dungeness crab.  Therefore, I will be calling this simply a stew.

INGREDIENTS
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 large onion, chopped
1 large can of stewed tomatoes, no salt added
1 can of chicken broth
1 c white wine
bay leaf
handful of basil
salt and pepper to taste
4 sprigs thyme
a bit of oregano
handful parsley
chili flakes
assortment of seafood (shrimp, clams, fish, calamari)

soften onion and garlic for about 10 minutes
add wine until alcohol evaporated, then add the rest of the inredients except for the seafood
simmer for about 1 hour
add seafood and serve immediately

*Cleaning Shellfish*
remove shellfiish

Seared Shrimp with Rice Noodles and Herbs

This is a really easy summer dish that doesn’t require a lot of cooking over a stove, so you’ll stay nice and cool!

10 cooked jumbo shrimp
Rice noodles, cooked and set aside
Cucumber, julienned
Carrot, Juliened
Greef leaf lettuce, shredded
Cilantro
Basil
Mint
Prepared fish sauce
Ground peanuts

Assemble all ingredients into 2 serving bowl.  Serve prepared fish sauce on the side for the diner to add based on their taste preference.

If you are unfamiliar with prepared fish sauce, it’s fish sauce diluted with water, sugar, vinegar, garlic and chili

stir-fried chili shrimp

I took a turn to Chinese food today, and it seems like I’ll be going in this direction for a bit based on my mood today. I browsed through a Chinese cookbook I picked up on a trip to Singapore with my mom, aunt and uncle back in 2007, “Authentic Recipes from China” published by Tuttle.
I was intrigued by a shrimp dish after with sweet, tangy and spicy facets. The sauce consisted of ingredients I usually have on hand, and I had a bag of tail-on shrimp in the freezer that defrosted nicely and quickly under cold water. It was quick, easy, very flavorfuland husband approved!

A small amount of vegetable (snow peas, broccoli, bok choy) to serve as a bed for the shrimp

Shrimp Prep
3/4 lb shrimp
1 egg white
1 t cornstarch
1/4 c water
pinch sugar
pinch salt

Sauce
capful sake
1/2 t chili sauce
2 T ketchup
1/2 t sugar
1 tsp soy sauce
1 T chicken broth

Other ingredients
1 tsp grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
pepper to taste

1. Combine shrimp, egg white, water, cornstarch and pinches of salt and sugar in a bowl. Set aside
2. Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl
3. Heat the wok on high and stir fry vegetable of choice till cooked to you preference. Transfer to a serving dish
4. Heat the wok on high and add shrimp. Cook till the shrimp start to turn pink
5. Add the ginger and garlic. Stir fry until fragrant
6. Add the sauce and continue to stir fry until shrimp is cooked
7. Add salt, pepper and adjust ingredients to taste
8. Pour shirmp over the vegetables
9. Serve immediately

Shrimp and Scallop Spaghetti

Boil water for spaghetti
De-shell srimp and boil shells in water to make stock
Sautee shrimp and set side
Jarred marinara sauce with additional garlic, shrimp stock, parsley olive oil and red chili flakes, let simmer will pasta is done
When spaghetti is ready, sear the scallops

Combine sauce and pasta, adding more shrimp stock to loosen sauce. Top with shrimp and scallops. Garnish with parsley and parmesan