A few weeks ago, a local church did a reverse offering (yeah, they even made national headlines!). They passed a bucket around and everyone withdrew an envelope. In that envelope was either a $10, $20, or $50 bill. The goal was to invest that “seed” money to help the town of Manville recover from Hurricane Irene. A kid who I tutor decided to use his money to register for a 5k and solicit donations from family and friends. His six year old brother used his money to buy blank cardstock and make Christmas cards to sell. Vicky and Will decided to host a “How to make dumplings” session and charge a modest tuition fee. You have to admit, all of these ideas are pretty darn awesome.

Overall, we had a blast. Someone else used their money to buy Sangria for the event and after the tutorial, we all gathered around to make 500+ dumplings for the volunteer event on October 22. These dumplings will be feeding those volunteers. 500 may sound like an obscene number, but with five-six people working on the task, it really didn’t take as long as you’d think.

If you like what you see here or are feeling that stir of generosity within you, please donate to the cause! All proceeds will be donated to the effort of your choosing! And if you’re wondering, yes, your donations are tax deductible. Plus, help spread the word by sharing this blog post. All ad revenue this month will be going towards the cause too!

There are several tips and comments I took away from the class:

• I’ve been holding a cutting knife wrong my whole life. Isn’t that sad? And I’m supposed to know what I’m doing since I run this blog. Anyway, observe the photo above. See how Will’s (he’s a righty) thumb grips the left side of the handle while his index finger protrudes to the blade? The rest of his fingers are wrapped tightly around the handle. This gives you a solid grip with enough force to chop vegetables.
• When chopping vegetables, you want to think ‘LIGHT’ AND ‘DELICATE.’ Don’t smash the living daylights out of the cabbage or chives. Gorden Ramsey has an awesome video on how you should ‘respect’ herbs rather than bruise them like most of us do. Here’s Gordon’s video on how to chop herbs. He features the “baahhh-sil.”
• When chopping herbs or vegetables, you want to tuck your fingers inwards. This means your front three nails are doing a face-plant (sorry, that was wrong; from Mr. William himself: “Your Ring and Middle finger hold the food, typically with the nails for grip.  The thumb and last 2 fingers hold the food together on the sides.  The knife sits against the either the knuckle or the flat part of the finger above the first knuckle.” ) Gordon also gives a brief 101 on this point in that video.
• When using chives, try to get chive flowers. Not only do they have the flower tips (which you can definitely chop up and include in your mix) but they have round and swirling stems. Compared to regular flat chives, these are more fragrant.
• To get those beautiful folds in the dumplings, scroll down in to the recipe for the technique.

The one main observation that left me baffled was the combination of Napa cabbage and chives in this recipe. My mother, who is Taiwanese, always separates the two vegetables so it was interesting that this recipe incorporated both. I had a quick bite of a dumpling, which tasted great, but my question to you guys out there is- Is there a difference between Taiwanese dumplings and Cantonese dumplings? I also asked a coworker, whose family is from Taiwan, and she said that she never saw both in the same recipe. I tried to do some digging on the web but didn’t find much. There was an Epicurious recipe that incorporated both, but most other recipes had either one or the other.

So without further ado, here’s the recipe!

Vicky & William’s Delicious Dumplings
(Makes roughly 20-25)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1/4 pound Napa cabbage (3-4 leaves)
• 1/4 pound chive flowers (a small bundle)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon soy sauce
• Package of dumpling wrappers from the Asian store
  (If you’re feeling adventurous, you can also make your own wrappers from scratch. All you need is all-purpose flour and water! Here’s a previous blog post explaining the process with step-by-step photos!)

Recipe:

Dice the Napa cabbage and chives very finely. When I say finely, I mean they should be 1cm by 1cm. Then, mix the ground pork and diced cabbage and chives in a bowl. Make sure the pork and vegetables are evenly distributed. Season the mixture with salt, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Remember not to knead but rather mix well.

Folding technique:

(Set aside a small cup of water)

Take a wrapper and place it flat on the palm of your hand. Then, spoon a generous portion of the mix onto the middle of the wrapper. Be sure you don’t put too much or else you won’t be able to seal it. Dip your index finger into the water and coat the rim of the wrapper with the water. It should look like the photo below.

Now, it’s time to seal and fold the dumpling. Carefully bring the bottom end of the wrapper to the top so that you get a semi-circle. This is where it gets a bit tricky. Because there’s water on the wrapper, the dough will stick to each other if you’re not careful and you won’t be able to get those perfectly folded designs. To prevent that, you want to insert your index finger between the two wrappers. Ultimately, you’re thumb should be facing towards you, the index finger should be in between the wrapper, and your middle finger should be supporting the wrapper on the other side. Think about pointing your index and middle finger to the left (if you’re a righty) with your thumb pinching the index finger.

After, you want to deftly make creases from the left to the right side. It’s like folding paper when you were a kid to make “springs.”  The folds are only on one side of the dumpling. Notice how the backside of the dumplings look plain but the front side, if you observe closely, has folds. Make sure you seal the dumpling tightly or else it’ll leak when you cook it.

Cooking the dumplings:

Boiling: Add enough in a pot for dumplings to move freely. After the water comes to a rolling boil, season the water with salt. Then, add enough frozen dumplings to not crowd the pot. Stir gently to ensure the dumplings don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. You’ll want to cook them for about 10-15 minutes. Typically, when the dumplings rise, that’s when you know it’s done. The skins in the dumplings should be pulled close to the filling and the filling should be firm to touch. To be completely sure, open one dumpling to sample.

Frying: (Um, everything tastes better fried!) Use a non-stick frying pan over a medium flame and coat the pan with oil. Add the frozen dumplings but leave room between each so that they don’t touch one another as they cook. Add 1/2 cup of water and cover. Check the pan every 5 minutes to see if the water is dry. If so, lower the flame slightly and add more water and cover. Continue this for 20 minutes or when dumplings are cooked. When they’re done, leave them uncovered and cook off the remaining water. This will help them develop a slight crust on the bottom of the dumplings.

Well that was easy!

You should also check out:

• Superbowl wing recipes (from a Top Chef!)
• Cheddar and onion smashed burgers
• Faux cappuccino (coffee with glorified whipping)
• Panko-peppered chicken
• Guest appearance: Cooking with Rachel

Two summers ago, I relocated to Santa Monica for a restaurant management gig at Houston’s. That gig didn’t last very long due to some bad judgment on my part, but it was great while it lasted. The food was just absolutely amazing. I mean, in honesty, it wasn’t anything superior. There’s no creative thinking behind the dishes, but the goal of the restuarant is to churn out consistent, quality meals. They’re usually on the mark too. There were regulars who’d consistently pay $50 every other day for LUNCH! (THAT’S INSANE!)

Their Thai Beef Noodle Salad was just out of this world amazing. It was like having a party inside my mouth. Sweet, savory, and sour flavors all dancing together. I ordered it at least 3 times a week (we were given a free meal a day) and each time, it always tasted the same. Then, I realized why. The restaurant is extremely methodical as to how they prep meals. 7 carrot sticks on this salad, 5 mango pieces on that salad, a precise cup of shredded lettuce. Heck, the whole place is OCD! I remember questioning the kitchen manager on why he chose to work at a restaurant that limited his creativity and he said that it was because Houston’s taught him how to run a business.

Sigh, once upon a time I lived only a 10 minute bike ride away…

Suki came over last night and I made this salad for her. Unfortunately, I hadn’t yet made my way to the salad station so I can only guess what went into the dressing. I Googled for the recipe and found one, but I think it’s a bit inaccurate.  Anyhow, the recipe came super-close, although I ended up modifying it a bit (I included both recipes for the dressing). I think it’s safe to say it was a hit. Suki REALLY liked it.

There are two ingredients that make this dish and it’s cilantro (coriander) and mango! Cilantro is a hate it or love it herb. I know alot of people who dislike it. It’s a bit difficult to describe, but for me, it’s sort of like a spicy mint.  I actually put alot more of the cilantro in than the recipe asked for. The mango balances out the cilantro and man, it’s just a cosmic explosion of flavors along with the noodles and steak.

Thinking about it, if I could, I’d add some pineapples too!

And the steak! Use flank steak so it’s easy to slice!

Noodles! Oodles and oodles of noodles!

This is one of those salads that hold up amazingly well overnight. We couldn’t finish the giant bowl so a good quarter of it sat in my fridge. This morning, I had the rest of it, and it tasted even better! I think it was because everything marinated overnight. Sure, the greens were a bit limp, but eh, whatever. It’s the flavor that counts! As long as the noodles are still al-dente, that’s all that matters to me!

Houston’s Thai Steak Salad
From Tastebook

Dressing Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1½ teaspoons Sriracha or similar chile paste
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoon neutral flavored oil (ie canola or grapeseed)

Jessie’s Modified Dressing

• 3 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon hot water
• 1½ teaspoons Sriracha
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1/8 cup sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons of canola oil
• 1/8 cup peanut butter
• Pinch of salt

Salad Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound skirt or flank steak
• 1 ounce of noodles, cooked al dente (I like using udon-like noodles)
• 1 large handful of spinach
• 1 large handful shredded cabbage
• 1 large handful of cilantro (aka coriander)
• 1 small julienned carrot
• 1/3 cup diced mango
• A handful of crushed peanuts

Recipe:

Mix all of the dressing ingredients together. Set aside while you are preparing the salad.

Season the beef with salt and pepper and sear in a hot skillet (preferably cast iron) for 2-3 minutes per side, or until medium rare. What I like to do is sear the whole entire thing on both sides and then transfer it onto a cutting board. Let it sit for a bit before slicing it into strips. At this point, the meat will still be too rare for consumption so return it back to the skillet for some more searing.

Let the meat rest for a few minutes, then slice on the bias and toss with 2-3 tablespoons of the dressing.

Meanwhile, prepare the noodles. I use shanghai long noodles which look like udon noodles. They only take about 3-4 minutes to cook. The key is to not overcook them or else the texture will just get really mushy and clash with the rest of the salad. After, rinse the noodles in cold water. Mix the remaining salad ingredients (except the peanuts) in a large bowl, add dressing, and toss in the steak. Mix until everything is well coated. Serve on a plate and sprinkle with the chopped peanuts.

You should also check out:

• Superbowl wing recipes (from a Top Chef!)
• Cheddar and onion smashed burgers
• Faux cappuccino (coffee with glorified whipping)
• Panko-peppered chicken
• Vicky & William’s delicious dumplings

Nowadays, I’m as consistent as clockwork. Despite the chilling darkness and the lack of warmth that summer had spoiled my mornings with, it’s actually been easier getting up in the morning. At 5:01am, the radio blares. I instinctively turn off the first alarm, knowing in the back of my mind that a second alarm is only six minutes away. At 5:07, the alarm beeps and I hop out of bed, throw on a hoodie and sweats. At this point, I’m already dressed for the gym. After quickly brushing my teeth and washing my face, I pick up my gym bag, tuck my cell phone and books into my canvas bag, and turn off the lights. Then I head into the kitchen.

This is where my morning officially starts and where the majority of the time is spent before I head off for work. No, I’m not making breakfast. I’m not even making lunch. I’m making Masala Chai tea, to be sipped and savored a few hours from that moment. The kitchen is brutally cold and uninviting, but once the stove flares up and the teapot is filled with water, I’m chopping shreds of ginger, breaking apart star anise, and pulling apart cardamom pods. Oh and the cinnamon sticks. I love inhaling the scent of fresh, whole cinnamon sticks.

Finally, there’s that moment of silence, which is suddenly broken by the bubbling of the boiling water and a hiss from the steaming pot. That’s my cue to add in the black tea leaves and then the milk. That’s it. I put the lid on the pot and turn on my laptop to quickly check my email.

These are my mornings and the whole process takes a good 10 minutes. By 5:30am, I’m out the door, picking up my paper (if my paper-boy so decides to deliver my paper on time!) and onto the Parkway by 5:35am. Sure, I could sleep an extra 10 minutes, but at 7:30am, when I’m at my desk, post-workout and sipping the then-warm Chai, it makes those 10 minutes totally worth it.

A few weeks back, I had blogged about Chai tea ice cream. Several people had asked me how I make Chai tea, so I thought it’d only be fitting to do a post on this. Chai is a morning and afternoon tradition in India. Amy would always look forward to her morning and afternoon Chai when she was in Calcutta. Glen tells me that Alex and Nick makes a bangin’ Chai and while I’ve yet to have it, these are the tips that Alex gave me:

• The ratio of water to milk should be 1:1. Always use whole milk or else the Chai will end up watery
• There are three main ingredients that you need- ginger, cardamom, and cloves. Those are a must.
• Always throw in the spices before the water boils, sans the tea leaves. As the water begins to boil, add in the tea leaves and then the milk.
• The brewing process should take several minutes to extract all that flavor from the leaves.

Chai is generally synonymous with Masala Chai, which is the spiced chai that this recipe makes

And that it folks. A simple cup of Chai that’ll do wonders for your morning and for your body.

Masala Chai Tea
Makes 2 cups!

Ingredients:

• 4 heaping tablespoons of a mixture of Ceylon, Assam, and Darjeeling black tea*
• 1 inch ginger in slices
• 5 cardamom pods, open with seeds facing out
• 1 teaspoon cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 star anise
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup milk
• Sugar

*You can also buy Masala Chai tea leaves, which already have the spices (cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and cloves) blended in. Though it expedites the brewing process, there’s something to be said about fresh, wholesome ingredients.  Nevertheless, I like to get my blend from Adagio teas, although their Chai is REALLY intense and I like to mellow it out with some additional black tea. If you’re new, they give you $5 off for following them on Twitter on your first order, which brings the total to a whopping $19/lb (including shipping). Sounds expensive, but it’s really quite reasonable for a pound of loose-leaf tea.

Recipe

In a teapot, throw in all the spices and the water on high heat. When the water begins to boil, add in the tea leaves and the milk. Stir every once in awhile and when the tea foams, lower the heat so that the mixture just slightly boils. Let it boil for 3-5 minutes until the leaves fully open up. Serve with sugar to your taste. Chai tastes best, erring on the side of sweetness.

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FOOD & WINE is giving away a year-long subscription to a lucky reader from Savory-bites.  Click here to enter and read official rules here.

This post is part of a series featuring recipes from the FOOD & WINE archive.  As a FOOD & WINE Blogger Correspondent, I was chosen to do four recipes a week from FOOD & WINE.  I received a subscription to FOOD & WINE for my participation.

You should also check out:

• Superbowl wing recipes (from a Top Chef!)
• Cheddar and onion smashed burgers
• Faux cappuccino (coffee with glorified whipping)
• Panko-peppered chicken
• Vicky & William’s delicious dumplings

Crab is generally not a part of my culinary vocabulary. Neither are shrimp, lobster, oyster, mussel, or scallop. Though I won’t necessarily seek a shellfish dish at a restaurant, I’m always open to trying it if its on a tasting menu. Usually, however, I leave thinking to myself, why the heck do people love shellfish?

So you’ll understand why when I tell you I actually like my mother’s ginger and scallion crab dish, the walls begin the shake, the ground begins to crumble, and the ceiling begins to collapse. Me and shellfish simply do not get along very well together except in exceptional cases, ie. this.

Today was my last day in PA and I took a little walk along the side roads. I love staring at the vast rolling hills with the tractor just plowing away through the fields. In a way, I feel more humbled whenever I see this, even though just miles away sprawls a city large enough to make me feel at home. I think that as one gets older, one starts to appreciate nature more and more by recognizing the inherent beauty mother nature has to offer.

But enough of that. My mother made this dish last weekend when they came back to NJ for the weekend. At the Chinese market, crabs were on sale for $10/dozen. They bought a dozen, and I could tell that my dad was excited with anticipation for dinner.

You generally won’t be able to find this dish unless if you’re at an authentic Chinese restaurant. The crabs are cooked through a simple deep frying process and then tossed with the with the sauce like a stir fry. The end result is a salty harmony of flavors, enhanced by the crunch of the shell and the tender crab meet. It’s best to section off the crab into pieces (especially if the crabs are big) so that every possible surface area of the crab can soak up all the intense flavors. Surprisingly, there aren’t even that many ingredients!

Below is a step by step guide. And yes, you must buy the crabs when they’re still alive to ensure freshness. Don’t worry, we’ve provided pictures on how to kill them.

And just a warning. This recipe isn’t for the delicate and fragile. You’ll see what I mean.

Ginger & Scallion Crab
(姜葱蟹)

Ingredients:

• Six crabs, alive and kicking*
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup chicken stock (water can also suffice, though chicken stock is better)
• 2 inches ginger, sliced into thin strips
• Handful of sliced scallions (lengthwise 2 inches)
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• Drizzle of cooking wine (we use Chinese rice wine)
• Drizzle of sesame oil
• 1 egg (optional)

*Here’s an interesting fact- Chinese markets only sell female crabs whereas Western markets only sell male crabs. The difference is the orange roe that’s present in the female crabs. You need this roe to get all the flavor that this dish requires. In other words, if you can’t get female crabs, don’t bother with this dish.

Recipe:

Assuming that your crabs have arrived in a brown bag, dump all of them into your sink. If you have an old oven mitt that you’re willing to sacrifice, wear it because you’ll need it. You want to “de-claw” the crab of its big legs. Not doing so runs the risk that you’ll end up with some very bloody fingers. So essentially, break off the large legs off of each crab (each crab has two). After, rinse the crabs under cold, running water.

At this stage, you want to “de-shell” the crab, as in, break the crab in half. Holding the legs down with your weak hand, take your dominant hand and rip off the top shell, exposing the innards. See below. Like I said, not a dish for you delicate people out there.

DO NOT rinse the stuff out in the shell. For the time being, leave the shells with the orangy stuff on the side. Now, you want to take out the crab gills. We do this while washing the body under running water and pulling them out.  Now it’s time to section off the crab into half pieces.

Before cutting the crab in half, you want to remove the “head.” More specifically, remove the eyes with a knife. After wards, make sure that the crab is free of sand. Cut across symmetrically so that you get equal halves. Lay them all on a plate.

You didn’t think we’d let the big legs go to waste, now did you? We like to pound them with a mallet so that the flavors soak through. Plus, who has the teeth to chomp through the shell when eating anyway? So place the legs on your cutting board and slam away. A couple of slams will suffice. Sometimes they’ll fly up so do be wary.

Now, onto the shell. Empty everything in from the shell into a small bowl with a spoon. I know it looks disgusting, but this is where you get alot that crab flavor that you’re looking for in this dish. That orange stuff is actually roe, and only female crabs have it. Empty that all out, liquid and all, into the bowl. Then add the 1 cup soy sauce and sugar. Stir to mix.

Next, take a plastic bag and add the 1/4 cup cornstarch. Throw in all of the crab sections and the legs. Toss in the bag until everything part is coated.

Since the crab should still be a bit damp from the washing, the cornstarch should stick on the surface. Look below!

Next, in a large pan, preferably in a wok, fill it with enough canola oil to deep fry the shells. You don’t need to use canola oil- any oil that can withstand high temperatures (corn or vegetable oil) will work too. Carefully place the segmented pieces in the the hot oil and deep fry until it cooks through. This should take about 2 minutes per side. After, take out the crab and place it on a plate.

Empty the wok of the fried oil. Add a couple of tablespoons of sesame oil. When hot, add in the ginger and the scallions. Add in the now fried crabs and toss lightly. Add a drizzle cooking wine to that soy sauce mixture, roughly two tablespoons. Then, empty the sauce into the wok and toss the crabs in it.  Add in the chicken stock (or water if you don’t have stock).

Keep tossing until everything is fully integrated, for an additional two minutes. As an option, scramble an egg in a separate bowl and then pour over whole thing and toss again. The egg not only provides extra flavor, but also helps thicken up the sauce. Cover the wok for about 8-10 minutes to let everything simmer and to let the sauce reduce.

The sauce should reduce to the point there is just enough to coat the crabs and an extra few tablespoons.

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FOOD & WINE is giving away a year-long subscription to a lucky reader from Savory-bites.  Click here to enter and read official rules here.

This post is part of a series featuring recipes from the FOOD & WINE archive.  As a FOOD & WINE Blogger Correspondent, I was chosen to do four recipes a week from FOOD & WINE.  I received a subscription to FOOD & WINE for my participation.

You should also check out:

• Superbowl wing recipes (from a Top Chef!)
• Cheddar and onion smashed burgers
• Faux cappuccino (coffee with glorified whipping)
• Panko-peppered chicken
• Vicky & William’s delicious dumplings

Unlike most cooking oils, sesame oil has this intense aroma that magnifies under the heat. After a minute, it smells as if you’ve been cooking in the kitchen for hours. Most people don’t think to use sesame oil when cooking salmon. That’s a shame because I personally think that sesame oil makes salmon shine.

Last week, M- and I made sesame crusted salmon (using olive oil). It came out wonderfully. We seasoned the salmon with salt and pepper, generously coated the surface with toasted black and white sesame, and let it cook in the pan for a couple of minutes. We then repeated the process on the other side and after we flipped the salmon, there was this crispy layer of sesame seeds. We then poured some Pinot Noir and let it simmer for a few minutes. The result was an incredible meal.

When Esther came over last night, I wanted to refine the recipe a bit. Instead of a straight up Pinot-Noir reduction, we found a recipe off of Food & Wine that called for a soy-sauce and maple glaze. Seeing as how Pinot-Noir pairs so well with salmon, we decided to add half a cup of the wine to the glaze. Although we had to wait 8-10 minutes for the sauce to reduce in the pan, it was well worth the wait. The sauce had strong notes of the maple and hints of the soy sauce. The ginger added a nice kick and overall, it made for a memorable dinner.

What I love most about this meal is how fast it takes to prepare. If you have the salmon steaks ready, it takes about 30 seconds to season. Each side takes about 2-3 minutes to cook, depending on the thickness. A good indication is when the salmon turns slightly white. You don’t want to let it sit on the skillet for too long because even after the fire is turned off, the salmon will continue to cook. We took it off the heat when it was still pink in the middle and by the time we cut into the salmon, it was perfectly tender.

Sesame crusted salmon w/ Pinot Noir glaze
Adapted from Food & Wine

Ingredients:

• Four 8-ounce wild salmon steaks, cut 1 inch thick
• Sesame oil for cooking
• Salt & Pepper
• Toasted black & white sesame seeds

Pinot-Noir glaze

• 1/2 cup Pinot Noir
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons Asian sesame oil
• One 2-inch piece of fresh ginger—peeled, thinly sliced and smashed
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed

Recipe:

Lightly coat the top side of the salmon steaks with salt and pepper. Then liberally coat with the sesame seeds.

In a hot skillet, drizzle sesame oil (olive oil works fine if you don’t have sesame oil) and set the steaks so that the sesame coated side is facing down on the skillet. You want to let this sit on the skillet (don’t touch it or else the sesame crust will fall apart!) for 2-3 minutes on each side. Meanwhile, season the other side with salt, pepper, and sesame seeds. Carefully flip the salmon over. Let it cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the middle is just slightly pink.

To prepare the sauce, in a large, shallow dish, whisk the Pinot Noir with soy sauce, maple syrup, and sesame oil. Add the smashed garlic and ginger. In a saucepan, heat the sauce for 8-10 minutes until it has a thick consistency. At this point, remove the salmon from the heat and plate. Drizzle the Pinot-Noir glaze onto the salmon. Garnish with more sliced ginger.

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FOOD & WINE is giving away a year-long subscription to a lucky reader from Savory-bites.  Click here to enter and read official rules here.

This post is part of a series featuring recipes from the FOOD & WINE archive.  As a FOOD & WINE Blogger Correspondent, I was chosen to do four recipes a week from FOOD & WINE.  I received a subscription to FOOD & WINE for my participation.

You should also check out:

• Superbowl wing recipes (from a Top Chef!)
• Cheddar and onion smashed burgers
• Faux cappuccino (coffee with glorified whipping)
• Panko-peppered chicken
• Vicky & William’s delicious dumplings