Shrimp Scallion Dumplings Canadian Style!

May 18, 2009 4 Comments

Out there is the vastness that is the blogosphere there are many many many many many many many food bloggers.  Some specialize in this or that and others are just like me.  People who like to cook and thought it would be fun to share recipes and cooking tips.  One of these bloggers is the Cookin’ Canuck (Canuck is another way of saying Canadian.  It’s not always nice.  My sister-in-law will slug you if you call her a Canuck.)  I love going to this food blog and just looking at the food she makes.  Honestly, it’s a lot like what I would cook.

A couple of weeks ago I happened to see a recipe for pot stickers and as I read through the recipe, I knew that I had to sample it and share it here.  Please visit the site and see the original post here because this definitely ain’t my recipe but I’m so glad that I tried it because it ROCKED.

Shrimp Scallion Dumplings

Cookin’ Canuck

3/4 lb peeled & deveined shrimp, finely chopped

6 tbsp canola oil, divided

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp minced or grated fresh peeled ginger

1 1/2 tsp soy sauce

3 scallion, finely chopped (green parts only)

30-35 dumpling or wonton wrappers

Soy sauce or gyoza sauce for dipping

Place the shrimp, 2 tbsp canola oil, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and scallions in a medium bowl.  Stir well to combine.

Scoop a rounded tsp of the shrimp filling onto one half of the wrapper.  Using your finger, moisten the border of the wrapper with a little water.  Fold over the wrapper and seal the edges with your finger.  Flatten the bottoms slightly and stand on a baking sheet covered with wax paper. Repeat with remaining dumplings.

Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Make sure the skillet is piping hot.  Add 2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil. Place the dumplings in the pan. You will probably have to do this in two batches. Cook the dumplings for 2-3 minutes, until they are golden brown on the bottom.

Add 1/3 cup of warm water, place the lid on the skillet, and let the dumplings steam for 3 minutes.

Remove from the pan and serve with soy sauce or gyoza sauce for dipping.

Makes 30-35 dumplings.

Ok.  Now I’m going to teach you how to fold pot stickers (or dumplings, whatever you want to call them.  Technically, the way that they are cooked designates them as pot stickers) in an overly complicated way.  If you value your time, do it the way Cookin’ Canuck instructs; but for some reason I couldn’t seem to make them work that way so I folded them more like wontons and it was complicated and it probably took twice as long.  Too bad!  You’re going to learn and like it!

Teeny Shrimp

A quick note on the shrimp:  the recipe calls for shrimp that is finely cut up.  At my grocery store, the cheapest “normal” shrimp went for about $9 a pound.  These teeny tiny shrimp?  $4 a pound.  And I didn’t have to do any chopping, I just dumped them in the bowl.  DOUBLE SCORE!

Wonton Wrapper

And now to irritate you with overly complicated folding.  Take your little wonton wrapper and place it on a clean, dry surface.

Measuring Spoon

It’s best to use an actual measuring spoon (teaspoon) to ration out the filling into your wrapper to ensure consistency and accuracy.

Wet Fingers

Have a small bowl of water close by so that you can wet your fingertips.

Wet Wonton

Use that wet finger to moisten all four edges of the wrapper.

Folding

Bring the opposing corners together like so.  Repeat with the other side and make sure you pinch those seams to get an airtight seal.

Precious Pouch

Now you get a precious little pouch of salty, shrimpy goodness.  Use the recipe and cook accordingly.  The lady knows her stuff.

Pot Stickers!

I used the full pound of shrimp (and added two more chopped scallions to the mix) and ended up with 45-50 pot stickers.  My husband and I both had two servings and he reheated what was left the next day and had them for lunch.  This is an excellent recipe and it was easy in it’s execution (aside from my fumbling pastry folding).  These are tastier and more cost-friendly that your Chinese takeout pot stickers.  You’re a fool if you don’t try them.

Chinese Dinner

Isn’t that just a pretty dish?  It’s always nice to be served something pretty because you’re already expecting it to taste good.  Thanks to Cookin’ Canuck for posting this recipe.  It was wonderful.

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Filed Under Main Dishes Tagged With chinese, cookin canuck, dumplings, ethnic, food, pot stickers, recipe, shrimp, wonton

Chicken and Dumplings: Comfort on a Cold, Rainy Day

April 11, 2009 Leave a Comment

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we are doomed to live through many cold, rainy and gray days.  After about the fifth gray day in a row, one can feel the blues starting to set in;  that’s when I turn to a comfort food.

I classify a comfort food as something that tastes like home.  Whether my mother made it for me as a child or not, it has to have “Mother’s Love” all over it.  Since I am originally from the East coast below the Mason-Dixon Line, I tend to find Southern comfort foods right up my alley.

I love Chicken and Dumplings.  My mother made it a handful of times when I was a child, but I always loved it.  It’s thick, rich and loaded with chicken flavor.  And the greatest thing about it is that I always have the necessary ingredients on hand to make it any time.

Some people find the dish a little intimidating.  The dumplings can be a little tricky, but stick with me kids!  I’ll teach you the ways of the dumpling.

chickenanddumplings

The first step is to chop 1 large onion and about 6 cloves of garlic.  I know you’re screaming at your computer screen right now about the amount of garlic I’ve used, but trust me.  The broth of this dish can be very bland and we need to really make sure it is fragrant and well flavored.  If you aren’t a huge fan of garlic, by all means, cut it back to 2 cloves.

chickenn'dumplings

Now, in a dutch oven, heat 1 Tablespoon of butter and 1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over Medium heat.  When hot, add the onions first and saute until tender and translucent.  This will take about 4-5 minutes so while the onions are cooking, cut three boneless skinless chicken breasts into bit-sized pieces and set aside.

When the onions are cooked add the garlic and saute for only a minute or two.  You will know  when the garlic is hot because you will SMELL it (with 6 cloves, you’d better smell it!).  Add the chicken pieces and stir in.

Now add 1 cup of milk and about 6-8 cups of chicken stock (use stock instead of broth for a better chicken taste).  I make my own stock and always have some in the freezer, but there are brands at the supermarket that are fine; although homemade really is best.

Now that all the liquid is in the pot and making it’s way to a simmer (still over Medium or Med-High heat), you need to contemplate spices.  Add about 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 1/2 Tablespoon of dried sage and about 1/2 teaspoon of Tabasco sauce.

chickenn'dumplingspice

The sage and Tabasco just add some kickass taste to this dish.  As I said before, this dish can very easily taste bland.  The sage adds this cozy, fragrant taste to the broth.  The Tabasco really can’t be detected except for that warm feeling in your throat as you eat the dish.  I always put either hot sauce or cayenne pepper in creamy soups, sauces or gravies because of that heat in the back of the throat.  It’s comforting.

While your broth is getting hot and building to a simmer, prepare your favorite biscuit or dumpling dough.  I’ve even seen people take the prepared biscuits in the can and cut them up and use them as dumplings.  All that matters here is that your liquid is in a rolling simmer before you start dropping the dough in.  Once the dough is in, DO NOT STIR!  Put a lid on it, set a timer for 15 minutes and do not, I repeat, DO NOT remove that lid to peek.  The steam inside of that pot will make those dumplings puff into soft and gooey love.  Just maintain a simmer or low boil in the liquid during the cooking process.

When the 15 minutes has passed, lift the lid and notice how your broth has gotten thick and creamy thanks to the partial breakdown of the dumplings as they cooked.  At this point, the dish is ready to eat!

chickenn'dumplingsdone

I like to serve mine in a small bowl on the side of a plate of mashed potatoes and sauteed greens.  That way you can pick the dumplings and chicken pieces out of the dish and then dump the creamy broth over the mashed potatoes like gravy.  My husband and I were practically licking our plates after this meal and were thrilled to see that there were going to be leftovers.  This dish makes fantastic leftovers!

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Filed Under Main Dishes Tagged With chicken, chicken an dumplings, comfort food, dumplings, food, Southern food