Dumpling Extravaganza

July 11, 2020July 11, 2020 / theodorahcheng / 2 Comments

With the stay at home orders, quarantine has inevitably taught my generation that sometimes doing things the “long way” can be more enjoyable than buying it pre-made. The beginning started with mishaps surrounding avocado buns turned poop emojis and pretzels that never browned.

As July 4th came around for a long weekend during quarantine, I wanted to do something bigger, more exciting. And that’s when I remembered my friend making dumplings with frozen spinach (yay no shredding cabbage) that delivered a moist and tasty result.

I texted my friend Janie, who graciously shared her mom’s recipe (thanks Mama Wang!) and has given me permission to share it on this blog as well.

My roommate and I ended up tripling the recipe, resulting in us using 3.5 wrapper packages (approx 140 dumplings). Our freezer is literally overflowing in dumplings!! Korean dramas and not wrapping with any folds (cough) made the time go by quickly.

If you’re looking for something to do over the weekend, I highly recommend this activity that will be sure to continue to benefit you for the weeks to come! My dumplings made from this recipe turned out delicious, and if I can do it, you can too! If you do try the recipe, be sure to drop a comment below :).

Warning! you will need to do some prep work the night before.

DUMPLING FILLING RECIPE:

(Yields 40-50 dumplings)

1 package of frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and with the water squeezed out
(you can substitute this with about half a head of napa cabbage, chopped and also with the water squeeze out)
2 pounds of ground pork
2 Tablespoons of soy sauce
1 Tablespoon of salt
2 teaspoons of white pepper
2 teaspoons of cooking wine (or any sort of liquor like tequila)
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
2 tablespoons of chicken broth
1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
1 tablespoon vegetable or other oil

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix the above ingredients and set for at least 1-2 hours in the fridge (preferably overnight).

After the filling has set, add 1/2-3/4 cup of diced green onions

You can also add the following optional add on ingredients after the meat has set:
1 tablespoon diced ginger or ginger paste/powder
1/2 pound of diced or food processed raw shrimp
1 cup of diced mushrooms (shitake or baby bella work well)
1 teaspoon of Mirin Seasoning

Mix all the ingredients well. If you want to taste the filling for saltiness, you can microwave a small dollop on a plate for 30 seconds, and it will cook enough for you to check if it’s seasoned to your personal taste. If you’re satisfied, then it’s ready for wrapping.

For wrapping the dumplings, you can use store bought wrappers (approximately 1-2 packages) or make your own (here’s a good one).

Storing and Cooking:

If you freeze them, make sure to freeze them spaced out on a tray before putting in a freezer gallon bag.

For cooking, I highly recommend frying since it results in extra crispiness but boiling and steaming work as well!

Rum Raisin Chiffon Cake

April 26, 2017April 26, 2017 / theodorahcheng / Leave a comment

Ahhh this video was so much fun to make :). My friend James’ mom, Auntie Jocelyne, was going to make a cake and I asked if I could make a video showing how she made it. I LOVE this cake. It is absolutely so delightful and delicious and sometimes I eat 3 slices when no one is watching.

This is my first video hosting a guest … and I was incredibly awkward. I have this newfound appreciation for people who host food shows… mainly any Food Network show out there woot woot! Thanks to everyone who helped out making it (credits in the video description)!!

Anyway, my hope is to be able to make more videos about people showing how to make foods from different cultures!! So if you would like to be in a video or know someone who makes awesome food then contact me!!

Curried Quinoa + Roasted Veggies

February 20, 2017February 20, 2017 / theodorahcheng / Leave a comment

I think the “hip” term for this bowl is called a “Buddha Bowl.” When my roommate was trying to say it to me it sounded like “bootable” so now I refuse to use that term.

Today, my roommate and I made dinner together and it was awesome. Mostly because I had a bajillion vegetables in the fridge from a grocery spree I had previously made at Sprout’s and I was desperate to use them before they went bad. (*ahem* THREE avocados for $1).

So we decided to make curried quinoa and roast all the veggies I had. It was perfect because you know quinoa = healthy, right????

Ingredients: quinoa, broccoli, avocado, tomatoes, coconut milk, corn, garbanzo beans, onions, red bell peppers, eggs (lol we forgot to use these), turmeric, curry powder

So first I put down some parchment paper and brushed it with olive oil to get it distributed evenly. I know, that’s a big bottle of olive oil, but DEALS at Costco cannot resist. Actually there was a bigger bottle but it was definitely too much.

Then we chopped up all the veggies and tossed them with some olive oil and seasonings of our choice (cayenne pepper, salt). If I could go back, I would have done this on 3 pans to let the veggies have more space to “roast”. But hey isn’t it beautiful, I just love veggies sooo much. Yeah those onion pieces are kinda big, my bad. We put them in the oven for 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20-30 minutes.

Then we focused on the quinoa. Let me tell you, rinsing quinoa is hard to do…. so good luck. We decided to put in the WHOLE bag of quinoa because we were committed. Then we put in 2 cans of coconut milk, 3 teaspoons of curry powder, 3 teaspoons of turmeric, and a splash of water. Heated it to a rolling boil then simmered it for about 25 minutes covered, 5 minutes uncovered. KEEP stirring it. See how it thickens, soooo yummy.