Category: Exotic

Mimi’s Wonton Soup

On By lukephillaryhIn ExoticLeave a comment
wonton soup homemade Mimi Thorisson recipe
Happy New Year!

The Mimi of this wonton soup recipe is Mimi Thorisson. Her food blog Manger and two cookbooks are portrayals of idyllic life – lots of beautiful, fresh food, adorable children, even cuter dogs, and a photographer husband, capturing every single moment perfectly. It is almost suspiciously serene. But while her pictures evoke envy and a bit of skepticism, we do love to look at and cook her food.

Luke and I celebrated New Year’s Eve separately, he in Philadelphia with friends and me alone on a plane. To make up for missing each other on December 31, this past weekend we made a special meal for Chinese New Year (新年快乐!). Admittedly, this soup is so easy to make it may not warrant being called “special.” But the wontons do possess a certain je ne sai quoi. With a scattering of scallions and a swirl of sesame oil, these brainy wontons are subtlety elegant and delicious.

We enjoyed our bowls of soup reflecting on the past year and hoping that in 2017, amidst these already troubled times, we can do more good and experience more good than in 2016.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 – 3/4 pound peeled shrimp, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 – 3/4 pound ground pork (not too lean)
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 TBS soy sauce
  • 1/2 TBS oyster sauce
  • 1/2 TBS rice wine
  • 1/2 tsp sesame oil (plus more for serving)
  • 1 TBS grated fresh ginger
  • pinch of sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • pack of square wonton wrappers
  • 2 quarts chicken stock
  • chives, scallions, cilantro (freshly chopped) for garnish

Directions:

  1. Begin by making the wonton filling. Mix the shrimp and pork in a medium sized bowl. Add the egg white, soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, ginger, sugar, salt, and pepper and mix well. Set the filling aside for 20 minutes.
  2. Lay out a large piece of parchment paper and sprinkle with flour. Take your pile of wonton wrappers, one at a time, covering the pile with a damp towel so that they do not dry out. Add a little over 1 tsp of filling to the center of a wrapper. Wet the edges of the wrapper with water (we set out a little bowl of water and wet with our fingers) and fold in half to make a triangle, pressing down firmly. Make sure the seal is secure, you do not want any little gaps. Then, gather the 2 opposite corners of the wrapper, dot them with water, and join them together. Again, press firmly to seal. Set wrapped wonton on a lightly floured baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filing, until you have about 25-30 wontons. You will likely have leftover filing and definitely leftover wrappers. The filing keeps for 2-3 days so more wontons can be made later.
  3. Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Season with a bit of salt and pepper, to taste. While doing this, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the wontons and cook in batches (roughly 12 at a time). The wontons are finished when the rise to the top, about 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate as they are cooked.
  4. Add the cooked wontons to the chicken stock and bring back to a gentle boil. To serve, ladle about 6 wontons into a bowl and top with some chicken stock. Sprinkle with chives, scallions, and/or cilantro and a few drops of sesame oil. Serve with chili oil on the side, if desired.

Details: Serves 5

Dumplings! – Two Ways

On By lukephillaryhIn Exotic2 Comments
dumplings homemade boiled and fried
Jiaozi your way – fried or boiled

Hillary and I are serious dumpling fanatics. There’s nothing quite like a meal of steamed, fried, or soup dumplings with a side of scallion pancakes. We love to visit Shanghai Deluxe (NYC) for soupies, Dim Sum Garden (Philly) for fried, and Thai Lake (Philly) for steamed. About three years ago, I tried my at hand at dumpling making – mostly so I could eat them whenever I wanted. I quickly learned that it’s too difficult an endeavor to have on-demand dumplings, which is probably a good thing for my health. However, this recipe is perfect for when you want to throw a dumpling party with friends or just want to make use of the rice wine/sesame oil/soy sauce that’s been sitting your panty.

Andrea Nguyen’s Asian Dumplings is the best starting point for newbie jiaozi/gyoza chefs.  However, there is one essential instruction Nguyen doesn’t stress enough. Don’t try to make the dumpling wrappers yourself! Make your life a thousand times easier and buy the 50 pack of wrappers from the Asian supermarket. Using the below recipes you can make either fried or boiled dumplings.

Ingredients

  • 2/3 lb ground pork
  • 1 cup chopped Napa Cabbage (only the leafy part)
  • 1/4 cup minced Chinese chives or scallions
  • 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
  • 1 1/2 TBS soy sauce
  • 1 TBS rice wine
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 package of round dumpling wrappers (I prefer Shanghai style)

Instructions

The Filling

  1. Peel and wash cabbage leaves. Slice the leafy part from the thicker stem. Chop the leafy parts until you have about 1 cup worth and place in a bowl. Generously salt the cabbage and let rest for 10 – 15 minutes.
  2. While the cabbage sits, prepare your pork mixture in a large bowl. Finely mince the chives and grate the ginger into the bowl. Add pork, soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, salt, and pepper. Mix together until everything is well incorporated.
  3. Return to the cabbage. This step is KEY!! Squeeze the cabbage using your hands, colander, and/or cheese cloth until most of the moisture is gone.
  4. Add cabbage to the pork mixture and fold everything together.

Making the Dumplings

  1. Prepare your wrappers, a bowl of warm water, and non-stick area for the dumplings.
  2. Put one wrapper in the middle of your palm and place a tablespoon of filling in the center. Using the tip of your finger rub the warm water around the edge of the wrapper.
  3. For Boiled: Make a “half-moon” fold by simply pressing together the edges of the wrapper to make a semi-circle shape.
  4. For Fried: Follow the same step as half-moon, but then make 3 or so pleats across the top of the fold.
  5. Set all your dumplings on a baking sheet/parchment paper and cover with a dish towel until your ready to cook.

Cooking the Dumplings

  1. For Boiled: While your making the dumplings, put a large pot of water to boil. Once the dumplings are ready drop them into the boiling water and stir them around so they don’t stick. Lower the heat and cook for 6 minutes. Remove dumplings one by one with a slotted spoon.
  2. For Fried: These babies are much more tricky than boiled! In a non-stick pan or wok add a 1 1/2 TBS mixture of canola oil and sesame oil. At medium-high heat, fry the dumplings for 2 minutes making sure the oil in evenly distributed. Reduce heat to low and add 1/3 cup water. Quickly cover the pan because the oil will start to pop violently. Keep the pan covered for 6 minutes more then remove lid and fry for an additional minute.

Details: You’ll probably get 25-30 dumplings worth. Enough for a tasty dinner and next day lunch!

 

Recipe Revisiting – Chickpea + Spinach Curry

On By lukephillaryhIn Exotic3 Comments
chickpea spinach indian curry bon appetit recipe
Revisiting a favorite

In our short cooking careers, Luke and I have shuffled through some go-to meals – recipes we can whip up whenever and they’ll always leave us satiated. In college, I used to make a chicken breast in a skillet dinner with a surprisingly delicious marinade of ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, and lemon juice. I probably made it on a weekly basis. And yet, since graduating I haven’t whipped up my “Simple Tasty Chicken” recipe even once. Blame cooking fatigue. Some meals you can only make so many times. But all recipes do deserve a second chance. We’ve made a similar version of this chickpea, spinach, tomato curry before and it could definitely be categorized as a “go-to meal.” So when I came across a similar recipe on BA’s Instagram I was inspired to revisit one of our favorite weekday dinners. The result is a bit stewier, perhaps more “curry” like. Will it replace our original? Who knows! All part of the process. The delicious and simple combination of chickpeas, spinach, and tomato is getting some love again and that’s all that matters.

Ingredients:

  • Olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1-2 jalapeños, coarsely chopped
  • 1 TBS chopped ginger
  • 1 pound spinach
  • salt & pepper
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 1/2 tsp curry powder (our mix includes a lil’ bit of everything – turmeric, cumin, coriander, chili powder)
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 2 15-oz cans chickpeas, rinsed
  • 1 24-oz can whole peeled tomatoes
  • 4 TBS plain yogurt

Directions:

  1. Heat 1 TBS oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, jalapeños, and ginger and cook until fragrant and softened, about 4 minutes. Working in batches (1 handful at a time) add the spinach. Toss to wilt and then add more. Cook until fully wilted, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a food processor (blender, hand blender, even a mortar and pestle works) and pulse until coarsely chopped. Season with salt and pepper. Wipe skillet.
  2. Heat another TBS of oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, 5-6 minutes. Add the spices and stir so that they evenly coat the onions. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  3. Add chickpeas and tomatoes with juices. Squeeze the whole tomatoes with your hands to break down. If the mixture seems in need of extra liquid, add 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 10 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
  4. Turn off heat and stir back in spinach puree then add yogurt, a TBS spoon at a time. Fully mix the TBS of yogurt before adding another. This will prevent curdling.

Serve with naan, samosas, basmati rice and garnish with cilantro – whatever you prefer!

Details: Serves 4

Kung Pao Chicken (宫保鸡丁)

On By lukephillaryhIn ExoticLeave a comment
kung pao chicken homemade recipe
Better than Golden Dragon or Chinese Wok

This meal is an ode to the 4 semesters of Mandarin I suffered through in college. Hillary took Mandarin in high school and triumphantly (miraculously) tested out of our college’s language requirement…I wasn’t so fortunate. Like my Zhongwen skills, this Kung Pao is good enough to get by and occasionally impress someone. But unlike those torturous Mandarin classes, it’s way easier to comprehend and cook up. While most of the ingredients can easily be picked up at your local supermarket, we definitely recommend taking a trip to an Asian grocery store. You’ll be able to get cheap chili and sesame oil, chili-garlic sauce, and enough Chinese Rice Wine to last you until 2020. And now that your kitchen cabinet is full of these ingredients, you can attempt a more advanced dish, like fried or steamed dumplings. In the meantime, this Kung Pao Chicken will be the perfect dish for a weekday dinner.

Ingredients:

  • 2-3 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

Marinade:

  • 1 TBS soy sauce
  • 1 TBS Chinese rice wine
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 2 tsp chili oil
  • 1 tsp sambal oelek
  • 2 tsp corn starch

Sauce:

  • 2 TBS + 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 TBS + 1 tsp Chinese rice wine
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp chili oil
  • 1 tsp sambal oelek
  • 1 tsp corn starch

Other:

  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 red pepper, finely chopped
  • 1 tomato, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 TBS vegetable or canola oil
  • 6 dried chili peppers or 1 TBS of red chili flakes
  • 1/2 chopped peanuts (I don’t use, but you can)
  • 2 scallions, chopped for garnish

Directions:

  1. Cut chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes. Make the marinade, adding the corn starch last. Place chicken cubes into a plastic bag or container and pour marinade over. Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes. While chicken is marinating, make the sauce and chop the vegetables.
  2. Once chicken is finished marinating, heat your wok, cast iron pan, or skillet to medium-high heat. Add 2 TBS of oil and then drop the chicken in.
  3. Stir-fry the chicken until it’s about 80% cooked (3 minutes), set aside.
  4. Add the remaining 2 TBS oil and then add the garlic and chili peppers, cooking for 1 minute. Then add the onion, red pepper, tomato. Stir-fry until soft, about 5 minutes.
  5. Pour in the sauce, bring to a boil, and then add the chicken. Stir-fry everything for 3-4 minutes more adding in the peanuts during this time.
  6. The tomato will have cut the spice quite a bit and added some extra liquid, so feel free to drop a couple teaspoons of  chili oil and sesame oil in while you’re stir-frying.
  7. Serve in a bowl on top of white rice and garnish with chopped scallion. Add chili oil for extra heat.

Details: Serves 4. Makes great lunch leftovers.

To print the recipe, click here: Luke’s Kung Pao

Comforting, Simple Chicken Curry

On By lukephillaryhIn ExoticLeave a comment
chicken curry simple Meera Sodha recipe
Curry – get in mah belly!

Luke and I have many cooking aspirations of varying attainability. Bake our own bread (very attainable),  reattempt to cook coq au vin (somewhat attainable), start a goat farm  and make our own chèvre (less attainable).  Another farfetched dream of mine: starting a chain of Indian buffet restaurants.  Because what is better than endless chicken tikka masala, saag paneer, and samosas, all for $12.95?? In hopes of achieving this goal, Luke and I have been trying to master more Indian-ish recipes.  Some may challenge the authenticity of this curry recipe (see our Chickpea + Spinach “Curry” for another possibly questionable recipe).  But authentic or not, it is undeniably delicious and very easy to make, so long as you stock up on just a few essential Indian spices: cumin, turmeric, and garam masala (we also recommend investing in some paprika).

And if you’re interested in exploring more Indian recipes, check out Meera Sodha’s new cookbook Made in India, the source for this very comforting chicken curry.

Ingredients:

  • 2 TBS unsalted butter
  • 1 TBS neutral oil (ex. canola oil)
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds (or panch puran)
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 2 large onions, finely chopped
  • 1 2.5 inch piece ginger, peeled and grated or minced
  • 2 jalapeño peppers, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 cup pureed tomatoes
  • 2 TBS tomato paste
  • 1 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp tumeric
  • 3 TBS whole milk yogurt
  • 1 3/4 – 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • cayenne pepper, to taste

Directions

  1. Melt the butter in the oil in a large dutch over over medium heat.  When hot and shimmering, add the cumin seeds (or panch puran) and cinnamon sticks.  Cooking for 1-2 minutes, stirring often, then add onions.  Cook for about 15 minutes, until golden.
  2. Meanwhile, mash garlic, ginger, and jalapeños into a paste in a mortar and pestle, with a pinch of salt.* You can also do this with a knife on a cutting board.
  3. Add the paste to the onions and cook for 2 minutes or so.  Then pour in the pureed tomatoes and stir.  Add tomato paste, cumin, turmeric, and another pinch of salt (you can also add 1-2 tsp sugar for a little sweetness).  Stir to combine.
  4. Add the yogurt to the mixture, 1 TBS at a time, stirring in with a wooden spoon.  Let the mixture bubble and then add the chicken.  Lower heat, put the lid on and allow the curry to cook gently for about 30 minutes, until chicken is good through.  Add garam masala and cayenne pepper.

You can serve this curry with additional yogurt, naan, and/or basmati rice.  As lovers of samosas, we never pass up an excuse to get a couple from our Indian takeout place!  Always a tasty addition.

Details: Serves 4.

*Note 1: Safety advised when mashing up the garlic, ginger, and jalapeños! Click here for safety gear suggestions.

To print the recipe, click here: Comforting Chicken Curry

Chickpea + Spinach “Curry”

On By lukephillaryhIn Exotic2 Comments
chickpea spinach indian curry
Maybe not so authentic? But very tasty

When we first made this recipe, we felt pretty accomplished.  We made an Indian meal!  In under 45 minutes!  With *fresh* ginger and authentic spices!  But now, we supplement the meal with some legit curry and samosas from our favorite Indian takeout spot.  So this curry is not the most authentic, but it is a simple, delicious, and healthy weekday dinner meal.  And it makes excellent leftovers.

Ingredients:

  • olive oil – to coat skillet
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp fresh minced ginger
  • 2 tsp gram masala
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • additional (optional) spices: ground toasted fennel seed (1 tsp), coriander (1 tsp)
  • shake of red pepper flakes
  • two 14 oz can chopped tomatoes
  • 1-2 tsp sugar
  • 2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 1 can)
  • generous handfuls of spinach
  • squeeze of lemon

Directions:

  1. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat, add onions and cook until translucent, 4-5 minutes.
  2. Add garlic and ginger, cooking 1-2 minutes more.
  3. Add the spices, stirring so the onions are coated.  Cook 1-2 minutes more, until fragrant.
  4. Add chickpeas.  Stir to coat with spices.
  5. Add tomatoes and sugar.  Stir and bring to a boil.  Once at a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes.  If liquid is reducing too rapidly, cover.
  6. Add spinach, in batches, stirring into curry so spinach wilts.
  7. End with a squeeze of lemon and a garnish of cilantro.  Serve with rice, nan, a little yogurt if you’d like!

Details: Serves up to 4 people, or 2 with lots of leftovers (especially when you’re eating with some samosas, you’ll be very full!)

To print the recipe, click here: Chickpea + Spinach “Curry”