Waat Dan Fan (滑蛋飯) is one of my absolute all-time favorite down-home Cantonese dishes. The literal translation is Slippery Egg Rice. This version includes beef so it’s called Waat Dan Gnow Yuk Fan (滑蛋牛肉飯). Although it comes together quickly, it can be a little tricky to get the texture of the eggs right. Don’t let that put you off though, it is well worth it. It may take a couple of tries, as it did with me, but the return is HUGE. You will be rewarded with a homey, satisfying, tasty dish of stir-fried beef nestled in a pool of silky, scrambled-swirled eggs flavored with scallions and ginger. Soooooo good! 真好吃!
Don’t Slip Up on the Mise on Place
Everyone thinks stir-frying is quick and easy, although the cooking portion is quick, it’s the prep that takes time. Everything has to be ready for the stir-frying to look effortless. This dish is no egg-ception.
Slice and marinate your beef and put it in a bowl to the side. Note, the oil in the marinade goes in last AFTER the beef has sat for 15-20 minutes and absorbed the marinade.
Crack your eggs into a bowl and whisk them with a pinch of salt. Set it near the beef and close to the stove.
Slice your green onions and set them aside.
Have your 1/2 cup of stock to which you have added the sugar and salt along with the slurry of cornstarch and water ready.
Place the prepped ingredients next to the stove.
You’ll thank me
This is a classic Cantonese dish, the epitome of soul food. I love serving it in a bowl with a spoon. Looking for a vegetarian rift? Try Tomato & Egg Rice. Enjoy!
4ouncesFlank steak, flat iron or sirloin, thinly sliced
2largeeggscan use extra large or jumbo
1/2cupwater or chicken stock (low sodium)
2tbspsliced green onions
1/4tspsalt
1/4tspsugar
peanut oil
1tspcornstarch + 3 tbsp waterMIx in a small bowl and set aside
Mainade for Beef
1tbspsoy sauce
1/2tbspoyster sauce
1-2slicesfresh ginger, julienned
1tbspsugar
dash of white pepper
1tbspShaoxing wine
1tspcornstarch
1tbsppeanut or vegetable oil
3tbspwater
Serve over hot rice or rice noodles
2-3cupsof steamed white rice
Instructions
Slice the beef to 0.2 mm thick, add the marinade ingredients except for the oil, marinade for 20 minutes. As the beef sits it will absorb alot of the water. Add oil after the beef has sat. Set aside.
In a small bowl, beat eggs with a pinch of salt. Set aside.
Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat, add beef, stir-fry until it is no longer pink. Remove the beef and set aside. If beef has a lot of liquid, pour it into a strainer placed over a bowl to drain.
Pour the broth or water into the pan used to stir-fry the beef, add salt and sugar, and bring it to a boil.
Add the cornstarch water mix, and bring to a boil again. The mixture will thicken to a thin sauce consistency. Lower the heat to medium-low.
Pour the eggs into the sauce in a stream moving around the pan. Let it set a bit and then stir gently to allow eggs to continue to cook and set a bit more. It will still be very loose and the stock slurry will still be visible.
Add the beef and sliced scallions and cook for 30 seconds to one minute, stirring gently to blend the sauce and eggs. The mixture will be saucy.
Spoon cooked hot rice into shallow bowls large enough to hold 1-2 cups of rice. Pour the beef and egg mixture over the rice. Garnish with additional sliced scallions and cilantro. Serve immediately.
I LOVE fried rice. Posted on 3Jamigos are my favorites, my Dad’s Fried Rice and Kimchi Fried Rice. Until now, I was very content with these two recipes until…..I came across a video from Lucas Sin, chef/owner of Junzi’s Kitchen in New York/New Haven for Golden Fried Rice. Golden Fried Rice? Say what?
The key to this dish and why it is called Golden Fried Rice is uncooked egg yolks are mixed into the rice BEFORE cooking. The egg yolk surrounds each grain of rice, like a protective rain slicker. When the rice is cooked the grains stay separate, and take on this wonderful satiny loose texture and light golden hue. It’s nuanced but mind-blowing, and that’s coming from a fried rice freak.
Young Guns Breaking the Mold
I follow more than a couple of Asian-American chefs, cookbook authors, and bloggers on the scene now. I’m so impressed with not just their cooking but their ability to utilize social media and non-traditional avenues to highlight Asian cuisine. They have found ways to navigate and adapt to the pandemic. I’ve posted about many of these kids and their work.
The new guard includes Lucas Sin, Deuki Hong, Eric Kim, Brandon Jiu, Cynthia Chen McTiernan, Joy Cho… The old guard, who paved the way, include Roy Choi, David Chang, Eddie Huang, and Joanne Chang. They are not just making great food but highlighting social and environmental issues that impact all of us.
It has been a difficult time compounded by the anti-Asian sentiment in this country, it’s good to see Asian Americans use their platforms to support the community and bring to light many of the issues that folks of color, not just Asian American faces. I’m proud to be Asian-American. #veryasian
Going for the Gold-en
I don’t even need to do a rundown of the recipe if you watch this video! But I will.
Mise En Place is the name of the game.
Get all your ingredients prepped before you get near your stove. This holds true for any stir-fried dish. Make sure you have all your ingredients cut, and prepped, and your seasonings on hand. Stir-frying is that point of time where Scotty takes us into warp speed. So you better be ready to go.
Rules of the Game
After Mise En Place. Use a large, flat-bottomed pan to stir-fry. Face it, most of us don’t have stoves that generate enough BTUs to do real wok cooking, a flat-bottom maximizes the surface area in contact with your flame.
The very basic dish is rice, egg, and the flavor trinity of ginger, onions, and garlic. Oh, and of course, salt and peppa.
Add-itionally
Most people aren’t purists, at least not all of the time. Let’s talk adds. Anything goes with fried rice, any veggie, any protein, any condiment..it’s all good, which tells you just how perfect fried rice is. I am no exception, my favorite additions to fried rice are Lop Cheung (Chinese sausage), bbq pork, and shiitake mushrooms. All adds should be at least partially cooked before adding to the rice. Because you will add your options right before you plate the dish. Your fried rice is just about done and boom, hit it with diced veggies and protein, give it a minute or so of frying to heat everything through, and you’re done. That is unless you are adding sauce (catsup (my fav), hot sauce, XO Sauce, Buffalo Wing Sauce per Lucas) which you would add NOW.
Fried rice taken to a new level with the addition of egg yolks to the rice before it is cooked.
Course One dish meals, Rice
Cuisine Asian, Asian-American
Keyword eggs, Golden Fried Rice, Lucas Sin
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 7 minutesminutes
Servings 4servings
Ingredients
4cupschilled cooked short-grain white ricecan use long grain, preferably day-old rice
4large eggsyolks and whites separated
4Tbsp.vegetable oildivided, plus more for drizzling
Asian Trinity Plus
½small yellow or white onionfinely chopped
1 inchpiece gingerpeeled, finely chopped almost minced
3clovesgarlic finely chopped
4scallionswhite and pale green parts separated, finely chopped, dark green parts thinly sliced,
Flavor Adds
1tspKosher saltto taste
1tspsugarto taste
1/8tsptumericif you want to enhance the golden color of the rice, this is the trick
white pepperto taste
The Options: Sky's the Limit
1cupBbq pork, shiitake mushrooms, Chinese sausage, shrimp, peas, any diced vegetables-squash. Last night's roast chicken, diced. Any of these should be diced and at least partially cooked. This is your chance to clean out the fridge! Add right before the rice is done and stir fry any adds for a minute to heat and combine distribute evenly in the rice. To preserve the texture of the rice, your additions should not be too wet, which is also why you should use pre-partially cooked items..
Instructions
Separate egg yolks from whites, placing yolks in a medium bowl and whites in a small bowl. Add rice to bowl with yolks and mix to break up any clumps and coat each grain with yolks (take your time with this as any clumps will cook together); set aside.
Stir 2 Tbsp oil into egg whites and season lightly with salt. Heat a dry large nonstick skillet over high. Add egg white mixture and cook, pushing around constantly with chopsticks or a heatproof rubber spatula, until gently set, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate. Wipe out skillet if needed.
Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in skillet over medium-high. Add ginger, stirring, until very fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add yellow onion, season with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until onion is translucent, about 1 minute (remove from heat if onion starts to go past golden brown). Add reserved rice mixture, sprinkle with sugar, and season with salt. Toss to combine, then cook, undisturbed, until rice is beginning to warm and crisp underneath, about 1 minute.
Push some of the rice to the side to clear a few inches in skillet. Drizzle a bit of oil into the clearing. Add scallion white and pale green parts and garlic and cook, stirring, until just softened and fragrant, about 45 seconds. Toss into rice mixture and cook, tossing occasionally, until warmed through and rice is crisp and chewy, about 3 minutes. Return cooked egg whites to pan and cook, tossing and breaking up with spatula until distributed.
Now is when you would add extras...veggies, protein, and then condiments. Stir fry additional minute to combine and heat through.
Special Shout Out to my favorite: catsup or ketchup, add it now. Start with at least 2-3 tablespoons and then add to taste. Fry to heat and incorporate catsup throughout the rice.
Divide among plates and top with scallion greens.
Notes
Note in the video, Lucas mentions a 2:1 ratio of salt to sugar. I started with even amounts or a smidge more salt, taste, and season to your preference.This fried rice does not use soy sauce at all. Most likely due to the color impact of adding soy sauce. I grew up with fried rice that was coffee with a bit of milk color. My Dad used soy sauce in his rice, a trick he probably picked up from Chinatown chefs. A simple variation of fried rice starts with butter or rendered chicken fat with dark and light soy to color and flavor the rice...so, so yummy.
I created 3jamigos to chronicle our family’s food adventures, recipes, and stories, with my kids in mind. Back in my college days, I often called home to ask my dad how to make homestyle Cantonese dishes I grew up eating. Dishes like fuzzy melon soup, congee, and steamed pork patty, were the connection to my family, a sure-fire remedy to my homesickness. Things have come full circle, I’m now on the receiving end of the “how do you make…?”. When I come across a dish that is simple and delicious, and I think the kids would like this, I make a mental note to put it on 3jamigos.
Soul Food
The OG meal to cure homesickness! Corn Soup, stir-fried anything green, Steamed Pork Patty with Salted Eggs and Steamed Chicken with Chinese Sausage, and Mushrooms.
Soul food and comfort food for my family starts with Cantonese food (Roots, baby) but extends to other Asian cuisines. You are just as likely to find Bulgogi, Japchae, and Teriyakion our dinner table. My latest find, is a cookbook that speaks to the melting pot we are, A Common Table by Cynthia McTernan. Absolutely one of my favorites. It’s beautifully written, gorgeously photographed and contains delicious user-friendly recipes.
Along with Tofu Soup, this quick and easy, Stir-Fried Pork Belly with Bean Sprouts has become a family favorite. Adapted from Korean Bapsang, it is a quick meal on a busy weeknight. A couple of minutes of prepping and cooking is all it takes. Before you know it you’ll be sitting down to a bowl of steaming hot rice topped with a generous scoop of yummy pork and sprouts…yep, bowl food is soul food.
Check It Out Now-Sprout Soul Sistah
Slivers of pork belly stir-fried with bean sprouts, onions, and scallions. Seasoned with soy sauce and oyster sauce, it’s delicious and simple to make. Frying the pork in sesame oil and adding fresh Thai chili pepper slices to the dish, my contribution. Use thinly sliced pork butt or shoulder instead of pork belly if you like. Thinly sliced beef is also an option. IN A PINCH, use regular thick-sliced bacon. This would add that characteristic smoky flavor of bacon, which would be okay in my book 😉.
Sprouts
The only thing you need to know about the bean sprouts for this recipe…don’t overcook them! Keep them crunchy! That’s it, folks. Make sure you pick sprouts that are white and shiny, with a nice yellow tip. I also threw in a thinly sliced, de-seeded Serrano or Thai pepper, for a little spice.
Stir-fried pork belly and bean sprouts-Samgyupsal sukju bokkeum
A quick and easy stir fry of pork belly and bean sprouts.
Course Meat, One dish meals, Vegetable
Cuisine Asian, Korean
Keyword Pork Belly
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 10 minutesminutes
Ingredients
8ouncesthinly sliced/shaved pork bellyor other thinly sliced pork or beef
1tbspsesame oil
10ouncesbean sprouts
1/4medium onionthinly sliced
2teaspoonsminced garlic or 2 -3 plump garlic cloves
2-3 scallions or 2 ounces garlic chivescut into 1 inch segments, if they are large, cut in half lengthwise first
2tablespoonssoy sauce or oyster sauceUse 1 T of each
1teaspoonsugar
salt and pepper to taste
1fresh red chili pepper, deseeded and sliced thinly
Instructions
If you are using pork belly, cut each slice into 1 inch segments, for other meats thinly sliced into bite sized pieces
Give the bean sprouts a quick rinse, and drain. Thinly slice the onion, and cut the scallions (or garlic chives) into 2-inch pieces.
Heat a large pan over high heat. Add the sesame oil to the pan and then the pork, stir-fry quickly until no longer pink.
Add the onion and stir fry briefly 30 seconds. Add bean sprouts chili pepper (if using) and scallions, continue to stir fry until the bean sprouts have wilted slightly but are still crunchy.
Add the soy sauce and/or oyster sauce, garlic, sugar and pepper to taste. Stir-fry quickly. Season with salt to taste if necessary. Serve with a big bowl of rice (although this would go well with noods too). Enjoy!
Notes
You can find a variety of extra thin cut meats in your local Korean/Asian markets. If you want to thinly slice the meat yourself, freeze the meat until it's firm, but still sliceable. With a sharp knife, slice the meat as thin as you can.
I appreciate our backyard now more than ever as it has served as an escape during the quarantine. While it’s not very big and there aren’t any bells and whistles, we do have an umbrella, a table, and a grill. The essentials. The hubs strung lights for those warm summer evenings, and this has really added to the evening ambiance, it’s a nice escape. It’s amazing how just a mere 5 feet beyond my backdoor makes a world of difference. This refuge has made COVID quarantine a little easier to handle and I feel very fortunate.
Let’s Start At the Very Beginning
Banh Mi go time. We start by grilling some Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken, the recipe can be found here. Chicken marinated in lemongrass, fish sauce, shallots, garlic, and ginger, an explosion of flavors, delicious on its own and perfect for Banh Mi.
Classics
The marinade is a mash-up of recipes found in Mai Pham’s The Best of Vietnamese & Thai Cooking, and Nicole Routhier’s Foods of Vietnam. Nicole Routhier’s classic book was probably one of the first books published on Vietnamese cooking way back in the early ’90s, it’s a classic.
All the fixins’ for Banh Mi
The Bread: Light and crispy on the outside, soft and airy on the inside defines the French rolls used for Banh Mi . A crunchy exterior is imperative. A crusty baguette might be your best option or a 12″ hero sammie roll. Bake it in the oven for a couple of minutes to get the outside nice and crisp. Or if you are like me, you will drive to the Vietnamese Grocery store to buy the rolls.
Mayonnaise: Best Foods of course or for a sweeter mayo, Japanese Kewpie mayo. Slather both sides of the roll. Not a mayo fan? Use BUTTER, which is the OG spread for these sammies.
Hot Sauce: Don’t have Jalapenos? Want additional heat? Squirt some Siracha on your roll.
Maggi Sauce: According to Andrea Nguyen, this is a must-have on a Bahn Mi. Sprinkle on both sides of the roll. In a pinch, you could use soy sauce.
Grilled Chicken: Sliced and layered on bread. You could use pork (traditional), meatballs, ham, char siu, whatever protein you like. It’s your sammie.
Pickled Daikon (radish) and Carrots: I love the pickled veggies! Sweet, tart, and refreshing. I adapted a quick pickle recipe from NYT and Melissa Clark. The classic ratio of carrots to daikon is 2:1, adjust to your liking. The recipe is below.
Cucumbers: Sliced, added crunch and so refreshing, crazy for cucumbers.
Herbs: Pile on the aromatics, basil, mint, cilantro, sliced jalapenos, thinly sliced red onions.
The veggies and herbs really take this sandwich to another level. My first Banh Mi was a revelation, been eating them ever since. Enjoy!
Options: If you gotta have it, choose a mild Pate, chicken, or pork and spreadable. A recommended pate’ is by Flower, Pork Liver Pate in a can from Canada.
From Munchies: Andrea Nguyen making her version of Banh Mi
In a bowl, toss together the carrots, daikon, vinegar, sugar and salt and let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
Notes
Melissa Clark's original recipe calls for 3/4 cup carrots, 1/2 cup daikon (radish) and 3/4 cup thinly sliced cucumbers. I increased the carrots and daikon to pickle and used fresh-cut cucumbers on the Banh Mi. Your choice.
I am the happy owner of Anyday Cookware, a set of bowls designed for the microwave. A podcast junkie, I am hooked on “All Things Chang”. That is Dave Chang, chef, restauranteur, face, and creator of the Momofuku Empire. He has waxed poetically about microwave cooking and I figure if it is good enough for him…why not?
What I really wanted to do was adapt well-loved dishes to the microwave. Lucky me, dishes that I normally steam, microwave beautifully. Bonus, not only is the cooking time shortened, but the process is simplified. No messing with steamer racks, or a large wok or pan to steam in. You cook in the same bowl you use to prep the dish. How cool is that? If you hate washing dishes like me, this is a HUGE.
I adapted a recipe from the site Made with Lau. Inspired to archive his chef father’s cooking, Randy Lau created Made with Lau featuring videos of his chef-father cooking classic Chinese dishes, in particular Cantonese dishes.
The Lowedown on Lau
His are the dishes of my childhood. The videos are easy to follow and more importantly, the recipes work. His father speaks in Cantonese, so I get to brush up on my Chinese skills, while learning how to make a great dish, win-win! My family is from the same region in China and listening to him feels like being home with my grandparents, aunties, and uncles. Randy does a yeoman’s job translating his Dad’s cooking wisdom and his recipes into English.
The Wrap
After each cooking session, the family gathers around the table to enjoy the fruits of Daddy Lau’s labor. They give the background and history of the dish and additional cooking tips. It is the perfect way to round out each segment. Made with Lau is a gem and I hope you check out their site.
The Dish
Black Bean Spareribs is a family favorite which until now, we only have when we are out for Dim Sum. The spareribs are steamed with chilis, fermented black beans, which have lots of umami, and seasonings. As soon as Made with Lau posted the video recipe I jumped at the chance to try it. My biggest deviation was cooking it in the microwave instead of steaming. Worked like a charm.
Use pork spareribs cut into bite-size pieces or you can cheat and use boneless pieces of pork. Both are equally tasty. Chinese markets carry ribs cut into 1-inch segments so if you are close to an Asian market go for it…don’t cut them yourself. It’s a lot of trouble and invariably you will have shards of bone in the cut ribs-no fun. For boneless, use pork belly or pork butt for this dish. It shouldn’t be too lean, the fat contributes both flavor and tenderness to the dish.
Fermented black beans can be found in Chinese grocery stores. Salted and fermented black soybeans are pungent and full of umami. A little goes a long way but it does keep well in the fridge. There is a black bean sauce in a jar that might be a suitable sub, you would need to adjust for salt and some of the seasonings. I haven’t tried it yet.
This is Cantonese soul food. Serve with steaming bowls of rice and a green veggie dish like stir-fried pea sprouts.
Cantonese dish generally served at teahouse for Dim Sum. Microwaved instead of steamed! Fast, easy and delicious.
Course dim sum, Main Course, Muffins
Cuisine Asian
Keyword Black beans spareribs, Cantonese cooking, dim sum, steamed pork with black beans
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 10 minutesminutes
Ingredients
1lbspare ribs (baby back ribs)cut into 1-1.5 inch pieces or sub 1 lb. pork belly or pork butt cut into bite-sized pieces.
1tbspcornstarchfor rinsing ribs
Bowl 1
0.50tbsplight soy sauce
1tbspoyster sauce
1/2tbspShaoxing wine
1/4tspsalt
1tspsugar
1-2 tbspwater or low sodium chicken stockAdd if using microwave to cook
Bowl 2
1tspdried mandarin orange peeloptional, small thumbnail sized piece
1clovegarlicminced
1tspgingerminced
Bowl-3
1tbspfermented dried black beansrinsed and dried, smooshed
1tspsesame oil
1tbspcornstarchfor pork
0.50tspvegetable oil
Garnish
red chili pepper, deseeded and deveineda few slices, optional
2green onionssliced
Instructions
Place our fermented black beans in a bowl, and rinse them under running water for 15-20 seconds. Gently massage the beans as you do this. Drain the water, and set the bowl aside to let the beans rehydrate for a couple of minutes then smoosh them with the back of a spoon. Set asideSoak orange peel in warm water, set aside for 10-15 min. Once soft, dice.
Slice red chili pepper and green onions. Set aside
Rinse and dry ribs and place in bowl. Add cornstarch to the ribs, and massage the ribs around to evenly mix the cornstarch around the surface of each rib.
Rinse the ribs in running water for 1 to 2 minutes, massaging the ribs as you go. Pour out all of the water, and press and squeeze the ribs against a colander to get rid of excess water.
Wrap the ribs in a thick paper towel, pressing and patting to absorb moisture.
Place ribs in a large microwavable bowl. Make marinade.
Combine salt, sugar, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine in a small bowl. Mince garlic, ginger, orange peel, and add to a second bowl.
Add soy mixture and ginger-garlic mixture to bowl of ribs. Mix and massage the bowl of ribs well. Approximately 45-60 seconds to blend.
Add black beans to the bowl of ribs, mix well.
Add sesame oil and cornstarch. Mix the ribs to evenly coat each rib with cornstarch. Spread out evenly in bowl. Sprinkle chilis on top and drizzle with remaining 1/2 tbsp of oil. Cover with lid, open the vent on lid if it has one, or leave lid slightly ajar on bowl.
Microwave on full strength for 5 minutes. Remove, careful it's hot and stir mixture. If it seems dry or the sauce is too thick add 1-2 tablespoons of water or stock. Scatter green onions on top. Place lid back on and microwave for anouther4-5 minutes.
Remove from microwave and allow to stand for 30-60 seconds. Serve with lots of rice.
Notes
Heat wok on stove, placing a steamer rack in the center of the wok. Add enough boiled water so that it just barely covers the entire steamer rack. Transfer the ribs into the plate you'll be steaming with, being careful not to let any ribs be covered by one another. Add the chili pepper slices, and pour vegetable oil on the ribs.Cover the wok, set the stove to its highest heat setting, and steam the spare ribs for 20 minutes.After 20 minutes, turn the heat off, uncover the wok, garnish with the green onions and serve.
One of our favorite lunch outings is going for Dim Sum or Yum Cha. Dim Sum refers to the dazzling array of bite-size dumplings and morsels while Yum Cha means to drink tea. Yum Cha is a uniquely Chinese experience. In the good old days (pre-COVID), after being seated (after an interminable wait), a procession of carts appear and snake their way around the tables. Each cart holds steamer baskets of dumplings, plates of fried dumplings and egg tarts, chicken feet, black bean spareribs, noodles, and greens.
Let the games begin.
Start by waving your hand to get their attention and then point to the dishes you want. A running tab is kept, stamped for each dish placed on the table. Which, if you have hearty eaters, can run as much as going out for sushi!
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong
In the sweepstakes of little dishes that end up on our table when we go for Dim Sum, Cheung Fun or Rice Noodle Roll is an automatic ticket punch. The noodles have a soft, silky, smooth, texture and are neutral in flavor. This lends itself well to a variety of fillings like shrimp, bbq pork, or minced beef, and sauces. Filled noodle rolls are topped with a sweet, salty soy sauce while rice rolls without fillings are topped with sesame or Hoisin-based sauce (my favorite). These are known as Chee Cheung Fun (猪肠粉). (Funny story, the literal translation is Pig Intestine Noodle owing to their resemblance to said pork anatomy).
Never in a zillion years would I have thought of making Cheung Fun at home UNTIL I came across a recipe to make the noodles in the microwave. I was sold.
Game ON
The first hurdle is the ingredients. The rice noodle batter is a combination of:
Rice flour-plain rice flour NOT glutinous or sweet rice flour! Bob’s Red Mill at Whole Foods or Asian stores will have rice flour
Tapioca starch– also known as tapioca flour (I know, confusing!), derived from the starchy pulp of the cassava root. Used as a thickening agent like cornstarch.
Potato starch– is made from just the starch grains of potato and is NOT the same as potato flour which is cooked whole potatoes, that are dried and ground into flour. Potato starch is used as a thickener like cornstarch. It is used in gluten-free flour blends to provide texture and structure (straight from Bob’s Red Mill site, lol). Bob’s Red Mill sells potato starch as does most Asian markets.
No wheat products…gluten-free, ta-da!
This is How We Roll
Having Some “FUN”
Combine the flour and starches in a mixing bowl, add liquid, stir…dunzo. How easy is that?
The batter has a thin consistency and the starch and water will separate as it sits. Stir or whisk the batter well before pouring it into the cooking dish. I used two microwavable dishes to make the noods. A rectangular 9×6 glass pyrex dish and the shallow round Cook Anyday Microwave-ware bowl. The rectangular dish is the perfect shape to make rolls but doesn’t have a vented lid. You can use the plastic lid but keep it ajar when cooking to allow moisture to escape.
Lightly oil the bottom and 1/4 inch up the sides of your dish to prevent sticking. Brush the dish as needed, you may need to each time you make a roll. Pour about 1/3 cup of batter into the 9×6 dish ( a little less for the round bowl) to create a thin layer on the bottom. The round bowl needed only a generous 1/4 cup to cover the bottom of the bowl.
Microwave Magic
Place vented lid on top and microwave at full strength for 2 min and 10 seconds. My microwave is small and rated at 700 watts, you will need to find your microwave wattage and adjust accordingly either reducing the power or shortening the cooking time on a more powerful microwave. If your microwave has a turntable, use it. I found the noodles cooked more evenly when using the turntable. The noodle is done when it looks translucent and has some bubbles. Cracks in the cooked noodle are caused by either overcooking or using too much batter. Remove from the microwave and place in a cold water bath to cool. It will only need a couple of minutes but makes it much easier to roll.
Using a spatula or dough scraper, start on one edge and lift and roll the sheet to make a roll. For filled rolls, scatter filling on one side of noodle, lift noodle, and roll to cover the filling. The noodle is pretty forgiving so just push, roll. Don’t worry, the rolling hides a lot of imperfections. A bench scraper is the perfect size for the rectangular Pyrex dish, score another point for the Pyrex pan.
The Bling, Fillings and Toppings
Rice noodles are neutral in flavor so it is the perfect foil for lots of different fillings and sauces. Favorite fillings include barbecue pork, shrimp, or a medley of fried egg, Chinese pickles, green onions, cilantro, and bbq pork. Use your imagination, leftover roast duck, roast pork, or go vegetarian, sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions, corn, the possibilities are unlimited. I have added SPAM in a pinch! Top rolls with a sweet soy sauce, don’t skip it, you could add some chili oil, that’s copasetic. For a little crunch, I top the rolls with fried shallots or onions, totally optional.
Ji Cheung Fun is my favorite rice noodle roll. Roll the noodle into a cylinder since Ji Cheung Fun does not have a filling. Top with sauces, Peanut Sauce, and Hoisin Sauce, a play on sweet and salty flavors. Sprinkle peanuts or sesame seeds on top to add a nice crunch. I also hit it with Chili Crunch Oil…BAM, straight to Yumsville.
Comfort Finale
I rolled my last noodles intending to make a plate of Ji Cheung Fun but I really wasn’t in the mood for it. Instead, I had soup noodles on the brain, so I cut each roll into 1/2 inch wide noodles, placed them in a bowl, and turned my attention to the soup. Luckily, I had heirloom tomatoes from the market, a little bit of beef, and a couple of eggs in the fridge. A warm bowl of Tomato Egg Drop Soupwith Rice Noodles was ready in minutes and hit the spot.
A favorite dim sum dish, steamed rice noodles filled with bbq pork, shrimp or minced beef, served with sweet soy sauce. Made easy in the microwave!
Course Appetizer, dim sum, Side Dish
Cuisine Asian
Keyword Cantonese cooking, Cheung fun, dim sum, ji cheung fun, microwave, rice noodles
Prep Time 45 minutesminutes
Cook Time 3 minutesminutes
Ingredients
Batter
1cuprice flour140g
1/2cuppotato starch90g
1/2cuptapioca starch/flour70g
1tablespoonsugar
1/2teaspoonsalt
1tablespooncanola or vegetable oilplus more for brushing
2cupsroom temperature water470ml
2cupsjust boiled water470ml
Adds-ins
3tablespoonsthinly sliced scallions
3tablespoonschopped cilantro
Toppings
red pepper flakes
toasted sesame seeds
chili oil
Sweetened Cheung Fun Soy Sauce
2-2.5Tbsp light soy sauce adjust to taste
1/4cupwater
1½ tsp sugar
¼ tsp chicken powder
¼ tsp sesame oil
Hoisin Sauce
0.5Tregular soy sauce or dark soyreduce agave to 1/2 t if using dark soy
1.5THoisin Sauce
0.5TSesame oil
1-2Twater
1tAgave syrup or sugar
Peanut Sauce
1tbsppeanut butter1 generous tablespoon
2Twater
1/2tagave or sugar
1/2tsesame oil or chili sesame oil
Cheong Fun Sauce Simplified (variation of Sweetened Cheung Fun Soy Sauce)
1/2cuphot water
2tablespoonssugar
3tablespoonssoy sauce
1/2teaspoonsesame oil.
Instructions
Batter
Whisk together all the flours, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and 2 cups of room temperature water to the batter and stir to combine. Some of the flour will clump up. Don’t worry–keep stirring and the flour will loosen eventually.
Gradually add the boiled water to the batter. Pour the water in a steady stream with one hand and stir the batter with the other hand. Place a towel underneath the bowl to steady it while you pour and stir.
Set the batter aside. The flour will settle to the bottom in just a few minutes. Make sure to stir the batter before each time you are ready to pour a sheet of cheung fun.
MIcrowave directions:
1 9x6 or 8x8 glass pyrex dish
Rectangular Pyrex ~9x6 glass container, 8x8 glass container or Large shallow Cook Anyday Bowl
Brush bottom and 1/4 inch up sides of glass container or pan with vegetable oil. Stir batter and pour approximately 1/3 cup of batter into Pyrex pan. Loosely cover with lid. Place in microwave and set time for 2 minutes and 10 seconds, full power. (For reference microwave I have is ~700 watts, the low end of power for a microwave)
Set up a pan with cold water large enough to fit Pyrex container you are using to microwave.
When cooking is complete, remove from microwave and immediately place in pan of cold water. Allow pan to sit for a couple of minutes to cool. The rice noodle sheet should look transparent with a couple of bubbles. If there are opaque spots where it still looks white, microwave for additional 15-20 seconds.
Remove container from water bath. Using a bench scraper, run it around the edge of the noodle to loosen. Starting from the edge (short or long) nearest to you, use a bench scraper or spatula, lift and roll the rice noodle away from you. Keep lifting and rolling. Divide the rice noodle roll in to the length desired. For Ji Cheung Fun the pieces are approximately 2 to 2.5 inches in length.
For filled Cheung Fun: Pour batter into dish, scatter a line of filling at about 1/3 line of batter in the pan , from the edge you will begin to roll. See video.
Fillings
Go crazy, rice noodles are very neutral and will compliment almost anything you pair with it.
Have approximately 1/2 pound of filling for this recipe. But if you come up short, make non-filled noods, cut them up for nice big bowl soup.
Shrimp
Use medium sized shrimp, peel and deveined. Toss the cleaned shrimp with 2 tablespoons water, 1/2 teaspoon sugar and 1/8 teaspoon baking soda. After the shrimp have been coated, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. After 2 hours, rinse the shrimp under a gentle stream of cold running water for 5 minutes to wash away the sugar and baking soda and pat thoroughly dry with a paper towel. This step is sort of optional. The texture is greatly improved but your prep time is increased. But, if you want snappy shrimp-just do it. This is from Woks of Life, boss site.
Marinate the shrimp with 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil, a pinch of salt, 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch, and 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper. Cover and return to the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Pre-cook your shrimp so they will be ready when you make your noods. Lay the shrimp out in a single layer in a microwaveble dish, the shallow Anyday Bowl works, cover and microwave on full power for 4 - 5 minutes until the shrimp are opague, pink and cooked through. AS always, adjust time for your microwave. These numbers are for my 700 watt Spacesaver, adjust accordingly.
Other stuff
BBQ Pork- Dice or julienne. You can mix in green onions if you like.
Dried Shrimp, found in Asian grocery stores, soak to soften before using.
Shiitake mushrooms Use dried or fresh. Rehydrate dried and dice. Fresh shiitakes should be seasoned sitr fried.
Egg-Straight from wathching the Joe's Rice Roll Video. Scramble an egg and use with the batter. Add 1 -2 tablespoons of egg after pouring batter into pan. Nice effect and great with bbq pork and green onions!
One of my favorite dishes, when we are out for dim sum, is Hong Kong Style Chow Mein or Soy Sauce Fried Noodles (豉油王炒麵). This is Cantonese soul food. Thin egg noodles fried with onions, scallions, and bean sprouts. It is deceptively simple. How does a dish with so few ingredients, taste so good? It’s the balance, skinny noodles dry-fried to retain their chew and texture; stir-fried onions for sweetness and texture, scallions for flavor and color, and last but not least, bean sprouts for textural crunch. There aren’t any big pieces of meat or greens that disrupt the balance of the dish. Everything is julienned or in slivers to compliment the noodles.
Like Yin and Yang, balanced and harmonious. It flies under the radar due to its simplicity and is the perfect side dish. These noodles are your bestie, your essential wingman, Goose to Maverick.
The seasonings are few, soy sauce, oyster sauce, a bit of sugar for balance, and that’s pretty much it. This means, start with great sauces, ones you like. My favorites? LKK oyster sauce, it is my go-to brand (Woman and Little Boy in a Boat). It’s the only oyster sauce I have in my pantry.
Soy Sauces are a different matter, there are so many. Different in style, use, and taste. Literally, I have over 12 different soy sauces, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese, and even Hawaiian.
SOY, Let’s Break It Down
In Cantonese cuisine, the dark soy sauce is actually not as salty as light soy sauce. Sugar or molasses is added to the base sauce for flavor, color and to balance the saltiness. It is used during marinating or cooking. Light Soy Sauce, is the first press of soybeans and is salty. It is the go-to sauce, to marinade, cook, and to use on the table, like salt. The soy sauce found on the table in Chinese restaurants is light soy sauce or often Kikkoman, which falls between light and dark soy sauce. A good all-purpose soy sauce. Koon Chun, a Hong Kong legacy company makes wonderful Light and Dark Soy Sauces (My Dad’s favorite)
For these noodles, it’s imperative you use soy sauces you like since it is a predominant flavor ingredient. This dish requires 2 different soy sauces, light soy (shēng chōu, 生抽) and dark soy (Lǎo chōu, 老抽). The literal translation is “new sauce” for light soy and “old sauce” for dark soy. The dark and light soy is most prevalent in Canton, southeast China (ME!).
My favorites for this dish are Pearl River Bridge Light Soy Sauce and LKK Dark Soy Sauce. A great alternative is Korean Soy Sauce. I would use Sempio 701 which has a briny, rich, savory taste with a hint of sweetness. The Soup Soy seen in the picture (end left) is light soy and used mainly when making soup. It provides salt and umami without coloring your stocks. I use Aloha Soy Sauce for my marinades for bbq and any Hawaiian recipe (I have lots, love Hawaiian food-onolicious)
The NOODS
The other half of the equation is the noodles in this dish, so pick the right one!
Choose noodles that are THIN, ie. Cantonese style or Hong Kong-style noodles. Preferably egg noodles. Fresh or dry (I like fresh), I repeat THIN noodles. Look for Fresh Steamed, or fresh Hong Kong or Cantonese-style noodles.
Don’t follow the cooking directions! You want to undercook these noodles so they don’t break or get mushy when frying.
To ensure you don’t overcook the noodles. Separate the noodles and place them in a colander over the sink. Pour boiling water over the noodles and let them drain and dry. Voila noodles ready for pan-frying. Alternatively, put the noodles in boiling water for no more than 30 seconds after it comes to a boil. Remove and drain well.
Better to undercook your noodles!!! Made with Lauhas a great video for making Hong Kong Style Noodles. This recipe is essentially his with a couple of tweaks and notes. Great site for down home Cantonese food from a pro!
Once the wok is hot, add 1 tablespoon oil to pan, add noodles. On high heat, keep moving the noodles around to dry and crisp the noodles. Stir fry for 2 0r 3 minutes. Then flip the noodles over (big flip), drizzle another tablespoon of oil down the side of the wok or pan. Continue to fry and move the noodles around. The goal is a mix of both crisp and soft noodles. Add sprouts and onions to the wok and fry until heated through and a bit wilted. You want the sprouts to retain their crunch. Alternatively, you could quick-fry the green onions and sprouts separately and add them to the noodles with the yellow onions and scallion roots. If you really like the vegetables to stay crisp, fry the noodles and add sauce mixture before adding the vegetables.
These are my favorite, a classic, Soy Sauce Fried Noodles!
Classic noodle dish found in Dim Sum restaurants and Chinese delis. Simplicity perfected
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Asian
Keyword Hong Kong style Noodles, Stir-fried Noodles
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 10 minutesminutes
Ingredients
16ozHong Kong style pan fried noodles unsteamed or steamedI’m lazy I get steamed
1/2yellow onioncut into thin slices, lengthwise
5stalks green onion (or Chinese Chives)Cut into 1.5 inch pieces and then julienned.
6-8ozbean sproutsWashed and drained
3tbsppeanut oilor vegetable oil of choice
Sauce
1.5tbspdark soy sauce
1.5tbsplight soy sauce
1.5tbspoyster sauce
0.5tbspshaoxing wine
2tspsugar
1tbspwater
1tspsesame oilto taste
Instructions
Prep Noodles
Steam noodles, drain, cool. Please DON’T over cook your noodles!!! This is the takeaway.
For fresh, steamed noodles, bring pot of water to a boil. Drop in noodles (separated), bring the water back to a boil and take them out-pronto! Leave them in colander to drain and dry out a little.
If you're using dried noodles, cook according to the package's instructions, erring on the more al-dente side, and rinse with cold water afterwards to stop the cooking. Drain well.
Veggies
Cut green onions into about 1.5 inch pieces. Separate the light and the green sections. The light part will be cooked first with the yellow onion.
Cut yellow onion in half, and julienne half (thinly slice lengthwise)
Rinse and drain bean sprouts
Sauce
Combine soy sauces, oyster sauce, sugar, and water in a bowl, stir until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
Frying Time
On high, heat wok, to around 350-400°F, basically smokin hot.
When the wok is hot, add oil (1 tbsp) and heat to 350-400°F. The oil should be "shimmering" - rippling, but not smoking. If it's smoking, the wok is too hot. Little wisps of smoke is okay.
Saute’ green onion whites and onions for about 1 minute and reserve.
Heat the wok again and add 1 T oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add the noodles.
Move the noodles around the pan gently. DO NOT flip them yet, move the noodles around so parts get crispy. Cook for about 3 minutes moving the noodles carefully.
Turn the top noodles over so the noodles are on the bottom, add 1 T oil along the perimeter of the pan to help develop a nice crisp. Let the noodles cook on this side for another 3 minutes, occasionally prodding and moving the noodles.
The noodles will not stick to the pan if they are not overcooked. Lifting the noodles as you fry helps release moisture.
Add bean sprouts and stir fry for 30-45 seconds. Use tongs or cooking chopsticks to help you move the noodles around. Place the noodles over the sprouts to help cook them. Better to undercook sprouts, you want to retain their crunch!
Add sautéed onion-green onion mixture and mix to incorporate and heat onions. No more than a minute.
Add sauce by pouring it in a steady stream all over the noodles and vegetables. Keep moving and lifting the noodles to coat with sauce and release any extra moisture.
Add sesame oil and continue to mix and separate the noodles for another 1-2 minutes. If the noodles seem to be getting a bit soft, take them off the heat. The oil does not need to cook.
Taste the noodles, season with salt and dark soy if the noodles are not dark enough. Add white pepper if you like.
Garnish julienned green onion shreds. Serve immediately.
Originally this post was going to just be about the latest Korean craze, Mayak Eggs (마약계란). Tik Toks, Reels, IG Stories, folks “egging” everyone on to try Mayak Eggs. The eggs are cooked Ramen Style (we’ll get into that later) and soaked in a bath of soy sauce, sweetener, chilis, garlic, and green onions. Yep, pretty darn tasty, a flavor explosion of sweet, salty, spicy, and garlicky.
Egg-a-Licious
Ramen Style eggs are cooked in a pretty specific way. Bring water to a boil and carefully drop your eggs in the boiling water. Let them boil for 6 minutes before immediately plunging them into an ice bath to stop the cooking. The end result is a soft-boiled egg, where the egg white is cooked through but still tender and the yolk is just beginning to set around the edges. The center of the yolk is oozy, unctuous, and scrumptious, perfect in a bowl of ramen.
I have a confession to make…
I didn’t cook my Mayak Eggs this way. A couple of years ago, (you all know I LOVE kitchen gadgets right? Donut pan, meat grinder, Instant Pot….) I bought an egg cooker. Yep, a good for only one thing gadget, cooking eggs. So I used it for my Mayak Eggs.
Well, I am not going to tell you to go buy an egg-cooker (don’t do it) so I needed to make Six Minute Ramen Eggs for myself. I still had Mayak Eggs in the fridge so I decided to make Dave Chang’s Momofuku Ramen Eggs. His recipe was part of Food52’s 10 all-time favs, so this was an easy call.
6 Things You Need to Know
Both these recipes are incredibly EASY.
Both are riffs on a soy sauce-based brine to flavor the eggs
Plan to make them in advance as the eggs need to sit in the brines for awhile
Mayak means drug in Korean. Yes, they are addicting-that good
The longer the eggs are left in the brine the more color and flavor they will absorb
I saved the best for the last…
The hardest, most frustrating THING will be peeling those damn eggs!
Key points before the deep dive into the unappealing task of peeling.
Do You Mayak?
The sauce for the Mayak Eggs is delicious on rice or noodles. The soy sauce and sweetener (you can use corn syrup, rice syrup, or honey) balance each other so it is okay to leave the eggs in the brine/sauce to store. The aromatics, garlic, chilis, scallions pump up the flavors in the sauce and take the eggs to a whole new level. Absolutely delish. Mayak Eggs can be served as a banchan (side dish) or as a topping on a bowl of rice (my fav) or noodles. I tossed one in my bowl of Congee, along with a splash of the sauce this morning. Delicious.
For less spicy eggs, de-seed and/or de-vein the chilis or reduce the number of chilis. You can definitely play with this sauce and make it your own. Add a little fish sauce for a briny flavor or a Ponzu instead for citrus notes. Go crazy, it’s all good.
Dave is a Good Egg
Momofuku Eggs are closer to a traditional ramen egg. Not only great with ramen or Udon, but also delicious as part of a rice bowl like Taiwanese Pork Belly Rice Bowl or Buta no Kakuni (Japanese Pork Belly)or Simple Minced Pork Bowl. The brine is salty. Marinade your eggs for no more than 4 hours and use a low-sodium soy sauce. Once made, the eggs can be stored sans sauce in an airtight container. For a sweeter egg, add another tablespoon of sugar.
It’s the Big Egg…Here’s the Hard Part…Peeling
The goal is to end up with a smooth, pristine, beautiful egg…after peeling it. The eggs are a little softer than a hard-boiled egg adding another layer of difficulty. Peeling without leaving little divots in the eggs, not an easy task.
Boil enough water such that the water level is one inch over the eggs.
Add 1 tablespoon vinegar and 1 teaspoon salt to the water. ( I see just as many recipes that don’t include this-optional)
When the water comes to a boil, carefully lower the eggs into it.
For the first minute of boiling, stir the eggs around the pot, this helps center the yolk.
Boil (not crazy boil, gentle rolling boil) for 6 minutes for a runny yolk, an additional minute for a jammy egg.
Have an ice bath ready to transfer the eggs into.
Allow eggs to cool for 5 minutes in the ice bath.
Crack the eggshell by tapping on it with a spoon. Carefully peel the eggshell off along with the membrane between the shell and egg. It helps to peel the egg in water or under running water.
Invert your teaspoon so the bottom is facing you, and slide it under the eggshell and membrane, lift the spoon to separate the shell from the egg.
Rinse any shell fragments off eggs and place them in brine. Done!
1/2cupsoy sauce I use Sempio 701 Soy Sauce for this dish
1/2cupwater
1/2cuprice syrupcorn syrup or honey
3garlic cloveschopped
3 to 4green onionschopped
1green chilichopped (optional)
1red chilichopped (optional)
1tbspsesame seeds
Instructions
Cookin Da Eggs
Heat enough water to cover 6 eggs by 1 inch in a pot. Add salt and vinegar and bring it to a rolling boil. Using a slotted spoon add eggs to water. Cook the eggs for 6 minutes for runny yolk or up to 10 minutes (Nooo, don't do it!) for hard-boiled eggs. While eggs are cooking, make a water bath of ice and water in a medium-size bowl. When the eggs are done, Immediately transfer them to the ice water bath. Cool for 5-7 minutes before peeling.
Da Sauce (marinade)
Combine soy, water, and sweetener and stir to blend. Add garlic, green onions, chilies and sesame seeds, stir.
Peel the eggs carefully without damaging them (easier said than done) and place in an air-tight container. Pour the sauce mixture over the eggs, cover and store in a refrigerator for at least 6 hours to overnight before serving.
It will last 5 to 7 days in fridge!
Drizzle with sesame oil! Serve with hot steamed rice.
Momofuku 6-minute eggs perfect topping on ramen or by itself as a snack
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Asian
Keyword egg, ramen egg
Prep Time 5 minutesminutes
Ingredients
6tablespoonswarm water
1tablespoonsugaraddtional tablespoon for a sweeter egg
2tablespoonssherry vinegar
3/4cupsoy saucelow-sodium or Tamari
4-6large eggs
Instructions
In a medium bowl, whisk together the water and sugar to dissolve the sugar, then stir in the sherry vinegar and soy sauce.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Carefully put the eggs into the boiling water and cook for exactly 6 minutes and 50 seconds, stirring slowly for the first 1 minute. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with cold water and ice. When the eggs are done, transfer them to the ice bath.
Once the eggs are cool, (5-7 minutes) peel them in the water. See notes above.
Transfer the eggs to the soy sauce mixture and marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours and up to 4 hours, making sure they are completely submerged or occasionally rotate eggs.
Remove the eggs from the sweet and salty marinade. You can save the soy sauce mix for another round of eggs, if you wish. Refrigerate eggs in a tightly sealed container.
That’s a WRAP! Manduvision (Homemade Dumpling Wrappers)
I cannot tell a lie. Most of the time, (we are talking 99.99 percent of the time) we use commercially available wrappers when making dumplings. Wrappers can be found in most Asian stores and your larger supermarkets. Asian markets will have a plethora of choices, you will have to sift through the different kinds of wrappers by shape- round versus square, thickness-depends on what dumpling you are making, and by brands. At non-Asian markets, I have seen Dynasty, Azumaya, and Nasoya. I would go with Nasoya (potsticker) and Dynasty (wonton) first.
Whichever brand is available, do the test. Pick up a package and bend the wrappers at a corner. They should separate and not break. This is a freshness test. If they break, put them back, go home and make your own…really.
That’s A Wrap
At Asian markets, there is no shortage of wrappers to choose from. Choose round wrappers for mandu and potstickers. For mandu I would use a medium thickness, generally labeled as dumpling wrappers. Potsticker wrappers are thicker, good for frying and then steaming but too thick for soup dumplings. I tend to stay away from potsticker wrappers, they are super thick.
Wonton wrappers are square and come in different degrees of thickness. From pretty darn thick to Hong Kong-style which is extra thin. My preference is Hong Kong Noodle Co. Thin Wraps. Not too thin, not too thick, just right. Great for soup or fried wontons.
Yep, my go-to wrappers. But do the freshness test on these too cause you just never know.
But I Digress
This post is supposed to be out making your OWN dumpling wrappers. It’s pretty easy, it might take a little practice to get them right and to get speedy. But doesn’t everything worth doing take practice? I’ll be candid, probably not making my own wonton wrappers, the commercial ones are bomb. But potstickers and mandu? You betcha.
YES, You Can!
I perused some of my favorite sites and decided to try a recipe that used AP flour, potato starch, salt and water. That’s it. Alot of recipes call for just flour, water and salt. I wanted to see if the potato starch texturally made a difference, I think it adds a bit of chew and tenderness to the wrapper. Nothing scientific to my conclusion but I can say the wrapper is delicious and just what I was looking for.
Super easy to put together. This is a hot water dough, which helps speed up the process. Throw the dry ingredients in a large bowl, stir to combine, and then add the hot water. Use a dough whisk or wooden spoon to stir the water into the dry mix. It may seem like too little water but just be patient, it will come together.
Switch to using your hands to smoosh the shaggy stuff together to form a ball. Don’t worry, it will look rough. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead the dough on your counter. Knead until the dough becomes smooth, soft, and pliable.
See? Smooth, pretty dough after about 5 minutes of kneading. Put the dough ball back in the bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Let the dough sit for 40-45 minutes. This allows the gluten to relax so it won’t contract when you roll the wrappers out.
Divide the dough into two and shape each into logs around 6-8 inches long. Work with one log at a time. Cover the rest of the dough so it doesn’t dry out. OR, a neat trick to making your logs -> Take the ball of dough and poke your thumb through the center creating a center hole, like a donut. Gently pull out from the center hole creating a bigger hole so it forms a ring. Keep stretching and pulling until the ring is around 1.25 inches in thickness and stop. Cut crosswise through the dough creating two logs. Ta-da!
Let’s Roll!
Cut each log into 10 equal pieces approximately 1/2 inch thick. For regular size dumplings, you are looking for pieces that weigh about 12-14 gms each. The pieces will look like little discs. Working with a piece at a time, covering the rest, flatten the disc with your hand. Then, using a small rolling pin roll the dough once, give it a quarter turn and roll again. You should have a rough circle. Pick up the outside edge further away from you and elevate it slightly, push the rolling pin onto the wrapper towards the center of it. Rotate the dough another quarter turn and roll again. Repeat going around the entire wrapper. Essentially you are flattening the wrapper, making it thinner especially on the edges. You should end up with a circle about 3.5 inches in diameter.
To make dumplings like Kimchi Mandu. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling in the center on a wrapper. Fold into a semicircle and pressing the air out of the inside of each dumpling and sealing the edges. If you are using fresh dough you won’t need to wet the edges much if at all. Commercial wrappers will need some moisture, use water or an egg wash on the edges to seal. Rolling and wrapping video!
Proceed to Filling! My mom’s wontons here. Kimchi Mandu here
Fresh, amazing potsticker or mandu wrappers need only 4 ingredients and a bit of practice to master. Homemade wrappers have a nice chew and thickness that you don;t get with commercial ones. Try it, it's fun!
Course Appetizer, Main Course, One dish meals
Cuisine Asian
Keyword Wrappers for potstickers and mandu
Prep Time 30 minutesminutes
Resting time 45 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour15 minutesminutes
Equipment
6-10 inch small diameter rolling pin
Ingredients
1 1/2cupAll-purpose flourAP like Gold Medal will work or Asian AP Flour for dumplings and noodles. Moderate protein content
1Tbs.Potato starchsub cornstarch
1/4tsp.Salt
1/2cupHot waternot boiling, approximately 105-110 degres,
Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, potato starch, and salt. Make a well in the middle of dry ingredients mixture, pour in hot water. Slowly incorporate with a dough whisk or wooden spoon.
As you mix, the flour-water will begin to look shaggy. At this point switch and use your hands to form a dough ball.
When there are no dry bits left in mixing bowl, take the dough out of the mixing bowl and start kneading thewith both hands on a flat surface.
Knead dough 3-5 minutes until it’s soft and smooth.
Place dough back in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rest for 40-45 minutes.
Divide dough in half and shape each piece into a 6” to 7” log. Cut logs in half and then cut into 1/2” wide pieces, you should end up with 10 equal pieces from each log and 20 equal pieces total.
Work with one piece of dough at a time, cover the remaining pieces with a damp towel to prevent it from getting too dry. Slightly flatten each disc with your palm.
Using a rolling pin, flatten dough by rolling once, then turn the dough a quarter turn and roll.
The next step is creating the final 3 1/2” circle that is slightly thinner around the edges and thicker in the middle. Keep your pin on the surface and roll towards the center of the circle and back. Rotate dough as you are rolling to create an even circle.
Place dumpling wrapper on a flour dusted plate and dust each dumpling wrappers so they won’t stick together. Cover dumpling wrapper with a plastic wrapper to prevent drying.
Repeat with remaining rounds.
Notes
Fresh wrappers are very pliable and moist and require minimal moisture to seal. The wrappers can be frozen but it is easier to fold dumplings with fresh wrappers and freeze the dumplings.
Enjoy!
Microwave Magic
