Dumplings

 "He who will not economize will have to agonize." Confucius

Good morning followers! First of all I'd like to thank you for being a follower of my blog! Secondly

 I'd like to thank my Dad and Bob for the feedback on my soup pictures! They think the soup looks

better inside. Great!

Frankly, I wasn't sure what to blog about today... Should I research an ancient Egyptian dish in honour of King Tut (the exhibit is great, now extended to May!), or should I focus on Toronto's wondrous Chinatown?

I've decided upon Chinatown!

Confucius must have just got back from Chinatown when he wrote this quote! Oh, the shopping!!! I can tell yah, I've been agonizing since we drove out of there last night! I saw other poor saps like myself... Aimlessly wondering Spadina and Dundas, multiple bags in hand, darting in and out of shops looking for another thing to buy. My fave store in the area is definitely the Tap Phong Trading Co.. If you love insanely busy, bright and colourful kitchen supply stores, this is your heaven!! Shelf after shelf stacked to the ceiling with anything and everything you could ever need in the kitchen (personal or professional). I was lucky to have Kevin along who gently persuaded me out of emptying my bank account dozens of times. "Next time we're here, right?" I would say to him with desperation. "Yes dear," he'd reply with a smile. He must think I'm insane. Honestly, how many chopsticks do I really need? Oh no, the agonizing is coming back... Let's stop talking about shopping and move onto eating. Ain't no agonizing there!!
We ate Dim sum! Bamboo steamers crammed with various flavours of steamed buns and dumplings filled our table, along with a pot of delicious jasmine green tea. So so tasty! We of course ordered way too much, even the waiter laughed at us! It all worked out in the end though, because we brought half of it home and I just ate some cold dumplings for breakfast... Who's laughing now, eh?!

Simple and Tasty Recipe:

Dumplings

(makes 48)

1 lb ground chicken, turkey or pork

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped

4 pcs scallion, finely sliced

1/4 cup light soy sauce

sea salt to taste

48 round won ton wrappers, more or less

. combine all ingredients, except the wrappers, in a bowl and mix thoroughly

. scoop out a small spoonful and put into a hot pan, fry until done and taste for seasoning, adjust salt and soy if needed

. repeat until perfectly seasoned...

. lay out several wrappers at a time on the counter, brush the edges with water

. place a heaping teaspoon of filling into the centre of each wrapper, fold over and pinch to seal (these will look like perogies, feel free to experiment and crimp the edge like the dumpling pictured above)

. sit dumplings upright, single layered, on a lightly floured or greased baking sheet

To cook:

. either place in a bamboo steamer (lightly greased I find works best) and steam until done, 15 to 20 mins, or...

. add a couple tbsp of veg or peanut oil to a frying pan with a suitable lid, heat on medium

. arrange dumplings in pan, not touching, fry until lightly browned

. carefully pour in 1 cup of hot water, cover quickly with lid and steam for about 10 to 15 mins until the dumplings are cooked (if the water boils off before the dumplings are done, simply add more)

. serve with light soy sauce and hot chili sauce

Dumplings are quick and easy to make and definitely economical! They also freeze great! To do this, lay them out single layer on a baking sheet, not touching. Place in the freezer, uncovered, for about an hour or so until frozen solid. Pack them up in sealed plastic bags or plastic containers. I'd say they last up to 3 months this way. Serve them up for friends at a party or plop them into soup, they're yummy any way you eat them! Enjoy!