Of Dumplings and Watercress

I just have to say, AT&T thus far has not changed my views of their incompetence. They have only increased my dislike of their service, and I don't even have their DSL yet! I'm blogging from a "borrowed" wireless connection because it's been a week since they've told me they would hook up my DSL, I have received two letters, one welcoming me and one telling me about their billing policy, but still no self-installation kit! I will be calling their service department to see how badly they messed up my order. Meanwhile this wouldn't be a food blog without the food content...

I'm on a mission to save some money. Yes, I know this makes it hard to review restaurants. However all food doesn't come from restaurants! I will be showing you some lazy ways and not so lazy ways to make delicious food at home too.

So what do you do when you're tired after a long day at work...don't have much groceries in the refrigerator and your kitchen isn't as well stocked as you would like because you just moved in 2 weeks ago? Well, I of course have started stocking my fridge and pantry full of goodies that a bachelor/college student would rely on (I can't speak for the ladies...they might do better in this situation, I'm not sure). The essentials would be ramen noodles and frozen dumplings! Yes, I'm sure all of you have experienced the joy(horror) of ramen noodles. Most of you would have been exposed to the generic Maruchan Ramen packages often sold at Walmart and Publix and the like...however there are a great variety sold in Asian food stores, ranging from spicy Korean style ramen to Tom Yum Soup Ramen (recommended btw). I am a bit of a ramen fanatic, but I believe there are a fair number of websites reviewing all different types of ramen. I may cover it in the near future I'm sure, but today we will focus on dumplings.

I love dumplings. They are the perfect little packages of meat and vegetable with carbohydrates all in one. I find the dumplings from Chinese takeout restaurants to be a little fatty and generally not as good as the kind I'm used to at home, so what is one to do when one is away from home? Frozen Dumplings. These days a lot of Asian supermarkets, Super H-mart included carry a variety of frozen dumplings, containing some combination of meat and vegetable. Some of these dumplings are meant to be pan fried making Potstickers and some of these are meant to be boiled or steamed. In truth, any of these dumplings can be cooked using any of the cooking methods specified. The boiled dumplings look like little pillows filled with goodness....mmm!

Tonight, I'm trying dumplings that contain string beans and pork. Quite an interesting combination. I'd never had it before today. This type of dumpling works better with a nice dipping sauce. I also sauteed some watercress with tofu for my vegetable dish. While I do not take the Japanese principle of having 5 different colored dishes or 5 different cooking methods I do believe you should balance a meat dish with a vegetable dish.

Dipping Sauce:
1/4 cup of Soy Sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 Tbsp of honey or maple syrup or just sugar to taste
1 Tbsp of Sriracha Hot Sauce (optional)
1/3 Tsp of white pepper
1 Tbsp of Sake or rice wine
1 Tbsp Sesame Oil

Mix all ingredients together until evenly mixed, add sliced scallions if desired.

How to Pan Fry Dumplings (Potstickers):
What you need:
Large frying pan or flat-bottomed saute pan with lid that fits.
1/4 cup water.

1. Spread 1-2 Tbsp of oil in the pan and heat on high.
2. When oil is heated add the dumplings one by one to the pan, carefully placing them so they do not touch.
3. Let the dumplings fry until the bottoms are golden and crispy. Do not flip!
4. Move the dumplings around to make sure they are not stuck to the bottom of the pan.
5. Add the water and quickly cover. This prevents both splatter and helps keep the steam in.
6. Let the dumplings steam until the water is evaporated.
7. Remove the lid and let the bottoms of the dumplings crisp up again.
   
8. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.

Spicy Watercress with ToFu:
2 bunches of watercress
1 package of tofu
3-4 large cloves of garlic
2-3 serrano peppers (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1-2 Tsp Fish Sauce (optional)

1. Roughly chop the watercress into manageable pieces
2. Cube the tofu into half-inch cubes
3. Slice the peppers
   
4. Mince the garlic
5. In a wok or saute pan, heat 1 Tbsp oil
   
6. Add the garlic and peppers when the oil is hot
7. After the oil is infused add the watercress. Stir frequently on high heat
8. Add the fish sauce and salt and pepper
9. Plate up and enjoy!