Shanghai Pork and Vegetable Wontons 菜肉大馄饨

coverThis is one of my family’s staple food. It is perfect for a breakfast, lunch or dinner. They are perhaps a dozen of ways to wrap the filling – but I care for the golden ingot (Lucky Yuan Bao 元宝) fold (like Tortellini.). The Italians perhaps got the fold from the Chinese. Now we are borrowing back their stuffed-noodle fold. Click here for homemade wonton wrappers.

 Yields 50 wontons,

Wrappers (in square shape)

I think you can buy the square wonton wrappers from any Asia markets in the world. In Singapore, they are available at Cold Storage, Fairprice and Giant. Click here for homemade wonton wrappers.

Filling

  • 250g           ground pork
  • 100g           minced shrimp (if you use shrimp with shell , you will need about 200g and shell needs to be removed before have them minced); OR use equal amount of ground pork if shrimp is not available
  • 100g           Bok Choy or spinach (leaves only), minced,上海青菜或者菠菜
  • 1 teaspoon       ginger, minced, 姜末
  • 1 tablespoon    spring onions, minced,葱末
  • 1/2 teaspoon    salt, 盐
  • 2 teaspoons      corn flour,生粉
  • 1 tablespoon    light soy sauce, 生抽
  • 1 teaspoon       caster sugar, 白糖
  • 1 teaspoon       sesame oil,香油

Make the sauce (per serving for 6-8 wontons)

  • ½ tablespoon        spring onions, minced
  • ½ tablespoon        light soy sauce
  • ½ teaspoon            sesame oil

ingredientsMethod

  1. In a large bowl, combine ground pork (minced shrimp), minced greens and rest of the filling ingredients. Mix well.filling
  2. Now let’s wrap – the Italians may get the tortellini fold from the Chinese. Now we’re borrowing back their stuffed-noodle fold. So just take out one wrapper, add a half tablespoon of fillings. Fold it into half size from the middle, press the two sides of the wrapper together to seal. Dab a little water on the two corners, then fold one side toward the center. Fold the other side to the center. Press the two ends together to seal. The filled center will plump up like a belly with the edges framing it like a golden ingot (lucky Yuan Bao,元宝).wraplots of wontons
  3. Bring a pot of water to boil, add in 6-8 wontons and cook for 5 minutes till they float on the water. In the meantime, prepare a serving bowl, combine a ½ tablespoons of minced spring onion and light soy sauce, a ½ teaspoon of sesame oil with 2-3 tablespoons of boiled water from the pot. Mix well. Drain the wontons and place them in the bowl. Gently toss till the wontons are well-coated.cooking

Tips:

  1. You can always make a large quantity of wontons then freeze them in the freezer. In 3-4 hours later, pack them in a sealed plastic bag. No need to defrost them when cooking, just take desired quantity out of the plastic bag then place them straight into the boiling water – the same way you cook fresh wontons. Just allow 1-2 more minutes cooking time.

Poached Kai Lan (Chinese Broccoli) with Soy Sauce 白灼芥蓝bái zhuó jiè lán

cover imagebái zhuó, one of the unique cooking methods in Chinese cookery and the healthiest and tastiest ways to cook your favorite vegetables. The dish contains only four ingredients and takes five minutes to put together.

Serves 2-4

  • 250g           Baby Kai Lan (or chopped big Kai Lan) 小芥蓝
  • 1 tablespoon     light soy sauce 生抽
  • 1 tablespoon     cooking oil
  • 1 tablespoon     Chinese Goji berries 枸杞子, soaked in the water for 20 minutes
  • Water for poaching

 Method

  1. Bring water to a boil in a big pot. When water is boiling, turn down heat to medium high. Carefully add 1 tablespoon of the cooking oil in the water. Turn up the heat. Working quickly, cook the kai lan for about 1-2 minute in the water. I would do this in small batches.blanching
  2. Place the Kai Lan in a serving plate. Place Goji berries on top of the vegetable. Drizzle a tablespoon of soy sauce over the plated Kai Lan.add dressing
  3. Serve

Vegetable Salad in Chinese Vinegar Dressing 五彩时蔬

cover image

This healthy and colorful dish has been very popular when served as a cold appetizer at my Xiao Long Bao cooking class. The vinegar dressing, highlighted by two different types of rice-based Chinese vinegar, can be made in large quantity in advance and store in the fridge for up to two months. You can also mix and match by using any vegetables of your choice.

Serves 4-6

 Vinegar dressing

  • 5 sprigs               spring onions, roughly chopped,香葱切丝
  • 4 tablespoons    cooking oil
  • 2 tablespoons    Chinese white rice vinegar 白米醋
  • 2 tablespoons    Chinkiang vinegar镇江香醋
  • 2 teaspoons        sesame oil 香油
  • 1 teaspoon          table salt
  • 1 tablespoon     light soy sauce 生抽
  • 2 teaspoons        caster sugar白糖

dressing

  • 250g           Bean sprouts 绿豆芽
  • 250g           Golden mushrooms 金针菇
  • 80g             French beans, thinly sliced,四季豆切丝
  • 80g             Carrots, thinly sliced  胡萝卜切丝
  • 50g             Chinese black fungus, roughly chopped, 木耳水发后切丝.  (dry Chinese black fungus is available in any Asia markets. Need to soak in the water for about 30 minutes before use. )
  • 120g              Red bell pepper, thinly sliced,红柿子椒切丝veggies

Method

  1. Heat the cooking oil over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add spring onions and fry over low medium heat for about 5 minutes. Drain by removing the caramelized spring onions. This will yield 3 tablespoons of spring onions oil.spring onions oil
  2. Place the spring onions oil in a mixing bowl. Add into rest of the vinegar dressing seasonings. Mix well. Set aside.dressing (2)
  3. Bring a big pot of water to a boil. Blanch all the vegetables by batches. Cool off the blanched vegetables under the running water. Drain. This takes about 8-10 minutes.blanch veggies
  4. Add all the cooked vegetables into the vinegar dressing bowl. Mix well.
  5. Chill in the fridge for a half hour then enjoy.assemble

Chinese Parsley Tofu Salad 香菜拌豆腐

cover_subtitleThe twisted version of a classic dish in Chinese home cooking, the salad only contains five ingredients and takes five minutes to put together. The tofu tastes so refreshing with the nutty sesame oil and pungent Chinese parsley and spring onions. It’s one of the best and tastiest ways to add the healthy protein to your daily meal without adding many calories or spending much time in the kitchen.

 Serves 2-4,

  • 1 packet (about 300g, net)       firm or extra firm Tofu 北豆腐
  • 5 sprigs                               Chinese Parsley or Cilantro, minced, 香菜5根,切成碎末
  • 1 sprig                                 spring onion, minced 香葱1根,切成碎末
  • 2 teaspoons                       sesame oil  香油
  • 1/2 teaspoon                      saltingrdeitns_subtitleMethod
  1. Chop and mince the Chinese parsley and spring onion on a cutting board. Set aside.
  2. Take the tofu out from the package and place it on the same cutting board. Use paper towel to gently absorb the extra water from the tofu.  Slice the tofu into small cubes.
  3. Place both parsley, spring onion and tofu in a mixing bowl. Add salt, sesame oil. Mix well. Let the ingredients rest for 10 minutes to allow tofu absorb the seasonings.
  4. Place the ingredients in a serving bowl and garnish with Chinese parsley.method_substitle