April 11, 2017 In All recipes, Poultry

BUFFALO WINGS SOUP DUMPLING W/ SKIN CRACKLING

[ezcol_1half] YOU'RE TRYING TO TELL ME THAT YOU DON'T WANT THIS? [/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end] You're probably looking at this and asking yourself three questions. A).  Isn't dim sum month over? B).  Why do we need a soup dumpling that tastes just like buffalo wings? C).  Are we making soup dumplings at home now?  Is that what it's come to? Look, all very legit questions, deserving very responsible and adult-like responses.  But I'm afraid that in the absence of an adult in this room, I will have to assume the task of answering them myself.  In my best effort to be thorough to Question A), I guess, I lied.  OK, next question. Why do we need a soup dumpling that tastes like buffalo wings?  Okay, who's being the baby now?  Grow up.  Adulthood is not about needing things.  It's all about wanting things.  And you're trying to tell me that you don't want a delicate pouch of dumpling filled with melty minced chicken and a sudden explosion of red-hot and tangy stream of sticky juice and spicy, garlicky butter?  Where everything is so carefully contained within a subtly yeasty wrapper so thin that one could almost see through its sinister intent, resting on top of a shard of chicken skin cracker that shatters into intense

0
February 28, 2017 In All recipes, Meat

DIM SUM MONTH: PORK BELLY BUN W/ PEANUT BUTTER AND CAPER

[ezcol_1half] DIM SUM MONTH CONTINUES… WHAT:  Super cute and tiny steamed buns stuffed with braised pork belly, pan-fried capers and smooth peanut butter. WHY:  It's pork bun in baby form!  It's pork bun in two-bites size!  It's pork bun but pop-able!  Dispute settled. HOW:  The idea is to create an over-the-top, porky, fatty and gooey bun-tasy with a built-in acidic element to balance it all out, and this is what came out on the other side.  Inspired by traditional Taiwanese guabao (which is the former life of David Chang's infamous "pork bun"), the pork belly is first braised with aromatics and spices until melty and tender, but instead of ground peanuts that's used in guabao, smooth peanut butter is being introduced.  Just when pork belly and peanut butter - both fatty, gooey and intense - are locking tongues in your mouth, the taste buds get a sharp and pleasant zing of acidity and pickle-ness from pan-fried capers, all swirling and dancing inside this slightly sweet and chewy dough.  What's more wrong?  Eating just one or more?  I can't decide. By the way, most of the recipes in DIM SUM MONTH is designed to be prepared ahead of time.  Make each items and store them in the freezer, and at

0
February 21, 2017 In All recipes, Snacks, Vegatables

DIM SUM MONTH: Turnip cake fritters w/ prosciutto

DIM SUM MONTH CONTINUES… WHAT:  A very logical and long-overdue twist on the classic and quintessential dim sum - turnip/radish cake, in bite-size fritter form. WHY:  For far too long have we allowed ourselves to be complacent with "tradition", in this particular case, boring and bland squares of steamed rice cakes barely containing any turnips that draw all of its flavors and appeals from the XO sauce that is piled on top.  I mean think about it.  Without the XO sauce, who the fuck is turnip cake?  Even the slight attraction from its crispy pan-fried edges is more often missing than not.  But turnip cake deserves more than XO sauce, if we just take a moment to let the star - turnips! - shine through. HOW:  An almost 50:50 ratio of finely diced Chinese turnips (or called daikon in Japanese) to batter, yields a supple and succulent texture in these little babies, almost juicy if you will.  Yes, juicy, which is not a word you hear often when it comes to turnip cakes, but it should.  Each tiny dices of blanched turnips burst out in natural sweetness within every bite, in perfect juxtaposition to the stickier batter that holds them all together and the incredibly crispy jacket that

0
February 14, 2017 In All recipes, Dairy, Seafood, Snacks

DIM SUM MONTH: Creamy salmon & egg in rice wrapper rolls

DIM SUM MONTH CONTINUES… WHAT:  Stuffed rice wrapper rolls they call "cheung fun"! WHY:  These gorgeous and elegant beauties are often overlooked on the dim sum table because of their less flashy appearances, mellow flavor profiles, and batters with the wrong ratio that results in unfortunate, mushy-textured wrappers.  Well, that ain't their fault, in fact, cheung-fun is the most versatile blank canvas waiting for someone who appreciates its possibilities. HOW:  In restaurants, this dish is always made to order.  The rice batter is usually steamed with the filling on top then rolled into a log and served with sweet soy sauce.  This method has its virtues but also, many flaws.  It is convenient from a restaurant's perspective, allowing them to serve the dish hot and speedy, but not necessarily so from a creative point of view.  Making the dish to order will be unrealistic to pull off for at-home dinner parties, and steaming the wrappers and the fillings simultaneously will greatly limits its possibilities.  So, we are going to prepare the rice wrappers beforehand, and assemble them with the filling at the last minute.  In my wildest dreams where money flows like abs in a Channing Tatum movie, I would make the filling with gently poached lobster meat

1
February 6, 2017 In All recipes, Seafood, Snacks, updated recipe

DIM SUM MONTH: Crystal shrimp dumpling w/ shrimp oil mayo

[ezcol_1half] EXACTLY WHAT DIM SUM IS SUPPOSED TO, BUT SOMEHOW FORGOTTEN TO BE, LITERALLY, AS TO TOUCH HEART [/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end] Welcome to DIM SUM MONTH! WHAT:  I'm dedicating this whole month to the delicate art that is dim sum. WHY:  I'm slowly and painfully realizing how scarce a good, thoughtful and delicious dim sum can be.  Even in Hong Kong - the supposedly promised land of dim sum - I found my expectation being shattered with sloppy, tired, and borderline unethical display of dimness.  Frankly, I'm fed up. HOW:  Just as unfamiliar as most of you are in terms of making dim sum, I'm going to show you that it is possible for us to create these little baskets of happiness at home.  We are going to take each conventional dim sum item, and mix them with a bit of thoughtfulness and fun.  Almost every items can be made ahead of time, and hopefully at the end of the month, we'll be able to host our own dim sum party that is more awesome than most. Let's start with the classic of the classics - crystal shrimp dumplings. We are going to correct all of its frequently ignored mistakes: soggy and texture-less wrappers, and frankly, boringness.  This recipe will yield a wrapper that

2
×