Last Saturday’s prepared menu:
- Pork and cabbage dumplings (I should try Shouwen’s recipe again)
- Chicken and shiitake dumplings
- Vietnamese summer roll (we did before)
- Shepherd’s purse tofu soup
- Scallion ginger shrimp stir-fry (we did before)
- Yu choy sum (similar to gai lang recipe)
I really love garlic pea shoots (we did!) but, sadly, we no longer live near any Asian groceries up in Beacon, NY. I had planned to do a nice white cut chicken (that I had made before per my friend Peggy’s recommendation) but I was voted down on account of not wanting an excess of food (one of the traditions of Lunar New Year, to ensure that the new year will be as prosperous as always having a full table). I mean, I didn’t do a whole steamed fish! ^_~ We did pick up a few ingredients from Trader Joe’s, like Mandarin oranges and butter lettuce and mint for the summer rolls and eggs.
Tips for next year: use more water so that the dough for dumpling wrappers will really get softer; work it for at least 10 minutes by hand if not more. Cover with a wet towel if your lid doesn’t seal. Do the poached chicken anyway; it’s delicious. Everyone liked pan fried dumplings more than the steamed dumplings this time around!
~Jessica
hapa helpings 