Chinese Lunar New Year was celebrated last Monday so I decided to have a few friends over this weekend to make siu mai, one of my favorite types of dim sum (along with sweet bean paste rolls). For the siu mai, I used this recipe from Philadelphia chef Joseph Poon.
The siu mai filling is roughly equal amounts of ground pork and finely chopped shrimp with scallions and reconstituted shitake mushrooms. I also added a bit of shredded carrots to make it pretty. I considered making my own wonton wrappers, but I'm just not that much of a glutton for punishment. (I know, everyone has a line somewhere, mine is just a bit farther out than others.)
Once the filling was combined, I enlisted some assistance in stuffing the dumplings. Four sets of hands made the work go quickly and I really enjoy the act of cooking with friends.
While the dumplings steamed, I made a quick dip from soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. In addition to the siu mai, I made some vegetarian longevity noodles (a traditional New Year dish) as well as some (certainly not traditional) Hoisin-glazed chicken wings.
All of the dishes came together relatively quickly and were really tasty. Several people said it was the best home-made Chinese food they had every had and better than a lot of take-out too. Quite a compliment!
Truly great guests both help make their own dinner and then wash the dishes - with ridiculous amounts of enthusiasm. Special thanks to Clarissa for taking pictures!
No comments:
Post a Comment