Chicken and lettuce stuffed dim sum

 Dim Sum with spicy soy sauce

Like I said in the previous post, my mom is most likely a frustrated chef. She has dozens of cookbooks, ranging from local cuisine to general themed to international cuisine. One recipe that has been boiling in my head for a while is the Dim Sum recipe in her Chinese cuisine.

Although Dim Sum refers to appetizers in general, this recipe is the base for soups and made up of several types of dumplings.

This recipe is a home made variation with a savory Italian twist.

Ingredients
Wonton Wrapper
1 egg
3/4 tsp salt
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for flouring
1/3 to 1/2 cup water
1 tsbp of Italian seasoning

Filling
1/2 tsbp of butter
1 can of chicken
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp all purpose seasoning
1 tsbp black pepper
2 tbps soy sauce
1 lettuce leaf

Lightly beat the egg with salt. Add 1/4 cup of the water.

Sift the flour into a large bowl and seasoning. Make a well in the middle and add the egg+water mixture. Mix well, adding as much water as needed to make a dough.

Form the dough into a ball and knead for 5 minutes, until it forms a smooth, workable dough. Cover and let it rest for 30 minutes.

While the dough rests, heat up the butter in a skillet.

Drain the chicken completely and season with the all-purpose seasoning, black pepper and paprika. Sautee in the hot butter, and soy sauce until well cooked. Set aside.

Turn the dough out onto a light floured surface. Roll out until very thin and cut into 3 1/2 inch squares.

Using a small melon baller or spoon, scoop the chicken onto the center of the square. Pinch the corners together diagonally tightly, making it nice and air tight.

Boil them in hot water for 5-7 minutes. Serve hot with a dip of soy sauce and a dash of paprika and steamed rice.

Makes 22-24 dumplings

Cross-section of the dumplings, look at that chicken!

Chow Mein with Sautéed Chicken

I made this dish as a farewell gift from yours truly to a departing friend of my boyfriend, to whom I'd cooked for a couple of times. He was always complaining of the lack of a Panda Express in our college town, and I figured my last meal with him should be any sort of Chinese meal.

The original noodle recipe is from the 1996 FamilyFun Cookbook (one of my very first cookbooks).

Chow Mein with Sautéed Chicken

Ingredients

-1 pound of Chinese Noodles (I used Angel Hair pasta instead)

-1/ 4 cup of creamy peanut butter

-1/ 2 cup of hot water

-1/ 3 cup of soy sauce

- 2 tbsp of honey

-1 crushed garlic

-1 tbsp chopped/grated ginger

-4 scallions, cut into 1/ 2 -inch pieces

Sautéed Chicken

-1 tbsp of butter

-2 chicken breasts

-All-purpose seasoning

-Salt and Pepper

In a large bowl, mix the peanut butter with the hot water until creamy. Whisk in the soy sauce, honey, garlic and ginger.

Cut the chicken breasts into bite-size pieces. Season to taste. Melt the butter in a wok until it sizzles and cook the chicken to a golden brown color. Add the noodles, scallions and the mixture to finish.

Serve with toasted bread, and if your guests are particularly daring, wasabi paste.

Serves 6 to 8.