Leftovers Galore

I miscalculated. I ran out of dumpling skins (as if 100 weren't enough) and had about 1 1/2 more cups of pork/chicken/shrimp filling left. How did I get S to eat left-overs? Poured a generous helping of Alfredo Sauce over cooked filling, heaped it over tri-colored flower shaped pasta, and served it with fresh grated parmesan cheese on top. Sneaky...

Lau's 3 Flava Dumplings (Secret Family Recipe)

I'd eat a few steamed or fried shrimp dumplings once in a while, but I do not like meat-filled dumplings at all. When my cousin ( a single guy who cooks, what a catch!) asked me to try one that he had made, I took a small obligatory bite just so he wouldn't get offended. Before I knew it, I finished four! This is the recipe that was given to him by his Chinese friend after making him swear that he won't be sharing it to anyone else. Sorry Master Lau, but "blood is thicker than soy sauce... er, I mean water".

Ingredients: 1 pound each of ground Pork Belly (skin removed), ground de-boned Chicken Legs (I used boneless fillet instead) and finely chopped Shrimp; half a "Korean" Cabbage (I don't know what the heck this was so I got the Chinese Cabbage instead), 1 finely minced Carrot, a teaspoon finely chopped Ginger, 3 bunches of thinly chopped Scallions (about 15 stems), 2 cubes Chicken Bouillon, 5 tablespoons of Oyster Sauce, 5 tablespoons of Sesame Oil, a teaspoon of ShaoXing Cooking Wine ( I used another brand, same taste), 2 beaten Eggs, Salt, and White Pepper to taste.

Dip the Cabbage in boiling water for about 2 minutes, shred finely, roll into a big ball, then squeeze all water out.

Combine all the above ingredients together and mix well. Basically, thats all there is to it. Drop a small scoop (about a teaspoon) of the filling in the middle of a dumpling skin and press edges firmly. Each pack of dumpling skin makes about 50 dumplings so be prepared for some serious finger work-out.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop about a dozen dumplings in (give or take a few, just as long as it doesn't get too overcrowded) and bring it back up to a rolling boil. After a minute, pour in a big glass of cold water and wait till it boils again. Repeat the process one more time, then strain out the dumplings, letting it drip dry and cool off a bit (about 3 minutes or so). Take a large non-stick frying pan, drizzle in a small amount of veggie oil, and without needing to heat it up, arrange the dumplings (flat side down) on it. Crank fire up to HIGH, turning it down to medium after about a minute, then fry till it turns golden or dark brown.
Fry it only on one side (frying both sides will make the dumplings too oily).

Dipping Sauce: half a teaspoon of Lao Gan Ma Hot & Spicy Oil (couldn't find one so I used Oriental Mascot's Chili Oil ChiuChow Style instead), 2 tablespoons Zhen Jiang Xiang Cu vinegar (or any light Balsamic Vinegar), more thinly sliced scallions, 2 minced garlic Cloves, half a teaspoon minced Ginger, and Lite (or Regular) Kikkoman Soy Sauce.

P and S prefer to simply dip them in plain Soy Sauce.

NYC Events: Taste of Chinatown 2006

P was right all along (although I'd never admit it to his face). This had been an insane idea. It started with me wanting to go to the Taste of Chinatown's 5-hour "eating marathon" last Saturday.

This event was created by Asian Women In Business (AWIB) as a way to bring business back to Chinatown after the devastation of 9/11. Obviously, it has been a tremendous success which is why it is now a permanent bi-annual community event, taking place in the Spring and Fall. People flock to Chinatown on this day to taste and explore a dozen Asian cuisines from over 50 restaurants (51 this Spring), tea houses, bakeries and specialty food shops. Each restaurant becomes a "Tasting Station" and offer a menu with plates of their best dishes at the set price of $1 or $2.
For this price, my goal was to try at least 15 restaurants. "Are you freaking nuts?!!" P guffawed. "You and S would both blow up and burst!" "Harrummph!!!" I snorted, slightly peeved that I was being made fun of. So S and I were out of the apartment by 12 noon to prove him WRONG!
Our first stop was Jaya Malaysian (90 Baxter St.) Here, we tried the flavorful Malaysian Curry Noodles (shown). They also had Stuffed Bean Curd, Singapore Fried Rice and Pineapple Fried Rice.

The second stop was Chanoodle Express ( 79 Mulberry St.) wherein we tried the Curry Fish Balls and Peking Duck in Steamed Bun (shown). The steamed bun's dough was semi-sweet, pretty much like our "Siopao" back home. Also offered was Fried Rice, Lo Mein, Spring Rolls, Vegetable Dumplings, Sesame Chicken and General Tso's Chicken. I was hoping to try the Fried Squid but it wasn't ready yet when we dropped by. Too bad. We couldn't spare a few minutes of waiting - gotta move on to the next one...
Third stop was the Mandarin Court (61 Mott St.) where I got to taste one of the most delicious Fried Shrimp Dumplings (shown seconds before being devoured by S) I have ever tried. It was 2 dumplings for a dollar and we had to come back for seconds since 1 each simply wasn't enough. They also had Steamed Roast Pork Buns, Sticky Rice and Chicken in Lotus Leaves, Spring Rolls, Jin Dui (Deep Fried Sesame Balls) and Vegetable Dumplings.


We got Roast Duck (shown) and Pork Fried Rice (shown) at our 4th stop, the Big Wong Restaurant (67 Mott St.). Their menu stated that they were supposed to have Roast Pig - but not a snout I see. We skipped the BBQ Spare Ribs. Neeexxxt...
By this time, S wanted to chomp on something familiar. So the 5th stop was at Eastern Villa Restaurant (66 Mott St.) where she had an order of Fried Chicken Wings (shown) whilst I had the Chicken with Mixed Veggies (shown). We were filling up fast, so the Sweet-n-Sour Ribs, Buffalo Chicken, Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup, and Sliced Crispy Fillet Steak didn't appeal to us anymore.
We decided to split a small egg custard for dessert and then call it quits. Not so fast... When we passed by East Ocean Seafood (53 Bayard St.), we saw hordes of people gathering around their table. Curious, we stopped by to see what the big fuss was all about. It's their crunchy Fried Fish(shown)! It was selling out like hotcakes, with people ordering faster than it can be doled out. No wonder - the batter was very light, like tempura, and very tasty! Forget dessert - we had this instead. Thus, our 6th stop. Other dishes available was Seafood Rolls, Moshu Pork Rolls and Mixed Mushroom Stir-Fry.

A brief 7th Stop was at the Moon House Restaurant where we got intrigued by a warm, slightly sticky drink with some glutinous stuff in it (shown). "Fungus". The vendor volunteered. "It's sweet". He added. As if that would make it more palatable. Whatever - our goal was to "explore" anyway. So S and I shared a cup. Not bad - though I had to consciously ward off thoughts of Athletes Foot while drinking this.
Our 8th and last stop was the Egg Custard King (76 Mott St) where we got blindsided by more Fishballs and Singapore Mei Fun. I preferred their fishball's brown, slightly spicy sauce sauce more than the curry one I tried earlier. Their Mei Fun was bland, though. Cannolis? No thank you. I was stuffed to my throat at this moment and gladly conceded defeat. I didn't even take pictures of our last stop for fear of heaving at the sight of more food. Today, I stand guilty of committing one of the seven deadly sins - GLUTTONY.
We paused for a brief moment to enjoy a dragon dance, then hauled ourselves (plus about 3 pounds of added belly weight) home. In fairness to the the other 43 Tasting Stations that I didn't mention, the link below has a list of all the participating restaurants in this event . Burp...

LINK: http://www.explorechinatown.com/Gui/Special.aspx?Page=TOC2006A

Photo of the Day: April 23, 2006

A Tree Grows In Manhattan...

Middle Lane of 84th Street and Park Avenue

Authentic Jamaican Oxtails

This is a combination of 3 oxtail recipes that I got from my 3 Jamaican co-workers which I tweaked a bit to suit my taste. When I cooked this for them, it passed with flying colors. The Jamaican doorman at P's work tried it too - and requested for a bigger bowl ("big pot" was his exact words) next time.

I went to the meat market and asked the butcher to cut up 4 pounds of fresh Oxtails for me. I washed them thoroughly with water and lemon juice, patted dry. The marinade paste: Mix 1 medium-sized Bell Pepper (minced), dried Thyme Leaves, 1 medium Onion (minced), 3 cloves Garlic (crushed), a bunch of Scallions (chopped finely) , a small packet of Accent Powdered Seasoning, Salt (may use Adobo or Lawry's Seasoned Salt instead), and Black Pepper with a tablespoon of Vegetable Oil and rub this "paste" all over the Oxtails. Marinate for at least 2 hours or for best results, overnight.
In a large pot, saute a medium sized minced Onion in a tablespoon of Vegetable Oil. Drop in 3 crumbled dried Bay Leaf and some chopped Scallions. Cook the Oxtails until brown and some of their fat has rendered. Add water, just enough to cover the oxtails. The sauce should be thick in the end, not watery "stew-like". Drop in a packet of Goya (Sin Achiote) Seasoning and 1 cube of Beef Boullion. Bring Oxtails to a boil, lower fire and cover. Let simmer for approx. 1 1/2 hours (using a pressure cooker would cut the time roughly in half) or until meat is tender, checking them occasionally. Add water as needed to keep it from getting too dry. If you feel there's too much fat in the pot, this is the time to separate the meat from the sauce and skim off excess oil from the sauce. Return the meat to the pot and add a package of frozen Butter Beans (Bird's Eye or White Rose brand will do). Cover and let simmer for another 30 minutes. If you want to use the canned Lima Beans instead (Jamaican brand: Grace), its already cooked and soft so you can shorten the cooking time by 20 minutes. Adjust seasoning according to taste. Add a tablespoon of Gravy Master Browning Sauce (and thickener) to the cooked Oxtails and stir for about 5 minutes more.

Served with boiled Yucca, Collard Greens, and Plantains. I like it with just plain Steamed Rice.

NYC Events: Macy's Flower Show 2006

Here are a few photos from the 32nd Annual Macy*s Flower show at Herald Square, NYC. The exhibit is running from April 9 to April 23, 2006.

LINK: http://www1.macys.com/campaign/flowershow/highlights.jsp

Hey, where are the butterflies... And the parrots??

This gorgeous giant bouquet was created by floral designer and event decorator, James Francois-Pijuan (shown with S)

LINK: http://www.francois-pijuan.com/flash.html

The center of attraction was a huge beehive made entirely of flowers.

Good Eats: DOUGHNUTS!! (Krispy Kreme Bakery)

We watched Ice Age, The Meltdown movie today and after eating salty hotdogs and a large serving of nachos smothered in melted cheddar cheese, our sweet tooth was begging to sink into something sticky and sweet. Do I smell doughnuts baking??

Krispy Kreme Bakery is located between 84th and 85th Street and 3rd Avenue
We got here around 4 o' clock - just in time to see them making a fresh batch...

S wondered why they were no holes in the center and observed that they resemble burger buns more than doughnuts!

It was a short trip down the conveyor belt...

... to the waiting aluminum pan,

and then finally, to the racks to cool off. Hmmm - nothing beats eating freshly baked doughnuts (I like the ones with glazed sugar  the most) with a cup of foaming cappuccino.