DIY Chinese Potstickers

Traditionally, Chinese Dumplings (jiao zi) are eaten at Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) time because the shape resembled ancient money and they are thought to bring prosperity to the household. We just think they are tasty. Jiao zi prepared any way (boiled, steamed, fried, and deep fried) are probably one of our most favorite Chinese foods. My boys helped me make these this time and they were super excited to help cook one of their favorite foods.

I have talked about how to make the actual dumplings before and then how to boil them. More recently I learned how to pan fry these same dumplings the traditional way to make what is called here either jiān jiǎo, 煎餃 (meaning oily but dry fried) or guō tiē, 鍋貼 (literally pot-stick) and is known in North America by the name potstickers. This is probably our most favorite way to eat them because the bottom is fried crispy, but there is only a small amount of oil and the top is steamed soft and chewy.

Homemade Potstickers

• Premade dumplings homemade or purchased
• Oil
• Water
• A wok (chǎo guō, 炒锅  which literally means fry pan- so why do we call them woks?) with lid

1. Put a small amount of oil (you can use any amount from 2 Tbsp up to just covering the bottom of the pan that you want, but keep in mind these are called potstickers for a reason).
2. Place on stove and begin to heat.
3. Add dumplings in a single layer and begin to heat.
4. Now very carefully, the oil may spit and splutter and you don't want oil burns,  add water (3/4 cup is enough if your filling meat is precooked use up to 2 cups if the meat is raw) to the pan. and put the lid on.
5. Cook until the water evaporates and then the jiao zi should be done. Eat with vinegar, soy sauce, and/or hot chili sauce for dipping.

 

Make dumplings

Dumplings prepared by my 4 1/2-year-old, pretty good!

Add oil

Place dumplings in single layer

Very carefully add water

Place lid

And they're done!

Easy One-Dish Dinner: Pancit

This is a easy Asian style dish that is really popular in the Philippines. It is similar to the fried noodles (chǎo miàn  炒面) that are popular in China as well, but there is less oil and more meat and vegetables in this version. When I was working in a hospital, I worked with Filipino nurses and love it when they brought this dish to share. We had a Filipino friend over recently, and I wanted to try making pancit for her. She thought this recipe was pretty similar to what they make back at her home.

Easy Pancit Recipe

• 1 (12 ounce) package dried rice noodles
• 2–3 Tbsp oil
• 1 onion (diced)
• 1–3 cloves minced garlic
• 2 chicken breasts (diced)
• 1 small head cabbage, (thinly sliced)
• 3 carrots (thinly sliced)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 lemons cut into wedges (if desired for garnish)

1. Soak your rice noodles in water, or boil briefly to soften. The noodles should still be a little al dente.
2. In a large frying pan or wok, heat the oil, and begin to cook the onion and garlic.
3. Add in the chicken, and cook meat thoroughly.
4. Then add the vegetables, frying just until they begin to soften.
5. Last add the noodles, frying to mingle the flavors and finish cooking the noodles.
6. Season with soy sauce and lemon wedges if desired.

Easy One-Dish Dinner: Fried Eggs and Tomatoes

I am going to share a Chinese recipe with you today. This dish is always a favorite among foreigners living in China because it doesn't have any ingredients that you can't tell (and don't want to know) what they are. Simple and fast, this is one Chinese style dish we eat a lot in our house. I am going to share both how the Chinese people prefer to eat this dish and how I adapt it for when I make it for just our family.

Fried Eggs and Tomatoes

• oil
• 10-12 eggs
• 4-6 tomatoes (washed and diced)
• salt to taste
• cooked rice

1. Put some oil in a wok or a large frying pan. If you really want it to taste authentic, add what you think is a ton of oil to fry eggs in and then double or triple that amount. I usually just add about 1-2 Tbsp when cooking this for our own family. 
2. Turn on the heat. Again, if you want it to be authentic, you have to turn it up until it is smoking and you need to turn the hood vent on. But I usually fry over medium heat for just our family.
3. Crack eggs into the pan and stir, cooking as you would regular scrambled eggs.
4. When the eggs are almost finished cooking, add in the tomatoes and continue cooking until all the tomatoes are hot.
5. Salt to taste (and msg if you want to be authentic).
6. Serve over rice (only white rice to be authentic).

We also prefer to eat fried eggs and tomatoes in a completely unauthentic way—we put them in tortilla shells for breakfast burritos. But we like them so much that we eat them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner (though not in the same day), with plenty of ranch, please.