Shuijiao N Guo Tie

Shuijiao
Those little Chinese dumplings made of wheat-flour wrappers with meat and veg filling inside that are boiled are called shuijiao (water dumplings), while the fried ones are called guo tie, literally meaning pot stickers, which is what they call them in North America. The Japanese stole the recipe but had the courtesy to call it gyoza which probably is their way of pronouncing jiaozi, meaning dumplings which include both shuijiao and guo tie. Right, if you got that, we'll move on.

My MIL makes excellent shuijiao since she's from Shanghai where wheat dumplings of all kinds are eaten. Jiaozi are ubiquitous in Chinese cities from Shanghai up to Shandong to Beijing to Dalien (middle to northern parts of China) and not as common in the southern parts of China. The Chinese students who are studying in our local university always make jiaozi during Chinese New Year. The jiaozi they make are like the ones my MIL make: the wrappers are slightly thicker (as versus Malaysian jiaozi which have very thin wrappers. Nice if it's guo tie, but too flimsy when it's shuijiao) and the filling has more veg and is not dark, which means little or no soy sauce is used. MIL can make hundreds in 2 hours. Her MIL whom I called "Ta Ta" (She was from an era in Shanghai where she'd go dancing with her hub in night clubs while the nanny minded the kids. Up until she died at 94, her eyebrows were pencilled in a fine arch, done by herself every morning. She wore cheong sums and spoke to me in Shanghainese. I love and miss her) and I couldn't keep up with her rolling out of the wrappers. Our job was just to wrap the dumplings up.

Last night I made 150 jiaozi in 3 hours from making the dough to wrapping the jiaozi just to keep myself busy. The boys were eating as fast as I was making them. Hub especially loves it when I make jiaozi because it means he can eat all he wants without me by his side to control him. My mom is another one who's happy because with me so busy, she can dip as much soy sauce as she wants without me rationing her.

Any extra jiaozi can be arranged in a single layer on a sheet of greaseproof paper on a tray and frozen. After that, the frozen jiaozi can be all put into a plastic bag and kept in the freezer without fear of sticking to each other, and they will taste just as good when you cook them straight from the freezer. Thanks to Elaine for these tips. I would recommend that you get a group of friends together and make these dumplings because it's fun and you really need the extra hands. Plus jiaozi are so tasty. The only bad thing is you can eat tons before you realise it. And you'd be eating each other's hand cells.



1. Make the dough by mixing plain wheat flour (Blue/Green Horse is best because wrappers will be very slippery-smooth. You can also use equal portions of bread flour mixed with plain flour) with room temperature water. 900 gm flour to 2 cups water, adding the remaining 100 gm if the dough is too sticky. Knead well until dough is smooth, not sticky but quite firm. If dough it too soft, the dumplings will stick to each other and the dough will not give an el dente bite. If too hard, well, the dumlpings'll just be too hard. Let dough rest for 1 hour, longer if using bread flour mixture. Roll into a long roll of 2 cm diameter (make sure to flour hands and surface) and pull off thumb-sized bits of dough. When my MIL does this, you can hear the 'tuck tuck' sound as she snaps the dough apart. That shows that the dough is pretty firm, which is what you want because if it's too soft, the potstickers will stick to your tray and they will taste soggy after boiling.

Scatter lots of plain flour all over the dough bits.



2. The dough bits are usually rolled on the palms to shape them into smooth balls but it takes quite a bit of rolling to smoothen the creases and flatten into small discs. Leila showed me a faster and no-fail way: twirl the lump of dough round and round (left pic) on the counter with your first 3 fingers, then slam the heels of your palm on the ball of dough to flatten it for the next step. Excellent tip.



3. Add salt to the fresh pork, then chop it until quite fine. Machine minced meat will be too fine and not give a good bite unless you under-mince it by whizzing and pausing repeatedly. Cut finely Chinese cabbage/wombok/nappa cabbage 1.5 times the weight of the pork (actually no fixed rules on this one. You can add more or less veg as you like; we like more veg) and add salt (1 teaspoon per kg of cabbage) to it. Leave it for 20 minutes, then squeeze as much water out as you can. Add some chopped Chinese chives or leeks if like, then season with some sesame oil, salt, white pepper and cornflour. Add msg like the northern Chinese do, or oyster sauce and light soy sauce but that's what a southern chinese would do to a northern chinese recipe. Best to prepare the filling ahead (upto a day) so it'll be well-marinaded and you won't be hassled last minute.

How do you know if the jiaozi are seasoned well? Do it my MIL's way: make one, boil it, eat it and then adjust the seasoning.



4. Using a short rolling pin (the thin cylindrical pin), roll out the edges of the disks only, turning the piece of dough as you roll so that the middle is thicker, better for holding the liquid from the filling and so it won't break. Do not roll your wrapper too thin or it'll stick to the tray. Put a small amount of filling (too much and it'll not be cooked even when the wrapper goes soft, too little and it won't be tasty) into the center of the wrapper, press the opposite edges together, then make two folds on the edge away from you, one on the left and one on the right, pressing the two edges together as you fold. Make sure it is properly sealed or the filling will run out. It's okay to press real hard on the edges to seal. Make sure you dust the surface of the tray with plenty of flour to prevent the potstickers from sticking onto the surface. It is a good idea to line a piece of plastic over the tray. Place the potstickers well apart so they won't stick. The potstickers can be kept in the fridge (or frozen) until cooking time. Once frozen, you can pack them into containers or bags. They won't stick together. To cook frozen potstickers, take them out of the fridge and cook immediately, do not thaw or they'll stick together.


'Life cycle' of a jiaozi. Notice the wrapper has a thicker center.

5. Boil a pot of water, drop in about 20 to 25 potstickers (depending on amount of water) and cover. When water boils again, add 2 tall glasses of room temp water and cover. When it boils again, let it boil for a minute more (1/2 minute if dumplings aren't too filled). The potstickers will have risen to the top (turn the heat down to see), so just scoop them out.



Guo tie are harder to cook, and most Malaysians prefer the skin/wrapper to be thinner, unlike the authentic guo tie. You have to use a flat skillet, add some oil and fry them over low heat, with some water sprinkled over and cover them so that they are fried and steamed at the same time. Dousing the guo tie with a potato flour-water mixture halfway through will give a crisp layer of pastry around the guo tie, but my results aren't as good so I don't bother. I don't do guo tie often because they are oily to eat and take too long to cook. If I do cook them, I usually cheat by boiling them first and then fry them.

Serve jiaozi with dips: chili-lime-soy sauce, or the more authentic black vinegar and ginger strips/chopped fresh garlic dip. We also love potstickers with Sichuan peppers-chili oil and soy sauce dip. If you like it soupy, and you don't want a too-rich soup, make an instant soup by putting some sesame oil in a bowl, add light soy sauce and a sprinkle of chopped green onions and the boiled potstickers, then pour boiling water into the bowl. There you go, simple but very satisfying food.

Braised Pork Ribs N Bittergourd

One of my kids suddenly fell ill last Sunday and I have been in and out of SMC and the doc's clinic. He's home now and I am so exhausted physically and mentally. Thank you to those of you who called. We so appreciate your prayers and concern. I am reminded of how we can't take health for granted and how things can go wrong suddenly. The last couple of days I found no joy in doing what I love--cooking and blogging--but I'm forcing myself to continue so that I will not feel down. It is not life-threatening, and I am quite a hypochondriac so I worry easily.

I wanted to cook a bittergourd dish that the whole family would eat. I love stir-fried bittergourd with beef but it seems that Ming and I are the only ones who eat that dish. So I asked the grocer at Lido market what I could do with bittergourd that will be a hit even among those who don't like bittergourd. The lady and her friend both recommended that I cook it with pork ribs and bean paste. Wey, who doesn't like bittergourd, actually ate a lot of this dish. If a fussy eater like him likes it, it means it is blog-worthy. I wanted a low-salt dish so I omitted soy sauce but I guess if you aren't bothered about salt, you can add both light and dark soy sauces for the flavor and color. I find that all braised dishes taste better if it's been allowed to sit for a while after it's cooked and this dish is one of those.

Braised Pork Ribs N Bittergourd
1.5 kg baby pork ribs
1 large bittergourd
4 cloves garlic, smashed
a thumb-sized knob of fresh ginger, sliced
2 T Yeo's sweet bean sauce
2 T oil

1. Ask the butcher to cut ribs into small pieces of about 7 cm long. Boil a small pot of water and pour it over the ribs, stir it for a couple of seconds until the meat is scalded white all over, and then drain away the water. This will remove any unpleasant smell and dirt. Cut the bittergourd into large chunks.

2. Put the oil into a heavy pot and fry the garlic and ginger for 10 seconds, then add the sweet bean paste and fry for a minute. Add the ribs and fry for about 2 minutes in medium flame. Add enough water to cover the ribs.

3. When ribs are tender (but not falling off bones), add the bittergourd. Add more water if necessary, just enough to have some sauce. After 15 minutes, test the bittergourd with a fork to see if it is tender. Season to taste with some light soy sauce and add dark soy sauce for color if like. Switch off heat, leave the ribs covered in the pot until serving time. Re-heat and serve. Goes well with plain rice.

Lee Wong Kee Seafood

Sometimes I don't know if I should bother to blog about places I don't recommend. But I guess good or bad, this is just my opinion and if you disagree, feel free to say so (but don't hide behind anonymity) and please don't get upset to the point of attacking me as somebody did in my review of Supertanker Restaurant. To prove that dissent doesn't mean disloyalty or whatever, I have chosen not to moderate comments but please do bear in mind that many bloggers do restaurant reviews out of their own pockets so their views are unbiased.

There are several fish noodles coffeeshops in KK serving noodles with fresh fish head and fish everything cooked in a clear stock with fresh tomatoes. The more popular ones are Wan Wan which was very good when it was at Beverley Hills (people are very unoriginal here), but now it is so bad (the fish had a horrible frozen seafood flavor the last time I ate it, about 4 months ago) I wouldn't go even if I'm starving and it's free. There's also Houng Kee in Damai (so-so) and Tung Fong in Inanam, a recent discovery recommended by my gourmet friend Sucy, which is very good. The lunch-time fish noodles stall at Lee Wong Kee Seafood coffeeshop in Hilltop, Luyang (they used to be three doors away, in the middle of the same block. We nearly couldn't find it, not having gone there in a year) seems to be doing well but I found the soup not only very ordinary but it also had a subtle chemical flavor. I won't be going back, not only because the noodles aren't something to blog about or that they are expensive for coffee-shop food, but that the place is downright dirty.

I am finding it harder and harder to eat at coffeeshops that are littered with used tissues that are stuck to the floor when you try to kick them away, that have dirty patches of water on the floor here and there, that wafts of dirty toilets, that have patrons who finish their lunch and, as they walk to their cars, spit at the sidewalk one meter from you. No matter how good the food is, I don't need to endure such disgusting conditions.


This deep-fried fishpaste in beancurd skin is the best dish at Lee Wong Kee's lunchtime stall. The fishpaste is umami/msg-sweet and bouncy and the beancurd skin is crispy and oily (do ask that it be well-fried). Sinfully delicious and affordable at RM3.40/US$1 per plate .

Deep-fried fish roe, which was good today but sometimes can be bland. RM6/US$1.90 per small plate.


7-star grouper soup. RM15/US$4.70. Fish was fresh but there were only 4 small pieces of fish head, a couple of fish-paste balls and slices, and the soup was, well, nothing to tell your mother about.


Mixed fish mifun soup, RM7.50/US$2.30.


Mixed fish tom yum noodles, RM10/US$3. That's expensive, don't you think? Wey said it was good, but then this fella has only recently ventured into eating tom yum.

Still want to give it a try? Lee Wong Kee is a corner shop that faces the main road in Hilltop, Luyang.

Steamed Chicken With Ham II

Another steamed chicken with ham recipe, but this is a more advanced recipe to do because you have to steam and then debone the chicken (the chicken must be a premier one, preferably home-reared), then sandwich the ham slices in between and make a sauce from the steamed juices. This is a Cantonese dish that Nan Xing Restaurant on Jalan Pantai, KK used to do very well, and was a popular wedding banquet dish before banquet dishes became cheap and tasteless. In those days it wasn't about the ambience, but totally about food. Other scrumptious wedding banquet dishes Nan Xing used to do were deep-fried crab claws (love them!), 8-jewelled duck, abalone and kale, crispy-skin chicken, a very light and aromatic yang chow fried rice and the best sharks' fins soup...those really were banquet days. When Dad made his $ in the early 70s, we used to dine on delicious braised sharks' fins, not in thin shreds, but whole fins in pieces the size of serving spoons, with blanched bean sprouts, not as a soup but as a dish. And Saturday mornings were always spent using toothpicks to pick baby feathers out of special swift's nests (a few drops of oil will cause the feathers to coalesce to the top), a job we all hated but were rewarded well: bowls of swifts' nests double-boiled with rock-sugar, supposedly to restore the body's ying-yang balance and make your skin as flawless as a newborn's butt. How times change, and now it's environmentally incorrect to eat those things, as well as financially impossible with birds' nest price at over RM4000/US$1250 per kg. Absolutely delicious, makes my saliva glands swell just thinking of it.

Okay, let's forget about the old days. Now for this recipe, Nan Xing used ordinary cooked ham. That was because Chinese ham was rare and expensive, and there's more work because it needs to be steamed. Also, Chinese ham is very salty. For this dish last night, I used Chinese ham because I have a block of very good and fresh Chinese ham from Shanghai. Being fresh instead of aged, the ham is mild and xien/umami-sweet so it both flavored and sweetened the stock. As it ages, Chinese ham will develop a stronger aroma, almost like that of an old parma ham. I guess you can use parma ham too, but cut it a little thicker. If you can't get any Chinese ham, use good cooked ham but the sauce will not be as tasty.


(Note: It was 6:00 pm when I took these photos so there wasn't enough light and color balance turned the dish into a weird color. For this dish I've used mom's oval antique serving plate, exactly like the ones Nan Xing used to serve banquet dishes in.)

Steamed Chicken With Ham II
1 X 2.5 kg home-reared corn-fed whole chicken
18 to 20 thin ham slices, 3 x 5 cm each
1 kg greens like choysum or kale
3 thin slices fresh ginger, crushed lightly
1/2 T thin strips of fresh ginger
a small bunch of spring onions, tied
1/2 t fine sugar
salt
3 T shao xin wine
2 T cornflour
1 t oyster sauce
oil



1. If using Chinese ham, do not cut the ham into thin pieces. Estimate how big a block of 20 slices would be, put the block of ham into a small bowl, mix it well with the sugar, 1 T shao xin wine and ginger strips and leave overnight or at least 1 hour. You can steam it after that, so that you have time to chill it and then it can be cut into neat slices. If using English ham, do not cook.
2. Rub 1 t salt and the 2 T shao xin wine all over the cavity of the chicken. Put the ginger and spring onion into the cavity. Steam chicken at high heat for 25 minutes. Check if chicken is done by piercing the thigh with a thin skewer. If the juice that runs out is pink, give it another 5 minutes. You can, like I did, steam the Chinese ham along with the chicken. Do not pour away the steaming water because you are going to blanch your veg in it. Pour the stock from both the chicken and the ham together into a small pot and skim off the oil. There should be about 2 cups of stock.
3. Put in 1 T oil and 1 t salt into the pot or wok of water you steamed the chicken in. When the water is boiling mad, throw in the veg, stir to make sure all greens are blanched, then remove and let it cool and drain well.
4. When the chicken is cool, cut it into 5 sections: 2 wings, 2 legs and the breast. Now chop the wings at the joints and arrange on a serving plate. Take one leg and cut along it and pare away the meat in one piece. Chop de-boned leg into 3 to 4 cm wide slices, arrange on the plate. Do same with the other leg. Cut along the breastbone and remove one side of the breast meat and chop into pieces about the same size of the leg meat pieces. Do same with the remaining piece of breastmeat. Now tuck the ham in between the chicken pieces neatly. Arrange the veg (lightly squeeze some water out) around the chicken.
5. Put the cornstarch into the retained stock, stir well, and put into a small pot under medium heat. The stock will thicken. If too runny, add more cornflour solution. If too thick, add some canned chicken stock (Swanson's). Add 1 t oyster sauce (not more because you want to taste the flavor and sweetness of the ham and chicken stock) or omit if you are a purist. Taste and season. The sauce shouldn't be too salty. Pour the lightly thickened sauce all over the chicken and veg. That's it, your chicken banquet dish.

Cha Shao Omelette

Today Wey will cook his favorite cha shao jen dan or cha shao omelette (CSOM) for you. He said to tell you to use plenty of oil, which is why his mom, who first showed him how to cook this dish, doesn't cook it for him anymore. He has to fry it himself, usually when he gets back from school and provided that his older bro has not found the cha shao he stashes in secret pockets of the fridge. He said the best way to eat the CSOM is with plain rice, in front of the TV watching anime or Spongebob. A glass of iced Chinese tea will be perfect too now that his mom doesn't allow any fizzy drinks in the house.

CSOM is a very popular dish in instant stir-fry coffeeshops and restaurants in KK, where you can order stir-fries of your own combination of meat and veg. The most popular of these places are the coffeeshop Wah Juan in Tanjung Aru, the restaurant below Ang's Hotel in town, Friendly Restaurant in Bundusan and most of the Beaufort-type restaurants like Beaufort and Man Tai. Other than the horrendous amout of oil in the dish, I am also put off by the price for a small omelette the coffeshops charge--RM6 to 8/US$1.90 to 2.50--as the cost for 2 eggs is only 80 sen/US quarter, and a small sprinkle of cha shao hardly costs much too.

Although simple, most people can't do a good CSOM at home. This is because you must do what the restaurants do:

1. Get your wok SMOKING HOT;
2. Use plenty of oil, preferably with some pork oil;
3. Use msg;
4. Never cook more than 2 eggs at a time or the wok will not be hot enough.
5. Eat immediately before the fried souffle falls.
6. Work quickly.

This recipe will give you a 95% restaurant-perfect CSOM. The 5% is due to the lack of pork oil, which gives it a delicious aroma and taste.

A little undercooked, but that's how he likes it.

Cha Shao Omelette (1 serving)
2 eggs
2 T cha shao*, chopped
1/2 T spring onions, chopped (optional)
1/4 t salt, a dash of white pepper,two dashes of msg
1/4 cup oil*

* Wey said to make ambrosiac CSOM, the cha shao should have some fat...
** Add some pork oil if you don't mind the cholesterol. If you really really don't mind the oil, go with half a cup...the restaurants use much more and I find their oms too greasy.

1. Crack eggs into a small bowl, add the salt, pepper, msg and beat well. You can add the cha shao now, or in Step 2.

2. Heat up a wok, add the oil and when it smokes heavily (the hotter the puffier your omelette), pour all the egg into the middle of the oil. The sides will puff up like a Dutch pancake. Scatter the chopped cha shao and spring onions (if using) all over. The wok heat is kept very high all the time, but make sure the omelette doesn't burn, which means you have to work fast and lift the wok up if it starts to burn.

3. When the omelette is nearly not runny except for the middle, turn over and let it fry for 10 seconds and dish out. Eat immediately, with some tomato ketchup if like. Goes with plain rice.