Thai-ish Crispy Dumplings

Posted on

I love a dumpling, especially one that arrives golden, crisp, and dangerously easy to keep eating. These Thai-style dumplings are my own loose interpretation. Not exactly authentic, and certainly not something I’d dare present to a grandmother in Bangkok. But they’re savory, crunchy, a little sweet, and deeply satisfying.

Ingredients:

  • 3 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil, plus more for deep-frying
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon cilantro stems, minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
  • 4 ounces white mushrooms, cut into 1/2-inch dice
  • 8 ounces ground chicken
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 8-ounce can water chestnuts, drained and cut into 1/4-inch dice
  • 25-35 wonton skins
  • 3/4 cup sweet chile sauce, for serving
  1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the sliced green onions, garlic, cilantro, white pepper, and mushrooms and stir-fry for about 2 minutes, until the onions and mushrooms have softened. Add the chicken, soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and water chestnuts and stir with a wooden spoon, breaking up the chicken as you stir. Continue to stir-fry for about 7 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the liquid has evaporated. Remove the pan from the heat and let the filling cool to room temperature.
  2. To assemble the dumplings, lay a wonton wrapper flat on a work surface and put 1 tablespoon of the cooled filling in the center. Dip your finger in a bowl of water and brush the perimeter of the wonton wrapper with your wet finger and fold the wonton over diagonally to make a triangle shape and seal the wonton to close. Repeat with the remaining wonton wrappers and filling.
  3. To fry the dumplings, pour the oil to a depth of 1 inch into a wok or frying pan and carefully heat to medium-high. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set aside.
  4. Using a slotted spoon, carefully lower a few dumplings into the hot old and fry for 2 to 3 minutes per side, turning carefully, until golden brown all over. Using the slotted spoon, transfer the dumplings to the towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat until all the dumplings are cooked.
  5. Serve the dumplings with the sweet chile sauce.

Pad See Ew

Posted on

Pad see ew is not a flashy dish, which is exactly the point. Wide rice noodles, a hot wok, a little char, a little sweetness, and enough soy sauce to tie everything together. It’s the kind of food that doesn’t need to show off because it already knows you’ll finish the whole plate.

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

  • 6 ounces thinly sliced boneless chicken
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • Pinch of salt

For the sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sugar

For the stir-fry:

  • 1/4 cup avocado oil
  • 6 ounces Chinese broccoli, cut diagonally lengthwise so that no stems are wider than 1/2 inch
  • 1 egg
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 12 ounces wide rice noodles, preferably fresh (and cooked according to package instructions if dry)
  • Soy sauce and white pepper
  • Prik nam som, as desired
  1. Prepare the chicken: place the chicken in a medium bowl, cover with cold water, and vigorously agitate it. Draine through a strainer set in the sink and press on the chicken with your hands to remove excess water. Combine the chicken, soy sauce, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and massage with your fingertips until the cornstarch is evenly distributed. Stir vigorously with your fingertips for 30 seconds. Cover and set aside for at least 15 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
  2. Make the sauce: combine the soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar in a small bowl.
  3. Make the stir-fry: when ready to cook, rub the inside of a wok with a thin film of avocado oil, and carefully heat over high heat until smoking. Add 1 tablespoon of the avocado oil and swirl to coat. Add the chicken and cook, tossing occasionally until nearly cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a clean bowl.
  4. Wipe out the wok and return to high heat until lightly smoking. Add 1 tablespoon oil. Add the broccoli and stir-fry until lightly charring in spots, about 1 minute, and transfer to the bowl with the chicken.
  5. Wipe out the wok and add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Heat until shimmering, then crack the egg into the wok, being careful to avoid splashing the hot oil. The egg should immediately start puffing. Let it puff for about 15 seconds, then flip it. (It’s okay if it breaks.) Add the garlic and stir-fry, breaking up the egg with your spatula until the garlic is fragrant and the egg is cooked through, about 30 seconds.
  6. Add the noodles to the wok and give them a good toss to coat with the oil, then add the sauce, swirling it around the edges. Return the chicken and broccoli to the wok and stir-fry until the sauce is cooked off and the noodles start to sizzle and char a little, about 1 minute. Season with soy sauce and white pepper to taste. Transferred to a serving platter and serve immediately.

Eggplant Parmesan

Posted on

Eggplant Parmesan is proof that restraint is overrated. Fried eggplant, tomato sauce, melted cheese, then more of all three stacked on top. It’s messy, unapologetically rich, and one of the great arguments for treating vegetables less like an obligation and more like an opportunity. (Don’t worry, the eggplant are oven-fried here so that counts for something.)

Ingredients:
  • 4 pounds eggplant, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch plants
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for greasing and drizzling
  • 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 3/4 cup pesto
  • Red pepper flakes
  • 1 24-ounce jar marinara sauce
  • 1 cup shredded low-moisture mozzarella cheese
  • Basil leaves, for serving
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil and grease them.
  2. Place the eggplant in a colander and salt each side. Let it drain for 15 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the olive oil, breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, and the oregano. Season with salt.
  4. In a separate small bowl, stir together the ricotta, pesto, and a pinch of red pepper flakes.
  5. Pat the eggplant dry. Drizzle both sides with olive oil and season with pepper. Arrange on the prepared baking sheets (it’s okay if the slices overlap a little). Roast, rotating the pan halfway through, until the eggplant is soft and beginning to brown, 25 to 30 minutes.
  6. Spread 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ baking sheet. Arrange 1/4 of the eggplant over the sauce, overlapping is needed to create an even layer. Dollop about half a cup of the ricotta mixture and spread it out evenly. Spread on another half cup marinara sauce. Repeat the layers twice more. Add the remaining eggplant, the remaining marinara, the mozzarella, and top with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.
  7. Cover with foil and bake until the mozzarella is melted and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle the bread mixture over the top, and continue baking until the topping is golden, about 15 minutes more. Let stand for about 10 minutes, top with basil, and serve.

Cheeseburger Potstickers

Posted on

At first glance, cheeseburger potstickers sound like the sort of thing that should never have happened. Then you take a bite and realize it’s a perfectly logical collision of two great comfort foods. Inspired by a recipe from Shirley Chung, these crispy dumplings pack all the familiar flavors of a cheeseburger into a package that’s a lot more fun to eat.

Ingredients:
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1/3 pound shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup chopped red onion
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  • Potsticker wrappers
  • Thousand Island dressing, for serving (you can also make an easy version by combining 1/3 cup mayonnaise, 1/3 cup ketchup, and 1/3 cup sweet pickle relish in a bowl)
  1. In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, cheddar cheese, red onion, and Worcestershire sauce together, and season with salt and pepper.
  2. Put 1 tablespoon of beef filling in the middle of a potsticker wrapper and fold the potsticker. Repeat to make all the potstickers.
  3. After all the potstickers are folded, heat 2 tablespoons of avocado oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. When the pan is hot, line up the potstickers flat side down in a pan. Add 1/4 cup of water and cover it with a lid. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 4 minutes, then remove the lid. Increase the heat to medium and allow the bottom of the potstickers to crisp up, about 2 minutes. When they are golden on the bottom, the potstickers are done. Transfer to a serving platter and serve them alongside the dressing.

Sweet Potato Nachos

Posted on

Sweet potato nachos are what happen when you want something that feels a little virtuous and a little indulgent at the same time. Crispy roasted sweet potatoes piled high with all the usual nacho suspects, they strike that rare balance between comfort food and weeknight practicality. No one is claiming they’re health food, but they’re certainly easier to justify.

Ingredients:
  • 2 pounds sweet potatoes, cut lengthwise into wedges
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • Salt
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese
  • 1 avocado
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus more for serving
  • Greek yogurt, for garnish
  • Sliced green onions, for garnish
  1. Preheat the oven to 425F degrees.
  2. In a baking sheet or cast iron skillet, toss together the sweet potatoes and 1 tablespoon of the avocado oil and season with salt. Arrange the sweet potatoes in a single layer, being sure not to crowd the baking sheet. Bake until the potatoes are slightly softened, 15 to 20 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil with the onion powder, paprika, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, and red pepper. Drizzle the spice mix over the potatoes and toss to coat. Continue baking until the sweet potatoes are crisp on the outside and tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, leaving the oven on.
  4. Transfer the sweet potatoes to a cast iron skillet if you haven’t already. Scatter the black beans over the sweet potatoes, then cover with the shredded cheeses. Return the skillet to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 10 minutes.
  5. In a small bowl, combine the avocado, lime juice, and cilantro. Mash the avocado and add salt as desired. Remove the sweet potato nachoes from the oven and top with the avocado mixture. Top with dollops of Greek yogurt, green onion, and cilantro before serving.