Tag: Appetizer

Thai-ish Crispy Dumplings

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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.

Cheeseburger Potstickers

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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

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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.

Hot and Sour Wontons

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Hot and sour wontons are one of those dishes that make it almost impossible to settle for a bland meal. Tender dumplings swimming in chili oil, black vinegar, garlic, and spice: sharp, rich, and unapologetically bold. Learning to make them at home felt less like a project and more like a necessity.

Ingredients:

For the wontons:

  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon white pepper
  • 2 green onions (or Chinese chives), minced
  • 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
  • 40-50 square wonton wrappers

For the sauce:

  • 1/4 cup chile oil
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 3 tablespoons Chinkiang vinegar or a mixture of 1 tablespoon rice vinegar and 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds

To serve:

  • 2 tablespoons crushed roasted peanuts
  • Small handful cilantro leaves, chopped
  1. Make the sauce: Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl and stir until sugar is dissolved. Set aside until ready to use.
  2. Make the wontons: Combine the chicken, salt, sugar, pepper, green ionions, garlic, and wine in a medium bowl and knead and turn with clean hands until the mixture is homogenous and starting to feel tacky, about 1 minute.
  3. Fill the wontons, using a tablespoon of filling per skin. Use your fingertip to add a thin layer of water around all the edges of the wrapper. Pull two corners together and pinch them shut to form a triangle, then seal up the edges of the triangle, making sure to push out as much air as possible. Moisten the folded corners, then pull them toward each other, making them meet and cross in the center. Repeat until you’ve made all your wontons.
  4. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Cook about 20 wontons at a time until they are completely cooked through, about four minutes. Drain the wontons and transfer to a warm serving platter. Repeat with the remaining wontons and spoon the sauce on top of the cooked wontons. Sprinkle with peanuts and minced cilantro and serve.

Sri Lankan Beef Patties

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These Sri Lankan beef patties are only nominally authentic, but they’re an ode to the beloved “short eats” or snacks that are ubiquitous throughout the island. Think fish cutlets, spicy rolls, and crispy vadai. These beef patties traditionally employ a more labor-intensive, handmade dough and are deep-fried, but I use buttery puff pastry and bake the patties here for results that are just as indulgent and aromatic. Serve these as an appetizer with chili sauce or even cooling yogurt and chutney.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • 10 curry leaves
  • 3-inch piece of pandan leaf
  • 1/2 pound ground beef
  • 2 tablespoons Sri Lankan Roasted Curry Powder or Madras curry powder
  • 1/4 cup coconut milk
  • 1/2 lime
  • 1 package puff pastry dough
  1. Heat the oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Fry the onion until starting to brown, then add the curry leaves and pandan leaf and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is golden brown. Add the ground beef, curry powder, and enough water to just cover the ingredients. Reduce the heat to a simmer and with the lid ajar, cook for about 20 minutes.
  2. Add the coconut milk and cook for 4 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed. Turn off the heat and mix through a squeeze of lime juice. Set aside.
  3. Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Cut out 4-inch squares with a pizza cutter. You should have about 12 to 16 squares. Spoon a tablespoon of the filling onto the center of each square and fold in half diagonally. Secure the border by pressing the tines of a fork alongside the edges.
  4. Preheat the oven to 375F degrees. Place the patties on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 30 minutes until golden, rotating the tray halfway.