Dim Sum Toyland

So some of us here have had some illness come and go and that really put a damper on my drive to cook – Aedan in particular has had a less-than-ideal sleeping schedule as of late.  I on the other hand had somehow got myself involved in helping out with our stake gold and green ball (on Valentine’s Day of all days so we’ve gotta pull out all the stops!) and, well, have you stopped reading yet?  It is kind of lame to start with excuses and I really haven’t forgotten this whole dim sum event, which by the way, if you want to enter for the giveaway you better do so quick! 

One of my items on my dim sum to-do list was to talk about dim sum for kids.  I have a soft spot for play food, something I didn’t remember having a lot of as a kid and something I’m loving playing with now as a mommy.  Then enters the idea of felt food. 

It is incredibly cheap to make and really doesn’t take a lot of time (assuming you have time to spare right?) and it is cute to boot.  I even bought the supplies to make all these cute dim sum and sushi items (idea from lilblackdog etsy shop) as part of the challenge, costing me no more than $6 for everything. 

For now I will just have to drool over these pictures and try again when life isn’t eat-sleep-gather decorations.  Here are a few fun foodie kid items that I am lovin:

Dim Sum Food Erasers, really would you dare use them? If only they were scratch-n-sniff…

 

Chinese Food Playset: Probably the least appetizing of them all, it still looks fun and it would fit in nicely with all the other cheap plastic food we have.   Yum Yum Dim Sum Board book.  Aedan likes his food books so maybe someday we’ll get this one.

The idea of dressing up as sushi seems like a geeky costume but when you have a super cute kid in it, it doesn’t seem so bad… I just want to “eat him up”… and no, I’m not thinking dim sum for this year’s Halloween costumes…

Yin and Yang Vegetable Dumplings and Sticky Rice Siu Mai

I first need to show off Aedan’s attempt at making a dumpling.  Isn’t it cute?  I wish I got pictures of him making it.  As he is a huge Kung Fu Panda fan he laughed when I said, “Have a dumpling” and “You are free to eat!” to which he replied, “AM I?!?” Maybe that is only funny to me.

I tried a recipe from Martin Yan’s China called Yin and Yang Vegetable Dumplings.  I was wanting something not too meaty and I found the way he wrapped them kind of fun and new.  Well, if you really want a recipe I can email it to you but I would recommend his book.

They were called Yin and Yang to represent the two ways you can prepare it: the yin was a steamed version, and the yang was the deep fry method. 

I love siu mai or shaomai, which is a traditional Chinese dumpling that usually contains pork and mushroom although we’ve seen other variations.  Again, I’ve been feeling a little maxed out on meat lately nd wanted something different.  I came across this sticky rice siu mai recipe that of course uses sticky rice and just a tiny bit of meat and some other goodies and I found that it was a fun change.  Not quite the same but it was fun to try.

 

Dim Sum and Daring Baker Challenge!

I’m finally back to doing the Daring Baker challenges after hiding out in a cave from fear of some recent challenges and from being way too busy to overcome that fear.  I figured this would be a nice challenge to include in our blog’s Dim Sum of All Fears challenge by combining it with a dessertish dim sum I wanted to try.  So for this challenge, I made Ginger Tuiles with Fried Bananas, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, and Ginger Caramel topping.  I know, it sounds like a mouthful and it was. But really it was by far the easiest challenge which was perfect for me as things have been nonstop in the kitchen what with Christmas and Chinese New Year feasts back-to-back. 

The fried bananas were the sort of dim sum part to the dessert although the ginger flavor was the winner here.  This recipe was very much like making fortune cookies (or rather, we make misfortune cookies here) and so the shaping bit wasn’t too surprising but still fun to deal with super hot baked batter with your bare hands at lightening speeds…

I shaped mine using small kid-size cups however I wasn’t really going for a beautiful presentation (excuses excuses) and I was really going for taste.  I was kind of surprised that I didn’t so much like fried bananas, go figure.  Too mushy and maybe I was too used to the banana split idea so I think I’ll stick to fruit the old fashioned “healthy” way.  :)  The ginger caramel sauce was pretty spunky though!

Ginger Tuiles with Fried Bananas, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, and Ginger Caramel Sauce

Tuiles

recipe modified from “The Chocolate Book”Angélique Schmeinck
¼ cup softened butter (not melted but soft)
½ cup sifted confectioner’s sugar
a dash of vanilla extract
2 large egg whites (slightly whisked with a fork)
1/2 cup sifted all purpose flour
3/4 tsp ground ginger
Butter/spray to grease baking sheet
Oven:  350F
Using a hand whisk or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle (low speed) and cream butter, sugar and vanilla to a paste. Keep stirring while you gradually add the egg whites. Continue to add the flour and ginger in small batches and stir to achieve a homogeneous and smooth batter/paste. Be careful to not overmix.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up. (This batter will keep in the fridge for up to a week, take it out 30 minutes before you plan to use it).
Transfer the batter into a piping bag fitted with a small plain tip. Pipe the desired shapes and bake 5-10 minutes or until golden brown. Shape immediately after baking using for instance a rolling pin, a broom handle, cups, cones…. These harden quickly as they cool so it is recommended to do only a couple at a time.

Fried Bananas and Ginger Caramel Sauce

from Martin Yan’s “China”, 2008
sauce
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 inch piece ginger, lightly crushed
1/2 cup water
batter
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil
4 firm, ripe bananas
vegetable oil for deep-frying
To make the sauce, combine the brown sugar, ginger, and water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.  Keep warm over low heat.
In a 2-quart saucepan, pour oil to a depth of 2 inches and heat to 350 degrees F.
Meanwhile, make the batter by combining the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.  Gradually pour in the water and oil, whisking until the batter is smooth.
Peel the bananas, halve them lengthwise, and then cut in half crosswise.  One at a time, dip the bananas into the batter;  drain briefly.  As the bananas are coated, add them to the hot oil, a few at a time, and deep-fry, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per batch.  Remove with a wire strainer or slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
This month's challenge is brought to us by Karen of Bake My Day and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf. They have chosen Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux.

Guest Posting and Additional Chinese New Year Gift Ideas!

Hey everyone! I wanted to share with you one of my favorite foodie/crafty/full of awesomeness blog, La Fuji Mama, who believe it or not, asked me to do a guest post for Chinese New Year! Check it out here! Featured there are Lucky Gifts for the Chinese New Year including a recipe for a fabulous Tangerine Peel Chicken Recipe and an orange applique baby project.

But I’m not done overloading you with citrus, oh no! There is not enough time as I’m already taking up valuable Dim Sum of All Fears free giveaway time. So here is my gift to you on this first day of the Year of the Ox! These are worth it but not as Asiany as your typical Chinese New Year gift: Orange Rolls, Orange Chocolate Fortune Cookies, and Orange Pocky!

I love Lion House rolls and I LOVE orange rolls – how smart that they put the two together?

I like this recipe compared with others because it seems to use more orange zest (!) and less sugar (!!). And it uses up food storage items (!!!) Too good to be true!

Orange Lion House Rolls

modified from a recipe by Brenda Hopkin

Ingredients:

• 1 recipe dough for Lion House Dinner Rolls
• ½ cup butter, melted
• Zest from two oranges
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 recipe Orange Icing (see below)

After dough for Lion House Dinner Rolls has risen the first time, roll dough on floured surface to rectangle about ¼ inch thick. Combine melted butter and orange zest in a small bowl; brush over dough. Sprinkle with sugar. Roll up the dough as you would cinnamon rolls. Using regular unflavored floss, cut the roll into 2-inch thick pieces. Place on lightly greased baking sheet. Allow to rise until double in size, about 40 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes, until light golden brown. Remove from oven and brush with melted butter. Allow to cool about 10 to 15 minutes, drizzle with Orange Icing. Makes 18 rolls.

Orange Icing

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice (reserve from zested oranges used in Orange Roll Recipe)
• 2 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream, or 2 tablespoons half-and-half

Place powdered sugar and orange juice in a small bowl; add half the amount of heavy cream. With spoon or mixer, mix until smooth. If icing is too thick, add more cream a little at a time. The hotter the rolls are when frosted, the thicker the frosting needs to be. Note: You can add more orange flavor by mixing in 1 to 2 teaspoons orange zest if desired.

Lion House Dinner Rolls

Ingredients:

• 2 cups warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
• 2/3 cup nonfat dry milk (instant or non-instant)
• 2 tablespoons dry yeast
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/3 cup butter, shortening, or margarine
• 1 egg
• 5 to 5 ½ cups all-purpose flour, or bread flour

In large bowl or electric mixer, combine water and milk powder; stir until milk dissolves. Add yeast, then sugar, salt, butter, egg, and 2 cups flour. Mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then for 2 minutes at medium speed. Add 2 cups flour; mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then for 2 minutes at medium speed. (Dough will be getting stiff and remaining flour may need to be mixed in by hand). Add about ½ cup flour and mix again, by hand or mixer. Dough should be soft, not overly sticky, and not stiff (It is not necessary to use the entire amount of flour).

Scrape dough off sides of bowl and pour about one tablespoon of vegetable oil all around sides of bowl. Turn dough over in bowl so it is covered with oil. (This helps prevent dough from drying out). Cover with plastic and allow to rise in warm place until double in size.

Follow recipe for Orange Rolls at this point.

Jazz up the chocolate dipped fortune cookie idea for a subtle lucky Chinese New Year gift! (even if fortune cookies are a ‘western’ idea)

Orange Chocolate Fortune Cookies

Ingredients

• Fortune cookies
• dipping chocolate
• orange oil (not orange extract!)

Melt chocolate following packaging instructions. Add a couple drops of orange oil to melted chocolate and stir. Add more drops if needed until you reach your desired flavor potency. Dip half of each fortune cookie and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or waxed paper. Let chocolate harden and serve!

Orange Pocky Sticks

And I just really like these and they were a recent find for me! I’ve had Pocky before but had never seen orange flavored. They are pretzel-like biscuit sticks dipped in orange flavored chocolate (white or milk choco) and my Aedan loves them to bits. They can be found at most Asian food grocery stores. Except for maybe this one, which I can’t find anywhere! Deluxe!

Chinese New Year Giveaway

Chinese New Year is fast approaching and rest assured we will have several upcoming posts for the holiday. Since we are living in the States, this is largely a holiday celebrated with lots of food and not much else. This year in Kitchenland we will be sharing gift ideas, food adventures, kid fun, and cultural traditions with you.

To get the ball rolling, I wanted to invite all of you to participate in our Chinese New Year Blogtivity – Dim Sum Of All Fears. Not the most brilliant of titles I know but let me explain. I love to cook Chinese food of all kinds but I feel there is definitely room for improvement. There are things that I need to fine tune and there are other things that are flat out intimidating to me. I LOVE dim sum and if you’ve been to a dim sum eatery (versus one that merely serves dim sum on the side) you will know what I mean when I say that it is overwhelmingly awesome! They are both delicious and most often very beautifully presented and while I’ve made a couple types of dim sum, I’ve been too scared to really dive in and try making all of my favorites.

Traditional dim sum seems pretty loosely defined as “dishes … [of] small portions and may include meat, seafood, vegetables, as well as desserts and fruit.” (Wikipedia) The typical ways to cook dim sum are by steaming or frying the mini morsels but really anything goes here. I for one will be focusing on dim sum for the full 15 days, some will be savory, some will be sweet, dim sum for kids, a some non-food related etc. Be sure to check back often!

THE GIVEAWAY AND CHALLENGE

Let's conquer our fears together! For this challenge, we will be offering one (1) lucky winner an adorable pair of girl and boy chopstick trainers from Chopstick Kids. Really, they may seem like a kid item but I bet you know at least one adult that could benefit from these! To enter the drawing it really is too simple:

1. Leave one (1) comment below and tell me what food(s) you fear to make and why. Can be any type of food.
2. You must live in New Zealand, Hong Kong, or the US to qualify :)
3. Entry deadline is midnight February 9th.

That’s it! For a bonus entry you may do the following:

1. Make the food you fear to make.
2. Blog about it, or for non-bloggers email me (thekitchenpost{at}gmail{dot}com) between Jan 26th and Feb 9th. Include pictures and recipe if you can!

The winner will be chosen in a random drawing by judge Aedan and announced on February 10th. Best of luck and good fortune to all of you this new year!

So Long!

Fairwell to the Olympics! It was fun while it lasted but I am looking forward to having my evenings back. What a fun few weeks it has been and before we close out our Chinese Food Olympic Event I'll leave you with one last recipe, a classic. Really, all this fried Chinese food is not our every day kind of Chinese food but it is quite popular here in the States so you can't really avoid it. I really only make this kind of food for things like Chinese New Year or Chinese themed How to Host a Murder parties.

Previous Chinese Kitchen Post recipes:
Beef and Broccoli
Ginger Chicken
Cashew Chicken
Misfortune cookies
Spring Rolls

And now because parting is such sweet n' sour (punny I know)

I think the key to this dish is the chicken marinade (makes a difference) and using fresh pineapple. It just tastes better than canned. Enjoy!

Sweet and Sour Chicken
serves 4

2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp chicken stock
1/8 tsp white pepper
1 Tb sesame oil
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into long thin strips

1 package Tempura, prepared with ice cold water into a fairly thick consistancy
canola oil for frying

1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
3-4 carrots, peeled and chopped into 1 inch coins
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 ripe fresh pineapple, chopped

Sweet and Sour sauce (see recipe)

1) marinade the chicken strips in the soy sauce, chicken stock, white pepper, and sesame oil for at least 15 minutes. Overnite is fine in the refrigerator.

2) Heat the oil in a shallow pan. Prepare tempura batter per box directions (I use ice cold water and leave the batter on the thicker side for a better coat). Drop marinated chicken into batter, coating evenly. Test hot oil by dropping small drops of batter in - if the batter sinks and stays on the bottom of your pan the oil is not hot enough. You want the batter to float up to the top with a faster pace fry action - you want the chicken to be cooked sure but the less time it sits in the oil overall the better off you'll be. Fry all of the battered chicken until golden brown, turning if necessary. Drain off oil by placing on layers of paper towels after fried. Let cool slightly.

3) Heat up wok with a few Tbs of oil (can use from the frying vat). Stir fry all vegetables together for a couple minutes - you still want them slightly crunchy. Place cooked vegetables on a platter. Stir fry pineapple until heated through - I save this for last as it can put out a bit of liquid. Mix in with vegetables.

4) Place fried chicken over stirfry. Pour Sweet and Sour sauce over top. Serve over a warm bed of Jasmine rice. This dish is really best served shortly after making it and it isn't the best for leftovers once all the sauce is poured over the chicken. For kids, I sometimes leave the sauce off and set aside for them to dip the chicken. If they question it just tell them it is Chinese Chicken Nuggets...

WE WILL ANNOUNCE THE CHINESE FOOD OLYMPIC EVENT WINNER TOMORROW!! THANKS TO ALL WHO JOINED IN ON THE FUN!