home made siu mai 燒賣 - part 2

The batch of filling and the dough that I prepared for making siu mai 燒賣 just kept giving. I saved three pieces that has been steam for stemming hunger the next morning. I had them in a porcelain plate with a few pieces of cilantro that was for visual presentation. Just as I was ready to place the whole plate into the bamboo steamer to reheat, I moved the cilantro onto the top of the siu mai 燒賣 as I knew the cilantro will look terrible being steamed, but better if they sit on top of the siu mai 燒賣.

home made siu mai 燒賣 - part 1

I didn't planned ahead to make siu mai 燒賣. It was an impromptus thing as I have some small shrimps and pork in the fridge. Why not make a few siu mai. I knew I need the special yellow warpers that most people buy from stores. I figured I would just make my own with general purpose flour, which would not have the yellow food coloring.

shanghai thick wheat noodle stir fried with julienne pork 上海肉絲炒粗麵 - part 2

My recent jumped into making a number of Shanghainese delights reignited my desire to make my own Shanghainese thick noodles 上海粗麵. Finding good Asian noodles in the west is most frustrating and I am seldom impressed with the variety with the exception of very few, and this includes edible ramen noodles. My solutions to these frustrations have been taking matter into my own hands. Some noodles are off limit to DIYers and Hong Kong wonton noodles is definitely one. By these I am referring to the raw noodles for making all these dishes where the quality of the noodles are paramount.

stir fried crystal shrimps 清炒水晶虾仁

Stir fried crystal shrimps 清炒水晶虾仁 is often also found in the Shanghainese restaurants that serve xiao long bao 小籠包. It is called crystal 水晶 shrimps for their near translucent appearance. When I was in Toronto a few months ago we ordered this dish. Ever since returning to the Pacific Northwest I have been wanting to recreate this dish. The challenge is finding shrimps with just the right size.

xiao long bao 小籠包, potstickers 鍋貼, and pan fried pork buns 生煎包 - part 3

So my quest for learning to make these Shanghainese delights continues. All counted I have tried making 5 things this week. While Hunan savory braised pork belly 湖南紅燒肉 suggest it is a Hunan dish the truth is you can call it Shanghainese too as Shanghai, and many other provinces also have a basically identical dish.

hunan savory braised pork belly 湖南紅燒肉

I have never met an Asian that does not like pork belly. If there is one that must be me. I used to be very afraid of eating pork belly for the fear that it would go straight to my belly and stay there. In time I would realize animal fat is not as bad as the world health professionals make them out to be. Rather, carb and sugar are much worst, and don't even get me started with processed food-like matter. Further, I would even to go out to the limb that most vegetable oil in the west that are not cold pressed but process with heat and chemical are likely worst than eating animal oil in moderation.

xiao long bao 小籠包, potstickers 鍋貼, and pan fried pork buns 生煎包 - part 2

I am amaze how productive these wheat flour based Shanghai delights are. I prepared a modest size batch of filling for making potsticker 鍋貼 and I had to stuff myself to make some headway. Still there were what appeared a tiny bit of the filling left. I put it away in the refrigerator. The next morning I wonder what to eat for breakfast.

xiao long bao 小籠包, potstickers 鍋貼, and pan fried pork buns 生煎包 - part 1

Being a fearless home cook I always look forward to making something new. I used to think xiao long bao 小籠包 is something extremely difficult to make at home. I have been watching some excellent videos on Youtube and I decided to jump into making a few Shanghai favorites with both feet. The worst is I just have to eat my own dog food if they turn out terrible.

an impromptu eggplants in clay pot

I wanted to make a dish that is light in calories after eating a whole scallion pancake. What has a scallion pancake has to do with wanting a meal with lighter calories. It is the starch. I subscribe to refined sugar and starch are the biggest cause of obesity, not fat or protein.