Pork and Cabbage Dumpling

INGREDIENTS

Dumpling Filling :

1 lb ground pork (80% lean, 20% fat)

2 stalk scallions, minced

1 tbs rice wine

2 tbs light soy sauce

1/8 tsp pepper

2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp grated ginger

1 tsp salt

2 cups of minced cabbage (You can also use napa cabbage or bokchoy)

1 pkg (about 50) dumpling wrapper shanghai-style (gyoza or potsticker wrapper can also be used)

Water to boil the dumpling

Water to seal the wrapper

Dumpling dip :

3 tbs light soy sauce

1 tbs red wine vinegar

1 tsp sugar

1 tbs minced ginger

1 tsp sesame oil

1. Put the cabbage in a bowl and sprinkle 1 tsp of salt. Toss. Let it sit for at least 10 min.

2. Combine the ground pork, scallions, ginger, rice wine, soy sauce, sesame oil and pepper.

3. Using your hands, squeeze the liquid out of  the cabbage one handful at a time. You can also put the cabbage on a cheese cloth, kitchen towel or paper towel and squeeze the liquid out.

4. Add the squeezed cabbage to the pork mixture and mix until combined.

3. Wrap the dumpling filling with the dumpling wrapper. See photos below on how to wrap the dumplings.Set them aside and cover it with damp cloth or paper towel to prevent the wrappers from drying.

4. Fill a large pot with 2/3 of water and bring to a boil.

5. Gently slide the dumplings in the boiling water (do not overcrowd the pot. Do them in multiple batches). Return to simmer and gently cook for 6-8 minutes. They will start to float. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the pot.

6. Return water to boil and repeat with the next batch of dumplings with procedure 5.

7. Serve with the dipping sauce. To make the dipping sauce, combine all the ingredients and whisk.

8. I usually serve this with hot and sour soup, egg drop soup or miso soup and it's dinner.

9. Enjoy!

 ***note : you can store the dumplings in the freezer after step 3 if you want to prepare them in advance. You can thaw them in the ref  before cooking or cook them straight from the freezer.

HOW TO WRAP A DUMPLING

Put 1 teaspoon of the filling in the center of the wrapper.

Dip your finger into the water and wet the edges of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper into half-moon shape, squeeze out the air and press the edges to seal the wrapper.

Wet the middle edge of the wrapper and fold three times and press to create pleats.

Lumpiang Shanghai (Fried Pork Spring Roll)

fried is good but lumpiang shanghai is really good.

I rarely cook fried food. This one is an exception. It is my family's favorite. My husband is not a big eater but when I serve this dish, it's always a hit. He will devour it.

One key ingredient is the spring roll wrap. I use the "Spring Home" brand (see photo below) which is the best that I've used so far. Unfortunately, my local grocery does not sell it. So when we take a trip to Chinatown, I buy a couple or more and store in the freezer.

Of course, don't forget the dip...sweet and sour sauce. Making lumpia is quite a lot of work with all the chopping, wrapping and frying so I prefer using the bottled spring roll sauce. It is as good as the homemade version.

INGREDIENTS :
42 pcs spring roll wrappers
1 1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 lb shrimp, shelled, deveined and chopped
2 med carrots, minced
3 cloves garlic
2 eggs, slightly beaten
5 tbs chopped onion
3 tbs soy sauce
3 tsp sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 stalks green onion, minced
vegetable oil for frying

1. Combine all ingredients except oil and spring roll wrapper.
2. Using a teaspoon, scoop a mixture and lay it on the wrapper in a cylindrical shape. Wrap and moisten the end of the wrapper with water.
3. Place 3 inches of oil in a pan and heat. Fry lumpia in medium heat for about 7-10 minutes.Do not crowd the pan.
4. Drain in a plate with paper towel to remove excess oil.
5. Serve hot with sweet and sour dip.

TIP: In case you have a leftover, lumpia loses it's crispiness after a day. Warm it in an oven for 10 mins at 300C and it'll be crispy again

Pork Adobo

Adobo is a popular dish in Philippine cuisine. It is a stew that is slowly cooked with vinegar, soy sauce and garlic. Pork adobo, chicken adobo and combination of both are the most popular adobo. This is also a dish that can keep well without refrigeration (vinegar inhibits the growth of bacteria). Thus, it is a common dish served on feasts and packed for lunches and picnics.

Well, whenever I think of Adobo, I think of home. It is a comfort food for me and I'm sure for most Filipinos too. I don't know any Filipino who doesn't like adobo.

My favorite is pork adobo. My mom makes an amazing one. She always cooks by eyeballing the measurements of ingredients so I never got the exact recipe from her. After trial and error, I finally came up with my own concoction. I hope my mom will be proud of this.

INGREDIENTS :
 1 lb country-style pork ribs, bone-in (I prefer this because it has a little fat that makes it moist when  cooked), cut into 1 1/2" cubes
  *** substitute with a whole chicken, cut up
 5 peeled hard-boiled eggs
 4 med potatoes, quartered
 2 tbs vinegar
 1 small head of garlic, peeled and smashed
 5 Tbs soy sauce
 2 dried bay leaves
 1/2 tsp peppercorn
 1 Tbs brown sugar
1/4 C water


1. Combine all the ingredients except the hard-boiled eggs and potatoes.
2. Let it boil and turn down the heat. Let it simmer for an hour or until meat is tender. You can add water if sauce is starting to dry up. Don't forget to taste and adjust seasoning.
3. Add the potatoes and the hard-boiled eggs making sure they are soaked through in the sauce. Cook for until the potatoes are tender and turn off the heat.
4. Don't forget to serve it with hot rice. Happy cooking!