If you know me, you know that I'm driven to create. Creating comes in many forms. I am a worker in wood. I write stories and books. I love to cook. All are forms of creation. I'll admit that my woodwork is not world famous. Those who have read my books are numbered in tens. And, those who have enjoyed the fruits of my culinary labors are limited to family and a few friends. That's okay. I create for me and then I share.
So, now, I'm sharing with you. A few weeks ago, while visiting the local Virginia Beach Public Library with our granddaughter, Natalie, I saw a heavy looking book in the cooking aisle. I love to cook Asian dishes; especially those using a wok. This book intrigued me, so I checked it out. I renewed it before we went on vacation. I may renew it again. It is The Wok, Recipes and Techniques by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt.
Within its 622 pages are recipes for favorites from all of Asia, Korea to Malaysia, any country in which a wok might be used. There are recipes for soups, stir frys, pancakes, and a myriad of others. There are techniques for using the wok, for any type of noodle imaginable, and lists of herbs and spices to use. There are old favorites and the history behind them. Surprisingly, or perhaps not, a number of 'Chinese' favorites are unknown in Asia, except as exports from the United States. General Tso never ate the dish named after him, at least not in China.
I have an entire bouquet of bookmarks sticking out of the book. Many of them will be copied and some tried. The first was an unusual protein mixture that can be used in multiple dishes. And that is exactly what I did. It's called The Mix and uses ground pork, minced shrimp and a variety of spices to make a meat mix that the author uses in a variety of dishes. In my case, I made dumplings and fried rice using The Mix. I still have 5 oz of it in the freezer for another adventure, perhaps a stir fry. There is also a simple, and I mean very simple, recipe for dumpling wrappers. So, when we made the dumplings, they were indeed homemade.
I now it's simple, and perhaps even cheaper, to buy frozen dumplings and hit the local Chinese take out for fried rice, but you just can't beat the flavor and satisfaction of doing it yourself. And these two dishes are far and away better than anything I can find in the grocery or local restaurant. I look forward to making Kung Pao Pork, Szechuan chicken, Lo Mein with homemade noodles, and a number of other dishes. Some will find their way into my online cookbook. (But, that's the subject of another post.)
Try some for yourself. Here is a link to the oriental recipes in my online cookbook You will find the recipes for The Mix and the Dumpling Wrappers here, along with many of our favorites.
See you next week.