Buddhas Delight Dumplings With Ginger Chive Ponzu Recipes

BOILED GARLIC CHIVE DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• In a large bowl thoroughly mix all ingredients - aside from those in the Cold Water Dough and the Spicy Soy Dipping Sauce - together by hand. Cook a tester to check for seasoning. MAKING THE DUMPLINGS: Place a small mound of filling in the middle of the wrapper. (Be very careful not to touch the edges with the filling, as this will impede proper sealing of the dumplings. Nothing is worse than dumplings breaking during cooking.) Fold the wrapper in half to form a half moon shape. Starting on one end fold/pinch the wrapper tightly together. Proceed with this fold/pinch method until the dumpling is completely sealed. There will be approximately 10 to 14 folds per dumpling. Rest the dumplings with the folded edges straight up.
• COOKING THE DUMPLINGS: Use a large stock pot with plenty of water. Add a small handful of salt, as if you were cooking pasta. Make sure the water is at a rolling boil before adding dumplings. Once the dumplings are dropped, gently stir so that they do not stick together or stick to the bottom. Do not try to boil too many at a time, as it will take too long to cook resulting in soggy dumplings. Overcooking also causes the dumplings to break apart.
• For the Cold Water Dough: In a stainless steel bowl, mix flour and salt. Slowly add cold water to flour in 1/4 cup increments. Mix with chopsticks until a ball is formed. On a floured surface, knead dough until it becomes a smooth, elastic ball. Place back in bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Allow dough to rest for at least 1 hour. Working on a floured surface with floured hands, roll out dough to form a long 'noodle', 1 inch in diameter. Cut 1/2 inch pieces and turn them over so cut sides are facing up. Flatten with your palm and roll out thin using a rolling pin. The dumpling wrapper should end up about 3 inches in diameter. For the Spicy Soy Dipping Sauce: Combine all and serve in a small bowl. PLATING: Serve dumplings on a large platter lined with lettuce with a bowl of dipping sauce on the side. One family tradition is the serving of the dumpling 'broth' at the end of the meal since inevitably some of the dumplings do break and flavor the water. Waste not, want not.

BUDDHA'S DELIGHT

Steps:

• Soak mushrooms in 5 cups boiling-hot water in a bowl, keeping them submerged with a small plate and turning mushrooms over occasionally, until softened and cool enough to handle, about 30 minutes. Squeeze excess liquid from caps back into bowl and reserve liquid, then cut out and discard stems from mushrooms. Cut caps into 1-inch wedges.
• While mushrooms soak, carefully break bean curd skins in half crosswise, then halve each portion crosswise again. Transfer to a bowl, then add enough boiling-hot water to cover and soak, turning occasionally, until softened, about 30 minutes.
• If using fresh bamboo, trim bottoms of shoots, then halve shoots lengthwise with a sharp heavy knife. Pull off and discard leaves from shoots, then remove any blemishes with a sharp paring knife (don't worry about natural dotted pattern along base of shoots).
• Cover fresh or frozen bamboo with cold water by 1 inch in a 2-quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil 2 minutes, then drain in a colander and rinse under cold water. Repeat boiling and rinsing, then arrange bamboo halves, cut sides down, on a cutting board and cut bamboo lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
• Soak noodles in cold water to cover until softened, about 5 minutes, then drain in colander and transfer to a bowl.
• Drain bean curd skins in colander. When cool enough to handle, squeeze dry and cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces.
• Halve tofu lengthwise, then cut each half crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
• Heat oil in a 5- to 6-quart wide heavy pot over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Add ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add mushrooms, bean curd skins, bamboo, and ginkgo nuts and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir in oyster sauce, soy sauce, rice wine, and sugar and simmer 1 minute. Add reserved mushroom-soaking liquid and bring to a boil. Gently stir in tofu and soybean sprouts, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, 15 minutes. Gently stir in noodles and simmer, covered, 5 minutes. Add romaine hearts (pot will be full) and turn to coat, then simmer, covered, until romaine is tender, about 5 minutes.