Egg Rolls, Steamed Pork Dumplings &
Chinese Spareribs

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            FOOD FUNNY
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Thanks to Anna Welander for this one:

To impress his date, the young man took her to a very chic Italian
restaurant. After sipping some fine wine, he picked up the menu and
studied it with an appraising eye. "We'll have the Giuseppe
Spomdalucci," he said finally.

"Sorry, sir," said the waiter. "That's the owner."

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            TODAY'S RECIPES
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You can change this recipe to make spring rolls simply by substituting
the more delicate spring roll wrappers for the egg roll wrappers.

Egg Rolls

For the filling:
3 Tbs (45 ml) peanut or vegetable oil
1/2 lb (225 g) ground pork
1/2 lb (225 g) shrimp, peeled, deveined, and finely chopped
1/2 lb (225 g) fresh bean sprouts
4 ribs celery, finely chopped
1 Tbs (15 ml) soy sauce
1 Tbs (15 ml) rice wine
1/2 tsp (2 ml) sugar
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 Tbs (15 ml) cornstarch (cornflour) mixed with
2 Tbs (30 ml) cold water
1 lb (450 g) egg roll wrappers
3 cups (750 ml) peanut of vegetable oil for deep-frying

Heat the oil in a wok or large heavy skillet over high heat. Saute the
pork just until it looses its color. Add the remaining ingredients
except the cornstarch mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until
the shrimp have turned pink and the liquid boils. Stir in the cornstarch
mixture and cook until the cornstarch becomes clear and the liquid
has thickened. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room
temperature. Shape about 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the cool filling mixture
into an oblong "sausage" shape and place diagonally on one of the
egg roll wrappers. Fold one corner of the egg roll wrapper over the
filling, and fold the adjacent corners towards the center. Moisten
the remaining corner of the wrapper with a finger dipped in water and
roll the filling to form a tight bundle. Repeat with the remaining filling
and wrappers. Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet until the surface
shimmers, about 375F (190C) on a deep-frying thermometer. Fry
the egg rolls 5 or 6 at a time until golden brown on all sides, about
3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and repeat with the remaining
egg rolls. Serve as soon as possible, or keep warm in a 250F (120C)
oven until ready to serve.
Makes about 16 egg rolls.

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These little meat-filled dumplings have become increasingly popular
as dim-sum restaurants pop up around the world.

Steamed Pork Dumplings (Shao-Mai)

1 lb (450 g) ground pork
1 Tbs (15 ml) rice wine
1 Tbs (15 ml) soy sauce
1 tsp (5 ml) sugar
1 Tbs (15 ml) cornstarch
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 leaves Napa cabbage (Chinese cabbage, celery cabbage), finely chopped
1/4 cup (60 ml) finely chopped bamboo shoots
1/2 lb (225 g) 3-inch (8 cm) round wonton or shao-mai wrappers

Combine the pork, rice wine, soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and
pepper in a bowl and stir to combine thoroughly. Add the Napa cabbage
and bamboo shoots, stirring to combine. Place a wonton wrapper in the
palm of your hand, cupping it loosely. Place 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the
filling in the center and gather the sides of the wrapper around the
filling tightly, allowing it to pleat naturally, while pressing the top
of the filling to keep it inside the wrapper. Squeeze the center of the
wrapper to make a slightly hour-glass shape, and press the bottom of the
wrapper to make it flat so it will stand upright. Repeat with the
remaining filling and wrappers. Place on a plate slightly smaller in
diameter than the pot you plan to steam them in. Add about 2 inches (5
cm) of water to a steamer pot and bring to a boil. Place the plate with
the dumplings on the steamer rack, cover tightly, and steam for 30
minutes. Serve the dumplings directly from the plate you steamed them
on, placed on top of another larger plate.
Makes about 2 dozen dumplings.

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This marinade is equally good on pork loin, tenderloin, ham steak, and pork chops.

Chinese Spareribs

For the marinade:
1/4 cup (60 ml) soy sauce
1/4 cup (60 ml) hoisin sauce
1/4 cup (60 ml) oyster sauce
1/4 cup (60 ml) honey
2-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbs (30 ml) finely chopped fresh ginger
2 Tbs (30 ml) sherry
2 Tbs (30 ml) peanut or vegetable oil
1/2 tsp (2 ml) dark sesame oil
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Chinese chile paste or cayenne pepper to taste (optional)
4-6 lbs (2-3 Kg) pork spareribs or baby back ribs

Combine the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl and stir to combine.
Place the ribs in a large bowl or plastic bag and pour the marinade over
them. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 2 days, turning
occasionally. Place the ribs meat side up on a rack in a roasting pan.
Bring the remaining marinade to a boil in a small saucepan and remove
from the heat. Bake in a preheated 300F (150C), basting occasionally
with the marinade, until the meat reaches an internal temperature of
165F (75C), about 90 minutes. The meat will shrink away from the ends of
the bones when done.
Serves 6 to 8.
Received on Mon Jul 16 07:30:17 2007