1/30/11

Kitchen Visit: Vegetable Dumplings

Visiting my friend Jeana's kitchen this past Sunday was one of those days that seemed almost too perfect for real life. There was the beautiful, 80 degree weather in January; there was my first-ever trip to HK market in Koreatown; there was the sweet potato latte at Holly's Coffee; there was the fact that I had the day off; there was Jeana's beautiful, sun-filled kitchen; and, of course, there was Jeanaa stand-alone wealth of inspiration.

I know I've mentioned Jeana's art and blog in previous posts, but have you seen her videos? I love them. The whole time we were making these dumplings, I was thinking of the one titled Summer Day and that montage of shoes and sweets from Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette.

Here is the Bon Appetempt version:

Kitchen Visit: Vegetable Dumplings from amelia morris on Vimeo.


Another kitchen visit success!


Vegetable Dumplings

Ingredients
for dumplings:
1 bunch Asian chives (buchu), finely chopped
1 onion finely minced (We used a food processor.)
4 small carrots finely minced (Again with the food processor.)
1 10 oz. package of soft tofu, patted dry and mashed with a fork
6 oz. mushrooms, finely minced (Again, we employed the food processor. It was fun. See video.)
Korean glass noodles (japchae), about as much as you can hold in one hand (dry).
salt & pepper
2 packages of gyoza wrappers
vegetable oil

for dipping sauce:
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon minced green onions
1 teaspoon Korean red pepper flakes or 1/4 teaspoon (or to taste) cayenne


Boil water for noodles. Mix first five ingredients in a bowl. Cook noodles for about 5-6 minutes or according to package instructions. Rinse with cold water to stop cooking, and then, while still in colander, cut into small pieces with scissors. Add minced noodles to bowl with other ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Prepare an area for dumpling making. Grab a gyoza wrapper from the package. Spoon a healthy spoonful of the filling into the center of the dumpling. Dip your finger into a ramekin of water and wet the outer edge of half the wrapper. Fold dumpling up like a taco and then pinch the edges together, making sure to stuff back in any wayward filling and to seal edges completely. Set raw dumpling on a lightly floured surface, and repeat until the filling is gone.

Make dipping sauce by mixing all four ingredients together and set aside.

Lightly film a frying pan with vegetable oil and let it get nice and hot. Add some raw dumplings to pan and fry for a couple of minutes on each side, or until browned. Feel free to add a bit more oil or water if they are sticking and cover with a lid to ensure the dough is fully cooked through.

Serve with dipping sauce (and in our case, kimchi fried rice) and enjoy!

21 comments:

Matthew said...

I love that video!!! Wish I could have had more of these.

jeana sohn said...

thanks, amelia! it was so much fun!!
brad loved the video too. xo

Clare Vivier said...

So beyond cuuuute. Thanks Bon app! These look amazing!
I will dream of them.
Xoxo

greenbeenfood said...

fabulous & i love jeana's blog...i promptly joined up! just great! Dayle

Natalie (NJ in L.A.) said...

Ha, cute video. I love me some dumplings, but have never had Korean dumplings. Something I definitely need to try at home.

Heather Taylor said...

this could also be called: "Pepe's Big Break". Love everything here! Also - just re-watched marie antoniette montage. Kinda a Closet Visit, right?

Mary Anne said...

wow, you somehow made those look so easy! looks like a lovely day.

Amelia Morris said...

Thanks, ladies & Matt!

Mary Anne: they WERE easy!! though i would recommend making them in a group or at the very least, with Marie Antoinette playing in the background.

Ann said...

I love veggie dumplings! That mermaid is amazing...

Anonymous said...

You, girls, rock! My goodness. Sophia Coppola, Marie Antoinette, this music form the movie, ueber cute Jeana, this recipe, awwww...just perfect!!!

Sandy

Mrs Gumi said...

Oooooh Looks delicious! I just had dinner but this made me hungry again!

Heather Taylor said...

also just noticed all the friendship mugs. nice touch

Simone LeBlanc said...

Oh ladies, I love this. So adorables. Any leftovers?

Jessica said...

OMG. Looks like so much fun! A little jealous over here!
- Jess

Anonymous said...

YUMYUMYUMYUMYUM.

and did i say YUM?

sweet potato latte' envy over here.

Anonymous said...

FWIW, the use of vermicelli noodles + tofu in dumpling is clearly "Korean". HK is so old skewl! Right up the block on 8th/Western is California Market, about to close after being open since the late 70s. Check that place out since nearly EVERYTHING is 30% off right now.

Megan Taylor said...

BEST. THING. EVER. WISH. I. WAS. THERE. WATCHING. FNL. SEASON. 2. FINALE. RIGHT. NOW.

Luisa said...

Awesome. Love Jeana's blog and yours and the LA sunshine in the video and the dumplings and the music and so on and so on.

molly said...

Those masking tape labels are the best!

And vegetable dumplings, mmmmmm...

Amelia Morris said...

@sinosoul - good eye! these were most definitely korean dumplings.

@megan - you are hilarious. we need to attempt something together sooon!

@Luisa - !!!!!! i LOVE YOUR BLOG. so much.

dulci said...

the labeled pet food?
i die.

http://ladulcivida.blogspot.com/