Asian Dumpling Tips

Sriracha Crab Rangoon Wonton Recipe

Here's an updated rendition of the tiki-lounge classic. The recipe is based on one from Randy Clemens's new book, The Sriracha Cookbook: 50 “Rooster Sauce” Recipes that Pack a Punch.

Clemens developed some nifty recipes for heat seekers but this one caught my eye. It's got some more complex flavors than the classic version that I worked up from the original Trader Vic's recipe. But I think you'll enjoy the Sriracha iteration too. Goodness knows, my friends and I ate them all up! The Sriracha crab rangoon wonton recipe is posted at Viet World Kitchen.

If you are interested in more wonton recipes, see Asian Dumplings for some classic approaches. Past posts on this site include: 

• Almost Meatless Pork and Vegetable Pot Stickers Recipe
• Modern Indian Chile Pea Puffs Recipe
• Classic Crab Rangoon Wonton Recipe
• History of crab Rangoon

Does Sriracha chile sauce captivate you? See these related posts on Viet World Kitchen:

• Homemade Sriracha Chile Sauce Recipe
• Sriracha Taste Off: Thailand vs. America vs. Vietnam
• Has Sriracha become like Kleenex and Xerox?

Indian Coconut and Cilantro Green Chutney Recipe (Lili Chatni)

There are many variations of green chutney as there are Indian households. This is my version of a Parsi (part Persian, part Indian) rendition from one of my favorite cookbooks, My Bombay Kitchen by Niloufer Inchaporia King. The coconut adds a slight richness that softens the bracing qualities of the herbs.

Green chutneys made with cilantro and mint lose their color within hours but this one, because it contains coconut, retains its verdant color for days. It tastes too good to keep around for that long, however. Grate your own coconut (use a hairy brown one), or purchase frozen grated coconut from Indian and Southeast Asian markets. This is a great accompaniment to Southern Indian fare such as kuzhi paniyaram rice and lentil dumplings.

Makes 1 generous cup

2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 green Thai or 2 serrano chiles, stemmed and chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup grated fresh or thawed, frozen coconut
1 cup lightly packed coarsely chopped cilantro, leaves and stems
12 to 14 fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped
Generous 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds, pounded with a mortar and pestle
About 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
About 1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon sugar, optional

1. Put the garlic, chiles and salt in a mini food processor and process to a fine texture.

2. Add the coconut, cilantro, mint, cumin, lime juice and water. Process to a thick, fine texture, pausing as needed to scrape down the sides. Aim for a texture that can stand up on a plate. Taste and add sugar if the flavor is too tart. Adjust the flavors as needed for tart, hot, salty, herby finish. Transfer to a jar or plastic container and set aside for a few hours for the flavors to blend. This chutney tastes better the next day to me, and it will keep for a week.

Quick Wonton and Barbecue Pork Noodle Soup Recipe

My Trader Joe’s Asian food product adventure continued. There were leftover frozen dumplings and Chinese-style barbecued seasoned pork and so I’ve been getting creative. Among the Trader Joe’s frozen Asian dumplings that I recently reviewed, the chicken and cilantro mini wontons were among my favorites. I wondered if I could pair the frozen wontons up with my shortcut  Cantonese char siu pork. The result was this quick and fairly decent bowl of wonton noodle soup with char siu pork.

One caveat is that I had some homemade chicken stock and fresh Chinese egg noodles in the fridge, but you can use the shortcut Asian chicken stock from the Viet World Kitchen (my other site) and even top-ramen noodles. Don’t be shocked. Instant ramen noodles are a staple in many Asian kitchens, including mine. If you use ramen noodles, I suppose you could use their broth flavoring packet and water for the stock.

Monica Bhide's Kumquat and Mango Chutney with Onion Seeds Recipe

 

I love Indian chutneys and keep a stash of classic tamarind date chutney in the freezer and make a fast batch of fiery green (cilantro and/or mint) chutney for samosas, fried mung bean vada fritters, and bondas (spicy potato dumplings in chickpea batter). In Monica Bhide’s new cookbook, Modern Spice, I discovered this new one to add to my repertoire. Its tart-sweetness results from combining fresh kumquats with sweet canned mango puree (more on this below); a little sugar and vinegar makes things pop more.

The chutney receives lilting notes from sweet fennel seeds and pungent onion seeds. You can find both of these spices at Indian markets and well stocked health food stores and specialty markets. Onion seeds (also called nigella and kalonji seeds) look like black sesame seeds but have an uncommon peppery pungency and slight butterscotch-like flavor. They are not related to onions. Below is a photo for your reference.

Nigella, kalonji, onion seeds. It's all the same!