Dim Sum Of All Fears

Making Chinese food has always been a bit intimidating for me. There's an aura to it that seems complex and off-putting, as though there's an Ancient Chinese Secret out there to making good Chinese food that is elusive to all but...well, ancient Chinese people. That brings me to....MOM. I'm pretty sure she wants me to know how to make family favorites but a part of me thinks that she'd also be happy to see anything I make pale in comparison to her own recipe. Anyone see "Joy Luck Club"? 'Nuff said. Still, I am intrigued by truly successfully crafted tidbits -- and I'm not talking about the heat-lamp warmed, red-dye saturated, MSG cabbage fillers most people are used to consuming -- and since Mom may waffle at coughing up her own recipe, I embarked on finding my own.

Dim Sum, which literally translates to "touch of heart," or "little heart," encompasses a wide variety of small bites, usually eaten between breakfast and lunch, with tea. One of my favorite dim sum treats is pan-fried dumplings, or "pot-stickers." I've made won ton, which is pretty much the same thing but never tried the fried, then steamed version. The Food Network's Bobby Flay recently issued a "Throwdown" challenge to Sohui Kim, a N.Y. dumpling expert. Her recipe (she won) looked easy and very similar to what I'm used to when I make won ton. This simple version uses ginger, garlic chives and hoisin sauce in a pork filling. An interesting addition was "silken tofu" to the meat mixture. Silken tofu is exactly what it sounds like, a silkier, creamier version of the firmer soy cakes. Adding it to ground pork keeps the meat moister and juicier and prevents it from getting too crumbly. I thought the recipe was easy to follow and, after some practice, making those little crimps in the dough became fairly simple also. They came out looking great and tasty too....crispy, savory and salty. Here's some pictures of my attempt at this recipe for Pork and Chive Dumplings. Give it a try...you might surprise yourself.