Press the edges together to seal closed. Repeat with the remaining skins and filling.
Add about 2 to 3 inches of vegetable oil to a deep fryer or wok. Heat the oil on medium until it reaches about 350 degrees. Carefully add the won tons, 2 or 3 at a time. Fry until they are golden brown, turning them constantly. Transfer the cooked won tons to drain on paper towels as they are done.
Serve the won tons with either sweet-and-sour sauce or the sauce of your choice.
Yields approx. 25 won tons
Although won tons and spring rolls often have similar fillings, their wrappers set them apart. Spring rolls use rice flour wrappers; won ton wrappers are made with wheat flour.
Fried Tofu with Dipping Sauces
1 package of tofu, cut into bite-sized cubes
Vegetable oil for frying
Dipping sauces of your choice
Add about 2 to 3 inches of vegetable oil to a deep fryer or wok. Heat the oil on medium until it reaches about 350 degrees. Carefully add some of the tofu pieces, making sure not to overcrowd them; fry until golden brown, turning constantly. Transfer the fried tofu to paper towels to drain as each batch is cooked.
Serve the tofu with a choice of dipping sauces, such as Sweet-and- Sour, Peanut, and Minty Dipping Sauce (see recipes in Chapter 2).
Serves 2–4
Although this recipe calls for frying, it is one of the healthiest dishes you can eat. Tofu, which is made from soybeans, is one of the best foods on the planet — low fat, high protein, no dairy, and no sodium.
Cold Sesame Noodles
1 pound angel hair pasta
2 tablespoons sesame oil
¼ cup creamy peanut butter or tahini
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon grated ginger
¼–½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1–2 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced (optional)
Cook the pasta according to package directions. Rinse under cold water, then set aside.
Vigorously whisk together the remaining ingredients; pour over pasta, tossing to coat.
Garnish with green onion if desired.
Serves 2–4
I first made this tasty, inexpensive dish back when I was in college, My roommates and I would make huge bowlfulls of sesame noodles and chase it down with a cold beer.
Chinese-Style Dumplings
¼ cup sticky rice flour
1 cup rice flour
½ cup water
¼ cup tapioca flour
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 cups chives, cut into ½–inch lengths
1 tablespoon soy sauce
In a medium-sized saucepan, stir together the sticky rice flour, the rice flour, and the water. Turn the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly until the mixture has the consistency of glue. (If the mixture becomes too sticky, reduce the heat to low.) Remove the batter from the heat and quickly stir in the tapioca flour. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, add the vegetable oil to a skillet large enough to easily hold the chives, and heat on high. Add the chives and the soy sauce. Stir-fry the chives just until they wilt. Be careful not to let the chives cook too much. Remove from heat and set aside.
Once the dough has reached room temperature, check its consistency. If it is too sticky to work with, add a bit more tapioca flour.
To make the dumplings, roll the batter into balls 1 inch in diameter. Using your fingers, flatten each ball into a disk about 4 inches across. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the chives into the middle of each disk. Fold the disk in half and pinch the edges together to form a halfmoon-shaped packet.
Place the dumplings in a prepared steamer for 5 to 8 minutes or until the dough is cooked. Serve with a spicy dipping sauce of your choice.
Yields 15–20 dumplings
If you prefer your dumplings pan-fried, follow steps 1 through 6, then fry them in a sauté pan with a bit of vegetable oil over medium-high heat until browned to your liking.
Soups
Serves 4–6
You can substitute chicken for the shrimp in this dish. Cut up 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast into bite-sized pieces, add the pieces during step 2, and poach for about 8 minutes before proceeding.
Tom Ka Kai
2 cups
Add about 2 to 3 inches of vegetable oil to a deep fryer or wok. Heat the oil on medium until it reaches about 350 degrees. Carefully add the won tons, 2 or 3 at a time. Fry until they are golden brown, turning them constantly. Transfer the cooked won tons to drain on paper towels as they are done.
Serve the won tons with either sweet-and-sour sauce or the sauce of your choice.
Yields approx. 25 won tons
Although won tons and spring rolls often have similar fillings, their wrappers set them apart. Spring rolls use rice flour wrappers; won ton wrappers are made with wheat flour.
Fried Tofu with Dipping Sauces
1 package of tofu, cut into bite-sized cubes
Vegetable oil for frying
Dipping sauces of your choice
Add about 2 to 3 inches of vegetable oil to a deep fryer or wok. Heat the oil on medium until it reaches about 350 degrees. Carefully add some of the tofu pieces, making sure not to overcrowd them; fry until golden brown, turning constantly. Transfer the fried tofu to paper towels to drain as each batch is cooked.
Serve the tofu with a choice of dipping sauces, such as Sweet-and- Sour, Peanut, and Minty Dipping Sauce (see recipes in Chapter 2).
Serves 2–4
Although this recipe calls for frying, it is one of the healthiest dishes you can eat. Tofu, which is made from soybeans, is one of the best foods on the planet — low fat, high protein, no dairy, and no sodium.
Cold Sesame Noodles
1 pound angel hair pasta
2 tablespoons sesame oil
¼ cup creamy peanut butter or tahini
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon grated ginger
¼–½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1–2 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced (optional)
Cook the pasta according to package directions. Rinse under cold water, then set aside.
Vigorously whisk together the remaining ingredients; pour over pasta, tossing to coat.
Garnish with green onion if desired.
Serves 2–4
I first made this tasty, inexpensive dish back when I was in college, My roommates and I would make huge bowlfulls of sesame noodles and chase it down with a cold beer.
Chinese-Style Dumplings
¼ cup sticky rice flour
1 cup rice flour
½ cup water
¼ cup tapioca flour
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 cups chives, cut into ½–inch lengths
1 tablespoon soy sauce
In a medium-sized saucepan, stir together the sticky rice flour, the rice flour, and the water. Turn the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly until the mixture has the consistency of glue. (If the mixture becomes too sticky, reduce the heat to low.) Remove the batter from the heat and quickly stir in the tapioca flour. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, add the vegetable oil to a skillet large enough to easily hold the chives, and heat on high. Add the chives and the soy sauce. Stir-fry the chives just until they wilt. Be careful not to let the chives cook too much. Remove from heat and set aside.
Once the dough has reached room temperature, check its consistency. If it is too sticky to work with, add a bit more tapioca flour.
To make the dumplings, roll the batter into balls 1 inch in diameter. Using your fingers, flatten each ball into a disk about 4 inches across. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the chives into the middle of each disk. Fold the disk in half and pinch the edges together to form a halfmoon-shaped packet.
Place the dumplings in a prepared steamer for 5 to 8 minutes or until the dough is cooked. Serve with a spicy dipping sauce of your choice.
Yields 15–20 dumplings
If you prefer your dumplings pan-fried, follow steps 1 through 6, then fry them in a sauté pan with a bit of vegetable oil over medium-high heat until browned to your liking.
Soups
Serves 4–6
You can substitute chicken for the shrimp in this dish. Cut up 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast into bite-sized pieces, add the pieces during step 2, and poach for about 8 minutes before proceeding.
Tom Ka Kai
2 cups
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