Edumicate me on Chinese food - Page 2

[Smokering]

Naw, I bought dumpling pastry. The woman at the store told me that's what I wanted (and fair enough, I was making dumplings!), but it was quite thick and pasta-y and cloggy. I remember dim sims having really paper-thin wrapping. So I'll look for wonton wrappers and/or rice paper wrappers next time. Thanks! :)

[redvlagrl]

The rice paper wrappers are quite different and you don't cook them (jjust dip in hot water). You could try some vietnamese rice paper rolls at a restaurant to try the rice paper.

Try the wonton wrappers or gow gee wrappers.

[MsCCM]

The number one thing I learned when making any kind of rice dish is to cook the rice the day before, refrigerate, and then stir fry or what have you the following day. That way it is nice and fluffy with separate grains, not mushed together like a pasty gruel -- that's how my mom's stir fry always was!!  

[Megan73]

This recipe for mu shu pork is really easy and VERY kid-friendly and the pancakes are a snap to make:

http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/mu_shu_pork.aspx

[Smokering]

Me again. :p Soooo, I bought won ton wrappers - very thin and floppy and square - and tried steamed chicken won tons. I kinda made up the filling - I think it was a mixture of chicken mince, soy sauce, shallots, grated carrot and celery, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, chilli sauce and a few other things. And I used my electric steamer, not a cute traditional bamboo one.

Anyway, they tasted pretty good, but they stuck to the plastic steamer basket, so most of the wrappers slid off! How can I stop this happening? We went out for yum cha again yesterday and I noticed they had perforated baking paper on the bottom of their steamer baskets. Would that work OK in an electric steamer? Also, I read online that you can bake the won tons after brushing them with oil. Would sesame oil work?

Anyway, the yum cha was even better than last time and re-inspired me. :) Unfortunately my family's large, so we ordered a lot of stuff, and by the time it came couldn't tell what was what - so I'm not sure of the names of my favourite dishes! There were these really yummy flattish round buns, with a chewy, sweetish dough and a really delicious, savoury filling that looked like chopped vegetables and maybe tiny bits of meat in a dark-brown sauce. Anyone have any idea what they might be? It was almost like the buns were glazed with something sweet.

[IsaFrench]

have you tried spreading out some large salad leaves beneath the wonton before steaming (I think I remember reading about that for them not to stick)

[Smokering]

Would silverbeet work? It's all I have in my garden at the moment... That idea makes sense, in that I was wondering how traditional Chinese cooks would have done it. Obviously they wouldn't have used baking paper! I might give it a go. Thanks!

[amma_mama]

For steaming, any large leafed green should do. The buns were probably pork bao. Very yummy, indeed!

[goinggreengirl]

The buns sound like Filippino shupau- or steam buns. My DH's aunt makes them and my MIL brings several dozen frozen ones every time she visits. I've tried making them and they didn't turn out. I would love to perfect them some day. I could eat the "skin" on them all day! In fact, I usually peel the skin off DH's while he's not looking...