Chinese New Year Dim Sum

White the Chinese New Year on Feb. 8, there's plenty of time to stock up on party favors and snacks, but why not do it with a little Chinese flavor? It's quick and easy to make some traditional Chinese snacks without having to resort to nuking a box of frozen pot stickers or simply ordering delivery.

Fried Won Tons:

Ingredients:

(Filling)

1 pound of won ton wrappers (can typically be found in the produce section)(makes about 50)

½ pound ground pork

¼ cup chopped white onion

½ cup chopped bamboo shoots

½ cup chopped green onions

1 tablespoon of mirin or rice wine

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon white pepper

2 tablespoons corn starch

1 egg white or a small amount of water

3 cups oil to deep fry the won tons (375 F, 190 C)

Sweet and sour sauce for dipping (recipe to follow).

Preparation:

Combine the filling ingredients thoroughly. Can refrigerate overnight if you want in order to really get the flavors mixed, but straight from this point is fine.

Place a won ton wrapper on counter in front of you so it looks like a diamond, not a square. Place 1 tablespoon of filling on the top corner of the won ton wrapper. Fold tip of wrapper heap is resting on over the heap. Roll the wrapper halfway down covering the meat. At this point it looks like a triangle with a point still remaining below the folded heap.

Put a small amount of egg white or water on the left side of the covered heap. Pull the left and right sides back and pinch them together behind the heap. One side should be pressed over the egg white or water. The remaining point should remain untucked.

Fry in oil for 2 minutes until golden brown, turning occasionally. Serve with sweet and sour sauce and/or hot Chinese mustard.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

Ingredients:

¾ cup water

1 ½ tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

3 tablespoons ketchup

2/3 cup sugar

Dash of soy sauce.

Preparation:

Mix ingredients together in a sauce pan. Cook and stir until sauce comes to a full boil. Pour into a bowl once it has reached a full boil. Note that this isn't the bright red stuff you get at a restaurant. It lacks the additives and food coloring. You may consider adding a small amount of sriracha hot sauce and a few tablespoons of pineapple juice for extra kick. Good on won tons, egg rolls and dishes requiring sweet and sour sauce.

Pot Stickers

Ingredients:

½ package of round Siu Mai or won ton wrappers (enough to make 40-50)

(Filling)

1 pound ground pork

2 cups chopped nappa cabbage

¼ cup chopped onions

1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger root (can sometimes find this in a tube in the produce section). Otherwise, you may have to peel and chop the raw root.

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon salt

2 tablespoons sesame seed oil

1 tablespoon rice wine

½ tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

3 cups of oil for frying

Filling may be mixed together and refrigerated ahead of time for better flavor.

Preparation:

Combine the filling ingredients.

Place 2 tablespoons of filling in center of wrapper, wet edge and seal to form a half circle. Fold top edge over and gently press down to flatten the bottom slightly. Fry in a 12-inch skillet with oil on medium heat until browned on both sides.

Serve with soy sauce and hot sesame seed oil.

Steamed Barbecue Buns

(This is a special treat this time of year - or any time of year for that mater because of its relative complexity.)(Makes 16 buns)

Ingredients:

(Filling)

½ tablespoon oil

¼ cup diced white onions

½ large forest mushroom (soaked, rinsed and dried) or 3-4 large shitakes

1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon ketchup

¾ tablespoon sugar

½ tablespoon oyster sauce

1/8 tablespoon garlic powder

¼ tablespoon salt

¼ cup water

½ tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water

¾ cup of cooked barbecued pork. (You can buy some at the store or make your own by browning ground pork and adding a sweet and tangy type of barbecue sauce to just barely coat all the meat without leaving much residual sauce.)

(Dough)

½ cup warm water

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons dry yeast

¾ cup warm milk

½ cup sugar

3 - 3 ½ cups all purpose flour

½ tablespoon salt

16 pieces of waxed paper (3x3 inches).

Preparation:

Add oil to wok, cook onions and mushrooms on high heat for ½ minute. Add all other ingredients for filling, except cornstarch and pork. Cook for ½ minute. Thicken with cornstarch mixture to form a thick sauce. Then, mix in the pork. Turn off heat and let cool on its own.

In a large bowl, dissolve the 1 tablespoon sugar and yeast in warm water. Allow mixture to sit 5 minutes. Combine warm milk with ½ cup sugar, stir to dissolve sugar. Add to yeast mixture. Combine 3 cups of flour with the salt. Stir into liquid yeast mixture.

Stir until a firm dough is formed. Turn out on floured surface and knead until it's smooth. Add extra flour if necessary. (Knead about 10 minutes). Place in a greased bowl, turn dough over and cover with a towel. Allow to rise until doubled in size. When dough is doubled in size, punch down the dough to knock out the excess air. Knead for 2 minutes and allow to rest for 2 minutes. Cut into 16 equal sized pieces.

Roll each piece into a ball, then roll into a 4-inch circle, dusting with flour if necessary. Let rest for 2 minutes. Roll out other pieces while waiting. Place 1 tablespoon of cooked filling in center of dough. Pull dough over filling and close top by pinching and twisting edges together.

Place on a piece of waxed paper. Place 2 inches apart on a steaming tray. Allow to rise 45 minutes in a warm oven (95 F). Finish by steaming in a wok for 15 minutes at full steam. Remove cover so water will not drop on the buns.

Aside from other party beverages, hot some hot white tea available. It's February after all. Also, a bowl of oranges makes for an interesting centerpiece for a snack table. Oranges are a native staple of Chinese culture, and from a Buddhist perspective represent the unity of the world and how each culture or group makes up the whole. This may be a stretch for some, but the bowl can speak for itself.