Enter the year of the fire dog

Chinese New Year came this weekend and we are now in the year of the Fire Dog. I checked things out online and according to The Toronto Star's guest columnist, I'm supposed to have a pretty okay year...but The Fussy Eater has to watch out for accidents...hmmm....

Anyway, last month I posted about the First Dim Sum of 2006. I love dim sum, but like tapas, I think of it as far too fussy to make a full meal at home. I mean, the sheer joy of wonderful little samplings of food is so lovely, but because of the sheer number of things I like to have, it would be quite a feat. (yes, I know, I could limit myself to a few dishes, but what's the fun in that?)

That said, I will be inspired by my far too irregular feasting of "heart's delight" when I'm left to my own devices...which is how I came up with this pork and pea dumpling. It's super easy...and easily freezable...

Pork and Pea Dumplings
Ingredients
300g minced pork
100g frozen peas
2 spring onions, finely sliced
1T minced ginger
2 lightly beaten eggs
2T soy sauce
.5t chilli oil
.5t sesame oil
.5t olive oil
40 -50 wonton wrappers
water

Putting it together:
1. Mix together ginger, spring onions, soy and oils and let sit for about 20 minutes.
2. In a bowl, combine eggs, pork and peas; pour in the soy and mix well. Let sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
3. Lay out a wrapper and place a small teaspoon's worth (5ml- measure) of the pork mixture in the centre. Wet the edges of the wrapper with water and seal them together to form a pyramid-like shape. Repeat this step until you run out of wrappers or filling.

To cook:
Heat one tablespoon of oil in a heavy frypan. Add the dumplings to the hot oil (no more than 10-12 at a time. Cook for two to three minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Add about a half cup of water to the pan, cover with a lid and cook until the water has absorbed.

To freeze:
Take raw dumplings and put them on a lined cookie sheet, so they aren't touching one another. Cover with cling film and put into freezer for about 30-45 minutes. You don't want the wrappers to be sticky or soft. When they've chilled, portion them out into little freezer bags and keep the freezer until the morning you want to use them. Thaw them in the fridge and cook as above.

Serve with a dipping sauce made of 2T soy sauce, 1t ricewine vinegar (or any other type of acid), and 1t hoisin sauce, and as many crushed chilli flakes as you like...

gung hay fat choy!
jasmine