What's a Culinarium? Let me tell you. It's just the most fabulous show kitchen by designer to the stars (and hedge fund moguls) Christopher Peacock. In San Francisco now, just hanging with my peeps, like Tyler Florence, no biggie. Good time to bring back these, like most totally awesome cilantro sichuan wontons ever.
Everyone's got their 'thing.' I have two major ones I just sort of fell into and have stuck with: canning and dumplings. It's funny, they don't overlap at all. None of my preserves end up in or on a dumpling; my dumplings never get put up in jars.
I've never really thought about it before. I suppose it's because they are opposite activities. Sterilized, usually fortified with vinegar, salt, and/or sugar, enduring long submersions in cauldrons of roiling water or pressurized steam, canning prepares durable foodstuffs for the long haul. Dumplings are very of-the-moment, fresh ingredients brought together quickly, served immediately. Both repetitive, even meditative processes, it's instant versus delayed gratification.
This particular dumpling is a traditional wonton with a twist — a cilantro leaf peeks through the wrapper, dressing it up very neatly. After a quick boil (just a tiny fraction of the time taken to process jars) they are dressed with a light, bright sauce. A very refreshing change from the cloying and gooey puddles too often found in Chinese restaurants, even the really good ones.
I'd love to hear about anyone else's forays into the limitless world of dumplings — I'm always on the lookout for interesting new recipes.
CILANTRO SICHUAN WONTONS
Dumplings:
1/2 lb. ground pork
1 T. minced shallot
1 scallion finely minced (white and green parts), or 2 scallions if you don't have a shallot
1 egg
1/4 t. salt
3/4 t. sugar
1/2 t. soy sauce
2 t. oyster sauce
pinch of white pepper
1 T. cornstarch
1/2 t. sesame oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 t. ginger, minced
1 t. sherry
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30 square wonton wrappers
Sauce:
1 1/2 t. white vinegar
1 t. sugar
pinch of white pepper
4 t. sherry
4 t. soy sauce
3 t. hot chili oil
1 scallion, white part minced, green part sliced into thin circles
1/2 garlic clove, minced
Whisk all the sauce ingredients together and set aside.
Make the filling by scrambling the egg in a big bowl, then stir in all the other ingredients. Oddly, the original recipe dictated you stir only with a chopstick in a single direction. It works, but a spatula is faster and perfectly fine. You might choose to cling to the old way to create an air of the inscrutable.
Working quickly so they don't dry out, lay out the wonton wrappers. Place a whole cilantro leaf on each — not smack in the center, rather off towards the corner that will become the pointy top. Then put a generous teaspoon of filling on top of the leaf.
Dip your finger in a bowl of water and trace a line around the edge of each wrapper. Fold one corner up to the opposite, making a triangle with the leaf pointing towards the top. Press all the edges together to seal. Fold one bottom corner over the other and press and seal them with another dot of water.
Slip them into a big pot of boiling water. In the time it takes the water to come back to the boil (2-3 minutes), the dumplings will cook. They're done when they're all floating and the wrapper clings tightly to the leaf and the filling.
Drain, toss lightly with the sauce and serve immediately.
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