Comfort Foods: Channeling My Inner Asian

This weekend, I read a post by my food blogger friend Linda Skelcy. She is an amazing woman and cook with a delicious, soulful blog: (www.thegoodcooknj.blogspot.com). Her recipe for apple egg rolls reminded me that I had both egg roll and wonton wrappers in my fridge, and it got me inspired me to experiment with my favorite Asian comfort foods—dumplings and egg rolls. I have tasted every soup dumpling I could get my hands on in New York, eaten dim sum as often as my family will indulge me, and have studied dumpling and egg roll making techniques with my friend Marilyn’s Chinese mother-in-law (an incredible cook!). I decided to experiment with my wrappers and ingredients that I had on hand. I channeled my inner Asian, which I firmly believe I was in a past life, to make dumplings and egg rolls—the Asian comfort food.

I started with sausage, onion and fresh rosemary dumplings, and followed up with some healthier cumin spiced edamame dumpling that my daughters love. Both were a big hit, and the ponzu sauce (soy sauce with lemon juice) and a spicier dipping sauce (soy sauce and rice wine vinegar with Korean red pepper paste) were a perfect accompaniment to the dumplings. They are easy to make, and the combination of filling possibilities is endless---I can’t wait to experiment with some more exotic combinations next time.

As my daughter and I tasted the dumplings, we talked about how comfort foods exist in every culture, and decided to try different comfort food recipes from different countries in our next Sunday cooking day. It will be an international comfort food adventure—without ever having to leave our kitchen!

Edamame Dumplings

1 cup shelled edamame, steamed

juice of ½ lemon

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon cumin

1/8 teaspoon salt

Wonton wrappers

Oil for sautéing (I use grapeseed oil, which is a healthy neutral flavored oil)

Purée first 5 ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Place 1 teaspoon of the filling into the center of a wonton wrapper. Wet the edges around the square of the wonton wrapper and fold into a triangle. Pinch together the edges. Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium heat, about 1 tablespoon per batch. Sauté the dumplings on each side until browned and crispy. Add ¼ cup of water to the skillet (do this with each batch of dumplings), cover and let steam for about a minute or until liquid absorbs. Serve warm with a dipping sauce made with ½ cup soy sauce flavored with the juice of ½ lemon (Ponzu Sauce). Makes about 20 dumplings.

Sausage, Onion and Fresh Rosemary Dumplings

2 sweet Italian sausages, casings removed and meat crumbled.

1 cup red onion, diced fine

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon tamarind sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 egg, beaten

Combine all ingredients together in a bowl. Place 1 teaspoon of the filling into the center of a wonton wrapper. Wet the edges around the square of the wonton wrapper and fold into a triangle. Pinch together the edges. Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium heat, about 1 tablespoon per batch. Sauté the dumplings on each side until browned and crispy. Add ¼ cup of water to the skillet (do this with each batch of dumplings), cover and let steam for about a minute or until liquid absorbs. Serve warm with a bowl of ½ cup soy sauce with 1 teaspoon rice wine or sushi vinegar and 1 teaspoon Korean red pepper paste or Sriracha sauce. Makes about 25-30 dumplings.

Apple Egg Rolls: (makes 4)

These apple egg rolls come from one of my favorite bloggers, Linda Skelcy. She proposes these apple egg rolls as the perfect substitute when a pie is too big.

1 large apple (your choice) peeled and chopped into small pieces

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Generous pinch cinnamon

1 teaspoon flour

4 egg roll wrappers

Oil for frying

Powdered sugar for sprinkling

Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir to combine. Add the apples and sauté until just a bit soft, about 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the apples and cook for about 30 more seconds to thicken sauce. Cover and chill.

When apples have cooled, spoon a generous amount onto each egg roll wrapper, wrap up like an envelope.

Fry each egg roll until golden. Sprinkle generously with powdered sugar and serve warm.