208/365 - Yet another Rainy Day - So More Food Pictures

We had planned to drive into Sandwich, perhaps bike the Cape Cod Canal, but ended up going to the movies (Harry Potter - Teresa and her family hadn't seen it yet and we didn't mind seeing it again). Then we cooked the rest of the afternoon - making dumplings and green onion pies.

I've taken plenty of pictures of our dumpling making activities, so today I focused on the green onion pies. We don't always make these savory, flaky flatbreads (because we are always focused on the dumplings), but they are delicious.

Again, the recipe may be found in PeiMei's Volume I Cookbook. [OK, as a side note, I just looked at that link to amazon for the cookbook - wow, $100+ for a used cookbook - maybe I should try to sell mine. Wait - not a chance!].

Basically, you make a simple dough of flour, boiled water and cold water, knead and let it rest. Divide the batch into 6 equal parts and roll out into a thin circle. Brush the circle with cooking oil, sprinkle salt and chopped green onion on top. Then roll up into a tube, as demonstrated here by Auntie Teresa:




Roll the tube into a circle, like a jelly roll:


Then roll this out to 1/4" thick:


Heat about 1T. of oil in a skillet and fry / cook the dough, flipping over once or twice. My mother did all of the cooking.


Cool a little bit, cut into wedges and enjoy!


The process of rolling and forming the pies is very kid-friendly. Erica and Brian both made their own pie, while Zach and Matty helped each other with one pie. The reward - they got to eat the pie they made. These are great snacks / appetizers and helped sustain Teresa and me while we progressed with the dumpling process. No pictures of the dumplings, but if you search for dumplings in the blog, several posts with pictures will pop up.

Happy eating!

Read more...

206/365 - Transported out of the Country?

It certainly felt like we left the country and were transported back to China - we drove to Quincy to enjoy Dim Sum at the China Pearl. This restaurant is little sister to its [Boston] Chinatown's counterpart. The Boston China Pearl has been a fixture since I was in college, always busy and crowded, always loud, but always delicious and authentic.

The Quincy restaurant was no different, although probably less crowded because we chose to come out on Wednesday instead of the weekend.

The servers walk around with carts of dishes - you choose what you want:


It didn't take very long for our empty table to become spotted with our favorite dishes:


I don't remember the last time I had chow fun noodles filled with shrimp - maybe back in 2005? It's been a long time!


Then desert - a black bean donut - freshly fried and just so yummy.


After our feast, we walked down to the end of the strip mall into the alternate universe that is the Kam Man Marketplace - it was the biggest Asian market I have ever seen (outside of China, of course). Rows and rows of foodstuffs I remember from my childhood (and some from my adulthood).

Beef jerky - Brian picked out a pack and consumed it on the way home - I had a piece and it was really good - much better than the Jack Link's leather sold at the Wal-Mart.


Then the kids' favorite - Pocky - lots of it.


Some cake I found to be humorous - is this what the husbands buy their wives to get out of the doghouse?


If you ever want to experience China without the long, expensive flight, just head over to the President Plaza in Quincy, MA.

Read more...