Sesame Chicken Egg Rolls with Hoisin Sweet and Sour Sauce

I found this lovely recipe for Sesame Egg Rolls with Sweet and Sour Sauce on the food blogger Carlsbad Cravings site.  She has some delicious looking recipes.  We especially liked the Hoisin Sweet and Sour Sauce that went with this.  It is easy to make and tasty.  The tricky part is wrapping them in the egg roll wrappers, and remember not to stack them, or they will stick together. Let’s not ask why I know this! hehe  I think next time I will add garlic to the chicken mixture.

 

Here is the recipe adapted from Carlsbad Cravings.

Sesame Chicken Egg Rolls with Hoisin Sweet and Sour Sauce

Serves 8-12 egg rolls | adapted from Carlsbad Cravings

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 bag stir fry vegetables (broccoli, carrots, snap peas, sprouts)
• 1 1/2 cups bean sprouts (my stir fry did not include them)
• 2 tsp chopped garlic
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
• 1 package McCormick brand  Sesame Chicken Stir Fry Skillet Sauce (available at Target)
• 2 tsp Sriracha or Sambal Oelek (ground chili paste)
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste

additionally:

• egg roll wrappers
• vegetable or canola oil for frying

FOR THE SAUCE:

• 3 Tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 4 Tbsp Hoisin Sauce (Lee Kum brand)
• 3 Tbsp sugar

Instructions:

Make the sauce: Dissolve the cornstarch in the white vinegar and add the Hoisin sauce and sugar to the ingredients.  Stir until well combined.  Refrigerate until serving.

Trim the chicken of any fat, slice into thin strips and lightly season with salt and pepper.  Heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a  non stick skillet over medium high heat and cook the chicken, stirring occasionally, for 3 or 4 minutes.  Add stir fry mix vegetables, bean sprouts, bell peppers, and garlic and cook, stirring for an additional 2 or 3 minutes.

Add McCormick’s Sesame Chicken Stir Fry Skillet Sauce, Sriracha (or Sambal Oelek) and cook for 5 minutes over low heat. Use a slotted spoon and transfer the chicken filling to a food processor. (You do not want the filling to be overly wet).  Pulse the food processor about 10 times to chop the filling, scraping down the sides about half way through.

Fill each egg roll with about 1/4 cup of the chicken filling and fold the top corner over the egg roll over the filling rolling down about 1/4 turn.  Wet the remaining three corners with a little water to help the egg roll seal.  Fold the two side corners over the filling.  Continue rolling the egg roll and seal to close the final corner.  Do not stack the egg rolls as you make them as the warm filling will cause the egg rolls to stick to one another.

Heat about 1/2 of an inch of canola oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat (about 350 F). Fry 4 egg rolls at a time (or as many as you can comfortably fit into the skillet) turning them over with tongs until all sides are golden brown.  Place the cooked egg rolls on a wire rack to drain any excess oil and keep warm in an oven until all the remaining egg rolls are cooked.

Serve with the Hoisin Sweet and Sour Sauce and enjoy!

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Photos below.

Shaking Beef

My husband had a dish called Shaking Beef at PF Chang’s and gave me a taste of his dish.  I loved the flavors instantly.  Months have passed since then and it still was a dish I wanted to make at home.  I found this recipe by Mark Bittman at the NY Times. It is not quite like the one at Chang’s, which has roasted potatoes and broccolini in the dish as well. Perhaps next time I will make it using roasted potatoes and broccoli.  I did use watercress and lettuce (half and half each) this time, but next time will just stick with the lettuce as it is cheaper and in my opinion tastier.  I did use beef tenderloin like the recipe called for, but next time will change that to something like flat iron steak and cut it thinly to save on costs there!  That said, it was a really tasty dish and I look forward to making it again.  Here is the recipe:

Shaking Beef

adapted from Mark Bittman (NY Times) | Serves 4 | approx

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs beef tenderloin, trim of excess fat and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 Tbsp chopped garlic
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• salt and pepper
• 5 Tbsp canola oil
• 1/4 cup rice-wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup white wine (or rice wine)
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce
• 1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3 scallions, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 bunch watercress and half a head of red leaf lettuce, washed and dried
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Instructions:

In a zip top bag, combine the garlic, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1 tablespoon of the canola oil and add the steak cubes.  Refrigerate for about two hours.

For the sauce: In a small bowl, combine the remaining tablespoon of sugar, rice-wine vinegar, white white, soy sauce, fish sauce and stir.

In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. (This is for additional seasoning at the table if you desire)

Cut the lime into wedges (also for seasoning just before eating).

Thinly slice the red onion and cut the scallions into pieces.

Heat a wok over medium high heat and add 3 tablespoons of canola oil.  When the oil is shimmering add half the beef cubes at a time.  Sear for 4 minutes, turn the steak cubes over and repeat to brown.  Add half the red onion slices and scallions and cook for half a minute longer. Add half the sauce to the beef mixture and cook for a minute longer.  Melt half the butter into the sauce and remove the beef onion mixture to a large bowl.  Repeat with remaining oil and beef following the same process. Finishing with the sauce and butter. Add to the bowl of cooked beef and onions.

Place the watercress and lettuce on a large platter and arrange the beef and onions on the bed of lettuce. Pour the sauce over the beef and onion mixture.

Serve.  Season with additional salt and pepper mixture if desired and squeeze lime juice over the beef.

Enjoy!

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Slow Cooker Sweet Fire Chicken

I love the Sweet Fire Chicken that is served at the chain Panda Express, and I found this Slow-Cooker recipe at another blog site: Creme de la Crumb (link).  On a day when temperatures are hovering around 100, I had no interest in heating up my kitchen by turning on the oven or standing over a hot stove.  I steamed some Jasmine Rice to go with this dish.  I did like this dish a lot – I used only 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, since my children were also eating and did not want them to be overwhelmed by the spices, but I think you certainly could use the full 2 teaspoons in the original recipe if you like a little kick.  I think it would be closer to the original cooking it over a wok, but this is not bad! Not bad at all!  I will make it again!  This could easily be made ahead and popped into zip- lock bags and put in the freezer for the days when you have no time to cook.  Just thaw and put in the crock pot! Now the recipe:

Slow Cooker Sweet Fire Chicken

adapted from Creme de la Crumb

Serves 6 | Cook time 4 hours

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 can pineapple chunks, drained

Sauce:

• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1-2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 Tbsp sweet red chili sauce (I used May Ploy Sweet Chili Sauce)
• 1/2 tsp salt

Finish with:

• 4 Tbsp cold water
• 3 Tbsp corn starch

Instructions:

Place a crock pot liner in your slow cooker. (This is something I only recently discovered and love the ease of clean up).

Put the diced chicken breast, red bell pepper pieces and pineapple in the slow cooker.

In a medium bowl, combine the sauce ingredients and pour into the chicken, stir.  Cover with a lid and turn on to high for 4 hours.  30 minutes before serving, combine the cold water and cornstarch and pour over the chicken.  Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes.  Stir and serve over steamed rice.

Thank you Creme de la Crumb for this wonderful recipe.  It is an instant favorite already!

I discovered  May Ploy Chili Sauce on a family vacation to Hawaii and was pleased to discover it for sale in my local supermarket – it may be in your Asian ingredients section of your supermarket.

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Korean Beef

Nearing dinner, I looked in my refrigerator and found a pound of ground beef.  I did not want to make the same old same old and turned to Pinterest for inspiration.  I came across the recipe for Korean Beef at the website of Elizabeth Bryant (link).  It looked simple enough, and I had the basic ingredients needed in my refrigerator right? Well, actually, I had to send my husband to the store to get my green onions (my hero!).  The Korean Beef came together quickly and was delicious with steamed rice and steamed broccoli (which hubby also picked up because he was going to the store already!).  Korean Beef is usually made with flank steak, but this ground beef option was very good.  This dish is simple enough, my 11 year old son could cook with supervision.  It is easy and delicious.  I will be making this again and again.  Thank you Elizabeth Bryant for posting this to Pinterest.

Korean Beef (Ground Beef)

adapted from http://elizabethbryant.blogspot.com/2010/05/korean-beef.html

Ingredients:

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 3 tsp chopped garlic
• 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp dried crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced (just the green part)

Serve with:

• steamed rice
• steamed broccoli

Instructions:

Brown the ground beef in a large non stick skillet over medium high heat, breaking up and stirring the beef with a wooden spoon.  When the beef is mostly cooked, drain off any fat and stir in the chopped garlic and grated ginger.  Cook stirring for about 1 or two minutes or until the beef is completely cooked through.  Remove any additional fat if needed and add the sugar, soy sauce, crushed red pepper flakes and stir.  Just before serving stir in the green onions and serve over hot steamed rice and broccoli on the side.

Serves 5

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Lemon Chicken

It has been a while since I made this dish.  I am not sure why I have not made it more often. It reminds me of Lemon Chicken that you can get at popular Chinese restaurants.  I did blog this recipe before, but in 2010 and without picture. The original recipe can be found here. It is a popular recipe on allrecipes, and my family gives it two thumbs up.

Lemon Chicken

adapted from allrecipes

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 4 large boneless skinless chicken breast halves, sliced thinly

Marinade:

• 2 Tbsp dry sherry
• 2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt

Breading:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

For frying:

• 1 1/2 – 2 cups vegetable oil

Lemon Sauce:

• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 lemon sliced

Instructions

Slice the chicken breast halves into thin strips.

In a large zip top bag, combine the dry sherry, soy sauce and salt together.  Add the thin chicken strips to the marinade and allow to sit for 20 to 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg, 1/4 cup cornstarch and baking powder until it forms a smooth batter.

To prepare the lemon sauce, combine the 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, white sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, chicken broth, salt whisking until combined and add the lemon slices to the bowl.  Set aside until the chicken is ready.

Preheat the 1 1/2 to 2 cups oil over medium high heat in a non stick skillet. Also preheat your oven to 325°F to keep the chicken warm while you finish cooking.

Remove the chicken with tongs from the marinade, allowing the excess to drip off first.  Add to the prepared batter, toss to coat (it will make a thin coat, but don’t worry it will work perfectly).  Carefully add a few battered chicken strips to the hot oil without over crowding the skillet with chicken.  Fry for a minute or two until golden brown on one side and turn over with clean tongs. Cook on second side and then remove to a casserole dish (Keep chicken warm in pre heated oven while cooking remaining batches of chicken).  Cook remaining chicken the same way.

Pour off the excess hot frying oil and wipe the skillet with a paper towel.  Use the same skillet to heat the prepared lemon sauce.  Heat over medium high and stir until the sauce thickens.  Pour over the chicken pieces.  Serve with steamed white rice (or baked brown rice) and a vegetable to round out the meal.

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Asian Slaw with Spicy Peanut Dressing

Pinterest strikes again… I made this Asian Slaw yesterday for lunch, but the dressing did not impress me.  Today I made it again, but used a dressing I made with  Yard House’s Norwegian Salmon.  It was perfect. The dressing yields about 2 cups, so I save the dressing to use with chicken later in the week. This recipe is inspired by:

http://www.scalingbackblog.com/savory-bites/day-3-crunchy-cabbage-salad-with-spicy-peanut-dressing/

and

http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/shortorder/2009/06/yard_house_recipe_for_ginger_c.php

Here is my rendition:

Asian Slaw with Spicy Peanut Dressing

goodcookbecky  Serves 4

For the Slaw:

• 1/2 head Napa Cabbage, cut thinly
• 1/4 head medium size red cabbage, cut thinly
• 1 cup sugar peas
• 1/2 cup cashew nuts
• 1 avocado. diced
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, optional

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped ginger
• 2 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1/4 cup sesame oil
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper

Combine the slaw ingredients in a large salad bowl.

Prepare the salad dressing by combining the ingredients in a food processor or blender (or use an immersion blender) and process until smooth.
Refrigerate until needed.

Toss slaw with 1/2 cup dressing and serve.

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I will be making this one again – and again!

Shrimp Pad Thai

Shrimp Pad Thai – http://www.goodcookbecky.com

One of my best friends lives in Thailand.  Her daughter now goes to school in England and they both were here over the summer.  I took them to eat at a Thai restaurant near me.  Her daughter had not had Thai food in some time and enjoyed it.  I also found out, though the decor was a mix of Thai and Chinese, their food was pretty authentic, and that is what matters. I learned from my friend, that when eating Pad Thai, it tastes better when you squeeze lime juice over the dish just before eating and sprinkling with just a little sugar (1/4 tsp does the job) — I was skeptical, but it really did bring out the flavors.  I discovered I really like Pad Thai.  So I bought the ingredients recently to try to make it myself.  Actually, I made the dish twice!  Once to make all the mistakes, and the second time to make it right!  Yum!

I used the recipe on the Roland brand Pad Thai Noodle package and adapted it to my own taste.  I don’t like tofu- so I increased the amount of shrimp.  You could also use chicken or pork.  Tamarind paste was the hardest ingredient to locate, but you will find it in an Asian market, or order it online.

Shrimp Pad Thai

adapted from Roland

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 package Roland Pad Thai Noodles
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 Tbsp Tamarind Paste
• 1/4 cup boiling water
• 2 tsp brown sugar, packed
• 3 Tbsp Fish sauce
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 3/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 Tbsp canola oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 9 oz. medium size shrimp, cleaned and peeled
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 4 Tbsp roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
• juice of one lime
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 lime sliced in wedges, for serving
• sugar, for serving

Instructions:

Prepare the Pad Thai Noodles according to package directions.  Mine, I soaked in room temperature water for 30 minutes, drained the noodles and then put them back in the bowl and poured boiling water over them and let them sit another 5 minutes to soften them.  Drained them again and then added a little oil and tossed to keep the pasta from sticking.

In the meantime prepare the sauce:  Combine the tamarind paste with the 1/2 cup hot water and stir.  Strain the tamarind paste in a sieve, saving the liquid in a small bowl.  Discard any solids (I had very little).  Add the brown sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, and red chili flakes to the tamarind sauce and stir to combine.

Cook your scrambled eggs in a non stick skillet, breaking the egg up into smaller pieces as it cooks and set aside.

Heat a wok or cast iron skillet over medium high heat and add 2 Tbsp of canola oil to it.  Add the minced garlic.  Add the clean shrimp and cook for about 3 minutes until they are pink and fully cooked.  Remove the shrimp to the skillet with the eggs, so they do not overcook – you will add these back into the wok toward the end of cooking.

Add the drained noodles, and tamarind mixture to the wok. Cook for about 5 minutes.  Add bean sprouts and green onions and cook for one minute longer.  Add the scrambled eggs, shrimp, and peanuts to the wok.  Add the juice of one lime and toss lightly.

Place the Pad Thai on a large serving dish and sprinkle with a few more peanuts and fresh cilantro.  Serve hot and garnish with lime wedges.

It really tastes best when you squeeze a little lime on the Pad Thai and sprinkle the single serving with about 1/4 tsp of sugar.  If you are skeptical as I was, try it without first and then add… I think you will agree that it does taste better.

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Ginger Crusted Salmon

Ginger Crusted Salmon

One of my favorite preparations of salmon I have ever eaten has been at the Yard House.  They serve a ginger crusted salmon on  a bed of wasabi mashed potatoes with a peanut ginger sauce that is to die for.  Much to my surprise I found the recipe online and in print (link)! You mean I can make this myself now?  I added the recipe to my bucket list of things I wish to make.  I bought some beautiful salmon at my favorite market – and thought it was the perfect opportunity to make it myself.  It was not quite what the Yard House serves, because it was missing the deep fried strips of carrot on top for presentation, but it was still very good.  I doubled the sauce, because I thought it would go nicely with a satay later in the week.  This recipe takes a little prep work to get it perfected, but I was rather happy with the results.  I will make it again for a special dinner.

Yard House Ginger Crusted Salmon (at home)

adapted from Yard House recipe published in Miami New Times

by Executive Chef Carlito Jocson Serves 2

http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/shortorder/2009/06/yard_house_recipe_for_ginger_c.php (link)

Ingredients:

• 2 (6 oz) fillet of salmon
• 1/4 cup finely minced ginger (I used a microplane to grate it)
• 1/4 cup green onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 1/2 cups julienne carrots and snow peas (cut in matchsticks)
• 1 Tbsp butter
• salt and pepper to taste

Make ahead of time:

• 1/2 cup Sesame Peanut Vinaigrette (recipe below)
• Wasabi Mashed Potatoes (recipe below)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

In a small metal bowl, combine the grated ginger and sliced green onions.  Heat the olive oil in a small skillet.  Use caution to pour the hot oil over the ginger and green onions in the metal bowl.

Add 1 Tbsp of olive oil to a large skillet and heat to medium high heat.  Sear the salmon on each side until golden brown.  Transfer the salmon to a baking dish and top with the ginger mixture.  Bake in the oven for 7 minutes or until the fish is cooked through.

Steam the snow peas and carrots in two separate pans for about 3-10 minutes depending how tender you like them.  Drain any water, add some butter to each and season with salt and pepper if desired.  Tip: I bought a small bag of carrot slaw mix in the grocery store, so I did not have to spend hours slicing carrots.

To serve: Drizzle the plate with 1 Tbsp of the Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette.  Put a dollop of Wasabi mashed potatoes on the center of the plate.  Top with steamed julienne carrots and snow peas.  Top with the baked ginger crusted fish and drizzle about 1/4 cup more of the Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette over each servings.  Top with fried strips of carrot if you desire (I did not this time). Serve and have a party in your Mouth.

Wasabi Mashed Potatoes

• 2 lbs Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• water to cover the potatoes
• 1/4 cup Wasabi Paste (I found some in a tube by S&B) See bottom of post for source)
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• salt to taste

Instructions:

Prepare the potatoes: Bring the potato chunks, salted cold water to cover to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 12-15 minutes.  Test with a fork for tenderness.  Drain.  Mash the potatoes with the wasabi paste, heavy cream and butter.  Season with salt to taste.  These potatoes have quite the punch- my children opted for regular potatoes, but hubby and I enjoyed them.  If you are unsure how spicy they will be add less wasabi- you can always add more.

Sesame- Peanut Vinaigrette (doubled)

Yields about 2 cups

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter (I used Jif)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped ginger
• 2 Tbsp minced ginger
• 1/4 cup sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions:

Combine all the ingredients in your food processor or blender.  Process until smooth.  Refrigerate until needed.  I like this sauce so much I make extra and serve as a sauce with a beef or chicken satay later in the week.

Ingredients resource:

For the Wasabi paste:

http://www.sb-worldwide.com/products/paste.html (43 grams was the size of my tube and I used)

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Chinese Beef Broccoli

Chinese Beef Broccoli

I have blogged for several years now and often get inspiration from other food bloggers.  One blog that I am particularly fond of is that of Jaden Hair – Steamy Kitchen.  Her posts are interesting and pictures are stunning.  She has published two cookbooks now, and I emailed her once regarding some questions I had about publishing a cookbook and she was friendly and helpful.  As for my cookbook aspirations, I have made cookbooks for friends, but none of them with elaborate pictures and often with errors in the recipes (oops!). Anyway, my dream of publishing a cookbook is on hold for now. I digress. Jaden’s first cookbook is beautiful and informative.   One recipe that I had been wanting to make for some time was her Chinese Beef Broccoli.  I doubled the recipe because I wanted leftovers, and it is a good thing I did, because there was one serving left.  My children, who occasionally like to be picky, gave this dish a thumbs up.  I used flat iron steak for the meat and it was an excellent choice – the meat was tender and delicious.  Here is my (doubled in volume) adaptation of Jaden’s Beef Broccoli.  It rivals that of PF Chang’s Beef and Broccoli dish in flavor.  I look forward to adding this to my regular rotation.  You do not have to use a wok for this wonderful dish, I used my large cast iron skillet and it came out beautifully!

Chinese Beef and Broccoli

adapted from Jaden Hair of steamykitchen.com

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs flat iron steak, thinly sliced into 1/8″ thick strips (or use top sirloin, flank steak)
• 3 lbs broccoli, cut into smaller pieces
• 2 Tbsp canola or peanut oil
• 2 Tbsp minced garlic, or increase if you like lots of garlic

Beef Marinade:

• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp canola oil
• freshly ground black pepper to season the beef

Stir Fry Sauce:

• 6 Tbsp oyster sauce
• 4 tsp dry cooking sherry
• 4 tsp balsamic vinegar

Instructions:

In a bowl, combine the ingredients for the beef marinade and add the sliced steak to the bowl.  Toss to coat.  Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes.  I actually packaged mine in a zip-lock bag and threw it in the fridge because I realized I didn’t have the oyster sauce for the stir fry sauce, and because I had JUST gotten home from the store, did not want to go back so we had stir fry the next day and it turned out great anyway!

Bring about one inch of water to a boil in your cast iron skillet (or wok) and cook the broccoli florets, covered with a lid to trap steam, for 3-5 minutes over high heat. I like mine a little more cooked, so went with 5 minutes.  Drain immediately and reserve the broccoli in a separate bowl.  While the broccoli cooks, prepare the stir fry sauce.

Dry the skillet with a paper towel and heat over high heat until very hot.  Add the oil and make sure it coats the bottom of the skillet evenly. Add the garlic and cook it for 30 seconds.  Add the strips of meat and cook for about 30 seconds on each side.  Remove to a platter as you finish the batches.

Add the broccoli and beef back to the skillet and add the stir fry sauce.  Toss the broccoli and meat to coat with the sauce and serve with steamed rice (Jasmine is my favorite).

I highly recommend Jaden’s book, but her blog is also wonderful. So zip over to http://steamykitchen.com/ I know you won’t regret it!

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Crab Wontons

The past month has been crazy! In one week I had a close friend die of cancer; another friend die suddenly of a heart attack, have sung in concerts, my son started little league in addition to all the other stuff that my family is already involved in.  Yes, I now have something going on every single day of the week until mid May.  The cloud of dust is settling again though and life is beginning to look normal, despite the busy schedule.

After all that, I needed comfort food.  Fried Comfort Food!

My husband and I went to a popular Chinese Restaurant and ordered Crab Wontons from their appetizer menu.  Theirs came to a beautiful 4 point star shape.  I wanted to make these myself so I could have them any time.  Mine were not the star shaped wontons, I opted for the easy fold over and make a triangle – the taste was the same.  I used a store bought Sweet and Sour Dipping sauce, but will try a homemade sauce next time.  The dipping sauce  was not as impressive.  Although it is called Spicy Crab Wontons, I did not find it overly spicy.  I didn’t make the whole batch, as it was just hubby and I, but for a party, do make the complete batch.  I reserved the filling to make it again in the following days, but did not get around to it.  I added more crab meat, less cream cheese (only because I did not have a pound of it), and added 2 green onions, chopped for color (only the green part)

I found this recipe in the book: The Chesapeake Bay Crabbiest Cookbook by Whitey Schmidt.  It is a cookbook that I picked up on a trip to Baltimore, MD. You can find the original recipe on page 96. Here is my adaptation:

Spicy Crab Wontons

adapted from The Chesapeake Bay Crabbiest Cookbook (pg 96)

Serves 4-6 (or more if appetizer portion)

Ingredients:

• 16 oz crab meat (I used a quality canned crab meat found in the refrigerated section)
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp hot pepper sauce
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced (green part only)
• 1 (8 oz) package wonton wrappers (in refrigerated section)
• peanut oil for frying

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, combine the first 11 ingredients and mix thoroughly to combine.

Place a wonton wrapper on a clean surface, place 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp crab filling into the center.  Moisten the edges of the wonton with water and fold the wonton in half diagonally, lining up the opposite corners.  Gently press along the edge to seal.  Cover the ready wontons with a damp paper towel to prevent them from drying out until you have finished making your wontons.

Heat peanut oil in a stainless skillet over medium high heat.  Fry the wontons in batches, being sure not to crowd them turning them over from time to time until they are golden (about 1 minute total).  Remove to a wire rack and finish frying the wontons in batches.  Serve with your favorite Asian dipping sauce.

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