Pho-mplings (Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup-Spiced Dumplings)

You guys! Why did this not occur to me sooner? A couple of years ago, I had the bright idea of making Pho Burgers, by grinding the spices I used for making Pho Bo (Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup) and adding them to ground beef. You'd figure that after making Pho Burgers with Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup Spices and Banh Mi Pho Bo (Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup-Spiced Sandwiches), it would have dawned on me that I could use the spiced meat to make dumplings too...

But it wasn't until last fall when I stumbled upon this Gothamist article about Phumplings in Brooklyn that the pho-spiced dumplings started to take shape. Phumplings are larger and filled with soup, closer to xiao long bao (Shanghai soup dumplings). A bit too much work for lazy old me. Not that I probably won't try that at some point.

Instead, I decided to make regular dumplings with pho spices. I had a rather lean cut of beef, but if you use fattier ground beef, you can get juicier dumplings. I used the same proportion of spices and aromatics as my Pho Burgers -- pureed onion, garlic, and ginger with ground cinnamon, cloves, and star anise spices. Then topped the dumplings with green onions (actually, chives from the garden) and basil, small squirts of Hoisin Sauce and Sriracha, and squeezed a bit of lime. With all the components in place, it was like eating pho in one bite.

Chinese Bok Choy Char Siu (Barbecued Pork) Wonton Noodle Soup

Since I used the leftover Char Siu/Xa Xiu (Chinese/Vietnamese Barbequed Pork) to make Chinese Char Siu (Barbecued Pork) Bok Choy Chow Fun (Rice Noodle) Stir-Fry, I needed another batch for this Chinese wonton noodle soup with barbecued pork and bok choy. Considering it's one of my favorite noodle soups, I was reminded that I hadn't blogged a recipe until a Wandering Chopsticks reader (Thanks Tu Anh!) mentioned on my Facebook page that she was making my barbecued pork recipe for just that purpose.

For the wontons, I used the Hoanh Thanh Thit Heo Bam, Dau Hu, Hanh La (Vietnamese Wontons with Ground Pork, Tofu, and Green Onions) that I recently made with the niece and nephew, but feel free to use any wonton recipe of your choice. Then it's just a matter of making a broth, boiling some egg noodles, and blanching some bok choy.

Hoanh Thanh Thit Heo Bam, Dau Hu, Hanh La (Vietnamese Wontons with Ground Pork, Tofu, and Green Onions)

If I could impart only one kitchen wisdom, it would be this: have fun.

Sure presentation matters since a dish that is visually appealing makes you more likely to eat it. And of course, there are ingredients and preparation and all that.

But what it really comes down to is that familiarity in the kitchen, working with ingredients, preparing food to feed your loved ones, none of it happens really if you don't enjoy yourself first. My favorite childhood memories in the kitchen were spent listening to my Ba Noi (Vietnamese Paternal Grandmother) tell stories while wiping banana leaves for her famous Banh Nam (Vietnamese Steamed Flat Rice Dumplings with Pork and Shrimp). As I got older, she'd assign more tasks, teaching me little tricks along the way, such as deveining shrimp with a toothpick or adding salt to kill any bugs when I rinsed herbs. When I cooked, she always praised what I made, no matter how simple.

In contrast, my mother was very exacting about presentation without a lot of explanation about the process. And while there are lessons to be learned there too, I found this method makes cooking seem more like work. Through the years, I've heard from friends and readers who hated being in the kitchen for precisely that reason, that cooking seemed like drudgery, that they were rebelling against the expectation that women had to do the cooking. Or since cooking, especially Vietnamese food, seemed like such a vague process, with instructions being to add a little bit of this and that, that they didn't know where to start. Or that the slicing and folding they did wasn't pretty, so they were shooed away from preparation. All of which makes being in the kitchen no fun at all.

I've been cooking with my niece for a while, and also now with my nephew since he turned 2 years old. I hope they're enjoying themselves as much as I am teaching them. While we've made plenty of baked goods, the niece's favorite foods are noodles and dumplings. I make the filling and separate the wonton skins, but leave the folding all up to them. Sure, their technique needs a bit of work, but after being boiled, you can't even tell.

Chinese Chili Wontons

So let's say you have no skills in folding dumplings, don't worry because these Chinese Chili Wontons are dead simple to make. You're not supposed to fold them prettily because the whole point of these wontons is light on the filling to enjoy the doughy wrappers, which have absorbed all the delicious sauce.

I had a craving to make these recently after missing the chili wontons I used to order at Mandarin Noodle Deli - Temple City before it closed, and then at Bamboodles Restaurant - San Gabriel before it closed too. Not that I couldn't find another restaurant to order them, I just haven't yet. And definitely not eight wontons for $1.95. Wah! Wah! Why do all my favorite cheap places close?

If you're tired of making Siu Mai (Chinese Meatball Dumpling) look pretty, just use the leftover filling from that.

Otherwise, it's a simple enough pork and shrimp filling. Boiled wontons. Topped with chopped greens. Dressed with a chili, sesame oil, soy, and vinegar sauce. Since the wontons are sparsely filled, a little filling makes dozens and dozens.

Shu / Siu Mai (Chinese Meatball Dumpling)

I brought Siu Mai (Chinese Meatball Dumplings) to my brother's lunar new year dinner. I know, siu mai are usually eaten in the mornings for dim sum, but I needed something quick and easy. And while I'm perfectly happy getting my fix at dim sum restaurants, there's something to be said about making siu mai at home and eating it late at night.

I'm not so skilled with the shaping. The dumplings waffled to and fro in the steamer. After a few misses, I found it easiest to steam them in a mini cupcake pan. It's cheating for sure, but they come out much nicer if you're not so skilled in shaping them either.

Make them for breakfast, if you want Chinese dim sum at home. Or make them for a late night snack.

Happy Year of the Snake!

Happy Year of the Snake everyone!

A few days before the lunar new year, my oldest uncle's wife called to tell me to come pick up a banh tet (Vietnamese sticky rice cake). She also gave me some dua mon (Vietnamese pickles) and mandarin oranges.

My friend DP gave me the Girl Scout cookies and a banh chung, the northern Vietnamese version of the lunar new year sticky rice cake. Banh tet is the central and southern version.

I'm pretty bad about the gift exchange this year and am still working on my half.

This morning I met up with my childhood friend for our annual lunar new year meal. I decided to keep it simple and cheap this year, so we went to my favorite, Luscious Dumplings, Inc. - San Gabriel. We got the beef stew noodles, pork and Szechuan pickles noodles, soup dumplings, and three orders of potstickers. We got the regular pork and the pork, sole, and cabbage potstickers. My friend's friends liked them so much that we got a third order. Mmm. Gotta love starting off the new year with a tried and true favorite.

Mama's Lu Dumpling House - Monterey Park

For a while a few years ago, Right Way to Eat kept trying to convince me to try other dumpling houses, but I wasn't willing to give up my favorite -- Luscious Dumplings, Inc. - San Gabriel. Well, I've certainly tried other dumpling houses, I just refused to relinquish the title of "favorite" to any other. :)

After going back and forth on various places, we decided to eat at Mama's Lu Dumpling House in Monterey Park. This was partly because it's owned by the daughter of the original mama Lu herself of Dean Sin World - Monterey Park fame, and partly because I was curious about the restaurant that replaced Heavy Noodling, which I liked more for its name than its knife-cut noodles.

Dean Sin World - Monterey Park

For more than a year now, I've been getting my potsticker and soup dumpling fix at Dean Sin World in Monterey Park. The dumplings are good and cheap, and mama Lu is way nice and almost always gives me freebies. So I tip very generously. And she gives me more freebies to make up for it. So I tip very generously again. And well, you see where this is going? I've also dragged various friends, cousins, aunts, uncles, cousin's cousin, cousin's uncle, nephew, nephew's friend, dad's friend's daughter... I guess I should finally blog about Dean Sin World then huh?

As with many places that have gained popularity among food bloggers, many times the person who discovered the restaurant doesn't get proper credit. You know how I feel about attribution. So it's not just because he's my friend, but because all Dean Sin World hype should be properly credited to Tony of SinoSoul, who discovered it back in 2008.

I first read about Dean Sin World on Pepsi Monster of Right Way to Eat, who said that mama Lu supplies many of the restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley. Not the dumpling houses, but the restaurants who offer dumplings in addition to their menu. But I didn't visit Dean Sin World until last August when Danny of Kung Food Panda took me here since they don't speak English.

Tibet Nepal House - Pasadena (Old Town)

The first time I tried Tibetan and Nepalese cuisine was in Wisconsin, of all places. Actually, Madison was surprisingly wonderful, filled with more ethnic restaurants than I expected (I tried Afghan cuisine for the first time there too.). I remembered mung bean patties and a huge dosa, but can't remember which was my or my friends' order. The flavors were vaguely Indian, redolent of spices and curry, but different.


Several years later, I met up with a friend of a friend for dinner and he took me to Tibet Nepal House in Pasadena, thinking that it'd be a new cuisine for me. Nope! The conversation was better than expected; the food, however, was decidedly less so. I remembered ordering the sherpa stew, and that the meat was so hard and dry that he wanted to send it back to the kitchen. For someone who picked a cuisine that was a little unusual, even for SoCal standards, he was really quite unadventurous with regards to food in general and we never went out again.

So my first impression of Tibet Nepal House wasn't so stellar. I don't remember what else we ordered that night, but one dry, hard stew shouldn't chase me away from further exploring Tibetan cuisine. So in July 2009, I went with Gourmet Pigs to try out the $8.99 lunch buffet.

Kang Kang Food Court - Alhambra

Remember when Won Ton Time used to be in this strip mall? How about further back when Kang Kang Food Court used to be Shau May? Or even further back when the Chinese movie theater used to be here?

Oh! Oh!

Speaking of the theater, does anyone know the name of the Chinese movie where these two boys were raised like brothers, except one of the boy's fathers was head of a mafia? I think one of them grows up to take over for his dad? And then there was a train and he climbed in through a window and surprised a woman, and they ended up falling in love? Except she was on her way to marry the other one? Or something like that. Mafias, love triangles, love on a speeding train.

C'mon! Does anyone know which movie I'm talking about? My second-cousin took me to see it at the Chinese theater that used to be here and I don't remember the name, but I really, really want to find it again.

Anyway, back to Kang Kang and reminiscing. Remember when shaved ice was only $1.50 for three ingredients? I know! Darn inflation!

Even at $3.25, it's still the best shaved ice deal in town. My cousins and I are here almost every week during the summer.

Ngu Binh Restaurant - Westminster (Little Saigon)

Last fall, I got an email from someone who claimed not to be a stalker. (Ha! That's what they all say! :P ) She had been reading my blog for a few months and my post about Burgerville, a hamburger chain in the Pacific Northwest, caught her attention. Might I be an Oregonian? So she started reading and reading and realized, she knows who I am!

She asked, are you chu (Vietnamese for younger male uncle on father's side) [my dad]'s daughter? If not, sorry for bothering you. If yes, "Why hello chi (Vietnamese for older female) [my real name]!" This is [dad's friend]'s daughter, or you might remember me as [dad's friend's daughter's real name].

Bwhaha! I thought I was pretty good at the incognito thing, but I guess if you know me in real life, even if it's been 20 years, I'm pretty easy to figure out. Seriously, I hadn't seen my dad's friend's daughter since she was 5 years old. Anyway, she found lil' sis via our oldest nephew's best friend and befriended her on Facebook. So I stalked her back and befriended her too.

And last month when she was in town and needed a place to stay, I offered up my home. After picking her up from Long Beach airport, I took her to Ngu Binh Restaurant in Westminster for lunch. The last time I was here was nearly four years ago. I told you I don't go down to Little Saigon as often as I used to!

That's it! That's the whole menu! It's really not even 18 dishes, half that, as the specials are just larger sizes or they're combos of various dishes.

Hwang Hae Do Korean BBQ - Artesia

Back in January 2008, I had met up with one of my college friends who was in town. It had rained all day so we decided to meet each other halfway in Artesia. Unfortunately, all the restaurants I could think of in the area were Indian (It is Little India after all.), which was too spicy a cuisine for her.

A quick Google search for Korean restaurants in Artesia turned up an article by Linda Burum in the Los Angeles Times on Hwang Hae Do. She wrote about their dumplings and how they were the best around. Hmm. I've never had any mandu that really knocked my socks off, so if these were the best, I had to try.




The article was in 2004, so I called to confirm that the restaurant was still in business and tried to ask what else they served besides dumplings, but couldn't really understand what the person on the phone said. So it was quite a surprise when I pulled up and saw the Korean BBQ sign. It was an even better surprise when we were told there were three tiers on the all-you-can-eat menu.

The $9.99 option included beef brisket, pork belly, and Daeji Bulgogi (Korean Spicy Pork). Add marinated chicken for $11.99. And six meats including Galbi (Korean Marinated and Barbecued Beef Short Ribs) is $14.99.

$9.99 Korean barbecue? For dinner? Pretty awesome deal, yeah?

Bon Marche Bistro/B Village Cuisine (Dim Sum) - Monterey Park (Closed)

I had written before about Bon Marche Bistro/B Village Cuisine's regular menu, but there was also a short dim sum menu. So yes, these days, you can get dim sum in so many different ways -- without pushcarts, through a take-out window, and in non-dim sum restaurants.


Most of the dim sum dishes cost between $2.90 to $4.90. They are part of the regular menu, but I wanted to keep the dim sum items on a separate post.

Banh Nam (Vietnamese Steamed Flat Rice Dumplings with Pork and Shrimp)

I learned to cook by wiping banana leaves in the kitchen of my ba noi (Vietnamese paternal grandmother). Actually, I think every grandchild (all 20 of us), had at one time or another been given that task. Her specialty was banh nam (Vietnamese steamed flat rice dumplings with pork and shrimp). Sometimes I would help her put the meat on the dough and wrap the banana leaves to make these flat rice dumplings. While I helped, I never did learn her recipe.


Ba noi passed away nearly six years ago. I still can't eat banh nam without crying so I often avoid it at family gatherings. Also, my aunts don't make it quite the same. The dough isn't as tender. The dumpling sometimes a bit too thick. It just wasn't the way grandma made it.

Day 30: Luscious Dumplings, Inc. Redux - San Gabriel

Still my favorite dumpling house. Prices have gone up about 50 cents on some items since my initial post on Luscious Dumplings, Inc. Luscious Dumplings Inc.

704 W. Las Tunas Dr., #E4

San Gabriel, CA 91776

626-282-8695

Lunch 11 a.m to 2 p.m.

Dinner 5 to 8 p.m.

Closed Mondays. Lunch service only on Sundays.

Cash only

***** 1 year ago today, nectarine flowers, freesia, and primroses were blooming in my old garden.

Shanghai-style Sticky Rice Siu Mai Dumplings

Merry Christmas dear readers! Here's a little "present" for you. :)


Aren't they cute? While I was more familiar with ground pork siu mai dumplings at dim sum restaurants, a while back Amy of Nook & Pantry had made Shanghai-style sticky rice siu mai dumplings. They were so darling that I knew I would attempt to make them at some point.

And so it was that on Christmas day, I was floundering for ideas on what to post. I figured tying a chive leaf around each dumpling would make them look like little "presents." This all came together very quickly and easily due to my tried-and-tested method of lazy cooking. ;)

Monland Hot Pot City - San Gabriel

Since we had so much fun catching up at Messob Ethiopian Restaurant, my friend, E(L), and I met up again at Monland Hot Pot City. The atmosphere can best be summed up with Kirk of Mmm-yoso's phrase - "San Gabriel sticky." There's a basic charge of $3.50 per person for white or red (spicy) broths. Both come with Chinese herbs. There's also a mushroom option for vegetarians. We ordered two plates of thinly sliced beef, spinach, vermicelli noodles, napa cabbage, and tripe. Tripe. Vermicelli noodles. The sauces. And we also ordered a plate of dumplings. What can I say about hot pot? Dip and eat. The sauces were decent. The broth was awfully oily. The atmosphere was nothing to speak of. The total cost was a little more than $30 for what we ordered. I prefer the variety of broths, larger portions, and better prices at Jazz Cat Cafe - Alhambra. (Too bad that location doesn't offer it anymore.) Other hot pot and shabu shabu restaurants: Cocary Shabu Shabu BBQ - Monterey Park Happy Sheep Cafe - Rowland Heights Happy Sheep Cafe Shabu & Grill - San Gabriel Jazz Cat Restaurant - San Gabriel Shin-Sen-Gumi Yakitori-Shabu Shabu - Monterey Park Monland Hot Pot City 251 W. Bencamp St. San Gabriel, CA 91776 626-289-4889

Banh U Nuoc Tro (Lye Water Dumplings) and Banh Ba Trang (Bak Trang Dumplings (Meat Dumplings)) for Tet Nua Nam (Half-New Year)

Don't worry, the next post will finish off the pig-out from my food blogger meet up in Little Tokyo.

This break is because it's Tet Nua Nam (half-new year which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month on the lunar calendar). My oldest uncles wife gave me these dumplings. Don't know why we call them dumplings when they're really sticky rice cakes.

But anyway, aren't they lovely? They're wrapped in bamboo leaves. The one on the left is banh ba trang (the Vietnamese pronunciation and spelling of Chinese bak chang (meat dumplings)). The little one on the right is banh u nuoc tro (lye water dumplings).


The lye water makes the banh u nicely translucent.

The ba trang dumplings usually have pork in the middle and bits of shiitake mushrooms, Chinese sausage, lotus seeds, and chestnuts.
Both were yummy!

*****
1 year ago today, two of my cousins graduated and we all dined at Zen Buffet in San Gabriel.

Pa Pa Walk - San Gabriel (Closed)

My adventures in food sometimes begin in the most roundabout way. Henry Chan's Food Videos had recommended Pa Pa Walk in San Gabriel as a restaurant I should try. But his photos of noodles and pork chops didn't particularly spur me to try it right away. Besides, what a strange name. I mean, I know I mentioned all the foot massage places in San Gabriel, but did I want to eat at a restaurant that named itself after feet?


Then I saw a picture of this soup on 50 Meals by KevCheng. Along with a photo of xiao long bao (Shanghai soup dumplings). My tastebuds started salivating. I was so there! But more on this soup and XLB in a little bit.

Pa Pa Walk is located in the same strip mall as the San Gabriel Hilton. It's behind the giant staircase in the center so you won't necessarily see it right away.

They must be trying to complement the outside of the yellow strip mall with all this yellow on the inside. See that pole in the center, behind the guy who's giving me dirty looks for snapping a photo? See the giant mango shaved ice on that poster? I didn't order one but I saw someone else's and it was mounded about a foot high, topped with mangoes, and condensed milk. I did go back another time and ordered the giant mango shaved ice. It was almost big enough for me to hide behind.

Mandarin Noodle Deli - Temple City (Closed)

Are you missing my dumpling posts? I did say I had a few left... This one was discovered purely by accident. Lil' sis and I wanted dumplings. I thought I remembered Jonathan Gold mentioning something about big crispy potstickers at a noodle/dumpling restaurant on Las Tunas Drive in Arcadia. So we drove down Las Tunas in San Gabriel and kept going when there were no more Asian restaurants. Then the street became Temple City and the Chinese photo studios and restaurants started popping up again, and just when we were about to give up, we saw the awning to Mandarin Noodle Deli. (Later, I looked it up and I was actually thinking of Noodle House!)


It was a pretty hot day so we decided to get a cold salad but couldn't decide between cucumber or seaweed. The waitress said we could do a half and half since they were both $2.69. The seaweed salad was good, but the cold, vinegary tart cucumber was just so much better.