Hum didalee dumplings!

After spending a week drooling over the latest Bon Appetit issue's feature on Sriracha sauce dishes, I finally convinced Mother the fridge was not too full for a trip to Asian supermarket. So many delicious things we found, but so many brands to choose from! We decided to do a little taste testing of two of our favorite appetizers prior to cooking a little Asian feast (Another entry coming soon, Dad misses all the fun stuff when he's out of town).

evidence Mother still loves me

deathly duel of dumplings

skinny v. short vegetable dumplings

Skin-wise both browned well and tasted as they should, however I found the an odd, indescribable flavor in the skinny ones and an unpleasant smashed peas textured filling. I overwhelmingly preferred the short ones - just the right amount of filling for the right amount of crunchiness.

Every time we make dumplings or potstickers or gyozas or whatever you like calling these savory treats, my family prepares this easy, sweet dipping sauce to give the dumplings a little zing!

mom's dumpling dipping sauce
a pinch of sugar
1 part soy sauce
1 part water
splash of vinegar
finely chopped scallions
grated ginger to taste

Combine and enjoy!

battle of the egg rolls: India v. China

Indian eggrolls Mom found at the Indian supermarket.. Indian-Chinese another cuisine in its own right

Orientex chinese eggrolls (we were hoping that they forgot to change the year on the stickers and really meant 2010....sketchy yes)

The chinese egg rolls ( and this is NOT the first time this has happened to me) were not packed tightly and the wrappers broke! Naturally, the hot oil flooded inside and the filling flowed out. What a nasty mess!

The Indian eggrolls, and I'm not saying this because I'm Indian as I tend to avoid Indian-Chinese food, were much much better! They were bite-sized. Literally the size of my thumb. Neatly wrapped and therefore cooked well. They also had a bit of spice to them which I can appreciate!

And the moment you've all been waiting for...the return of Fun Finds column!

Fun Finds in the Asian Superstore

Liver Care Tea .: college student's new BFF

Viva EL QUAIL MAN!

apparently the Asian supermarket has also fallen prey to green-washing