Shu Mai

This is one of my favorite Chinese appetizers. I learned of the greatness that is Shu Mai at a dim sum restaurant in Bellevue WA. It is a pork and shrimp dumpling. Most dim sum restaurants serve four at a time from the push carts. My wife and I bought some bamboo steamer baskets to accommodate the pile of shu mai we consume. I have served this at family gatherings including on Superbowl Sunday. I have a dipping sauce to accompany the dumplings as well. Enjoy!

Pork and Shrimp Shu Mai

1/2 lbs ground pork
1/2 lbs raw shrimp, deveined and diced
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp Dry ginger (adjust to your own ginger tastes)
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp corn starch or flour (more or less depending on thickness)
1 pkg won ton wrappers (circular, or square cut to a circle)
1 egg for egg wash (to seal won ton wrappers around filling)
Garnish: minced carrots, or a corn kernel, or a pea or fish roe.

Mix pork, shrimp, soy sauce, salt and pepper, ginger, and sesame oil together in a medium bowl. I add a tsp or more of corn starch to the mixture to hold everything together. Place a spoonful of the mixture into the middle of a won ton wrapper  and cover the outter edges with an egg wash; top with a piece your choice of garnishment (I like sweet corn or very small fish roe).
Squeeze the wrapper up to form a cup and fold the "edges" together (takes a little practice but my wife is a natural at it apparently). Line steamers with parchment paper (I got some bamboo steamers for like ten bucks at the Asian market and love them) so they don't stick. Whatever kind of pan you are steaming them in place water in the pan about and inch below the the steamer baskets. Steam for about 12-15 minutes or until pork mixture is cooked fully. Serve with either soy sauce or a blended dipping sauce (listed below).

I have been told this shu mai recipe is better than anything you can find in Grand Rapids. I have tried a couple different places around here and even the restaurant rated very highly in the local paper has nothing to compare to these tasty morsels.

Dipping Sauce:
Please adjust and change to your own personal tastes. This is just a starting point.

1/3 cup dark soy sauce
1 tsp dry ginger
2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp sugar
1/3 cup rice vinegar
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp chili oil
Combine all ingredients and let stand at least 10 minutes.
Garnish with scallion and ginger slices

Charley's Crab

So, this is not about my own cooking but about the amazing meal my beautiful wife and I had Valentine's Day at Charley's Crab in downtown Grand Rapids.

I had read many reviews about this restaurant in the past week or so just to make sure I could offer Karen a fantastic V-Day dinner. Mostly mixed reviews regarding service and taste. I found the food incredibly delicious! we had some oysters on the half shell and the "dynamite scallops" which were served in the shell and topped with deliciousness. Our waitress was very helpful and had many good selections to suggest. My wife had a seafood pasta, which was sooooo good! I had a seafood risotto milanese that was equally delicious. I would recommend Charley's Crab to anyone. Definitely bring your wallet because it is pricey for sure but well worth it!

The best part is they serve dungeness crab, can there be anything more suculent? I would take a dungy over anything else for sure!

Introduction

Hello all,
My name is Andy and I love to cook. I have never had a blog before but I am excited about starting this one. I am married and we have a fun loving adorable dog named Toby.

I enjoy trying new types of food and love to try and cook them as well. My favorite foods  include: Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian, Thai, and Mexican. I like almost anything Asian, especially sushi and pho.

My hope with this blog is to share with others my endeavours in cooking. Share recipes that I have found enjoyable and get ideas and tips from viewers.

My love for cooking has come from my dad, he is an amazing cook and anything he touches turns to delicious as soon as it hits your tongue. I have mostly positive reviews from friends and family regarding my own cooking so I think I am on the right path.

I hope you all enjoy and this leads to exciting cooking adventures!

Andy