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1 May 2024

How to make Chinese dumplings at home

by admin | posted in: News | 0

When it comes to Chinese comfort food, nothing beats a really good bowl of hand-pulled noodles or a steaming, silky bowl of mapo tofu. Yet our love affair with Chinese food often centers around dumplings.

Whether they’re boiled, steamed or pan-fried, it’s just so easy to eat five, six or even a dozen of the plump and juicy dough bundles stuffed with ground meat and/or vegetables. And you don’t even need to head to your favorite Chinese restaurant or order takeout to enjoy them.

With a bit of practice, most home cooks will find jiaozi fairly easy (and fun!) to make, especially if you get an assembly line going and opt for pre-made wrappers.

Because they’re shaped like ancient Chinese ingots, dumplings are often a celebratory food in China, enjoyed during holidays such as the Lunar New Year, when they symbolize wealth and prosperity for the upcoming year. But that’s not always the case. Former Pittsburgher Hannah Che, who wrote the James Beard Award-winning “The Vegan Chinese Kitchen” in 2022, grew up eating them any time the family got together.

Dumplings take quite a few forms in China, depending on the province and region, says Che. Since both parents are from northern China, her family mostly ate boiled dumplings. Dumpling-making was also very much a joint effort, with her father rolling the homemade dough wrappers, most everyone else filling and pleating them and her mom handling the cooking.

It would have been quicker and easier to use the inexpensive frozen wrappers you can find in any Asian market, and she’s quick to point out there’s no shame in going the convenience route. In fact, this is how many Chinese home cooks make dumplings.

“It’s just we always made the dough from scratch,” Che says on an early morning phone call from Dali in China’s southwestern Yunnan province, where she is working on a second cookbook that will focus on tofu.

Dumpling do’s and don’ts

Gretchen McKay places filling in her homemade dumplings before she broils them in her kitchen on Wednesday, April 3, 2024, in Avon. (Benjamin B. Braun/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS)

Dumplings from scratch are better for one simple reason: texture.

“Homemade dumplings just always have a more satisfying mouth feel,” Che says.

Also, scratch wrappers only require mixing all-purpose flour and water, then letting the dough rest for a little bit to become smooth and silky before kneading and rolling it out. “You don’t need any leavening.”

That said, she still has some tips to make rolling, stuffing and pinching homemade dumplings a little easier for beginners.

For starters, if you’re going to boil the dumplings, it’s important to use cold water when mixing the dough because it will give you a thicker skin. Otherwise, they will fall apart in boiling water. (If you’re going to pan-fry the dumplings, however, use hot water for a more delicate wrapper.)

You need to get the proportion of water to flour just right; if it’s too soft, it will fall apart under the weight of the filling. This is the one time you might consider using a scale to weigh both water and flour.

“It should be really elastic, but still stiff,” Che says.

Take a rest

Gretchen McKay pinches one of her homemade dumplings to keep the filling in before she broils it in her kitchen on Wednesday, April 3, 2024, in Avon. (Benjamin B. Braun/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS)

It’s also essential to allow the dough to rest on the counter (to relax it and make it easier to roll), and aim for consistently sized portions when you pinch or cut the dough after rolling or spinning it into ropes.

Rolling the dough between two pieces of parchment paper eases the process. You also might consider using a tortilla press if you’ve got one handy — especially if you’re intimidated by the thought of all that rolling.

“It’s a definite time saver!” she says.

The wrappers don’t have to be a perfect circle, just roundish.

When it comes to preparing a meat filling, combinations are endless, but Che says it’s important to add in some chives, green onions or chopped cabbage “so there is something juicy (but not watery) in there besides the meat.”

If you’d rather go vegetarian, you need similar aromatics along with “something meaty” like tofu or tofu skin to give the dumpling some heft.

“You can also include vermicelli or glass noodles because you can chop it up really nice, and it adds this richness and texture to the filling that is really satisfying,” she says.

Just be sure to squeeze a vegetarian filling to remove any excess water. And you’ll also want to go heavier on the salt than you would ordinarily on both varieties because the dough wrapper will subdue the seasonings.

Mixing and stuffing

Gretchen McKay mixes homemade dumpling filling in her kitchen on Wednesday, April 3, 2024, in Avon. (Benjamin B. Braun/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS)

Another time-saver: Use a food processor instead of mixing all the ingredients by hand.

“It really saves a lot of time, and you want something pasty,” says Che.

Now you’re ready to stuff and pleat the bundles.

Since the primary goal is to keep the filling inside, and elaborate pinches take a lot of practice, settle for a basic half-moon shape unless you really want to make it look pretty. This is especially true if you’re simply going to boil them, says Che. Fancy edges are more for steamed dumplings served for dim sum, where the presentation is more refined.

Make sure the finished dumplings are flat on the bottom. It makes them easier to pick up with a pair of chopsticks.

Che’s final words of advice: Find a partner or, even better, several.

“Dumpling making is definitely more enjoyable when it’s a communal activity,” she says.

All those bodies working in unison, in fact, is what makes dumplings a celebration food in Chinese culture.

“It takes so long, you might as well have lots of hands,” she says, laughing.

Homemade jiaozi (dumplings)

This dough comes together, rolls out easily and can be used regardless of filling or the cooking method. Since I was making them by myself, I halved the recipe for a smaller batch of about 50 dumplings stuffed with a classic cabbage-and-pork filling.

If you’re going to freeze the dumplings, place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and freeze until hard before storing in a plastic bag.

For an easy dipping sauce, stir together 2 tablespoons of black vinegar, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, a pinch of sugar and a heaping teaspoon (or more) of chili crisp, chili oil or sriracha.

INGREDIENTS

For dough:

4 cups (560 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons (280 grams) cold water

For filling:

1 pound ground pork
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
4 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 cup finely chopped Chinese cabbage

DIRECTIONS

Prepare dough. Put flour in a large bowl and add all the water. Mix together with a pair of chopsticks until all the flakes come together in a shaggy ball. Start kneading dough with your hands and incorporate any remaining flour. Let rest 5 minutes, then knead again until it is taut, smooth and firm, about 7 minutes.
Cover with a tea towel and allow dough to rest for 15 minutes. Dough should feel slightly tacky, but not damp.
While dough is resting, prepare filling. In a large bowl, combine pork, ginger, garlic, green onion, soy sauce, sesame oil and cabbage. Stir until well mixed.
Once rested, divide dough in half. Form one portion into a ball, poke a hole in the center and shape like a doughnut. Lift dough so gravity causes the bottom to stretch and gently shape with your hands as it grows skinnier, forming an O-shaped rope.
When the rope is 3/4 inch in diameter, break doughnut into a long rope and tear off 3/4 -inch pieces with a sharp, quick snap of your wrist. (They should weigh about 10 grams.) You can also use a knife or pastry scraper. Dust pieces with flour and repeat with remaining dough.
Roll each piece into a small ball, then flatten it between palms to create a disc resembling a wafer cookie. Press thumb into dough to create a “belly” in the center.
Roll dough ball into a circle about 3 inches in diameter. (The edges should be thinner than the center.) Don’t worry if it’s not perfect; it only needs to be roundish. The key is to keep size consistent so dumplings cook consistently.
Place 2 teaspoons of filling onto each dumpling round. If you don’t want to pleat the dumplings, the easiest way to seal them is to fold the wrapper over the filling into a half-moon shape. Match the edges together and press as if you were sealing an envelope. There is no need to seal homemade wrappers with water. (There is enough moisture in the dough to seal.)
Hold sealed edge of dumpling between fingers, press bottom belly of the dumpling into a board so it stands up. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper and repeat with remaining dumplings.
To boil: Bring 4 quarts water to a boil. Add 10-12 dumplings and gently stir. When water returns to a boil, add 1 cup of cold water and bring water back to a boil. Dumplings are done when they are puffed up and floating on the surface, about 5 minutes. Remove from pot to plate with a large slotted spoon or strainer.
To steam: Line steamer basket with steamer paper and place prepared dumplings in a single layer in the basket, with 1 inch between each. Place basket on top of pot and steam, covered, for 8-10 minutes, or until wrappers puff up. (Meat fillings will take longer.)
To pan-fry: Preheat a 9-inch skillet over medium heat for 1 minute. Add enough vegetable oil to coat bottom surface, then carefully arrange dumplings in a single layer, flat side down. Add 1/2 cup water to skillet and cover immediately. Cook for 7-9 minutes, until water has evaporated and bottoms of dumplings are golden brown.

Makes about 48 dumplings.

— adapted from “The Vegan Chinese Kitchen” by Hannah Che (Clarkson Potter, $35)

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1 May 2024

Stephen L. Carter: Will Columbia protesters achieve their goals?

by admin | posted in: Society | 0

I fear that the current round of campus protests is wearing out its welcome. This isn’t a conclusion I reach lightly. In my increasingly distant youth, I was a sometime protester myself, marching and chanting alongside classmates, and I tend to take vicarious pleasure in student activism. But in my day, we recognized the moment to stop. Whereas the current wave of protests, whatever their original motivations, have become not only disruptive but, for many Jewish students, frightening.

I’m a near-absolutist when it comes to free speech, but disruption is not a speech issue. I am not a fan of arresting students, but there’s a difference between the right to express an opinion and the right to occupy a plaza or chant loud enough to interfere with studying, or classroom instruction, or, for that matter, the simple freedom to go about the campus in peace.

I’m not saying that there’s never justification for being disruptive; I’m only saying that disruption isn’t speech. In traditional protest theory, a key reason for blocking streets and in other ways making everyday life difficult is precisely be arrested. The idea is that once a skeptical world sees that the courage of your convictions is sufficient to lead you to jail, some of the bystanders might cease standing by and become active supporters of the cause.

The problem is that too often, using such tactics has shifted the debate to the legitimacy of particular forms of protest. The underlying cause has gotten lost in a conversation about process. Process matters; but substance is what draws demonstrators into the streets.

One sees this evolution in the public conversation since universities have begun clearing away protest encampments. Suddenly, everybody wants to talk about when protest crosses the line between protected speech and unprotected conduct. But from the viewpoint of the committed protester, an argument over the limits of free speech is a distraction from the intended argument over the Gaza war.

In the old days — if I may call them such — the point of nonviolent protest was to change public opinion by provoking a reaction through which authority would show its true repressive face. This approach worked. It wasn’t the civil rights marches as such that aroused the conscience of a nation; what put an end to the South’s pretense of racial harmony was the ensuing fire hoses, police dogs, and murders. For those protests to be effective, it had to be the authorities, not the protesters, who engaged in intimidation.

The decisions at Columbia and Yale and elsewhere to arrest protesters and clear their encampments by force has led to demonstrations at other schools. This activism cascade supports the contagion theory used by many social scientists to explain how protests jump from place to place. Passive supporters of a cause become active supporters, and then signal their support by engaging in behavior similar to that of protesters elsewhere.

But the fact that demonstrations spread does not imply that activists will achieve their goals. So far, there’s little evidence that the Gaza protests or the efforts by universities to restore order are building support for the cause.

We shouldn’t be surprised. With rare exception, the effect of protest on public opinion is zero. This observation is hardly new. Back in the 1970s, the philosopher Richard B. Gregg, an advocate of nonviolence, mused on why campus antiwar protests met with so little success:

“Opportunities for dialogue become further limited as protestors, at moments of confrontation reduce their verbalization to slogans, epithets, and chants, and rely upon obscene gestures and sheer body force to make their point.”

Gregg, who agreed with the protesters, wondered why they went to all the trouble, given that their tactics were unlikely to change minds. The answer, he explained, was that through their actions, those of like mind seek to “constitute” themselves into a movement. Their speech and conduct, however unreasonable they seem to observers, are means by which they prove to each other who they are. In Gregg’s view, the protesters expect to fail, and are fine with that expectation. The point is not short-run success, but long-run solidarity. (Yes, the war ended; but no serious historian thinks the protests were the driving force.)

It’s fair to ask, of course, whether this classic analysis will stand up in a world altered by the internet and social media. And it’s worth noting that protests for racial justice have moved the needle on public opinion, even when violent — from the 1992 Rodney King riots to the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.

The relatively undisciplined nature of the campus protests over Gaza suggests a genuine belief on the part of the protesters that if they keep at it, something will change. But what changes may not quite what they expect. If, as some observers think likely, demonstrators at some schools choose to disrupt commencement ceremonies, one suspects that opinion will turn sharply against them.

Don’t get me wrong. I believe in self-expression for its own sake, even when nobody’s mind is going to be changed; and I quite understand the heartfelt need at times to shout one’s agony to an uncaring world. But I also believe in the values that make the campus different from other institutions, and, in particular, the commitments to thoughtful colleagueship and reasoned dialogue. That’s why, on campus, the best place to argue remains the classroom.

————

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

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1 May 2024

Lakeview Hospital is planning a new $400M Stillwater campus and wants your input

by admin | posted in: News | 0

Lakeview Hospital officials are in the midst of designing the hospital’s new $400 million campus in Stillwater, and they are asking the public to weigh in.

“Our goal is to design it with – and for – the community,” hospital officials wrote in the introduction to a new online survey. “We’re hoping you’ll … help us understand what’s most special about our current campus and what you hope for in the new hospital campus.”

The new hospital campus, located at the northeast corner of Minnesota 36 and Manning Avenue, is expected to open in late 2027 or early 2028. It will include a birth center, emergency medicine, advanced critical care, and specialized centers for heart, cancer and orthopedic care.

The new site will give the hospital room to expand and greater visibility, said Lakeview Hospital President Brandi Lunneborg.

The 12-question survey, which is open through May 24, “is one way to connect directly with our patients, visitors and the communities this new campus will serve in Stillwater and across the east metro and western Wisconsin,” she said.

Lakeview officials created the survey with HKS Architects in Chicago, which is designing the new campus in partnership with local architectural firm BWBR. “We’ll use input from it to design the new campus,” Lunneborg said. “It’s the first of many opportunities that community members will have to share ideas and get involved in our new Lakeview Hospital campus.”

Among the survey questions:

“What does Lakeview Hospital mean to you and the community?”
“What do you hope the new Lakeview Hospital campus will bring to the community?”
“How can the new Lakeview Hospital campus support the economy of the area?”

Respondents are asked to list, in order of preference, what they like about the current Lakeview Hospital campus at 927 W. Churchill St., and how they would like to see the new Lakeview Hospital campus “address the natural environment responsibly.”

Questions about roads/trails, access and safety factors also are included, as well as a question about factors that would enhance patients’ and visitors’ “comfort and experience.”

A map showing the site plan for the new Lakeview Hospital in Stillwater. Officials say the new campus, which will be located at the northeast corner of Minnesota 36 and Manning Avenue, should open in late 2027 or early 2028. (Courtesy of HealthPartners)

Lunneborg said she is especially excited to see the results from Question No. 10, which asks participants to look at 10 photos and pick two that “spark the feelings they hope to have when visiting the new Lakeview Hospital campus.”

“It includes everything from images of a community garden to health technology to a canoe next to a lake,” she said. “Lakeview Hospital means so many different things to so many different people. We think this question, and really all of the questions, will offer great insight into what our community appreciates at our current location and what they hope to see in the future Lakeview Hospital campus. If something is important to anyone who is responding, we want to understand that.”

The online survey is available in English and Spanish and can be requested in additional languages; a phone survey option will be available next week. Participants who agree to enter their contact information will be entered into a weekly drawing for a $25 gift card.

As work on the hospital’s design progresses, officials anticipate engaging with nearby neighbors over the summer and fall, Lunneborg said.

An official groundbreaking for the new site has not yet been scheduled, she said.

Lakeview Hospital design input

For more information and to access the online survey, go to healthpartners.com/lakeviewexpansion.

To request a paper copy of the survey, email NewLakeviewHospitalCampus@healthpartners.com.

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