Cheap and Easy Pork Dumplings

.25 cent dumplings that we indulged in on our past trip to Chinatown NYC 2011

Unless you are at Tasty Dumpling in New York’s Chinatown, you probably can’t find 5 pork dumplings for $1.25 or less at a local joint but you can prepare your own for almost the same price.  Although I’ve never really made any dumplings from scratch, they are easy to prepare and serve.  I prepared 15 dumplings for less than $3.00 including the sauce.

The delicious delight has different variations and names that isn’t limited to wontons, “pot stickers” Peking raviolis, and “Giozas” (Japanese).  The outside layer can also vary from a thin starchy paper to a thick dough-like consistency.

The most common dipping sauce that I’ve seen served with this popular dish, is a ginger-soy dipping sauce usually garnished with sesame seeds or scallions.

While shopping at HMART today, I picked up 3 bags of frozen pork dumplings for $10.00.  There were a few different varieties but I opted for, pork and chive, pork and shrimp and plain pork dumplings.  ($3.33 each)  If HMART is out of the way, they sell different brand of dumpling varieties at Costco’s, Market Basket, Hannaford and local Asian supermarkets that can be prepared the same way.

Since we had a big breakfast and planned on skipping lunch, I thought I would make us a snack before our late dinner.  That’s the best part of these Asian delights, they store easily in the freezer and can be prepped up in 10 minutes or less for snacks for two or appetizers for a large gathering.

They can be served as finger foods or served as entrees boiled in chicken broth with noodles.

Directions for appetizer version
(Makes 15)

Ingredients:

• 15 frozen any choice pre-made dumplings, meat or vegetable ok (roughly 1/3 of the 24oz bag)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 5 cups of water for boiling
• Optional Ginger Soy Dipping Sauce- Homemade or store bought
• Optional Sriracha Sauce

First boil 5 cups of water in a sauce pan or wok
Once water boils, add in the frozen dumplings
Once the water boils again and the dumplings float to the top, time it for 1 more minute
Be very careful not to overcook the dumplings or the flour will breakapart and become gummy
strain the dumplings in a colander or strainer

(I try to use the least amount of pans as possible in the kitchen so I resuse the same pan again.  Rinse out the pan and use a paper towel to dry and return to burner)

Once the pan heats up, add the vegetable oil and turn the temperature to medium heat.  Give is 30 secs to heat up.  Add the strained dumplings. Be very careful of the oil splattering.  This is caused by any excess water left on the dumplings.

Let the dumplings pan fry for a few minutes on each side until golden brown.

Serve with the ginger soy dipping sauce and optional sriracha hot sauce.

PS. I usually make my own ginger soy sauce from soy sauce, fresh ginger and sesame oil but I already had a premade bottle from my last trip to Trader Joe’s.  If you don’t feel like making your own sauce, I recommend theirs as its thick and not too salty as other brands on the market. All the “Asian” influenced    products are labeled under “Trader Ming’s”, thought that was cute.

Trader Joe’s / Trader’s Ming Gyoza dipping sauce

Day 2- Istanbul- Fethiye

The first night in the hostel was ok, the bed and pillow was comfortable but it was hot.  Our German roommates were afraid of the misting fan and thought it was smoke and asked us to open the window instead.  

Although it was cool outside, the noise from the large trucks kept waking me up.  I was also awoken by the morning  prayer service blaring from the Blue Mosque nearby.  We woke up and went upstairs to the roof deck to take advantage of the free breakfast.  It was just ok, the usual Turkish breakfast consisting of an assortment of breads, tomatoes, eggs, olives, cucumber and watermelon.  It did the trick and got us through the morning.

After breakfast, we had an hour to kill before our airport shuttle to Fethiye, a beach resort town in Southern Turkey.  Helen and I decided to take a morning stroll in the neighborhood and grabbed  a chicken doner  “to go” for lunch since we wouldn’t be at our hotel for another 6 hours.  

After an hour drive to the airport and unpacking our things, it was too early for us to check in so we ended up eating Popeyes at the airport and got the wrong thing due to the lack of understanding  between the Turkish employee and myself.  We wanted chicken breasts and thighs and she gave us wings and refused to change it.

We sat around for about 3 hours in the airport and took advantage of the outlets and charged our phones, ipad, kindle and laptop and later found out that our flight was delayed for another 45 minutes. 

After our driver met us at the airport, I was unpacked and in the pool within an hour.  The outside temperature was really hot and humid but the sun was going down since it was after 6 PM so the swim was a bit too cool for me.

Our room was extremely nice and new for what we paid for through booking.com.  The guy at check in pretty much told us we paid 50% less than what he usually charges.  He seemed a bit bitter about it but regardless, we had a sweet room with mosaic tiles, full closet and a vanity area.  This is definitely not what we are used to on our backpacking travels.  In fact, our room is the one they use to feature in their brochures.  Kinda like switch and bait if you ask me since all the other rooms are pretty basic and mediocre.

We got showered and took a shuttle into downtown Fethiye to find a place to eat.   It has only been my 2^nd day in Turkey but I was already getting bored of the grilled mixed meats and the doner kebab and  we wanted to try some fish.

 I had my heart on a fish market where you can purchase your fish and have it prepared in a nearby restaurant within the same courtyard.  The restaurant would cook the fish to your liking and only charge 6 liras which is about $3.50.  They also include a salad and garlic bread with the prepared fish. 

We decided to do a “family style” dining tonight and bought a kilo of small fishes that would be fried, squid and prawns to be grilled and a larger fish to be grilled with lemon garlic sauce.  I wished someone would have told me that our  eyes were bigger than our stomach! In addition to the fishes, we also ordered a few “mezes” Turkish appetizers that were fried cheese rolls and a sardine salad with oils.

I could barely make it to the last entrée as the foods kept coming out in courses at different times. Everyone agreed that the dinner was their favorite meal on the trip so far. The meal was about $23.00 per person including 2 appetizers, bread, salad, 4 fish main courses, and 2 rounds of beer, not bad at all!  We were definitely stuffed and had leftovers, but who really packs fish in a doggie bag?

We took a stroll through the fruit and vegetable market and by the marina towards our hotel.  It was a beautiful night to walk along the ocean and take in the sea breeze.  We even found lime/orange trees along the street.  I have to admit that I’ve never seen a lime tree ever!

After hanging out in our friend’s room for a bit, we returned back to our room to get some rest before tomorrow’s fun filled jam packed day!

Its Finally Here! – Wings Over Lowell

Ranking REALLY close to eggrolls, chicken wings are among my favorite guilty pleasures. If I’m not bringing eggrolls to a party, I’m likely to to bring a combination of BBQ, Buffalo and Naked wings to accommodate all tastes.  They are easy to make and everyone loves them… well for the most part,  I’ve actually met some people that do not eat meat off bones (Ribs, wings, etc).

At almost every single family gathering, we buy chicken wings by the case to feed the whole army.  If I’m not making the wings myself, I’m always on the lookout for deals or new flavors that I can try.

Needless to say, I was very EXCITED to hear about the new Wings Over Lowell opening during Folk Festival weekend in Downtown Lowell.

Neon “Wings” Decor

After much anticipation, the Mo and I finally made our way to Downtown Lowell to sample the menu.  After what seemed like many minutes of viewing the menu displayed on the LCD screens and letting other customers go before us, we finally made up our minds and placed our order.

We got the F-16 (15 Wings), Cajun Waffle Fries with Cheese, and a 2 Liter of Diet Coke which came to about $19.00.  There were just too many flavors to try and they allow 1 flavor for every 5 pieces of wings. Since the Mo loves hot spice, he insisted on the “After Burner” and we also tried the Spicy Teryaki and Golden BBQ.

F-16 (15 Pcs, 3 Flavors)

 Although the wings were meaty and the textures were right on, the flavors were not that impressive. The Mo complained that the “After Burners” were not hot enough and seemed like it was just dressed in the same Huy Fong Chili Garlic Sauce we use at home. Since my tolerance of chili is not where his is, I took his word for it.

The Spicy Teryaki didn’t resemble any teryaki sauces that I was used to and the Golden BBQ flavor was a bit too tangy for me. Maybe next time I will try the Honey BBQ instead.

Cajun Blacked Waffle Fries with Cheese

I must admit that they Waffle Fries were amazing! They were fried to perfection and had the right amount of Cajun seasoning! For the optional seasoning, you can choose from Ranch, Cajun, Mesquite, Seven Pepper and Garlic Parmesan. The melted cheese dip ($1.00 extra) was a great compliment to the fries and we didn’t even require any ketchup!

They looked pretty busy, after all it was a Friday night.  As we sat and ate our meal, I noticed that the establishment was very popular with takeout orders with the phone constantly ringing and people walking in to pick up their orders.   The delivery service seems to be popular also, I noticed they had at least 2 drivers running in and out and they also had a sign posted for more drivers wanted.

With its late hours and nearby proximity to the Umass Lowell Dorms/Conference center, Middlesex Community College and Lowell High School, I truly believe this franchise will be a success!

Note: Parking in Downtown Lowell can be tricky and its usually a hit or miss.  Obviously this will be not a problem for students or Downtown Lowell employees. Dedicated goers can shell out a few bucks and park at the Leo Roy Parking Garage, literally 2 minutes down the street.

If you haven’t already hit up “Wings Over Lowell”, what are you waiting for?

Wings Over Lowell, MA  26A Market Street Lowell, MA 01852    Phone: (978) 441-9464

Location Hours: (Hours Subject to change)

Mon/Tue:   04:00 pm – 01:00 am and Wed-Sun:: 11:00 am – 01:00 am
Here are some of my favorite wings in Lowell and surrounding areas

Best Chinese Style Wings: Wah Sang
Best Wings to eat with Papaya Salad: Viet Thai
Favorite Flavor: Spicy Thai Peanut at Pizza Hazel
Best Wing Deal:  25 cents wing specials on Sundays and Mondays at Garcia Brogan’s
Best Boneless Wings: Garlic Parmesan at Pizza Hut/Wings Street
Hottest Wings: Crazy “88”, Wings of Fire coated in Ghost Pepper Bistro 44, Bedford, Ma
I’m not sure if they still do it, but there was a Waiver Wing Challenge where you had to sign a waiver and eat a certain amount of wings in under 30 minutes. Many tried and many failed. 

Worst Wings Dominos Pizza
Sorry Dominos, you were able to revamp your pizza with the garlic crust, but your wings are still sub par. They are usually soggy and smothered in a thick sauce. That just doesn’t do anything for me.

China Buffet
Just Gross


Where is your favorite place to go for wings?

Costco’s Chicken & Cilantro Wontons

I try to avoid Costco’s as much as I can.. I have a tendency to stock up on things I don’t need and never seem to be able to walk out of the warehouse without spending at least $100.00. Its kind of like a trap.. stock up on salad dressing and yogurt, but what household really uses it all up before it expires?

We originally got the membership for items like frozen meats, detergent, beer, etc but now it seems like I can never walk away without wanting to try something new that I’ve sampled that day or saw on an end cap. I guess you can say, I’m a sucker for those things. Just like I’m a sucker for CVS Extra Care Bucks and Kohls Cash.. but that’s another post.

I’m a big fan of frozen appetizers for the days I’m too lazy to cook a real meal or had too much to drink to manage the stove. I make my own “Pu Pu Platter” out of whatever I can find in the freezer.  I tried the Ling Ling All Natural Potstickers and thought it was just OK. I thought the wrapper was on the thick side and got a little gummy after boiling them. They were better lightly steamed and pan fried versus using them in a soup. I really liked that it came with its own sauce that you can thaw and serve with the pot stickers.

On our last visit, a new wonton bag in the freezer section caught my eye. It was called CJ All Natural Mini Wonton, Chicken & Cilantro.  The price was only $5.99 so I thought it was worth a try.

… and I’m glad I did! I’ve already made 2 different dishes with it without any guilt or remorse.

These little mini wontons make for a great starter to any meal. I lightly pan fried them and served them with my own home made ginger-soy sauce.

 I wanted to add a little kick to them so I drizzled some Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce.

The second is a basic Wonton soup. I used canned chicken broth, shiitake mushrooms, Chinese cabbage, diced chicken breast and garnished it with a little bit of scallions and cilantro.

This meal only set me back 6 WW points for a large bowl.

To see my other dumpling recipe, please visit my other post “Cheap and Easy Pork Dumpling”

Oysters

Oyster Party at Matt & Nat’s House

Another one of those things.. you either LOVE them, or you are disgusted by them. My belly loves them, my wallet… not so much.  Luckily for us, our friend (name undisclosed for his protection), has connections with a local restaurant and he orders them by the hundreds.  We make an oyster party out of it, the girls cook, and the guys shuck. It’s a win-win situation, we get our oyster fix without breaking the bank.

If you don’t have a friend that can get you cheap oysters, here are some other great deals found on Yelp…

I vaguely remember Moonstones in Chelmsford having a special.. but I cannot find it on their website.

My Recommendation
Minado– VERY CLEAN BUFFET establishment, variety of sushi, Japanese entrees and appetizers, Shellfish, and green tea ice cream.
If you are going to eat the Oysters, the $31.95 is well worth the price.

Photo Credit: The Passionate Foodie Blog

I like my oysters, “Minado” style, with a little bit of lemon juice and a soy-ginger sauce topped with scallions,
How do you like yours?