We decided to have a little Chinese New Year’s fun last week
Family is most important to Chinese culture,
and they kick off the New Year with a family dinner, they even set places for those family members who can’t attend
This year the New Year’s Eve family feast was February 16,
and the Spring Festival, as it is also called, lasts until March 2.
I really wanted to set a table, but all I could manage was to gather a few things to style an Asian feeling buffet, but that was perfect for a busy weeknight meal
Making pot stickers, also known as Chinese dumplings, is surprisingly easy!
but I still wanted to keep the rest of the menu as simple as possible,
I didn’t want to spend the whole day in the kitchen
Asian Short Ribs take no time to prepare, you put them in a slow cooker, add Hoisin Sauce, and Sweet Chili Sauce, and let them cook low and slow all day
I picked up some PF Chang’s Signature Rice from the frozen section of the grocery store, it is ready in minutes in the microwave
Broccoli Candy is simple roasted broccoli florets with Parmesan cheese, another dish that you can prep in under 5 minutes
Dessert was Bird’s Nest Pies, not necessarily Chinese, but a lovely Spring treat!
For the pot stickers, I adapted a recipe from Half Baked Harvest
A bag of Garden Vegetable Chopped Salad made it quick to assemble, red cabbage, shredded carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, already chopped and ready to go
I also chopped a few green onions, snow peas and fresh bean sprouts
A quick stir fry in a little sesame oil, ginger and tamari {low sodium soy sauce}
Lay out the won ton wrappers on a cutting board and wet the edges with water
Place a heaping spoonful on each wrapper
Then fold up
You can do triangles or a log with the ends pinched in
Work quickly as the wrappers dry out, and reapply water if the edges aren’t sticking together
At this point you can cover them and refrigerate for cooking later
Use to same skillet you cooked the filling in, adding a little more sesame oil
Cook the pot stickers on high heat until the bottoms are golden
This only takes a few minutes. Turn them over and add a little water, cover tightly and steam for another 2-3 minutes, and that’s it!
A simple garnish of sesame seeds, green onion
Don’t forget the cashews and sweet chili dipping sauce!
Vegetable Pot Stickers
Ingredients
- 2-3 T toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 1 cup chopped salad vegetables red cabbage, broccoli, shredded carrots, cauliflower
- 1/2 cup bean sprouts chopped
- 1/2 cup snow peas chopped
- 1 T tamari sauce or soy sauce
- 2 green onions sliced
- 1 T toasted sesame seeds
- 16 won ton wrappers
- cashew pieces optional
- Sweet chili sauce* for dipping
Instructions
- Heat sesame 1 T oil in skillet on high. Add veggies and ginger. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes until veggies have softened. Add tamari, green onions, sesame seeds and cook another 2-3 minutes until liquid has evaporated. Cool.
- Lay out wrappers and brush edges with water. Place 1 T filling on each wrapper and fold over and pinch to seal.
- Heat skillet with remaining oil to medium high. Add pot stickers and cook until bottoms are light brown, 2-3 minutes. Turn over. Pour a scant 1/4 cup water into pan and cover tightly. Turn heat down to medium and steam dumplings for 3 minutes. Serve immediately with sauce
Here are some other easy recipes you might want to try for your Chinese New Year dinner
Spring Roll Wraps with Sweet Chili Peanut Paste
The Chinese New Year festivities last until March 2, so there’s still plenty of time to have your own celebration, with any of these easy recipes!
Enjoy!
🥕 🥒 🇨🇳 🥕 🥒
I will be joining these fabulous parties and blogs:
Rustic and Refined, Between Naps on the Porch, Make it Pretty Monday
Coastal Charm, Cooking and Crafting with J&J, Celebrate and Decorate,
Delicious Dishes Recipe Party Oh My Heartsie Girl
Full Plate Thursday Thursday Favorite Things Creatively Crafty