Latest news with #DumplingWeek
New York Times
30-01-2025
- General
- New York Times
A Pasta Cheat Code for Speed-Run Dinners
As January ends and those 'cook more' resolutions start to waver, I've been thinking about my own roadblocks to cooking. Besides the obvious ones — I'm tired, I need to get groceries, I'm tired — one barrier is setting the bar too high. My dinner, I'll tell myself, must be resourceful and clever, perfectly cooked and photogenic, healthful, colorful, flavorful, wonderful. And it must tick all these boxes or it doesn't count; don't even try otherwise. This is an impossibly completionist tack for a single meal. So I'm thinking instead that just making yourself dinner is goal achieved, level cleared. Anything extra you've done is a cool bonus. Did you use up that last bit of yogurt? Here's a handful of gold coins. Did you work in some good-for-you something? That's a smiley flower! And if you made dinner and your loved ones loved it and want to eat it again, cue up this music. That being said — and keeping with this retro video game metaphor — it is useful to have some cheat codes. My current favorite is beans + greens + pasta, and I've been riffing on Lidey Heuck's five-star recipe for pasta with spicy sausage, broccoli rabe and chickpeas a lot lately. If I don't have sausage I'll just leave it out (maybe adding a bit more oil to account for the sausage's rendered fat), and I've been using kale instead of broccoli rabe because that's what my grocery store has. Sometimes I'll add a little harissa or the rest of that can of tomato paste in Step 3. That's a nice thing about Making Dinner: There's no one way to win the game. Featured Recipe View Recipe → As I'm sure you've noticed, it's Dumpling Week, and today's magnificent morsel is brought to you by Kay Chun. Her beef dumplings with zucchini, tofu and chives are tender, juicy and contain a little surprise: pine nuts, which add a hit of buttery flavor and a soft crunch. These dumplings are, as the voice-over in Street Fighter might declare, a total K.O. You can watch Kay make her dumplings here. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A Beginner's Guide To Homemade Dumplings, According to a NYT Cooking Food Editor
What is a dumpling? The term means different things to different people, but the unifying factor is a delicious filling encased in some type of wrapper. Cultures across the globe embrace and celebrate these tasty morsels, but this time of year our thoughts turn to Lunar New Year, a celebration that stretches across the Asian diaspora to include many cultures—and many dumplings. To celebrate the deliciousness that is dumplings, New York Times Cooking launched the brand's first-ever Dumpling Week and decided to focus on Asian-inspired dumplings to ring in the new year. Related: "There is a world of dumplings out there, and we really love and want to celebrate all of them. But in our very inaugural year, we decided what really made a lot of sense was to enlist our staff members and frequent contributors and do our most personal ones," says Genevieve Ko, deputy editor for NYT Cooking and co-author of Hey there, Dumpling! "The ones [dumplings] that really mean the most to us and our families and how we celebrate—that's what you're going to get this year. And we'll see how the celebration for Dumpling Week evolves!" This year's recipe developers are Ko, Sue Li, Hetty Lui McKinnon, Kay Chun and Eric Kim, who each share a dumpling recipe that's symbolic of their family traditions. Because we can't all be NYT Cooking-level recipe developers, we quizzed Ko to get her top tips for dumpling novices. Her advice will help you stuff, wrap and cook your way to dumpling deliciousness—something well worth celebrating. Related: 😋😋 SIGN UP to get delicious recipes, handy kitchen hacks & more in our daily Pop Kitchen newsletter 🍳🍔 Frozen dumplings are widely available at grocery stores these days but here's the thing: homemade dumplings are better—and worth the time and effort. If you're hesitant, Ko tips will give you the confidence to boil, steam, fry (or steam-fry) your way to your dumpling success. Always start with a good recipe. Sometimes a recipe doesn't turn out the way it looks in the photo because it stems from poor writing and little to no testing for accuracy. That's why Ko says "start with a recipe where you know it's going to work because it's tested by professionals or even if it's not tested by professionals, a lot of people have tried it," she says. Store-bought is fine. Taking a page from Queen Ina's book, Ko shares that getting a little head store at the store is absolutely fine. If this year is the first year you take a stab at making dumplings or if you're short on time, grab some store-bought dumpling wrappers. "Store-bought wrappers are great to get a feel for it. We do have a lot of recipes for homemade wrappers but it's a bit daunting to start that way!" Ko says dumpling-making is a project you're more inclined to do if you start with a wrapper that's premade. This way, you get the hang of things and build your confidence. Know how to fold 'em. For the easiest dumpling, use the half-moon fold method. "That just means you bring two sides of the dough together with a little water and just pinch [to seal]. You don't have to pleat anything, and it's a great way to start," says Ko. You don't need fancy equipment. No, a bamboo steamer basket isn't the secret to amazing dumplings. Ko says that you likely have the tools you need for success in your kitchen. Mix oil and water (for real). Once you make your dumplings you have to decide how to cook them. If you like both plump and crispy dumplings, Ko recommends the steam-pan fry method. "Start the dumplings in a skillet with both oil and water, so that they first steam in the water and then the water evaporates as you continue to cook and the oil helps create a crispy shell." If you're not game for the two-pronged cooking method, Ko also stands by boiling your dumplings. Just don't forget the sauce. Four words: Have a dumpling party! "I think something that's so so fun with dumplings, is inviting a bunch of people over to fold them all together and to be cooking them as they're ready and to make it this interactive party," Ko says. It's a festive way to enjoy delicious food while turning the cooking process into a shared, memorable activity. Related: If you want to throw a formal, sit-down meal, you can make the dumplings ahead, freeze them, and cook them on the day of your party. In the name of fun for everyone, Ko suggests that the home cook include a vegetable-only filled dumpling on the table. "They're great for anyone who can't eat meat and even if people do eat meat, they're still really delicious," say says. You can stop at dumplings and let different types be the main event or they can be part of a larger feast with other dishes. Whole fish, braised pork and longevity noodles, plus sides of stir-fried greens and veggies, are a few examples of excellent Lunar New Year fare. Related: Up Next:
New York Times
28-01-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
It's Dumpling Week!
Is there any food more joyful than dumplings? They're cute, they're small, they're plump and juicy and ready for your favorite dipping sauces — another gleeful food category. Just in time for Lunar New Year, five of our New York Times Cooking recipe developers have shared their favorite dumpling recipes, all of which are easy to make at home. There's no special equipment required, and there's a video for each dumpling to guide you through any new pleating or cooking techniques. (Though I can say from experience that a dumpling with messy pleating still tastes fantastic.) The lineup is positively mouthwatering: Monday featured Eric Kim's kimchi napjak mandu, and today we have Sue Li's chile oil wontons. I won't completely spoil the rest of the week for those who want to go dumpling by dumpling, but I will say that, unsurprisingly, there's a vegetarian dumpling banger from Hetty Lui McKinnon, and Genevieve Ko closes us out with sweet treats that have earned rave reviews from those lucky enough to try them. Featured Recipe View Recipe → I'm especially excited for Sue's chile oil wontons, considering that I used to put away order after order of these at Shanghai Asian Manor in Manhattan's Chinatown. You can make the dumplings with either chicken or pork, and it takes just two simple folds to make them look like gold ingots. I do like folding and pleating (as a knitter, I find this kind of repetitive handiwork soothing and good for putting down the phone), but sometimes you want a quicker path to homemade dumplings in a sweet-spicy-savory sauce. Sue's got you. Let's say you've made a small township's worth of dumplings, or you have a bag or two of your go-to dumplings ready in the freezer. You've already steamed and fried and dipped your way to dumpling happiness and now want something different but still dumpling-adjacent. Hetty has two five-star dumpling salad recipes, one with smashed cucumbers and a peanut sauce and the other with fresh tomatoes and a chile crisp dressing. For the soup seekers, Kay Chun has an invigorating hot and sour dumpling soup that comes together in just 15 minutes; and here's Hetty's dumpling noodle soup, which gets an extra umami boost from a good dose of miso. You can find the full Dumpling Week lineup here, and, if you haven't already, you can browse our collection of Lunar New Year recipes here. And dumplings are a real the-more-the-merrier affair: Invite friends over, put on your favorite playlist and stuff and fold together. And eat. Happy Dumpling Week!
New York Times
28-01-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
I Crave This Chile Crisp Tofu
This happens all the time to me — maybe it happens to you? — I come across a recipe on New York Times Cooking while I am searching for something else, and I just really have to have it for dinner that night. The recipe in question this time: roasted tofu and green beans made magical with chile crisp, the clumpy, crunchy, allium-flecked chile oil that can take something plain (whether it's steamed white rice or vanilla ice cream) and make it thrum. This is a really good dinner you can make with astonishing ease. I keep chile crisp in stock at home, and if you don't already, I think you should — spoon it over olive oil-fried eggs, swirl it into fettuccine Alfredo, use it as a marinade for chicken cutlets or tuck it in dumplings (and dip those dumplings in it, too). Speaking of dumplings: It's our first ever Dumpling Week! Just in time for Lunar New Year, we have recipes and videos for five new plump, juicy, chewy, crisp (and even sweet) dumplings, which is how I learned that Hetty Lui McKinnon, one of our beloved writers, has a tattoo of her mother's hands folding dumplings. Alert! Do you live in the Bay Area, Los Angeles or Boston? I'm coming your way to talk cooking and 'Easy Weeknight Dinners,' our book of fast recipes for busy people. Come see me with Eric Kim and Melissa Clark in Boston on Feb. 3, with Eric and Genevieve Ko in Downtown Los Angeles on Feb. 9 and with Melissa again in San Francisco on Feb. 10. What are you making? Do you have any stop-in-your-tracks, drop-everything-and-cook recipes from Cooking? Email me at dearemily@ and you may turn up in a future newsletter. Turkey chili; cod and kimchi stew; perfect buttermilk pancakes. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
27-01-2025
- Climate
- New York Times
A Ginger Scallion Chicken in Every Pot
At last! I'm finally starting to feel the days getting longer, albeit not much warmer, at least not where I am. You either? Don't stress, because these icy evenings are perfect for slow-simmered soups, stews and one-pot meals, or really anything that envelops the kitchen with the savory aroma of a warming meal. We're entering peak cozy. Genevieve Ko knows. Her method for making ginger scallion chicken and rice streamlines the traditional recipe for Hainanese chicken rice and turns it into a weeknight-friendly one-pot meal. Instead of poaching a whole chicken and then cooking the rice in the broth, she cooks chicken and the rice at the same time in the same pot, then serves them with a pungent mix of ginger and scallions enlivened by a drizzle of sizzling oil. The silky chicken, fragrant rice and punchy, bright green sauce make for a vibrant, satisfying dinner. Featured Recipe View Recipe → Also: It's Dumpling Week, a celebration of Lunar New Year! Eric Kim starts us off with his wonderfully simple, deeply flavorful kimchi napjak mandu. Filled with kimchi, dangmyeon (sweet potato noodles) and scallions, these flat, Korean-style dumplings are easy to make with purchased wonton wrappers. Eric has a great tip for cooking them that works with other homemade dumplings as well. After boiling, he microwaves them for a few seconds, which turns residual water into steam and helps the dumplings crisp when you fry them. (There are more tips in his very helpful video.) And if you want to make these in advance, the uncooked dumplings freeze well for at least a couple of months. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
