It’s been a few months since I’ve blogged. We welcomed our second baby in September, and I took a few months away from blogging to get into a routine, which includes cooking meals for my family. Even in the trenches of having two kids two and under, food has remained a focal point in our house. With my daughter, Scarlett, we celebrated each month of her first year with pizza milestone pictures, and with my son, Carter, we’re using donuts.
Cooking is something I’ve always loved to do, but I find it a lot more challenging, and less enjoyable, when I have limited time to do it. I’m not a fan of being rushed! If I don’t plan ahead, or don’t have a meal that can be made quickly, I tend to fall back on takeout or something from the freezer, and as we all know, that gets expensive and unhealthy, fast!
So, I’ve really been focused on finding recipes that can be made in 30 minutes, or less, and it’s a bonus if it’s something my almost three year old will like, or at least try, too. Like most kids, she loves pasta, so I lean in to that often.
My husband and I love Asian food. One of my go-to recipes at home is sesame noodles.
It meets my criteria of being both fast and delicious, but it was time for something new and different. I’ve made egg rolls in a bowl which takes the classic ingredients of eggrolls like ground turkey or chicken, shredded cabbage, garlic, ginger, soy, and sesame and cooks them quickly into a one pan dish that requires no rolling or frying, so with that premise in mind, I decided to deconstruct dumplings.
I love that this recipe is quick and tasty, and that it helps utilize whatever ingredients I already have on hand. I also no longer have enough time to fold and cook 20+ dumplings on the fly, so this recipe is the perfect way to enjoy the same flavors in a bowl – no folding, and no steaming or pan frying, etc. required!
Store-bought wonton wrappers serve as the noodles and the sauce is a mixture of ground meat, vegetables, and classic Asian flavors that you would find in a dumpling and in the accompanying dipping sauce. It’s a fantastic mix of umami, spicy, tangy, and sweet, and will have everyone at the table asking for seconds. If you love noodles this dish is for you because the wonton wrappers take on the same feeling as a wide rice noodle like you would find in Chow Fun.
Deconstructed Dumplings
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sesame oil
2 tablespoons chili crisp (adjust to your preferred level of heat)
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoons lime juice
30 wonton or dumpling wrappers
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1lb ground chicken
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup diced mushrooms (I used baby bella)
1 8oz can diced water chestnuts, drained
1/2 cups scallions, sliced
2 tablespoons finely minced fresh ginger
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups bok choy, thinly sliced
Sriracha, chili crisp, lime wedges, and sliced scallions to garnish
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. In a small bowl, mix soy sauce, sesame oil, chili crisp, water, sugar, rice wine vinegar, and lime juice. Set aside.
3. Heat a large frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Add vegetable oil and then add ground chicken breaking apart as it cooks. Season with black pepper. Once the chicken has browned, and liquid has mostly evaporated, about 8-10 minutes, add mushrooms, water chestnuts, scallions, ginger, and garlic to the pan. Cook 2 minutes, until fragrant.
5. Add sauce to pan and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute.
6. Add bok choy and turn heat to low. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the bok choy is wilted.
7. Add wrappers, one by one (so they don’t stick) to the boiling water and cook for 1-2 minutes until tender. They overcook quickly!
8. Strain the wrappers and rinse with cold water so they stay separated.
9. Add wrappers to the pan with the chicken and sauce, and toss to combine. Cook for 1 minute to heat everything through.
10. Serve the mixture in a bowl and garnish with chili crisp or sriracha, scallions, and lime.
I hope that this recipe shows you that even in a time crunch, you don’t have to sacrifice flavor, or a homemade meal. If my deconstructed dumplings caught your eye because you like Asian flavors, we have a hands-on cooking class that is sure to fit your needs coming up in February. Check out:
- Hot & Spicy: Fiery Asian Flavors on Friday, February 6 6pm (just 1 spot left!)
- Chinese New Year Celebration on Monday, February 16 6pm
- Ramen Workshop on Monday, February 23 6pm
- Next-Level Sushi on Saturday, February 28 6pm
