Appetizers & Snacks

Stuffed bell peppers are de rigueur in the pantheon of Dim Sum fare. Oftentimes the stuffing consists of shrimp paste, but I prefer a combo of shrimp and fatty ground pork. The key to the filling is to have a paste-like versus crumbly texture, and I use a food processor in pulse mode to achieve this.

A popular dim sum dish and tasty appetizer. You can always use fresh shiitake mushrooms but rehydrated dried shiitakes have a distinctively earthy flavor which I prefer. The filling is a classic combination of shrimp and ground pork, a bit of fresh ginger and garlic, chopped napa cabbage, minced water chestnuts (for texture) and seasoned with sesame oil, black pepper, soy sauce, a pinch of sugar and rice wine.

I've had some version of these dumplings in a couple of Dim Sum restaurants over the years but can't seem to find a recipe for it in any of my cookbooks or online, so I decided to concoct my own. You can use Gyoza or dumpling wrappers for the wrappers, since they are readily available in most mainstream supermarkets.

Ahhhh...this dish makes me flashback to childhood memories of those times (and many there were) when me and my sis got conscripted by mom to fill and crimp dozens upon dozens of these delectable "water" dumplings. Didn't complain back then and won't do it now because water dumplings are a delicious and iconic component of Chinese home cooking. To clarify for those not in the know, water dumplings are boiled in water (hence their moniker) but they can also be pan fried (aka po

Another dim sum staple. Many moons ago (circa 1986), my grandmother did a test run of this recipe on one of her weekend cook fests at my apartment in Montebello. It was fantastic, and I've been striving, out of nostalgia, to duplicate her perfect rendition. After much trial and error, I've come to the conclusion that too much rice flour makes the radish cake one tough cookie. So here's the refined version.