Steamed Wan-Tans with Chicken, Shrimps and Waterchestnuts

While most wan-tan-recipes ask for pork as the main filling-ingredient, this one asks for chicken. Instead of steaming the wan-tans you could as well fry them. Then it's recommended to close the wrappers completely.

makes about 40 wan-tans

ingredients
about 40 wan-tan-wrappers (7.5 cm squares)

for the filling:
100 g waterchestnuts, finely chopped
100 g shrimps, peeled and deveined, chopped
350 g chicken, minced
1 slice baked and cured ham, finely chopped
4 tsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sake
1 scallion, finely chopped
2 tsp ginger, finely chopped or 1/2 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp sesame oil
1 egg white, lightly beaten with a spoon
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp sugar

1. Place ingredients for the filling in a bowl and mix well. Place 2 tsp of the filling onto one wan-tan-wrapper, pull the wrapper around the filling, carefully forming an open ball. Don't enclose the filling completely. Proceed with the remaining filling and wrappers in the same way until all filling is used.

2. Put parchment paper into a steamer, place the wan-tans onto it and the steamer into a wok filled 3-5 cm (depending on wok and steamer size) with boiling water. Cover the steamer with a lid, reduce heat and steam wan-tans about 20 minutes. Repeat procedure using new parchment paper each time and set cooked wan-tans wrapped in foil in the warm oven until all are done. Serve hot.

Red cooked Tofu

Red cooking - or simmering in dark soy sauce - ia a classic cooking method for pork or poultry in chinese cuisine. If you use the method on tofu, you'll get a side dish with a beautiful blend of flavours. Be sure you drain the tofu well. This will take some time, but it's important for the recipe to turn out well and definitely worth the effort.

serves 4

ingredients:
225 g tofu
5 scallions, diagonally cut into rings, white and green parts divided
2 slices of cooked ham, diced
2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp starch

for the marinade:
3 Tbsp dark soy sauce
2 Tbsp sake
2 tsp sugar
1 clove of garlic
1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger or 1 tsp ginger powder
1/4 tsp szechuan pepper, grated
one pinch hot chili flakes

1. Pat tofu dry, cut into thick slices of about 1 cm, wrap into kitchen paper and drain for 30 minutes. Mix ingredients for the marinade in a bowl. Cut tofu into cubes and pour marinade over, coating each cube well. Set aside. After 30 minutes take tofu out of the marinade and place into a clean dry dish. Add 4-5 Tbsp water and the starch to the marinade, mix well and set aside.

2. Heat a non stick pan or wok over medium heat, pour in oil and distibute well, place tofu into the hot oil and fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring carefully. Take tofu out of the pan and set aside.

3. Place the white parts of the scallions into the pan and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring. Add marinade, simmer for 1 minute until it thickens, add ham and green parts of scallions, simmer for another 1-2 minutes. Serve hot.