Tofu and chive dumplings
a simple way to usher in the year of the snake; and other delicious ideas.
Happy Lunar New Year! I hope the Year of the Snake has been good to you so far. January was a challenging month and I frankly wasn’t feeling up for the festivities, but as I caught up with friends and family over the phone and gathered for meals with others, I was reminded of the importance of keeping loved ones close and the power of food to heal and soothe the spirit. We enjoyed a very cosy hotpot at our friend’s place a couple of days before the new year arrived and just yesterday, I spent the afternoon at a bánh chưng-making session and a celebratory feast hosted by cookbook author Mai Nguyen in her home.
At home, it was a more pared down celebration. Though I was still emotionally raw from January and physically worn out by the stomach bug, I wanted to cook something simple as a symbolic gesture. I bought a packet of wonton wrappers and filled them with a mixture of tofu and chopped garlic chives. This is one of the easiest dumpling fillings you can make, but also one of the most classic. While there are many ways to shape wontons, my favourite method is to gather the wrapper haphazardly with my thumb and index finger, and squeeze lightly to form a defined waist (step by step photos here). This way, when the dumplings are cooked, they resemble goldfish with plump, taut bodies and flowing tails trailing behind. You can add the wontons to hotpot or broths, or dress them however you like. My go-to is a combination of peanut sauce and chilli crisp from a jar (I use melted mala hotpot seasoning when I’m seeking something mindbendingly numbing).
Tofu Chive Wontons
Serves 4 to 6
For the dumplings:
240g extra-firm tofu
2½ tbsp cornstarch
¾ tsp salt
80g garlic chives, trimmed and thinly sliced
200g packet of egg wrappers or flour wrappers, preferably square
For the assembly:
3 tbsp peanut butter
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp brown rice syrup or honey
3 tbsp chilli crisp
1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted
A small handful of coriander leaves
For the dumplings, wrap the tofu in a clean piece of cloth. Squeeze the cloth well to mash the tofu into a paste and expel excess liquid. Transfer the tofu to a large bowl and add the cornstarch, salt and garlic chives. Knead the mixture with your hands in the bowl until the chives are evenly distributed through the tofu, the tofu is stained a light green, and the mixture forms moist clumps that hold together.
Lay one wrapper on your left hand with its tip facing you, so that it looks like a diamond. Place roughly ½ tablespoon of the filling onto the centre. Moisten the top two sides of the wrapper with your right finger then fold the bottom corner over the filling; it should resemble a triangle. With your left thumb and index finger, gather the wrapper towards the centre and squeeze to form a “waist”. Repeat until all the filling has been used up.
Fill a medium pot with water and bring it to a rolling boil over high heat. Add half of the dumplings and turn the heat down to medium-low. Give the dumplings a stir to ensure that they don’t stick to the base of the pot, then allow them to simmer for 3 minutes, or until they turn translucent and the wrappers become tender. Transfer the dumplings with a slotted spoon to a colander set over a bowl. Repeat with the remaining dumplings.
For the assembly, in a medium bowl, stir the peanut butter, garlic, soy sauce and brown rice syrup together. Distribute the dumplings over a large platter and drizzle over the peanut sauce, and chilli crisp. Top with the toasted sesame seeds and coriander leaves before serving.
Because Lunar New Year concludes on February 12 this year, there are still many opportunities to gather and celebrate this festival in the company of others. Here are some dishes from the archive that would be great additions to your LNY menu.
🥟 For upgrading your hotpot gatherings: Milky fish soup or Hakka yong tau foo
Hotpot is a popular option for hosting because the effort of putting the meal together is split between the host and the guests. All you need is one really good broth. Instant hotpot broth packets are readily available from many Asian supermarkets, but these tend to be loaded with MSG. If you’d like to go the homemade route this year, milky fish soup is one to consider! You’ll need access to a fishmonger for some fish bones; I recommend something collagen-rich like turbot — when these are coated in cornstarch, deep-fried, and simmered, you get a milky white broth that tastes luscious and rich.
Popular accompaniments for hotpot include fishballs, silken tofu, sliced tomatoes, eggs, leafy vegetables, glass noodles, seaweed, and shabu shabu-style meat; these require little work on the part of the cook to prepare. However, if you have a little more time this year and want to make your hotpot especially memorable, you could make Hakka-style yong tau foo — vegetables stuffed with a minced meat and fish filling — to add to your hotpot.
🥟 For big groups: Homemade popiah
When hosting large groups, I lean towards dishes with many individual components so my guests can have some fun customising what they eat and putting the dish together. Popiah is an especially apt option, since it is made to celebrate the arrival of spring (which is one highlight of Lunar New Year). Thin wheat-based crepes are slathered with sauces and filled with lettuce, thinly sliced egg, braised turnip and carrot, and sprinkled with peanut. If you live outside Asia, you can either make the crepes yourself or purchase ready-made peking duck wrappers. You could even turn the popiah into summer rolls with rice paper!
🥟 For taking to a LNY potluck: Pumpkin kueh
If wondering what to bring to a LNY potluck, pumpkin kueh is a good idea. The golden hue of this steamed savoury cake is very auspicious and this can be made well in advance. Garnish with spring onion and fried shallots right before you leave home, or when you arrive at your host’s home. The kueh can be eaten warm or at room temperature, and any leftovers can be sliced and pan-fried for maximum crisp edges.
🥟 For the time-strapped cook: Chap chye
If you have little time but still want to whip up something festive in one pot, I recommend chap chye. This is an iconic dish that is a must-have in my family’s Lunar New Year celebrations, and is a complete meal that comes together in under an hour. Even though braised cabbage might not sound particularly exciting, the different textural additions, such as the dried shiitake mushrooms and dried tofu, make the dish especially wonderful. This could be entirely vegetarian, but if you like, you can slip in chunks of roast pork belly (available at Asian roast meat specialists or frozen at Asian supermarkets) to warm through and take on the flavours of the stew.
🥟 For a veggie-centric feast: Thunder tea rice
While feasts are typically associated with meat, thunder tea rice is no less generous a meal to cook when hosting. It is so nice to tuck into a bowl of rice topped with individually fried vegetables and plant-based proteins, especially after days of indulgence. The rice bowl is served with a herbaceous broth made by combining boiling water with ground herbs, nuts, and seeds. Some might not like it, but if you love your herbs, you’ll love this.
🥟 Other ways to celebrate the festival: Thịt kho trứng or sayur lodeh
Communities other than the Chinese celebrate Lunar New Year too, and if you’d like to expand your menu beyond Chinese dishes, you can consider making thịt kho trứng (caramelised pork and hard-boiled eggs in coconut water) or sayur lodeh (vegetable curry). Phi-Yen Phan and Patricia Tanumihardja contributed these recipes to the newsletter and I’m eager to give these a go in my kitchen soon!
