east asian

These little parcels have a juicy pork and kimchi filling, crispy bottoms, and the words “weekend cooking project” written all over them.

Pork and Kimchi Dumplings

Tbsp. black (Chinkiang) vinegar or unseasoned rice vinegar

¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. soy sauce

Napa cabbage kimchi

lb. ground pork (not lean)

scallions, thinly sliced

garlic cloves, grated

2" piece ginger, peeled, finely grated

chicken broth

Tbsp. toasted sesame oil

oyster sauce

Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt

½ tsp. freshly ground white or black pepper

These crispy, pan-fried little parcels are filled with ground pork and kimchi which, like cilantro and lime or dal and rice, just go together. Make the filling up to a day in advance, then enlist friends or family members to help you wrap. You can get as basic or as fancy as you’d like with your pleats; for a step-by-step tutorial on the pleat instructions I describe in the recipe, check out this terrific guide on The Woks of Life  under “#4: The Bi-Directional Pleat." For maximum efficiency use a very large lidded nonstick skillet so you can cook up to 25 dumplings at once. The technique of steam-frying the dumplings in a combination of water and oil ensures the filling stays juicy while the bottoms get nice and crispy.
If you don’t plan on eating all the dumplings at once, freeze any leftover uncooked dumplings in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper for a couple of hours. When the dumplings are frozen solid, transfer them to a resealable bag and store them in the freezer so you’ll always have a 10-minute meal at the ready when you have no idea what’s for dinner. —Christina Chaey

Bon Appétit

Stir black vinegar, ¼ cup soy sauce, ½ tsp. sugar, and ½ tsp. gochugaru in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved; set dipping sauce aside.

Drain kimchi in a strainer set over a medium bowl in the sink. Wearing gloves, squeeze all juice out of kimchi; reserve kimchi juice for another use (it’s great in soups!). Chop kimchi and set aside (you should have about 1½ cups).

Using clean hands, mix pork, scallions, garlic, ginger, broth, sesame oil, oyster sauce, salt, white pepper, remaining 2 Tbsp. soy sauce, remaining 2 tsp. sugar, and remaining 1 tsp. gochugaru in a large bowl until well combined. Switch to a wooden spoon and mix, stirring in one direction, until a thin white film forms on the sides of bowl, about 4 minutes (this ensures the filling will hold together when spooned into wrappers and also doubles as your arm day workout.) (Alternatively, mix filling in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on low speed until a film forms on the sides of bowl.) Mix in reserved kimchi. Chill filling while you set up your dumpling wrapping station.

Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Set wrappers on a small plate and loosely cover with a damp paper towel to prevent them from drying out while you are folding dumpings. Place a small bowl of water near your work surface.

You’re ready to wrap! Lay a wrapper flat in the palm of your nondominant hand. Spoon a heaping teaspoonful of filling into center of wrapper. Dip a finger of your dominant hand into bowl with water and moisten the half of wrapper nearest to you. Bring moistened wrapper half together with dry half to form a semicircle and pinch middle to seal. Working from one corner toward the middle, create 1 or 2 pleats along one edge of dumpling; repeat working from the opposite corner. Place dumpling on a prepared baking sheet so the pleated side is facing up and the dumpling has a flat bottom (this is the side that’s going to get maximum crisp!). Cover with a damp kitchen towel or a sheet of plastic wrap and repeat process with remaining wrappers and filling.

Pour 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil into a cold large nonstick skillet with a lid and swirl to coat bottom of pan. Arrange half of dumplings, flat side down, in a single layer in skillet, then carefully pour in enough water to cover bottom third of dumplings (about ½ cup). Cover skillet, place over medium-high heat, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium and simmer dumplings until water is almost completely absorbed, about 5 minutes. Uncover and cook until skillet is dry and bottoms of dumplings are deep golden brown and crisp, about 3 minutes. Transfer dumplings to a platter. Swirl remaining 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil into skillet and repeat cooking process with remaining dumplings (or freeze the rest for a rainy-day snack).

Serve dumplings hot with reserved dipping sauce alongside.
Do Ahead: Filling can be made 1 day ahead; cover and chill. Dumplings can be formed 2 months ahead; freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a resealable plastic bag. Cook dumplings from frozen as directed above.

This recipe, from Nakamura in New York, means we can eat ramen all year long. There's a secret ingredient that adds nutty-creaminess, plus addicting chili oil, and crunchy toppings.

Chilled Ramen with Chili Oil

ginger, peeled, very finely chopped

sesame oil

vegetable oil

red pepper flakes

paprika

sesame seeds

mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)

sugar

red or white miso

sake

Sichuan peppercorns

1½-inch piece ginger, peeled, finely grated

apple wedge (about ⅛ of apple), peeled, finely grated

garlic cloves, finely grated

white, sweet white, and/or red miso

toban djan (chili bean paste)

Kosher salt

noodles noodles

Persian cucumbers,

radishes

basil

soy milk or other nondairy milk or regular milk

3x1-inch strip grapefruit zest, very thinly sliced

soy sauce

Plain unsweetened granola

A love letter to classic ginger scallion noodles, but with a crispier, crunchier topping. 

Ramen Noodles With Spring Onions and Garlic Crisp

spring onions

3" piece ginger, peeled, thinly sliced

garlic cloves, thinly sliced

serrano

herbs

Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce

Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar

tsp. black pepper

kosher salt

5-oz. packages fresh wavy ramen noodles

Tbsp. unsalted butter,

A slight twist on scallion noodles: the same savory, lip-smacking flavor but instead of wilting the scallions in the sauce, we crisp them up in the pan, creating a crunchy, spicy, garlicky topping.

Place half of spring onions in a large heatproof bowl and set a fine-mesh sieve on top; set aside. Combine remaining spring onions with ginger, garlic, and oil in a small saucepan. Set over medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is golden and scallions are beginning to crisp and turn golden brown, 8–10 minutes.

Pour mixture through reserved sieve onto spring onions. Turn out garlic crisp in sieve onto paper towels to drain. Stir spring onions in bowl until just softened, about 1 minute. Stir in chile, herbs, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame seeds, pepper, salt, and sugar. Let dressing sit 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse under warm water to get rid of any excess starch.

Transfer noodles to bowl with dressing and add butter and half of garlic crisp; toss to coat noodles. Divide among bowls; top with remaining garlic crisp.

Once butterflied, the breast will be much larger than the bun, but letting all that crispy goodness hang out (literally) is part of the appeal.

Five-Spice Fried Chicken Sandwich

skinless, boneless chicken breasts, (about 3½ pounds)

Chinese five-spice powder

garlic powder

cayenne pepper

½ cup mayonnaise, preferably Kewpie

bean curd

white soy sauce

five-spice powder

Vegetable oil (for frying; about 6 cups)

cornstarch

rice flour

cilantro

pineapple buns (bolo baos) or brioche buns, split, toasted

deep-fry thermometer

Once butterflied, the breast will be much larger than the bun, but letting all that crispy goodness hang out (literally) is part of the appeal of this sandwich from Win Son in Brooklyn.

Butterfly each chicken breast by cutting into one long side of breast and gradually slicing until you are almost all the way to the other edge (do not cut all the way through). Open breast like a book, as if the connected edge were the spine. If one side is thicker than the other, cover chicken with plastic wrap and pound until even.

Whisk soy sauce, oil, five-spice powder, garlic powder, and cayenne in a large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Cover and chill at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours.

Whisk mayonnaise, fermented bean curd (if using), and soy sauce in a small bowl until sauce is smooth.

Do Ahead: Sauce can be made 3 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature. Cover and chill.

Mix five-spice powder and cayenne in a small bowl.

Fit a large pot with thermometer and pour in oil to come halfway up sides. Heat over medium-high until thermometer registers 350°.

While the oil is heating up, whisk cornstarch, rice flour, and 1¾ cups water in a large bowl (the mixture should resemble thick tempura batter).

Working in 4 batches, fry chicken, turning occasionally and adjusting heat to maintain oil temperature, until deep golden brown, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a wire rack set over paper towels to drain. Sprinkle lightly with salt and spice mixture while still hot. Let cool 5 minutes.

Spread sauce on top of chicken and sprinkle with scallions and cilantro. Sandwich between buns.

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Pork and Kimchi Dumplings

Chilled Ramen with Chili Oil

Ramen Noodles With Spring Onions an...

Five-Spice Fried Chicken Sandwich

Top 4 east asian recipes from across the web

The most viewed east asian recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Pork and Kimchi Dumplings

Chilled Ramen with Chili Oil

Ramen Noodles With Spring Onions an...

Five-Spice Fried Chicken Sandwich

The most viewed east asian recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine