Ginger, Carrot, Sweet Potato and Toasted Sesame Dumplings
Day 37: Kom Hey Fa Choi! Happy Lunar New Year! Year of the Snake.
When I lived in England, my dear friend, Tracy, would always make me dumplings and noodles every Chinese New year – dumplings for money and noodles for a long life. She would make us each an enormous dumpling.
I have adapted it from MyNewRoots.org sexy summer rolls recipe. I used the same vietnamese rice wraps as that was all I had in my larder, and twirled them up into a dumpling. I added cabbage as well as the carrots and sweet potato – about 1/8 of a white cabbage – and I did not put in the agave. Well, I did, but maybe two drops of the stuff.
I’ll post the noodle dish, separately.
Ingredients:
2 medium carrots
1 small sweet potato
¼ cup sesame seeds
splash of cooking oil (avocado is best for high heat)
2 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
1 Tbsp agave nectar
Squeeze of lemon juice
Directions:
1. Begin by toasting the sesame seeds in a dry skillet until they begin to pop and are lightly toasted. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Julienne the carrots and sweet potato (cut them into matchstick-size pieces).
3. Put the oil, minced ginger and agave nectar in the skillet and cook just slightly. Add vegetables and stir-fry for about 4-5 minutes. You don’t want to cook the vegetables exactly, just take the raw edge off.
4. Remove from heat and toss with the sesame seeds and lemon juice.
Oh- these rice wrappers harden pretty quickly as they cool down, so don’t leave them hanging around too long. (Don’t worry, they won’t be – they taste too good!)
Here is the dipping sauce recipe from Sarah Britton’s site. I made it, and it is great, but I think the dumplings are tasty enough without it.
Almond butter dipping sauce
Ingredients:
1/3 cup organic almond butter
1 small clove garlic, minced
2 tsp. tamari (or high-quality soya sauce)
1 Tbsp. agave nectar
2 Tbsp. water
juice of 1 lime (approx. 3 Tbsp.)
pinch of crushed chilies
Directions:
1. Whisk all ingredients together in small bowl until smooth. Add more water to thin. Adjust seasonings to taste.