Store Bought Dumplings Archives - Asian Dumpling Tips

Review: Weichuan Frozen Asian Dumplings

I love to make dumplings but don't know them all! One way to explore the
world of Asian dumplings to eat ones made by others. Those dumplings
are either at a dumpling shop, Asian restaurant, or from
market. There are so many fillings and dough styles to try. I often
spend a good 15 minutes at the store perusing the frozen food aisle or
open cases.

I've reviewed Trader Joe's frozen Asian dumplings and Okami bao from Costco. Someone asked me about the ones sold at Asian markets. So many of them are full of MSG and not much else. However, I recently found some good ones made by the WeiChuan company. It's part of their new line of Shandong dumplings.

I was mightily impressed and just posted details on Viet World Kitchen:

Tasty
MSG-free Frozen Asian Dumplings

Lucky Foods Potato Rolls Tries Too Hard

Store Bought Dumplings

Yesterday my husband spotted a highly unusual frozen dumpling at our neighborhood market. While I was inspecting bags of frozen porcini filled gnocchi from Italy, he was looking at boxes of “frozen potato rolls” by Lucky Foods, an Asian themed food producer based in Beaverton, Oregon. “Curry flavor or jalapeno and cheese?” he asked.

My gawd, it looked as if Lucky Foods had combined the elements of an egg roll, lumpia, samosa and jalapeno cheese popper all in one. And, on the back of the box, they said that their potato rolls reflected the synergy between Chinese egg rolls and Vietnamese cha gio (imperial rolls). Huh? The rolls were totally vegetarian and used farm-fresh ingredients, the company touted. Lucky Foods had poured all the popular selling points into their rolls. And they were fried.

My curiosity was piqued and I couldn’t resist grabbing a box of the curry-flavored potato rolls. When we went to pay for it, the fresh-faced cashier picked up the box and inspected it. “Is this something new that we’re carrying?” she asked skeptically.

“I’d never seen them before but we’re going to give them a try,” I responded. She looked at us warily.

Quick Wonton and Barbecue Pork Noodle Soup Recipe

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My Trader Joe’s Asian food product adventure continued. There were leftover frozen dumplings and Chinese-style barbecued seasoned pork and so I’ve been getting creative. Among the Trader Joe’s frozen Asian dumplings that I recently reviewed, the chicken and cilantro mini wontons were among my favorites. I wondered if I could pair the frozen wontons up with my shortcut Cantonese char siu pork. The result was this quick and fairly decent bowl of wonton noodle soup with char siu pork.

One caveat is that I had some homemade chicken stock and fresh Chinese egg noodles in the fridge, but you can use the shortcut Asian chicken stock from the Viet World Kitchen (my other site) and even top-ramen noodles. Don’t be shocked. Instant ramen noodles are a staple in many Asian kitchens, including mine. If you use ramen noodles, I suppose you could use their broth flavoring packet and water for the stock.

Parboiling the wontons first before poaching them in the stock prevents them from adding their starchiness to the stock. As the wontons cook in the stock, they absorb from of the stock’s flavor, thereby tasting better.

Serves 2

4 cups chicken stock, home made or shortcut version (on Vietworldkitchen.com)
1/3 pound fresh egg noodles or 2 Top-Ramen type of dried noodle flats
16 frozen Trader Joe’s chicken and cilantro mini wontons
1/4 pound Quick Char Siu Pork from Trader Joe’s
1/4 pound green vegetable, such as asparagus, bok choy, gailan, fresh peas, or broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces
Light (regular) soy sauce
Salt
Sesame oil
White pepper or chile oil, optional

1. Bring the stock to a boil in a saucepan, lower the heat and cover to keep hot. Have your soup bowls nearby as you’ll be working fast.

2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Use a long-handled noodle strainer or mesh strainer to blanch the vegetables. Remove, flush with cold water, and divide among the soup bowls.

3. Return the water to a boil and use the strainer to plunge the noodles into the pot. Let them cook until chewy-firm; the cooking time depends on the noodles. Remove the noodles from water, rinse them under cold water and divide among the soup bowls.

4. Return the water to a boil and add the frozen wontons. Stir gently to separate them. At this point, remove the lid from the stock, then increase the heat on the stock to bring it back to a boil. After the wontons float to the top, scoop them from the water with a slotted spoon and slide them into the stock. Let them poach gently in the stock for about 3 minutes, until done; poke into one with a paring knife to test. (As the wontons cook, doctor up the pork, if you haven’t done so. Or, warm them up in a skillet if you did it in advance.)

5. When the wontons are cooked, scoop them from the stock and divide them among the soup bowls. Taste the stock and make any flavor adjustments with soy sauce and/or salt. Then ladle the stock into the bowls. Drizzle on some sesame oil and then top with the pork. If you like extra heat, sprinkle some white pepper and/or chile oil to finish. Serve immediately.