The Angry Chef – Shiitake Mushrooms and Tofu in Wonton Cups
My wife sometimes calls me the Angry Chef. I guess it’s a nickname well deserved, but only from my past.
Our first apartment together, in the early days, was the entire second floor of an old Victorian house on Long Island. We had a small bedroom, a bright living room, a little dining room with a table far too big, bulky, and ornate for the space, and an unfinished attic where guests would sleep and either freeze or sweat, depending on the season.
The apartment also had a tiny kitchen. Despite its size, the kitchen was functional, but spare. Often on Friday evenings after a long week, fellow graduate students and friends would come over and cram into the little kitchen and cook. Everyone made or brought something. We were all too poor at the time to go out to eat, so we would pool our resources and cook together. We shared some fabulous meals.
Of course we also prepared food when friends weren’t visiting. Sometimes we made classics; something that my wife or I had been making for years. But we also tried new dishes, to expand our repertoire and because we were curious. Often the recipes we attempted were simple, while other times they were more of a project.
One sultry summer day I decided to try a recipe from a dim sum cookbook I had acquired, probably as a gift. The chicken turnovers – filled with flavorful, minced, stir-fried chicken breast and shiitake mushrooms – didn’t use a typical dumpling wrapper. As turnovers, they required a pastry dough. Directions for this crust involved rolling out two separate doughs, both including chilled lard (although I’m sure I used butter in its place). One dough would be placed on top of the other, then the rolling pin would merge them, the result, in theory, being delicious flaky layers surrounding the savory filling.
I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to make a pie crust on a 98 degree summer day in a primitive kitchen without air conditioning, but I didn’t have much success. The butter was melting before I could roll out the dough and even when I managed to get it to a semi-acceptable level, it was impossible to pick up, the melting butter sticking to the table. I was having a miserable job of it, and I got frustrated. Let’s just say after throwing little bit of a tantrum (at the end of the day there may or may not have been hunks of dough on the walls and ceiling), my wife dubbed me the Angry Chef.
Since that incident so many years ago 1) my wife actually married me, and 2) I have calmed down in the kitchen. That doesn’t mean I don’t get frustrated from time to time, but let’s just say I’m more knowledgeable about cooking now and the conditions under which certain dishes should be made, and I’m at least somewhat more able to manage my emotions when things go wrong. I have attempted the chicken turnovers numerous times since. When prepared under proper conditions and executed successfully, they are delicious, with a wonderful filling and flaky crust, perfect as an appetizer.
And while my wife may not agree, I believe I no longer warrant the nickname the Angry Chef.
Shiitake Mushrooms and Tofu in Wonton Cups
The original recipe for chicken turnovers comes from Classic Deem Sum, by Henry Chan, Yukiko Haydock, and Bob Haydock. This slim volume includes recipes for many traditional dumplings and dishes served at dim sum parlors, and I have tried many of them with great success.
For this recipe, I have simply replaced the chicken breast with very firm five spice (spiced dry) tofu, and skipped the pastry dough and folding them into turnovers. Instead, I recommend scooping the filling into simple wonton wrappers baked into a cup shape. While definitely different in texture and appearance, it is simpler, a great vegetarian option, and the filling tastes pretty much the same. However, if you would like to use chicken, replace the tofu with a pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast. And if you want to turn them into turnovers, any dough that makes a flaky crust would do. Just cut out 4-inch rounds of rolled out dough, stuff with the filling, fold into semi-circles, seal with a fork, and bake until golden.
Makes about 45 cups, about 1¼ hours
8 oz. package five spiced tofu (spiced dry tofu), minced
¼ lb. fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and discarded, caps minced (or about 8 dried, soaked in warm water for a half hour)
⅓ cup fresh coriander, minced, plus about 45 individual leaves for garnish
1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
2 Tbsp. soy sauce, divided
¼ tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. sugar
½ tsp. white pepper
3 Tbsp. Shaoxing cooking wine, divided
¼ cup vegetable oil, divided
4½ Tbsp. corn starch, divided
1 egg white
2 tsp. sesame oil
¾ cup onion, chopped
1 cup chicken stock
1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
Cooking spray
45 wonton wrappers
- Mince the tofu and mushrooms. Place in a medium size bowl and combine with minced coriander, ginger, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, salt, sugar, white pepper, 1½ tablespoons Shaoxing cooking wine, 1½ tablespoons vegetable oil, 1½ tablespoon corn starch, egg white, and sesame oil. Allow to marinate for at least an hour.
- Heat remaining 2½ tablespoons vegetable oil in a wok or heavy skillet on medium. Stir fry onion until transparent, about 6 to 10 minutes. Turn the heat to medium-high and add tofu mushroom mixture and stir fry until mushrooms are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
- Combine chicken stock, oyster sauce, remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1½ tablespoons Shaoxing cooking wine, 3 tablespoon corn starch in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat stirring constantly until sauce thickens, about 4 minutes. Combine with reserved tofu mushroom mixture and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 oF. Spray the cups of a mini muffin tin with cooking spray. Cut the corners off the wonton wrappers. Carefully tuck one wonton wrapper into each muffin cup, pressing the wrapper in gently to form the shape of the cup. Spray the wonton skins lightly with cooking spray. Bake until lightly brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly in the muffin tin, and then remove cups to cool completely on a wire cooling rack. Repeat with remaining wonton wrappers.
- When ready to serve, heat tofu mushroom mixture in a saucepan or microwave until just warm. Scoop a teaspoonful of the mixture into each wonton cup and top with a cilantro leaf as garnish. Serve warm or at room temperature.
