What to Do With Leftover Wonton or Dumpling Skin? How About Wonton Skin Soup?

I don't want to say impossible, but how about at least 90% of the time when making wontons or dumplings, it's very hard to achieve the perfect ratio for the filling and the wrapper, so that you get zero leftover ingredients in the end. To me, it's the few wrappers that are usually being left behind. So what are you going to do with it, especially when it's only about like 20, 10, or even single digit number of wrappers left?

Let's not waste the wonton skin or dumpling wrappers. First you can store them in the freezer, and only need to defrost them one day ahead in the fridge before use. When it comes to the actual cooking time, how about turning the leftover ingredient into a comforting Asian soup?

Wonton skin soup - 

Ingredients (about 6 portions)?

• 20 wonton skin
• 450 grams ground pork
• 4 eggs
• 1 bundle/about 250 grams crown daisy leaves (tong hao)
• 2 stalks scallion
• 1 small chunk ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Some black pepper
• Some Japanese tsuyu
• 8 cups water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

How?

Destem and chop the scallion, separate the green and the white part. Scrape then finely chop the ginger. Trim-off the ends then cut into shorter sections for the crown daisy leaves. You can also use other soft and aromatic leafy greens, such as Japanese mizuna.

As for the wonton or dumpling skin, slice in half if the size is too big, doesn't matter triangular or rectangular shape.

Take out a big pot and drizzle two tablespoons of preferred cooking oil. Switch to medium heat. Add in the white section of scallion along with chopped ginger. We will need about 4 tablespoons of chopped scallion white here. If not enough, use some green part. 

And it's about 1 tablespoon chopped ginger here. Also add 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook till aromatic. Add in ground pork and cook till the meat turns to a whiter color.

Pour in 8 cups of water and bring to a boil. Keep it boiling for another minute then adjust the heat to keep the pot at a medium/small boiling stage.

Add in soft leafy greens and cook till wilted.

It's time to add in the wonton or dumpling skin. Cook till soft or desired texture. Taste and season with enough Japanese tsuyu. The amount of tsuyu varies especially there are like double condensed, triple condensed, and many other versions. Just season to your own taste.

Once the flavor has been checked. Switch to low heat. Beat 4 eggs on the side then pour in the eggs while slowly stirring the soup at the same time. Aiming for silky beaten egg throughout the soup.

Scoop and crack some black pepper on top. Garnish with some chopped scallion greens and serve right away.

Now you know what to do next time with leftover wonton skin or dumpling wrappers.

By the way, I personally prefer using leftover wonton skin more than dumpling wrappers. Because wonton skin has this velvety texture, and very smooth to the touch once fully cooked, which works better in this rather lightly flavored stock.

Extended reading:

• Less oil fried cream cheese wontons
• Shrimp and pork wontons in vinegar and chili oil sauce

Ham and Potato Soup 火腿馬鈴薯濃湯

What do you usually do with leftover ham? Thinly slice the ham and turn it into a sandwich or perhaps with an Asian approach by making fried rice?  

I know using ham for soup is one of the common approaches, but since I haven't written any recipes about it before, here's my take on (leftover) ham and potato soup.

Ham and potato soup - 

Ingredients (for a big pot)?

• 3 1/2 cups cubed ham
• 1 medium small onion
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup peeled and diced carrot
• 3 cups peeled and diced potato
• 4 garlic clove
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 5 to 6 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• Some salt
• Some black pepper

How?

Use small or the most medium sized onion, peel and dice to small chunks. Peel and dice the carrot. Trim-off the stems and dice the celery. Peel and dice the potatoes. Peel and chop the garlic cloves. Cube the ham.

Use a big pot or a Dutch oven, add in butter and turn to medium heat. Once melted, add in onion, celery, carrot along with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Give it a quick stir and cook for few minutes, or till these veggies softened.

Add in chopped garlic and continue to cook for another minute or so.

Transfer cubed ham and potatoes over. Give it a quick mix and cook for couple more minutes.

Mix in flour, stir and cook till no more raw floury smell, about 2 minutes.

Pour in chicken stock, use 5 cups for a thicker texture, 6 cups the most. Give it a stir. Bring up the heat and keep it at a light bubbling stage. Continue to cook it till the potatoes reach desired texture. I like my potatoes on the softer side, meaning they can be easily smashed using the back of the spoon. To achieve that, it took me about 20 minutes.

Now switch the heat to keep the entire pot at a simmer. Pour in milk and cook till the consistency became slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

Taste and see if the soup needs more salt, and adjust accordingly. I actually added 1 more teaspoon of salt later on. My advice is not to begin with too much salt, especially the ham can be quite salty towards the end. It's better to wait till the ham has been cooked in stock for some time, then you do the final seasoning adjustment.

Scoop the soup to serving bowls and add some more freshly ground black pepper on top.

If you can't finish all the soup at once and need to reheat it for future meals, note that the soup can turn thicker as time goes by. One way to do it is by adding some milk before heating up the soup. This will help to dilute the soup without sacrificing the creamy taste. 

 

Other western soup recipes:

• Caldo de albóndigas (Mexican meatball soup)
• Twinkle twinkle little star - sopa de estrellitas 

Here's What to Do with That Other Half of Avocado - Tuna Avocado Boat

One half of avocado went to my Philadelphia roll, and here's what I've done for the other half.

Tuna avocado boat -

Ingredients?

• 1/2 avocado
• 1 can/about 136 grams tuna
• 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon jalapeño
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
• Some salt
• Some black pepper
• Some toast, bread, or crackers (to eat with)

How?

Use half of the avocado and remove the pit. Scoop out some avocado and transfer to a medium bowl. Make sure to leave about 2mm along the edge to hold up the boat shape. 

Finely chop the parsley and jalapeño. Drain the canned tuna. Toast the bread if using, and slice to smaller pieces.

Take the bowl with avocado scooped out earlier, also add in most of the chopped parsley, all the jalapeño, drained tuna, lemon juice, also some salt and pepper to taste. Mix and smash, give it a try and see if more salt or pepper is needed. Transfer this mixture back to the avocado boat. Serve some bread, toasts, or crackers on the side.

Easy on the salt in the beginning since canned tuna can be seasoned already. Mix these ingredients first, then taste and adjust afterward. 

Instead of the same old avocado spread or guacamole, tuna avocado boat was kind of cool, especially its own skin was used as a container. Switch up the tastes once a while, keep it fun and more delicious creations will come.


Other avocado recipes:

• Philadelphia roll with salmon, cream cheese, and avocado
• Avocado toast with poached egg and grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Leftover Makeover - Soft Scrambled Eggs with Onion and Tomato

The best thing about shopping at a traditional market or farmers' market is that I can pick just the right amount of ingredients, instead of being forced to buy in set quantities. But sometimes I'm left with no choice and had to choose that box of 3 tomatoes or a bundle of onions. So here's what I do to turn these "extra" ingredients into another flavorful dish for the family.

Soft scrambled eggs with onion and tomato -

Ingredients?

• 6 eggs
• 1 medium tomato
• 1 small onion
• 1 small stalk scallion
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon water
• Some salt
• Some black pepper

How?

Peel and thinly slice the onion. Chop the tomato into smaller pieces, there's no need to remove the pulps since this is going to be a soft and semi-runny scrambled eggs. Destem the scallion and finely chop the remaining section.

Beat the eggs with tiny pinch of salt and 1 tablespoon of pre-boiled room temperature water.

Drizzle some olive oil to the pan and turn to medium high heat. Add in onion slices along with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Sear till the onion almost turn caramelized, took me about 10 minutes.

Add in Worcestershire sauce and tomato, cook till the liquid nearly dried up.

Pour in the egg mixture and soft scramble it. Lower the heat a little to prevent the eggs from overcooking too soon. Turn off the heat once the egg starts to coagulate, the residual heat will continue to cook the eggs. 

Plate and garnish with chopped scallion.

The key here is to slice the onion as thin as possible to shorten the cooking time. When biting into the scrambled eggs, the texture is much better and more "as a whole" with very thinly sliced onion.

Thanks to this recipe, I've also used up the entire leftover scallion in the kitchen too.


Other egg recipes:

• Buttery scrambled shiso eggs
• Softly scrambled eggs with caramelized balsamic onions
• A little upgrade - sunny side up eggs with scrambled toppings
• Bento side dish recipe - kimchi tamagoyaki
• Just keep rolling and rolling that mentaiko tamagoyaki
• Don't throw away those cilantro stems just yet, give this egg recipe a try
• Tamagoyaki with oozing cheese filling, not bad for a first timer  

Let's Finish that Bottle of Red Wine Vinegar by Making Pickled Red Onions

It should be safe to say that we all bought something before just to complete a recipe but never get to use that seasoning or ingredient again. It can be a rare herb or something common like red wine vinegar. 

Don't get me wrong, I do use red wine vinegar quite often, but not as frequent as I would like especially there are so many types of vinegar in my cabinet. Chinese black vinegar, rice vinegar, western red and white wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and of course my favorite touch of acidity - fresh lemons.

So as one way to clean up space to store even more rarely use seasonings (!?), here's what I did for leftover red wine vinegar. 

Pickled red onions -

Ingredients?

• 1 small red onion
• 3/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 small pinch/about 8 to 10 Sichuan peppercorn
• 2 dried red chilies
• Small amount of cold water (optional)

How?

Peel and slice the red onion into rings and transfer to a colander. Put a big bowl below or set above the kitchen sink. 

Bring a small pot of water to a boil then pour onto the onion rings. Just a quick rinse will do the job. Drain out any excess water.

Use a glass container to store the pickles, avoid plastic or other type of materials that might interact with acid. Add the sugar, salt, and red wine vinegar to the container and stir till the sugar fully dissolves. Add in Sichuan peppercorn and dried chilies.

Transfer the onion rings over. Gently stir the mixture to make sure all the onion are coated with vinegar, or cover with lid and gently shake the mixture. Pour just a little cold but pre-boiled water to cover all the onion rings if needed. 

The pickles can last for few weeks in the fridge, but the flavor will get stronger and less crisp as time goes by. It's better to just finish the pickles in one week. Personally speaking, I enjoy these pickles the most after 2 to 3 days. 

Do not waste the vinegar, you can mix that with a beef or chicken stew, or used in a pasta dish. 

The use of Sichuan peppercorn and dried red chilies give this pickle recipe a gentle touch of Asian aroma. Omit these two ingredients if a simpler taste is preferred. Maybe swap out the Sichuan peppercorn with regular black peppercorn to keep that gentle kick of spiciness. 

Other Asian no fuss cooking recipes:

• Cold noodles with refreshing black sesame sauce (黑芝麻涼麵)
• Steamed chicken with Asian spicy sausages
• Stewed daikon using chicken stock and grated ginger
• Simplified version of steamed salmon with salted black beans (豆鼓蒸魚)
• Step back vampires! 10 minutes garlicky pork slices

Other western no fuss cooking recipes:

• Swapping out mashed potatoes, give cheese grits a try
• Sweet and savory ciabatta sandwich with smoked ham, brie, pesto sauce, and maple syrup
• Grilled rye bread sandwich with peanut butter, fig reserves, and Gouda

Don't Throw Away Those Cilantro Stems Just Yet, Give This Egg Recipe a Try

Let's put cilantro stems into good use. Those stems are just as aromatic as its leafy counterpart. In addition, the stems are actually quite soft compared to other herbs such as thyme and rosemary. So instead of tossing the cilantro stems, why not put them into good use and brightens up a simple scrambled eggs recipe?

Scrambled eggs with cilantro -

Ingredients?

• 4 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Some white pepper powder

How?

Break the eggs into a medium bowl. Add in finely chopped cilantro, including the stems. Also add in salt, water, and about two dashes of white pepper powder. 

Beat the mixture till fully combined.

Drizzle some olive oil to the pan and turn to medium high heat. Wait till the oil turns warm then pour in the egg mixture.

Even though it's a "scrambled" eggs recipe, but try not to scramble it too much in order get larger bite size pieces. Only lightly scramble it in the beginning then just let the mixture "sear" on the pan till the bottom turns slightly browned. 

Flip the pieces and continue to "sear" till slightly browned. Transfer onto a serving plate.

Use more salt if preferred. This recipe only use minimal amount of salt so that the cilantro aroma can shine through.

Serve with Sriracha if desired. 

Utilizing Flavorful Broth - Spicy Asian Sausage Risotto with Grated Parmigiano Reggiano

My mom was boiling some spicy Asian sausages the other day. Instead of dumping the broth down to the drain, I asked her to turn up the heat and reduce the broth for a little bit. This flavorful liquid can further be utilized as stock base for soup noodles or in this case, risotto.

The broth left after making crab boil also works well for this recipe.

Spicy Asian sausage risotto with grated Parmigiano Reggiano -

Ingredients (3 to 4 portions)?

• 3 to 4 spicy Asian sausages or any type of spicy sausages
• 2 cups Acquerello or Arborio rice
• 3 1/2 cups broth
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 3 tablespoons chopped shallots
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Some salt
• Some grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• Some chopped cilantro or flat leaf parsley

How?

The main idea for this recipe is to utilize any flavored leftover broth from other dishes such as boiled sausages and crab boil. Any leftover Chinese style chicken soup works just as well even though with certain degrees of spiciness is preferred.

Cook the sausages, steam, boil, or pan-sear, either way works fine. Once cool down, slice the sausages diagonally then set aside for later use. Save any drippings (if any) and add to the broth also. Extra flavor is always welcomed. 

Peel and finely chop the shallots, need about 3 tablespoons - 

Use a non-stick pot, add in one tablespoon of oil and one tablespoon of unsalted butter. Turn to medium heat and wait till the butter starts to melt. Add in chopped shallots and one teaspoon of salt. Give it a quick stir and cook till the shallots turn translucent. 

Add in the rice and mix well, make sure all the grains are coated with that buttery oil, about 30 seconds. Pour in the broth just enough to cover all the grains each time and make sure to stir once a while to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot -

Pour in dry white wine towards the end and keep cooking. Adjust the texture with more broth if needed. 

When the rice is about ready, mix in sausage slices. Taste and see if more salt is needed. Remember that grated cheese is fairly salty so don't go overboard with the amount of salt here.

Transfer the risotto onto a serving plate. Grate generous amount of Parmigiano Reggiano all over and garnish with chopped cilantro or flat leaf parsley.

Try to use quality aged Parmigiano Reggiano if you can get a hold of it. It definitely got more depth in turns of flavor and saltiness. A high quality ingredient can totally make a big difference, especially for such a simple risotto recipe.


Other risotto recipes:

• Fancy meal at home - squid ink risotto with seared cuttlefish 
• Discover the benefit of buying whole shrimps - lemony shrimp risotto using homemade shrimp stock

Frozen Puff Pastry Recipe: Onion Tart with Bacon Cubes and Creamy Blue Cheese

It's kind of a clean-out-the-fridge savory tart recipe. There were some leftover creamy blue cheese and a small piece of chunky bacon. Instead of finishing the cheese with some bread and simply store the bacon in the freezer like I normally do, let's make something nicer and turn these leftover ingredients into a savory afternoon snack.

Onion tart with bacon cubes and creamy blue cheese -

Ingredients (4 to 6 portions)?

• 1 sheet or 4 squares frozen puff pastry
• Small chunk or 0.2 lb bacon
• 1 onion
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• Some olive oil
• Some creamy blue cheese (or other types of creamy cheese)
• Some thyme

How?

Defrost the puff pastry sheets according to the packaging instruction. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper.

Roll out the defrosted puff pastry sheets cut into 4 to 6 smaller rectangles. Cut and reshape the sheets if needed. Transfer the squares onto the backing sheet. Cut a small slit on all four corners. Use the back of the knife to create a border line about 1/3 inch away from the outer edge then fold in the sides. Prick the center with a fork -

Peel and slice the onion. Cube the bacon. Use a pot or small pan, if using leaner part of bacon then drizzle in 1 tablespoon of olive. If using fatty bacon then there's no need for extra oil. 

Add in the bacon cubes and turn to medium heat. Stir once a while and sear till the fat has rendered and the edges turned slightly browned. Scoop out the bacon but leaving the dripping inside the pot -

Still using the same pot, add in sliced onion sprinkle some salt. Drizzle a little bit more olive oil if needed, just to evenly coat the bottom of the pot. Turn to medium low heat and sear the onion slices for about 10 minutes till the edges turned browned -

Pour in balsamic vinegar and keep cooking for another 15 to 18 minutes. Add the bacon back into the pot and mix well -

Spread the onion and bacon mixture to the center of the pastry sheets. Crumble some creamy blue cheese on top of the mixture. There's no need to brush egg wash on the sides. Into the oven for 15 to 18 minutes -

Once ready, remove from heat and let the tarts cool down a few minutes. Sprinkle some fresh thyme or lesser amount of dry thyme before serving -

Do not use too much salt when prepping the caramelized onion since the bacon and cheese already got some flavors. Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit for a more browned and nearly burnt aroma.  


Other recipe using frozen puff pastry:

• Plum tomatoes and two cheeses blend tarts using puff pastry sheet

Light Version: Smoked Salmon Fried Rice 煙燻鮭魚炒飯

When talking about fried rice, most people would suggest using leftover rice that has been stored in the fridge overnight. The reason behind is that the grains contain less moisture after a day or two, which separates easily instead of sticking together when stir frying with other ingredients. It's also one good way to utilize leftover ingredients in the kitchen.

However, freshly cooked rice can be just as easy to work with. Make sure to use less water, which results in less sticky rice. When the freshly cooked rice is ready, fluff the grains and let the hot steam evaporates completely before mixing with other ingredients.

Smoked salmon fried rice -

Ingredients (for 3 to 4 portions)?

• 2 1/2 cups white rice (before cooking)
• 100 grams/4 ounces of smoked salmon
• 2 eggs
• 1 small can of corn kernels (I used one fresh corn on the cob)
• 1 small cucumber
• 1 small carrot
• 1 big shallot
• 1/2 small onion
• 1 small bundle cilantro
• 1/2 tablespoon chopped scallion
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• Some olive oil
• Some salt 
• Some black pepper
• Some Sriracha/chili sauce/white pepper powder (optional)

How?

Cook the rice with lesser amount of water or simply use leftover rice for this recipe, make sure to prepare enough for 3 to 4 portions.

Peel and dice the onion and shallot. Peel and dice the cucumber and carrot, smaller cubes for the carrot since it's harder to cook through. Finely chop the cilantro, use the stem part if possible. Finely chop the scallion. Drain the corn if using canned version, or slice down the kernels from one fresh corn on the cob. 

Break the smoked salmon into smaller pieces.

Break two eggs in a bowl and add one tiny pinch of salt, beat well. Drizzle just enough olive oil to evenly coat the bottom of the pan and turn to medium high heat. Once the oil heats up, pour in the egg mixture and keep scrambling. You can turn off the heat first to prevent the mixture from browning and keep using a spatula or wooden spoon to break the eggs into tiny pieces. Scoop out and set aside for later use.

Drizzle more olive oil to the pan, about 2 tablespoons, and turn to medium high heat. Add in the onion, shallot, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Cook till the edges of the onion turns slightly browned.

Add in carrot, cucumber, and corn. Give it a quick stir and cook for about one minute. Add in finely chopped cilantro and fish sauce.

Mix in cooked rice. You can dump the rice in two batches if needed, it takes quite some strength to stir fry such big portion of grains. Add in scrambled eggs and mix well. Taste and adjust with more salt if needed, but do keep in mind that salty smoked salmon will be added to the fried rice shortly.

Add in smoked salmon and mix a little. Plate the fried rice and garnished with chopped scallion and cilantro leaves. Served with Sriracha, chili sauce, or white pepper powder if desired. 

The key to make this lighter tasting fried rice is the use of smoked salmon and cilantro. Just make sure to keep these two and you can substitute other ingredients with any leftover items in the fridge such as zucchini, squash, and bell pepper. 

Other fried rice recipes:

• This time, no chicken eggs, but salted duck eggs for Chinese fried rice
• Kimchi and shirasu fried rice with a hint of shiso and of course the sinful egg yolk
• Sirloin fried rice with crisp red onions and a hint of Japanese seasonings
• Fried rice with shirasu and tuna floss

Weekend Brunch? Try Rotisserie Chicken with Kiwi Salsa Ciabatta Sandwich

Making sandwich is always a good way to "revitalize" the leftover rotisserie chicken in the fridge. However, instead of pair the meat with lettuce and tomato slices, how about giving this simple kiwi salsa a try?

Rotisserie chicken with kiwi salsa ciabatta sandwich?

Ingredients (for two)?

• 2 plain ciabatta 
• 1 chicken thigh steak
• 4 cheese squares 
• 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• Some olive oil
• Some salt
• Some freshly ground black pepper

Salsa:

• 1 big ripe tomato
• 2 half ripe kiwi 
• 1/3 onion
• 3 tablespoons of finely chopped cilantro
• 1/2 lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

How?

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking dish with foil for easy cleaning purpose. Keep the butter in room temperature or warm it up slightly in the oven, till the butter softens and easy to brush on ciabatta.

Use bone-in chicken skin-on thigh steak, that way the chicken gets more flavor and juicier after baking in the oven. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Drizzle just a little bit of olive oil on top.

Transfer the chicken steak onto prepared baking dish and into the oven for about 30 to 40 minutes. Once cooked through, remove from heat and let it rest till cool enough to handle by hand. Remove skin and bone, break the meat into larger bite size pieces and set aside for later use. Leftover rotisserie turkey also works well for this recipe, just heat it up in the oven using lower heat or steam for 5 minutes before use.

Remove the stem and seeds from the tomato and chop into tiny cubes. Scoop out the kiwi and chop into tiny cubes. Do not use fully ripe kiwi, otherwise it'll be too soft to handle. Peel and cube the onion. Finely chop the cilantro. 

Put the cubed kiwi on the side first and mix all the remaining salsa ingredients in a bowl, including salt, pepper, and juice of half lemon. Kiwi gets mushy easily so add to the salsa mixture in the end and blend gently.

Slice the ciabatta in half, lengthwise. Brush one side of the ciabatta with melted butter. Lay two cheese squares on the other half of the bread. I used Emmental since it was left in the fridge. However, saltier Cheddar should work really well with this recipe.

Transfer the ciabatta onto a baking dish and into a medium/high heat oven. Toast the ciabatta till it turns slightly crunchy on the edges.

To assemble, use the ciabatta with cheese as bottom layer. Put some rotisserie chicken, scoop kiwi salsa over, and top with the other half of the ciabatta.

Leftover kiwi salsa can be stored in the fridge up to few days. Try grill some pork chops and serve with kiwi salsa. Make sure to bring out a bottle of spicy sauce to add more kick to the grilled meat!   

Other sandwich recipe:

• Open faced sandwich with mayonnaise shrimp and avocado
• Grilled cheese with homemade salsa
• Brioche burger with seared tuna and Sriracha uni sauce
• Japanese style corn and ham sandwich
• Japanese egg salad sandwich topped with smoked salmon (tamago sando)
• Turkey burger with two cheeses, sunny side up egg, baby greens, and broiled tomatoes
• Smoked ham sandwich with aioli and Parmigiano Reggiano
• Rotisserie chicken, strawberry, and ricotta croissant sandwich