In Honor of Ho Chi Minh-5/19/10

For those of you not in the know, today was Ho Chi Minh's birthday. I wouldn't have known this either if I didn't need an excuse to make 3 different dumpling recipes for my family tonight without looking like a lunatic. Check that... maybe I am a lunatic. But at least I know more about Ho Chi Minh than the average bear. Ho Chi Minh, the namesake for the current capital of Vietnam, was the leader of the Viet Minh Independence movement and the leader and president of North Vietnam at the time of the Vietnam War. He was a follower of Communist ideals and is credited with unifying the Vietnamese people under his leadership. And his birthday was a dang good excuse to make some dumplings. Food and Wine this month has an article "A Lesson in Dumplings" and I made all three variations. The Lemongrass Chicken Dumplings were our favorite. The fresh lemongrass and crunch cabbage was a good combination. My new food processor made quick work of all the chopping and Eyrleigh even helped me stuff a few. The Pork-and-Kimchi Dumplings were a little spicy for Eyrleigh but I liked the spicy note of the kimchi and ginger. The Watercress and Tofu Dumplings didn't hold together as well, as could be expected but still had crunchy water chestnuts to give them texture. The only disappointment was the dipping sauce. There was too much vinegar and it overwhelmed the other flavors. Soy sauce alone would have been a better match for all the dumpling flavors.

I mixed up the dumplings with the Xie Xie Tofu Salad with Pickled Vegetables. This deconstructed Asian-style salad was a yummy veggie addition to the meal. The carrots were pretty spicy and Eyrleigh didn't enjoy them but the cabbage and tofu were a hit. The flavors weren't strong but they were a great match for this meal as dumplings can get heavy after you've had a lot of them. And yes, I had a lot. Thanks, Mr. Ho Chi Minh and Happy Birthday!



Lemongrass Chicken Dumplings-A

Pork-and-Kimchi Dumplings-A-

Watercress and Tofu Dumplings-B+

Xie Xie's Tofu Salad with Pickled Vegetables-B+

Comments

SLW said…
Mmmmmm pork and Kimchi! You need to meet the woman who took over your EC job after Jeff...She makes some mean Korean food...You would get along splendidly!
May 20, 2010 at 8:19 PM
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