Most of the time, I live my life like the squirrels on campus live theirs.
I do what I have to get done, stick pretty much to myself and try to draw as little attention to myself as possible.
But
there are other things I have in common with the squirrels. I spend
most of my life looking for food to eat, and everyone knows that
beneath my go-with-the-flow attitude, I'm really up to no good.
Think
about the last time you spent a nice afternoon outside the Union,
eating a sandwich, engaging in a staring contest with that
innocent-looking squirrel. He seemed as though he was just enjoying
sharing the common space of the world with his human brother or sister.
But really, you knew he was sizing you up, weighing his chances to
steal that meatball sub right out of your greasy fingers.
In
my own subtle way, I'm always looking for ways to stick it to the Man.
If you're like me, less of an outright rabble-rouser and more of a
sneak-extra-packets-of-Splenda-into-you-coat-pockets type of corporate
Erin Brockovich, you're going to love this week's recipe.
STICK-IT-TO-THE-MAN DUMPLINGS
Homemade
anything sounds all hoity-toity, not to mention extremely expensive.
But never fear! You too can make "homemade" deep-fried Chinese
dumplings out of the things that are in your fridge (and from a lot of
things you can buy on campus). Consider it a tiny middle finger to
those haughty culinary know-it-alls.
You'll need:
Flour, water, meat, veggies, oil, seasonings and honey
Really. That's it.
Pour
about a cup of flour (one cup yields enough to feed two comfortably)
into a bowl and start to add water. In the end you should get a ball of
dough that isn't hard or dry but isn't sticky either. Cover with a wet
paper towel and let sit.
The filling is your canvas for
creativity. I like to use leftover chicken or pork (you can get chopped
up grilled chicken at Outtakes in Offenhauer that work just perfectly
for this) diced and mixed with whatever veggies I can find.
Put
all your ingredients into a skillet, and sauté in butter and honey. If
you like a little heat, now is the perfect time to add chili powder and
pepper. Once cooked all the way through, put the filling onto a plate
to cool.
In the same skillet, heat up about half an inch
of oil. While the oil is heating, take tablespoon-sized pieces of
dough, and flatten them into discs. You've got to make the dough as
thin as possible, or you are going to have a thick and nasty failure on
your hands.
Onto the thin circle of dough goes a
tablespoon of filling. Fold the dough so you have a half-moon shaped
dumpling, and crimp the edges closed with a fork.
Carefully
drop the dumpling in the oil. Keep a close eye on the cooking because
it will be perfect and brown and delicious in no time. Drain onto a
plate with a paper towel to wick up the extra oil.
This
perfectly easy and tasty meal can be finished with any number of things
that can be bought on campus -- Uncle Ben's rice, Ramen noodles or
bagged salads make delicious choices.
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