ABC Bakery

1309 Florin Road, Suite F. Sacramento, CA 95831. (916) 421-4259.

Is there anything better than holding a piping hot bao on a cold day? It’s like a mini-hand heater and a tasty, toasty treat all wrapped up into one. I recently introduced the kidlets to bao. When I brought a box home for Sunday breakfast, the little scallywags gave me the stinkeye. “What is this blob of dough you’re handing me?” I’m sure their suspicious little minds were thinking, “Is it full of something disgusting? Anchovies? Natto? Liver?”  When I described it as being a Chinese Hot Pocket (work with me here, they’re kids) and stuffed full of BBQ pork, they let down their guard and took one. Kidlet #2, Mr. Picky Picky, even liked it!

If you’re unfamiliar with bao, they are steamed or baked buns stuffed with a variety of yummy fillings like – cha siu pork, Chinese sausage (lap cheong), coconut custard, egg and mung bean, black sesame paste or pickled, spicy veggies.  The steamed bao are a pillowy white and a bit chewy. The baked ones are breadier, with a shiny glaze.

Baked Bao

For the past year or so, my favorite place to buy bao in Sacramento is at a little hole in the wall shoppe called ABC Bakery in the Pocket/Greenhaven (although Lam Kwong Market downtown is a close second).  ABC Bakery is located off Florin Road in the “Old” Bel Air shopping center. (If you’re looking directly at Bel-Air, it’s along the right side, around the corner of the building.)  It’s a very small store and there’s almost always a line. Items  run out quick- so get there early if you want the best availability. On a recent Sunday, I got there around 9am and bought some of their baked cha siu pork bao, curry chicken bao and a few hot dog bao (slices of hot dog and green onions mixed in with the dough). I'll be honest, I do normally like a little more meat in my bao than what ABC does but I like the fact that everything there is freshly made.  On my last visit, I also picked up some shrimp dumplings which were quite delicious. The egg tarts here (I wish I knew their recipe for their wonderful flaky crust) and (seasonal) moon cakes have also been really good during past visits.

Shrimp Dumplings

Some people I know have bitched about the customer service at ABC citing that’s it’s very abrasive but everyone I've encountered there has always been polite. They aren't usually Chatty Kathys but then again they’re trying to keep the line moving. Here’s a tip, look at the menu and know what you want before you get to the front of the line. That'll keep you from catching flack from the staff as well as the patrons behind you. ☺

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Jujube-Ginger Tea

If you've ever spent any time wandering around the produce section of an Asian supermarket, you've probably run across these:

The ziziphus jujube goes by many names- but most commonly it's called a red date, Chinese date or jujube. It's part of the Buckthorn botanical family and has been cultivated by the Chinese for over 4,000 years. In ancient times, it was classified as one of the five celebrated fruits of China along with peach, plum, chestnut, and apricot.  

Jujubes are a smooth, oval-shaped edible drupe with a small stone in the center. The outer layer is a bit of a pale yellow-green color and the Styrofoam-like white flesh tastes like a bland apple. Most cultures put jujubes out in the sun to dry out and as they mature they turn a golden brown and take on a sweeter taste. Eventually they take on a red color and wrinkle up like old man testicles. The fruit is used to make a multitude of items- jams, tea, wine, lozenges, a variety of desserts and even jujube butter. (Also jujubes make a great substitute for dates in recipes.) The fruit and seeds are also used in Korean and Chinese medicine to alleviate stress, help with insomnia, lower blood pressure and to help treat colds, flus and sore throats. Jujubes contain twenty times more Vitamin C than any other citrus fruit. 

Jujube Tea

Ingredients

8 cups water
15-20 dried jujubes, cut in half and seed removed
1/2 cup fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup fresh mint, sliced
4 tablespoons honey (optional)

Instructions

1. Wash your dried jujubes in cold water. Discard the water.
2. Place 8 cups of water into your pot. Add in jujubes and ginger. Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer.
3. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add honey and mint. Simmer for 5 more minutes.
4. Remove from heat. Allow to steep for a few more minutes.
5. Strain. Keep the liquid and discard the solids.
6. Serve hot or chilled.

* You can also make this recipe in a slow cooker for a longer steep.
* If you want to change up the flavor, you can substitute some cinnamon sticks for the fresh mint.

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Confucius Institute Dumpling Making Workshop

One of my favorite things to do when my friend Judy comes to town is go to dim sum. She always knows all the best places. When we get there she rattles off our order in frantic Chinese and points at various carts and the kitchen...and Voila! amazing little, piping hot dishes start materializing on our table. One of my favorite dishes to indulge in at dim sum are the dumplings- especially the har gau (shrimp dumplings), xiao long bao (soup dumplings) and jiu cai bau (chive stuffed dumplings). My mouth is watering just thinking about them! So when I found out that UC Davis was offering free dumpling making workshops, I was excited and registered right away. If you read my previous post back on Dec. 16th, you probably remember me discussing the Confucius Institute, a partnership between UCD and Jianghan University in China that opened in the fall of 2013, to promote a better understanding of Chinese food and culture. [Interesting fact: Chef Martin Yan (of Yan Can Cook fame) is a culinary advisor to the program.] Well, I finally got to attend one of their dumpling workshops and it was a blast. The workshop was  informative, interesting and the instructors were extremely nice.

 

Our workshop was led by Sa (Sally) Woo, an Associate Professor at Jiangnan University and instructor at the Confucius Institute at UC Davis. You can't help but like Sally right off  the bat. She's bubbly, friendly and very patient. She started off our workshop with a brief but informative lecture on the origin and development of Jiaozi (Chinese dumplings). We then watched a quick video on dough and filling making.

Once we moved into the cooking facility, we were divided into groups of four to a table/burner. We were given a handout, a bowl of dough, pre-prepared filling, a mini rolling pin, and various other kitchen tools that we would need to make our own dumplings. Sally then had us gather around her and she showed us step by step how to cut and roll out the dough, place the filling in the dough and then various ways to close the dumpling. She showed us four different decorative edges we could make to seal the dumplings. Then we were give ample time to try out our newly learned techniques for ourselves while she and her assistants walked around and helped. Once we were done making our batch of dumplings, we were showed the proper method to boil the dumplings so that they get cooked evenly. This was a pretty quick process and then we got to eat the fruits of our labor. I've eaten a lot of pan-fried and steamed dumplings in my lifetime but I have to say the boiled dumplings we had were just as tasty - and so simple to make! There was even a condiments table set up so we could mix up our favorite dipping sauce concoction.

 

 

I went with two friends and we all had a great time. I plan to use my new dumpling making skills to make a few batches of dumplings to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

If you're interested in learning how to make your own dumplings, check out the Confucius Institute's webpage:
http://confucius.ucdavis.edu/programsevents/index.html

All the dumpling classes for this quarter are full at this time, but you can get on their mailing list so that you know when registration opens up for next quarter. The Confucius Institute also offers workshops on tea and paper-cutting, as well as language classes.

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Chinese Dumpling Making Workshops Offered By UCD Confucius Institute

New Year's is right around the corner and with it comes the tradition of making New Year's resolutions. Well good news, if one of your resolutions is to learn a new skill-- check out the Chinese Dumpling Making Workshops at UC Davis' Confucius Institute. My friend Mary tipped me off about this new program which had it's grand opening not too long ago in September 2013. The Institute is a partnership between UC Davis; Jiangnan University, one of China’s top research universities in food science and technology; and Hanban, part of the Chinese Ministry of Education. The institute offers free workshops to the community on the art of tea ceremonies, tea tasting, and dumpling making. If you're interested, the Confucius Institute is currently taking registrations for it's 2014 dumpling making workshops. At the workshop, you'll get a lesson on the history and culture of the Chinese dumpling before practicing dumpling wrapper-rolling and stuffing with a meat and vegetable filling. The workshop is hands-on and participants will be cooking and eating their dumplings.

 

Photo Source: Craftbag Designs

For more info: http://confucius.ucdavis.edu/programsevents/index.html

 

Registration (the January dates are currently full, but there is space open currently for Feb 21, Mar 7, Mar 21) :   http://confucius.ucdavis.edu/programsevents/dumplingworkshops.html

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Spicy Cashew Chicken and a Side of Margaret Cho

I love Sundays! They always feel so lazy and decadent after a busy Friday and Saturday. Last night, Mr.S. and I had a date night and went to the Crest to see my all-time favorite comedian, Margaret Cho. I've seen her a ton of times over the years (going as far back as when she used to headline at the Punchline) and last night she didn't disappoint. She even played the guitar and sang a hilarious song called, "Fat P*ssy." Mr.S. had never seen her live before and he thoroughly enjoyed her show.

Afterwards, we grabbed a late night bite at Broderick (man, that place never disappoints!) and went to bed pretty late. So when this morning rolled around, I was tired and didn't want to get out of bed or change from my PJs. I stayed in them until almost 11am. Can you say L-A-Z-Y? ☺ I did eventually get dressed because I was meeting a friend at Old Soul at 40 Acres for some coffee and a bite. Grabbing good coffee always motivates me to get off my bum.

Anyhow since I was tired and staying at the cottage tonight, I wanted to make something super simple (I hate doing dishes). I originally found this recipe on a food blog (the name eludes me at the moment) but that blogger had adapted it from a Martha Stewart recipe. I've made the Martha version several times since I stumbled upon it, changing bits and pieces here and there as I went along to accommodate my own personal taste. I've finally reached a point where I'm done tinkering with it. It's a great quick meal for those nights you're dining solo and want to be able to make something on auto-pilot. I have also made this dish for Mr.S. (who at times can be a finicky eater) and he really likes it. What's also great about this dish is that you can pair it with quinoa, brown rice, farro or even noodles. You can also add additional veggies to make it more nutritious- I've added onions, red bell pepper, scallions, carrots and even steamed broccoli to the mix depending on my mood. It's a very versatile dish. (I may even make it for the kidlets soon and just leave out the red pepper.)

Spicy Cashew Chicken

Ingredients

1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders, cut into 1-inch bite-sized cubes (boneless, skinless chicken thighs work well too)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons of peanut oil
6 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
1-inch piece of peeled ginger, grated
1/2 to 1 tsp of red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons of unseasoned rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons of hoisin
1 tablespoon of low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons of brown sugar (optional)
1/2 cup chicken stock (or water)
a couple of light shakes of Chinese black vinegar (available at most Asian grocery stores)
1/2 cup sugar snap peas
salt and pepper, to taste
3/4 cup of roasted cashews (you can roast themselves if you wish, just buy unsalted raw cashews to do so)
couple of shakes of toasted sesame oil


Instructions

1. In a bowl, toss chicken cubes with cornstarch and a pinch or two of fresh ground pepper. Make sure the bits are evenly coated. (Alternate method: You can  put the cornstarch and pepper in a Ziploc bag, add the chicken and shake it up.) The cornstarch coating will make your chicken tender and keep it moist.

2. In a large non-stick skillet or wok over medium-high heat , heat up your oil until it's really hot. Toss in your chicken, stirring occasionally so that all sides of the chicken cubes get cooked. (Don't crowd the pieces, you want it to sear evenly.) When done, remove chicken and set aside in a bowl.

3. In the same skillet you were using, add the garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes. Stir and cook for about 1-2 minutes. Then add back in the cooked chicken.

4. Add the rice wine vinegar, hoisin, soy sauce, brown sugar, chicken stock and few shakes of Chinese black vinegar. Stir everything together so that the flavors can meld. Bring to a nice simmer and let the ingredients cook together for 2-3 minutes. Add in your sugar snap peas. Taste the sauce, add some salt and pepper if you wish.

5. Toss in the roasted cashews. Give the dishes a shake or two of sesame oil. Mix everything well.

6. Serve hot over your favorite side- rice, quinoa, farro, noodles, etc..

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Stir-fried Chinese Long Beans

I was perusing through the farmers' market recently and had to do a double take. At the table where I usually buy my Chinese Long Beans (aka Yardlong Beans) there was something amiss. I inched closer to get a good look and next to the green Chinese Long Beans were a few bundles of  beans…similar in length and texture but a vivid purple in color. Curious, I asked the young girl behind the table, “Are these beans supposed to be purple? Is there a difference in flavor?” She confessed that she had never eaten them before and was just helping out at the table for the day.  So I figured for $1 a bundle, I’d give these Barney looking beans a shot.

For those of you unfamiliar with Chinese Long Beans, they are much longer (on average 12"-30" in length), wrinklier and a bit chewier then your run-of-the-mill green beans. As for the purple beans, you can prepare them the same way you would the green Chinese Long Beans. My favorite method is to stir fry them.

Just in case you were curious as to how the beans look in comparison I found a pic online with the two varieties of beans side by side.

 Photo Source

Stir-fried Chinese Long Beans

1 lb. Chinese long beans, trimmed and cut on the diagonal into 3 inch lengths

1 T oyster sauce

2 t minced fresh garlic

1 t soy sauce

¼ cup water or low sodium vegetable broth

- Heat 1 T of canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add minced garlic. Cook, stirring until garlic starts to change color (about 1 minute)
- Add the long beans. Saute for about 30-45 seconds until they soften.
- Add water or broth, soy sauce and oyster sauce.
- Cover and cook until beans are tender (but not mushy).
- Remove the lid. Cook, allowing excess liquid to evaporate.
- Add salt if so desired.

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King Palace

5829 Stockton Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95824. (916) 456-8888

"Eenie, meenie, minie, moe..." There's something about dim sum that brings out the kid in me. Maybe its the dizzying array of delicious dishes to choose from as they whiz by on pushcarts or maybe it's that the purchases are tabulated on miniature golf-like scorecards? Regardless, I always look forward to when my friend Judy visits from Fresno and takes me out for some dim sum.

Our last visit to King's was on a hectic Saturday and despite the restaurant appearing to be quite busy we were seated right away at a roomy table. Tea was served immediately and we were in business. I'm fairly new to the dim sum game but Judy's an old pro and I love to hear her order various goodies in Chinese. Like a busy fish market, fingers are pointed, orders called out and heaps of small bamboo baskets are placed on our table to be sorted out later. Somehow we usually we end up with enough to feed a small country rather than six adults and two small children. This last dim sum expedition was no different. The steamed gai lan drizzled with oyster sauce was cooked to perfection, the yeung ngai gwa (eggplant with shrimp paste) made me call out for seconds and my new favorite-- jellyfish salad was crisp with a slightly spicy aftertaste, reminiscent of kimchi. Yum! We also ordered the standard dim sum fare- steamed shrimp crepes, fung jeow (chicken feet--don't knock it until you try it with some sriracha),congee (rice porridge), yeung tseng gwa (green peppers stuffed with shrimp paste), char siu bao (BBQ pork buns), pork shu mai, har gau (shrimp dumplings), wu tow goh (taro cake), steamed meatballs and spareribs. Everything was piping hot and fresh. My friend's young daughter took a special liking to opening up the lomai gai, which resembled a Christmas gift (lomai gai is a glutinous rice mixed with pork, wrapped in a lotus leaf) so we ended up with several orders of it, all of which were consumed. My only disappointment was the xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) which were served without the requisite spoon and ginger/vinegar sauce.

As for King Palace itself, it's a bit tired and worn looking from the outside but nothing a little "rouge and lipstick," wouldn't fix. The dining room is clean, quite large and a bit over-decorated in gold and lucky red, but it does lend to a festive atmosphere once you get accustomed to it. Most tables are round making it easy for large groups to share their bounty as it spins around and around. I found the prices to be reasonable (I think the most expensive dish we had was around $3.00!). Also, even though many of the staff members did not speak a lot of English, they were friendly and eager to help during our visit --empty dishes were cleared quickly and my water was consistently refilled. Halfway through our meal, the manager (owner?) came over and chatted a bit which I thought was a personable touch.

I heard somewhere once that the Cantonese phrase "dim sum" loosely translates to mean, "touch the heart." After my visit to King Palace, I think they should change the meaning to also mean, "expands the stomach." I'll definitely be back for more dim sum. With no long wait, ample parking and good food ... I think New Canton's got some stiff competition.

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Yummy Guide

3005 Freeport Blvd # B, Sacramento, CA 95818, (916) 448-3988

The Yummy Guide has that cute frou-frou feel of a teenage girl's room. It has X-mas sparkly lights dangling from the ceiling, sunny yellow tabletops and various posters and whiteboards tacked up on the wall. It has such a cheerful vibe that I felt that I should have liked it more than I did.


When you walk in there are several dry-erase board menus written in Chinese on the walls, but don't flip as they have a laminated english menu that they'll hand you. The menu consists of pages and pages of various small dishes running the gamut from spaghetti to intestines to a whole page of appetizers ending with the words "balls." The one that struck my fancy was the "shrimp pumpling," soup. It just sounded too cute to pass up and a good dish to help remedy my recent cold. Alisha and I both opted to check that out along with the salt/pepper tofu and the sesame dumplings. I wasn't crazy about the sesame dumplings, which resembled heated mochi with a peanut buttery black paste inside but the salt/pepper tofu was pretty good. It consisted of fried sugar-cubed sized tofu mixed with scallions and jalapenos slices. An interesting combination, but it worked. I also ordered some strawberry juice, which turned out to be delicious! My other dining companion, Josh, decided to indulge in a spaghetti dish with a meat and cheese sauce. He was kind enough to let me sample the fried rice and hot buns that he got. I really like the buns, which were crispy on the outside and soft and warm on the inside, the accompanying sugary dipping sauce made me lick my lips. It'd make a great breakfast snack, especially if coupled with coffee.

Our waitress, an older lady with a friendly smile, gave us ample time to review the lengthy menu and fielded our questions with ease. I think she got a little distracted by the Asian soap operas on the TV because after waiting awhile we had to ask a nearby waitress for some boxes and the check.

Overall, I think the Yummy Guide is a pretty cool place to check out. It's the perfect spot to hit after a late night of drinking as it's open late and is very cheap. Prices run the range of $3.99-$6.99. You could go back fifty times and still not try all the dishes on the menu, it's that extensive. There are also several dessert choices (like egg puffs and jellies), but we didn't have any room left in our tummies. Maybe next visit.

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