Crispy Gau Gee w/ Shiitake & Mustard Greens

Crispy!

Aloha y’all! Daycia and I just got back from Hawai’i visitng family. It was very relaxing. I can always spend a day on the beach or hiking ahh…

Anyway, today I’m posting this dish I made a little while ago called gau gee. Gau gee is a popular pupu(appetizer) in Hawai’i with Chinese origin. Traditionally, the fried dumplings are filled with pork and shrimp, but for my version I’ll be using shiitake mushrooms and pickled mustard greens! 🥬🍄‍🟫 I used Hannah Che’s recipe for the pickled greens from her book “Chinese Vegan Kitchen”. She’s amazing! I’m so inspired by her.

The combination of meaty shiitake and juicy mustard greens is such a treat! For the dipping sauce I mixed mayonnaise with Chinese hot mustard and soy sauce. The dip is great with crudités as well!

Filling:

 •    1 cup shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped

• ½ cup firm tofu, crumbled

• ½ cup pickled mustard greens, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tsp grated ginger

• 1 tbsp soy sauce

• ½ tsp toasted sesame oil

• ½ tsp white pepper

• 1 tbsp cornstarch

• 1 tbsp chopped scallion greens

Wrappers:

•  20-25 square wonton wrappers

• Small bowl of water (for sealing)

• Neutral oil for frying

• 2 tbsp Chinese hot mustard powder

• 2 tbsp water

• 1 tbsp rice vinegar

• 1 tbsp soy sauce

• 1/2 cuo mayonnaise

• ½ tsp toasted sesame oil

Directions:

Heat a pan over medium heat with a small amount of oil.

Sauté the garlic and ginger until fragrant (about 30 seconds).

Add the chopped shiitake mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened.

Stir in the pickled mustard greens, tofu, soy sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper. Cook for another 2 minutes.

Remove from heat, stir in cornstarch (to help bind the mixture), and let it cool slightly.

While the mixture is cooling, combine all of the sauce ingrediens an stir until combined. Refrigerate until ready.

To assemble the gau gee, lay out a wonton wrapper. Place about 1 tsp of filling in the center.

Moisten the edges of the wrapper with water and fold it into a rectangle, pressing to seal.

Repeat until all filling is used.

Heat about 1 inch of oil in a pan to 350°F (175°C).

Fry the gau gee in batches for 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy.

Drain on paper towels.

Mahalo! 🌺