Dumplings & Mixed Vegetables

I got lazy with this one.  I mean really, really, really lazy.  I've been absolutely swamped these last few days, and I just didn't want to deal with making an elaborate meal.  I didn't time myself, but I'm willing to bet I whipped this out in 20 minutes or so, but that's because I used frozen dumplings.  I've made homemade dumplings in the past, and they're delicious, but making dumplings at home is a pain and is definitely not something to do on a tight time schedule.  Homemade dumplings are something you do during the summer, or spring break, or over the holidays when you have time to be dealing with all of those little gyoza or wonton wrappers.  Let's face it, if you have time to be making dumplings during the college school year, then you probably aren't working hard enough.  Frozen dumplings really aren't that bad at all, and come in lots of different flavors and fillings, including beef, pork, shrimp, chicken, and vegetable.  They're quick and easy to just toss in a pan, and very easy to eat if you're doing something else at the same time.  In my opinion, you should always keep a package of frozen dumplings in the freezer for emergency situations or when you have no energy to be making a meal.  

Just because: when I was eating my dumplings, I accidently dropped one in my soy sauce, which in turn splattered all over my desk, sprinkling my shirt, and nearly (but didn't quite reach that far) my packaging piece I had spent all yesterday working on.  Note to self and everyone else:  be careful what you have sitting around you while you're eating.  Professors tend to not like soy sauce-splattered homework.  hee hee.

Laziness can be delicious!

Dumplings & Mixed Vegetables

Ingredients:

8 frozen dumplings (any flavor, but I used beef)
vegetable oil
1 carrot, pealed
several pieces of broccoli
1 spring onion
3/4 in. cucumber, seeded
1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
1 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. fish sauce
yasai fumi fuikake (optional, to serve - rice seasoning)
soy sauce (to serve)

Heat a little oil in a pan that has a tight-fitting lid, and add the dumplings.  Try not to let them touch each other.  Cook until the dumplings have browned on the bottoms.  Add enough water to cover the bottom of the pan by 1/8 in., then cover the pan with the lid.

Slice the carrot on the diagonal into 1/8 in. slices, the broccoli into chunks, the spring onion into 1 in. lengths, and the cucumber into chunks.

After the dumpling skins have turned translucent after 5-6 minutes, remove the lid from the pan and let the rest of the liquid boil away.  Remove the dumplings from the pan.

Add a little more oil to the pan, then add the broccoli and carrot.  Stir to cover with the oil, then add water and cover as you did to the dumplings.  Steam the vegetables 1-2 minutes until softened.  Remove the lid and add the cucumber and spring onion.  Saute 1-2 more minutes until everything has softened.

Mix together the oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, and lemon juice.  Add the vegetables and stir to coat evenly.  Cook one last 1-2 minutes until everything has been thoroughly cooked and the sauce thickens just slightly. 

Serve the dumplings with soy sauce and sprinkle the vegetables with the yasai fumi fuikake.