The quest for ‘new’ and creative’ twists on classic dishes has gotten out of control. The latest proof of that statement comes in the form of a ‘viral deconstructed soup-dumpling lasagna’. Utter nonsense. Have some food writers have gone off the ‘newstalgia’ deep end?
She calls herself Kalejunkie. And judging by her appearance in her videos, she’s probably a Gen Xer. But none of that ex-cuses her Trump-like (surreal?) take on food and recipe creation.
Some pertinent examples
Her ‘bent’ is bent. Which is to say, Kale-junkie seems to be going out of her way to come up with crazy – in some cases, clashy – recipe crossovers and combos.
Just recently, she has posted mashup delights such as: Chicken Shawarma Crispy Rice Salad, Miso Ginger Orange Chuck Roast, and (of course) her take on Viral Dumpling Chinese Lasagna.
Now, you should be prepared for what to expect.
She says…
KJ opens her take on the online oddity thus: “The VIRAL DUMPLING ‘LASAGNA’ has got to be one of the best food trends I’ve seen in a while.”
“Why? Bc making dumplings one at a time is time consuming and this is a fun way to make layers…”
Her claim to authority? She boasts she’s created 4,440 posts and has 2.8 million followers.
Anyway…
The recipe seems over-complicated to me, but that’s just my personal take. I will admit that the Asian specialty products DO make the dish more authentic from that angle.
Makes 4 servings (2 each)
1 Ib. / 454 g ground pork
1 cup napa cabbage, chopped
3 green onions, finely sliced
1 tb. fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, mashed
6 mushrooms, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. / 2.5 ml baking soda (optional but recommend for fluffier texture!)
2 tb.30 ml sesame oil
2 tb. mirin 30 ml (or shaoxing wine)
2 tb. 30 ml oyster sauce
1/4 cup / 60 ml low sodium soy sauce
1 package wonton wrappers
Chili oil & green onions for garnish
Instructions:
In a large bowl, mix the pork with the seasonings and other fillings above. In a mug or ramekin, alternate layers of pork mixture and wonton wrappers until the mug/ramekin is almost full.
Before adding the final layer of wonton wrapper, add 1/3 cup of water. I then like to add two wonton wrappers on top. Steam for 20 minutes.
Add chili oil and green onions and enjoy!
Some points to ponder…
You could use the classic beef/pork blend rather than plain pork. But pork is still somewhat cheaper than beef…
Make that Soy Sauce LIGHT rather than regular (Dark). Otherwise it will take over the whole flavour profile of the dish.
I’m not sure that 1/2 tsp. of baking powder will do too much to enhance the dish. But try it the first time you make it to see…
You can also use Dry Sherry or bone-dry White Wine instead of the Asian cooking wines.
Be sure to get Wonton Wrappers to fit the size of the ramekins you’re planning to use.
Be careful with the Chili Oil. Unless you are a died-in-the-wool spicy-hot lover.
My take
Yes, the ‘dumplings’ are the kind you get at (or used to get) at Cracker Barrel. More like big noodles. But the idea of substituting Wonton wrappers for Lasaagna noodles gets me thinking about the possibility of other Lasagna hacks…
It actually looks like a good dish. I guess it’s the name that gets me riled up and wrinkling my nose.
But she does have millions of followers. (Of course I’m jealous!) Maybe I should lean a little more to the ‘surreal’…
Meanwhile, here’s a completely different dish to help you banish the Holiday Feast / leftover blues!
~ Maggie J.