Support Your Local Businesses

When I first moved to Santa Barbara, I was very excited to see multiple Asian markets. I wanted to teach myself to make Asian recipes at home, and I was glad to see places that would sell more specialized ingredients for them. The one I go to most often is the Indo China Market, near our Target, a short bus ride (or half hour walk) from my house. It’s a tiny store, but the shelves and freezers are packed with as many ingredients as you could want. They have offerings for cuisines of all kinds: Indian, Indonesian, Chinese, Japanese...There are more kinds of soy sauce than I even knew existed, and seemingly hundreds of kinds of noodle, rice, and dumpling wrap. There’s a small produce section in the back with common ingredients, like green onions and different kinds of mushrooms. And the owners are very sweet, and always willing to have a little chat. I’ll never forget the time I came in looking for advice on making pho, and everyone in the store helped me select good ingredients.

Unfortunately, the pandemic is a serious threat to small stores and restaurants like Indo China Market. Last time I went in, the workers there told me that their business had actually been pretty good, mainly due to the high amounts of rice in the store. But I’ve seen the effects of COVID-19 on the small businesses here. Handmade “Closed Until Further Notice” signs are a common sight in Isla Vista. My favorite Mexican place, Lilly’s Taquería, closed early in the pandemic (thankfully, this seems to have been by choice). And I’ve gotten in the habit of ordering delivery from a local favorite or new find once a week, to help any way I can.
I thought about that as I walked into Indo China Market, planning to try making my own homemade dumplings. Initially I was only looking for dumpling wrappers. But I left with most of the ingredients for the whole recipe, with grateful smiles following me out the store. I’m happy to help my local businesses as much as I’m able. The only way we’ll get through the pandemic is if we work together, and helping our businesses out is a perfect way to work together. It’s also something tangible, a very clear way of helping out. I will definitely be making the dumplings again, once I run out of the leftovers (I have 24 in my freezer!). And you can be sure I’ll be getting my ingredients at Indo China Market, whether the pandemic is still happening or not.

My rustic dumplings!

Potstickers/Dumplings: Makes 36

Ingredients:

1 pound ground chicken breast
3/4 cup diced shiitake mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
3 green onions, both green and white parts, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon ginger or ginger paste
1 tablespoon seasoned rice wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
36 (4 1/2-inch) round wonton wrappers*
Vegetable or olive oil for cooking

Combine all of the ingredients, except wrappers and vegetable oil, in a large bowl. To assemble the dumplings, spoon 1 tablespoon of the mixture into each wrapper. Using your fingers, rub some water along the edges of each wrapper. Fold over into a half moon shape, and press the damp edges together to seal. You do NOT have to cook the filling before you assemble!
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the dumplings in batches; my pan was large enough to do 12 at once. Cook until beginning to crisp on the bottom. Turn the dumplings over, add ¼ cup water, cover, and cook until the water boils away (depending on how hot your burner is, this takes around 6-10 minutes).

* = I accidentally bought square wrappers, so my dumplings look a little rustic. But they work if you can’t find round ones. If using square wrappers, put water on all four edges; fold into a triangle; fold the bottom corners over onto the dumpling itself; and seal the flap to the dumpling. It’ll look a bit like a spring roll.