Moo Shu Shrimp with Vegetable Gyoza

This meal was full-throttle Asian, although mixing a few cultures. Moo Shu, one of my favorites, is a popular Chinese dish. It can be made with chicken, beef, shrimp, or just vegetables. I'm a fan of both the shrimp and vegetable varieties, and they can be made in exactly the same fashion... if you want vegetable moo shu simply skip the shrimp in the recipe below! Not familiar with moo shu? It's the one that gets wrapped up in a pancake with some hoisin sauce and eaten a bit like a burrito. And yes - I made the pancakes from scratch as well. Read in to find out how!

To supplement the moo shu I also prepared some vegetable gyoza, a Japanese appetizer. These are more or less dumplings. Once again, gyoza can be filled with a variety of meats but I went for the vegetarian version here. Making the gyoza wrappers from scratch is very time intensive so make sure you start these well before dinner time. These take longer to prepare and then the moo shu comes together very quickly - especially if you can con a friend or spouse into being your sous chef!

Vegetable Gyoza
We'll start with this one since it took a long time to prepare. I nearly entirely used this recipe from Cooking Light, but I do have some tips and changes to go over, of course.

As you'll see in the recipe and as mentioned above, I followed instructions and made the gyoza wrappings from scratch. To me, everything made from scratch is more fun and better tasting - and usually far healthier. However, if you are in a hurry, you can always buy frozen wonton wrappers instead. While I recommend the "from scratch" option if you have time, the wrappers are a good substitute when in a hurry.

You'll also find that this recipe calls for using a steamer for your dumplings. While steaming is an excellent cooking method and one I have used many times before, I am now a city dweller in an apartment without a lot of extra space. I don't have a steamer in my kitchen these days. If you do have one, go ahead with steaming and pan frying as directed. I, however, have a good work around if you do not.

Heat some peanut oil in a pan as directed for the pan-frying part of the cooking process. Place 6 or so dumplings, however many fit, in the pan. Saute for about 5 minutes or until they begin to sizzle and start to burn. Pour about 1 teaspoon of water per dumpling into the pan. For instance, for 6 gyoza you will want to add roughly 3 tablespoons of water. Err on slightly more - as in maybe 4 tablespoons for 6 gyoza. The water will sizzle as soon as you put it in. Let it cook away, which should take just about 2 minutes. Flip your gyoza if needed, stir fry for another 2-3 minutes or until browned, and they are ready to go.

Using water in the fry pan as part of the cooking process helps to replace the steaming action. While still a different cooking method, it comes close and is a great substitute when needed.

Shrimp Moo Shu
Now ready for the main course? I did consult a number of recipes online in order to decide how to best approach this one. I diverged enough from each that I will write out my own recipe below, but you will find the recipe for moo shu pancakes here and can link from that to my biggest inspiration for the recipe below.

Ingredients:
dark sesame oil
vegetable oil
eggs
garlic
green cabbage
green onions
wood ear mushrooms
baby corn (optional)
rice vinegar
sherry
soy sauce
shrimp

Using a wok or a large pan, heat a small amount of both dark sesame oil and vegetable oil - probably about a teaspoon each- over medium high heat. When the oil is getting hot (heat for 3-4 minutes) add 3 beaten eggs and stir fry them. They should look well scrambled by the time you are done. Put them on a plate to the side.

Add another drop of sesame oil to the pan and heat over medium heat. Add 2-3 minced garlic cloves and saute for 2-3 minutes, stirring to avoid burning. Add 1 can of straw mushrooms. Add 1 can of baby corn if you are choosing to use the baby corn in this recipe. Add several cups of thinly sliced cabbage. I purchased two heads but ended up using about 1.5 of the heads. Feel free to downgrade or upgrade the amount as appropriate to how much you are making. Finally, add about 1 cup diced green onions.

Stir fry your vegetable mixture, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. The cabbage will shrink a lot in size. I found that as it wilted I was able to add more to the pan, getting closer to using the full 2 heads.

As your vegetables are sauteing, heat a small amount of sesame oil in a separate fry pan over medium heat. Add your shrimp, tail removed, to the pan. I used 1 lb of shrimp for 2 heads of cabbage and that fed 4 hungry people with a lot of leftovers. Stir-fry your shrimp for about 5-7 minutes or until they are fully pink. You'll want to make sure you are flipping them over about midway through as you stir to ensure that they cook equally on both sides. The shrimp should curl a little tighter and be pink when done.

Add 5 tablespoons rice vinegar, 4 tablespoons sherry, and 4 tablespoons hoisin sauce to your vegetables. Stir to mix well. Add your fully cooked shrimp. Add the eggs. Make sure everything is mixed well and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and keep warm - your pancake filling is ready to go!

...Which brings us to the pancakes themselves. My favorite part of homemade moo shu (or freshly made moo shu in restaurants) is when the pancakes are fresh. Most restaurants use the same thin, papery pancakes that are clearly purchased en masse. Some, however, give the personal touch and it makes all of the difference. After making these pancakes myself, thicker and warmer and tastier than the paper variety, I think I'll have to whip them up every time I get take-out Chinese!

The pancake recipe comes straight from Cooking Light with no real changes here. I just used a small fry pan to make the pancakes, but I did follow their 1/4 cup strictly and it worked out well. I also just plopped my pancakes on top of each other on a plate (as you'll see in the picture) and had no problems with this.

Serve the meal with your gyoza, pancakes, and moo shu warm. To make your pancakes lay one out on your plate, put about a teaspoon of hoisin sauce on top and smear it around, and then place your moo shu inside. Roll it up, fold up an end, and enjoy. Make sure not to overstuff your pancake to avoid bursting moo shu. Delicious!