I was told by those in the know that Shanghai Dumpling King in the outer Rich puts out the best soup dumplings in the city. So, while the husband was away, JG came out to play ... we decided to give it a go one blustery night.
The verdict? "Meh" from the both of us.
I gotta say, I think King of Noodles' soup dumplings are better, and so are Yank Sing's (see below). (JG agrees with me on the former as he's had them with me—the broth is more flavorful and the meat filling is juicier.)
But oh well, the visit was still worthwhile. We really liked the spicy pork and chive dumplings. The wrappers were tender, the meat super tasty.
I also liked the flaky, crispy green onion pancakes. JG? Not so much.
So for Christmas, I decided to try a completely new line-up of sides including the bread accompanying dinner. Last year—and other years past—it's been challah for the holidays, but this year, I thought these Parker House rolls sounded deee-lightful. Yeah, a bit time-consuming, but with all that butter, honey and herbage, well worth the effort. ... And indeed they were.
I pretty much followed directions to a T (though I may have worked in a smidge more flour than the recipe calls for). Since I didn't have a mixer, I worked the dough all by hand, first with the help of a fork, and then with my bare mitts. Super therapeutic this was.
After kneading the dough til shiny, soft and elastic (about 10-15 minutes), I plopped it into a buttered bowl, covered and let rise in a warm place for an hour-plus.
This is how it looked when it came out. I divided the dough in two, per Kate Ramos (lovely author of the Chow recipe), then started working on one half, setting the other aside for later.
I got to rolling it out to about 10x12.
Cut it into 5 strips and then cut those 5 strips into 3s.
Added in the herbaceous butter (mine was heavy on the parsley and thyme since those were what I had lying about this Xmas time) and then folded the pieces in half. I did the same thing with the other half of the dough.
Assembled in a well-buttered 9x13 pyrex per Kate. Then covered again and let rise for another hour or so in a warm place.
After that hour, I slathered on more of the herb-laden butter, then sprinkled with lovely large flakes of sea salt. In they went, into a 350 °F degree oven.
Et voilà!
Some of the best, buttery rolls I've made and frankly ever eaten—the family seconds this opinion.
I was told by those in the know that Shanghai Dumpling King in the outer Rich puts out the best soup dumplings in the city. So, while the husband was away, JG came out to play ... we decided to give it a go one blustery night.
