Pad Thai beef dumplings
At Bistronomy by Nico, a French bistro in downtown Charleston, S.C., by chef Nico Romo, chef de cuisine Andrew Singer uses ground beef from lean teres major and sirloin cuts to avoid having excess liquid. He seasons it with salt and pepper, browns it — just to color it, not to cook it all the way through — strains the fat and cools the meat. Then he adds a pad Thai sauce made of ginger, lemongrass, garlic, tamarind, Sriracha sauce, brown sugar, Mirin, cornstarch, soy sauce water and olive oil that he simmers and then finishes with fish sauce and a little sesame oil.
Then he adds “enough green onion or chives to easily identify their presence in the mixture” and marinates it all overnight.
The next day he strains off the excess liquid, rolls it into wonton wrappers and fries them. They’re topped with pickled red onion and scallion and served with a sweet soy sauce.
Price: $14