Chinalian - Shrimp Dumpling Alfredo

I would never have guessed that someday I would be frustrated about a boy being obsessed with me and bringing me flowers all the time. But I am.

The boy is my little rescue pup, Newt, and the flowers are those that are, or were,  carefully planted in my garden. He goes for the biggest, most colorful flowers and greets me at the door with them. They’re carefully plucked (by paw or snout, the method remains unclear) from the backyard blooms he’s technically not supposed to touch.

It’s absolutely adorable. And absolutely frustrating. And what I do when I’m frustrated is cook. The more frustrated, the more wacky the recipe has to be to take my mind off of it. This one is a mashup between Chinese and Italian.

It sounds a little weird, but this is really good. I hope you give it a try.

It’s quick, super simple and needs only a few ingredients.

INGREDIENTS

8 ounces shrimp, peeled and deveined - tails off

12 ounces frozen dumplings or wontons - any type filling. I used chicken.

1/2 cup frozen shelled edamame

1-2 sliced scallions

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

2/3 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons chili crisp*

1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese, finely grated.

METHOD

I used dumplings. But if you’re using wontons, boil them first in salted water  for 3-4 minutes first.

Heat the oil and butter over medium heat in a large fry pan. I used dumplings so I sauteed them alone first for a few minutes. No need to do that if you used wontons and boiled them.

Toss the wontons/dumplings, shrimp and edamame in the pan and saute for 5-7 minutes.

Add the chili crisp - I know I’ve mentioned it here before, but it’s still one of my newest obsessions.* I like Fly By Jing’s or Momofuko’s. The perfect amount of heat, and I love the texture.

After everything has been coated with the chili crisp, stir in the cream and reduce for a few minutes.

Remove it from the heat and mix in the cheese.

Garnish with scallions, or even toasted sesame seeds.

There. I feel better.

Despite Newt’s botanical burglaries, I can’t stay mad at him. He’s my best little buddy - and my worst gardener.