Les Petits Chefs make chicken and shrimp potstickers with Vanessa Yeung

This week marked Vanessa Yeung‘s SEVENTH visit to work with les Petits Chefs (see below for a list of all the other dishes she’s made with them). Amazingly, there was only one boy in the group who has worked with her before so we were able to get back to everyone’s favourite “Vanessa recipes” – dumplings. I’m always amazed at how the noise level decreases and the concentration level increases when Vanessa comes to work with us – apparently dumplings require a lot of focus! I also love how when Vanessa suggests the boys work with raw meat (or shrimp, below), noone complains. Sometimes, when I ask them to work with such ingredients, there’s definitely a bit of the “ew” factor going on! In any case, Vanessa’s visits are proof positive that kids can make fabulous dumplings and potstickers in a very short amount of time..

One group of boys got to work with peeling and removing the tails from the shrimp…

While the group working with the ginger-chicken potstickers grated ginger and garlic…

Chopped cilantro….

And mixed the lot together to form a filling…

The boys carefully separated the dumpling wrappers…

And Vanessa showed them the technique for filling and folding the dumpling wrappers to the insides stayed put!

And then we got to work. It’s serious business this dumpling filling and folding…

I loved that the boys who figured it out fast were able to show their friends how. There’s no better way to consolidate a newly-acquired skill than to teach someone else…

And I have to say, the dumplings the boys made were pretty close to Vanessa’s!

As someone who spends all day with these guys, I am always fascinated to watch how certain tasks in cooking club manage to capture their attention. I always say I’m going to introduce dumpling making as part of the French curriculum

I mean, look at the care and attention to detail in those photos above. And the results:

Vanessa and I got to frying the dumplings.. Right at the end, we added some water to the hot pan and covered them, flash-steaming them. The steam was pretty dramatic but the results were impressive.

“Just like at a Dim Sum restaurant” was how they were described. I’d say that is a huge compliment, wouldn’t you, Vanessa?

I am fairly doubtful many these dumplings made it home. In fact I saw them being consumed in the hallways, on the stairs, out on the playground, in cars as I saw the boys on their way home. And it’s not just little boys starving after a full day at school. These are boys who know what tastes great. And if they made it themselves? Bonus!

Thanks Vanessa for you continued support of the Petits Chefs program. We couldn’t run it without the generosity of food enthusiasts and chefs like you. Also, in the words of one of the boys the following day “When is she coming back?”

Read more about the classes Vanessa offers on Aphrodite Cooks.

You might also like:
Vanessa Yeung cooks Soi Gau and Ginger Chicken Potstickers with Les Petits Chefs
Vanessa Yeung makes Siu Mi and Mango Salad with Les Petits Chefs
Vanessa Yeung makes Bison and Pork dumplings and Coconut Tarts with Les Petits Chefs
Vanessa Yeung makes Cold Rolls and BBQ pork and chicken crisps with Les Petits Chefs
Vanessa Yeung makes potstickers and steamed dumplings with Les Petits Chefs
Vanessa Yeung makes steamed buns with Les Petits Chefs

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Congratulations to Cat who won a copy of Dorie Greenspan’s Baking Chez Moi in my giveaway. I’ve emailed you!