Learning some quick and easy side dishes for Ling Ling potstickers and Chinese New Year with chef Katie Chin

Last week I was invited to a fun cooking event hosted by Ling Ling in Seattle to learn how to make yummy side dishes for Chinese New Year to accompany their tasty potstickers. Ling Ling makes pork and vegetable, chicken and vegetable and vegetable potstickers and I love that these delicious dumplings are quick and simple to make at home.

I was excited to cook with blogging friends at the Blue Ribbon Cooking school-a cool place on the water that I’ve never visited before and I was glad I made it on time despite our crazy Seattle traffic. At the cooking school we met a team from Ling Ling and Chef Katie Chin from California, who is also an expert in Asian food. She has written many cookbooks and she’s even a mom of 10 year-old-twins like me!! I instantly liked her because her stories about cooking with her mom reminded me of my childhood too and it was fun to be part of a hands-on cooking class in a fully stocked chef’s kitchen. Chef Katie Chin taught us to make two really easy side dishes: an easy green bean recipe and an eggplant recipe. Both were really delicious and I was excited to try them with my kids.  She also prepared some Ling Ling potstickers and we ate so many while we cooked!

So since the cooking class, I actually have been cooking more with my kids.  I used to cook a lot with them when they were little but we’ve gotten busy with sports, friends and other after school activities. Recently my guys lost technology privileges for a little while (have your kids had that happen too?) and one interesting but pleasant side effect has been that they’ve been wanting to help in the kitchen more so I’ve been loving it and may never give their technology back. I realized that Ling Ling potstickers were easy enough to cook with my guys so one night we made them together for dinner. Another night we made a version of Katie Chin’s green beans as a side dish for some other Ling Ling products I purchased: we blanched green beans, put them in an ice bath, sautéed them with oil and garlic and mixed them with hoisin sauce and cashew nuts. We served this with pan-fried tofu, Ling Ling mini vegetable spring rolls and Ling Ling Chinese-style vegetable rice. One of my guys was especially proud that he turned the stove on, used a sharp knife to cut tofu and made the rice all by himself.  Seeing this confidence made me realize that I need to make sure my kids continue to build on these skills.

Now with Chinese New Year coming up, I’m really thankful for my own new cooking skills that I learned with Ling Ling in Seattle. I even saw that my local Costco carries Ling Ling chicken and vegetable potstickers so I can make a whole bunch next week-the sauce is even included in the package so they’re incredibly easy! Does your family love potstickers too? And do you have any tips for cooking with your kids?