[Molly] My dad's in town for the Super Bowl.
-One team is so excited right now. -Touchdown.
So I'm throwing a sports party with an Asian-inspired menu.
We kind of care about the game,
but we care way more about the food.
With my fluffy steamed pigs in a blanket.
Hello!
Saucy and slurpable veggie pan fried noodles.
These bring it in the flavor department.
A peanut chicken seven-ish layer dip
with flaky sesame pancakes for dunking.
And for dessert, my sachima,
puffy honey bars that are chewy and sticky sweet.
They'll make you feel like a champion,
no matter what the score.
Touchdown, Yeh.
Look at these beauties.
Hey, this is me, Molly Yeh.
This is my husband Nick.
This is our growing family.
And this is our farm on the North Dakota-Minnesota border,
the place where I eat, sleep, and breathe food.
My dad's in town, and it's Super Bowl weekend.
Sounds like a great excuse
to cook a bunch of Asian food to me.
For dessert, I am making my sachima,
which are chewy sweet bars
made of strands of deep fried dough
that are glued together with a sugar syrup.
I think of sachima as a Chinese version
of a crispy rice square.
And I'll start with my dough.
It all just comes together in the food processor.
I've got one and a half cups of bread flour in here
for a little more oomph than all-purpose flour.
And I'll sweeten it with two tablespoons of sugar.
And a teaspoon of baking powder.
So this is kind of like a slightly sweet noodle dough,
but the difference being the baking powder,
which allows these to puff up
and almost become like skinny little donuts when they fry.
And a half teaspoon of kosher salt.
Then I'll pulse this to combine.
And then I'll bring this together with two whole eggs,
plus an extra egg yolk.
That added richness.
I love the yellow color of this dough.
So as the egg incorporates,
the dough turns into little clumps
and then the clumps get a little bigger.
Then ultimately it should all stick together.
Let's find out.
So it might seem a little bit disjointed at first,
but if you press it together in your hand,
it'll hold into a nice stiff dough.
I'll grab some plastic wrap, ball it up,
press it into a disc.
I'll wrap this up and let it rest in the fridge
for 30 minutes.
My dough is rested and now I'm ready to roll it out
and slice into noods.
I'm gonna work with just a quarter of the dough at a time.
So I'll divide it into four pieces.
I'll keep them covered when I'm not working with them
so that they don't dry out.
And then I'm gonna roll this out into a long skinny strip,
about three inches wide and an eighth of an inch thin.
So it'll be a super-thin strip.
And just get at it with my rolling pin.
This is all rolled out.
I'll slice it now into quarter inch thick strips.
These are such a great Super Bowl dessert
because they're not overly heavy.
Typically, sachima are pretty big,
but because they're so airy, you can eat them all easily.
Okay.
I'll transfer these to my baking sheet.
It's just lined with parchment paper
so they don't all stick.
I wanna kind of separate them.
Okay, I'll keep on rolling and cutting.
Okay, I'm ready to fry.
I've got a couple of inches of neutral oil here
heating to 360 degrees,
and I'll fry these in two batches
so I don't overcrowd the pot.
I'll put some on my spider.
And I'll kind of loosen them with my fingers
as I make the transfer
to make sure that they're not all stuck together.
And they puff up and float immediately.
They look so cool.
They're such cute squiggles.
I'm kind of gently stirring them,
just to ensure that they get evenly cooked on all sides.
I'm so excited that my dad's in town
for Super Bowl weekend
because he and I have an equal level of sports fandom,
which is that we kind of care about the game,
but we care way more about the food.
These look gorgeous and golden.
I'll transfer them to a wire rack now
so that any excess oil can drip off.
I'll fry up the rest of my noodles
and then get going on my sugar syrup.
I've got my small saucepan here
and to it, I'll add one cup of sugar
with half a cup of honey.
Traditionally, they're made with maltose syrup, not honey,
but honey is so much easier to find around here.
And it's a similar sort of sticky quality.
A couple of pinches of kosher salt
to balance out the sweetness
and then three tablespoons of water.
It'll just help the syrup get going.
I've got my candy thermometer clipped on,
and I'll heat this to 245 degrees,
which will give me the texture that I want
in order to glue all the noodles together,
but it won't be too hard that I'll break a tooth.
Once it starts bubbling, I don't wanna touch it
because that could cause the sugar to crystallize.
Oh, yeah, it's there.
I'll remove it from the heat.
My noodles are all here in a heat-safe bowl.
I'll drizzle the syrup all over them.
And you wanna work quickly before the syrup stiffens up.
So once I get this all drizzled over,
I'll toss the noodles thoroughly
to ensure that they're completely coated
and sprinkle on some sesame seeds
for just added flavor and texture,
and they look cute.
They're like tiny footballs.
They all look shiny and coated and party-ready.
I'll get them into my pan here.
This is an eight by eight inch pan
that I've lined on the bottom
and all four of the sides with parchment paper
so that they don't stick.
And now this next step is really important
so that they stick.
This step is called the smash.
You actually wanna break the noodles
so that they form into this square shape.
So pack them firmly.
That looks great.
I'll finish with a few more sesame seeds
and some flaky salt will be tasty.
A sea of golden noodles.
I'll let these cool in the pan and then cut into squares.
[sound effect] Touchdown!
Oh, yeah, that looks good.
Mmm.
Mmm-mmm-mmm.
It's sweet and chewy and shinier than a Super Bowl ring.
Coming up, pigs in a blanket
like you've never steamed before.
For one of the coolest party apps to ever touch down
on a table, I am making
my steamed pigs in a blanket.
They are puffy, fluffy clouds of dough
wrapped around sweet and salty Chinese sausage
steamed to perfection and dunked in Chinese mustard.
We are all winners when we eat these wieners.
I just thought of that.
Okay, to make my fun dough,
I am using the go-to dough that I use
whenever I make steamed buns.
And it uses a combination of cake flour
and all-purpose flour,
which yields the fluffiest dough.
So one cup of cake flour.
If you didn't have cake flour though,
you could sub all-purpose.
Your buns won't be as fluffy,
but they'll still be really good.
And then two cups of all-purpose flour.
Six tablespoons of granulated sugar.
Sweetness is a hallmark of steamed bun dough.
And then two and a quarter teaspoons of instant yeast
will help these rise and get fluffy.
And three quarters of a teaspoon of kosher salt.
I'll whisk this to combine.
And I use this dough when I'm making steamed pork buns
or veggie buns.
It's very versatile and really easy to come together.
For my wet ingredients, just water and a little oil.
This water is warmed to about 105, 110 degrees.
That helps the yeast activate.
You don't want it to be too warm
because it will kill the yeast.
And two tablespoons of neutral oil
will add nice softness to the dough.
And lastly, I don't always add this
to my steamed bun dough,
but it'll be really pretty and festive
for our Super Bowl party.
I'm adding some sliced scallions.
I'll mix this around into a shaggy dough
before I get it onto my stand mixer to knead.
Every year, Nick and I throw a Super Bowl party,
and, honestly, it really is just an excuse
for me to make and eat a lot of pigs in blankets.
I've made so many different variations on them
with puff pastry or crescent dough,
but this steamed bun dough takes the cake.
I'll get this onto my stand mixer
and knead it with a dough hook for about 10 to 12 minutes
until the dough is smooth, but still slightly sticky.
You can knead this by hand too
if you want to get an arm workout in before the party.
The scallions smell good.
At this point, the dough should be just cleaning
the sides of the bowl.
If it does seem too sticky,
you can dust it with a little bit more flour.
Okay.
This looks super smooth, and if I poke it,
it's still a little tacky. Boop.
I'll stretch it into a smooth ball
and then place it face down into my bowl,
smush it around so that it gets coated in oil,
then turn it back over, and then I'll cover this up
and allow it to rise until it's doubled in size.
My dough is puffy and ready to get even more delicious
with the help of lap cheong.
Lap cheong is a hard pork Chinese sausage
that is sweet and salty and so fatty.
And when the fat from the sausage
seeps out into the bun,
it is like mind-blown amazingness.
To shape, I'll get my dough out onto my counter.
And I'll keep it covered when I'm not working with it
so it doesn't dry out.
And then I'll just lop off a piece of it.
And the most secure way to wrap a pigs in a blanket
is to roll your dough into a snake
and then coil it around the sausage.
Wrap it with a little bit less dough than you think you're gonna need
because it does rise quite a bit.
And you wanna give it a tight wrapping.
Okay, keep on goin'.
My dad and I always used to go into Chinatown
in Chicago when I was growing up
and we would eat so many steamed buns.
I would always remove whatever barbecued pork
or veggies or meat were in the filling
and give him the filling.
And then I would eat just the fluffy bun dough.
If they had been wrapped around hot dogs
or lap cheong, I would have eaten them though.
Okay, I've got a bamboo steamer
that I've lined with parchment
that I've poked some holes into
so that the steam can come through.
I'll space these out evenly.
And these do get quite puffy so I wanna make sure
to give them some space in between.
And I'll sprinkle with some black sesame seeds
'cause that'll look really pretty.
I'll keep on rolling.
These have gotta rise for another 30 minutes
before I steam over a pot of boiling water.
And then they'll steam for 20,
rest for 10,
and then I'll devour.
[sound effect] He's got it! Oh, what a kitty-catch!
The anticipation is real.
Hello!
They look so good and puffy.
They're just begging to be eaten.
I've got the necessary hot Chinese mustard accompaniment
for that extra little sparkly zing.
Oh, my God, that's so good.
Mmm!
That sausage is so snappy
and the bun is perfectly sweet.
This is my happy place.
Touchdown, Yeh.
Next, the secret to long life and lasting flavor.
Noodles are involved.
Every sports party needs
a gigantic mountain
of carbohydrates.
But today's extra special.
I am making my pan fried veggie noodles,
which are chewy and saucy and greasy
and exactly the way you want them to be.
And they're so easy.
They just all come together in one big skillet.
I'll start by making my sauce.
I'll combine two tablespoons of soy sauce
with two tablespoons of dark soy sauce,
which is sweeter and thicker than standard soy sauce
and it coats the noodles
and it gives them that characteristic dark color.
A couple of tablespoons of Shaoxing wine,
which contributes acidity and depth
and caramelized flavor.
If you don't have this, you can substitute sherry wine.
Two teaspoons of sugar will help caramelize the sauce
so it gets thick and coats the noodles.
This sweet salty combo gets me goin' back for more.
And then a teaspoon of toasted sesame oil
for that gorgeous nuttiness and a boost of richness.
A quick little whisk and then I'll set this aside.
I've got this mountain range of produce,
which makes me feel not that bad
for shoveling all these noodles into my mouth.
Balance.
And I'll heat up some neutral oil.
And then I'll cook these in stages,
starting with the veggies that take the most time to cook.
So I've got a small head of broccoli
that's broken into florets
and some snap peas.
And I'll let these go
until they've developed some great color.
This is like my ideal version of those greasy Chinese takeout noodles.
I just love making it from scratch
because our closest Chinese takeout restaurant
is all the way on the other side of town.
So, by the time we get them home,
they're just not as hot,
not as vibrant.
This way, I can eat them fresh right out of the pan.
And I know my dad is not gonna mind
because that's something he would do.
That's a John Yeh move right there.
I'm seeing some beautiful brown splotches.
I'm ready for the next round of veggies.
I have some carrots
and shredded cabbage.
I'm cooking these for another few minutes
until the wilt down and soften.
Cabbage is my favorite vegetable to add with noodles
because it melts down.
It almost becomes invisible.
That's one way I sneak some veggies into my kids.
Okay, I'm gonna create a space in the center.
Add a touch more oil.
And then I'll plop in my aromatics
and allow those to sizzle.
I've got some sliced scallions.
I'll just add in the white parts at this point.
And then some garlic and some fresh ginger.
I'll zest in a tablespoon.
The scallions, the ginger and the garlic
bring it in the flavor department.
You wanna let these sizzle for just about a minute or two
until you can really start to smell them.
And once they smell really good,
that's how I know it's time to pile in the noodles.
'Cause doing so is actually gonna prevent the garlic
and the ginger from burning and getting overcooked.
So I've got a pound of lo mein noodles here,
which are so chewy. They are the best texture.
And I've just boiled these according to the package directions.
And before I add the sauce,
I wanna cook them in some of this oil that's in the pan
and give them some of that great color as well.
That way, you get some kind of crispy edges of the noodles
and they get lightly fried.
This is my dream.
Okay, I'm ready for the sauce.
I'll drizzle it right in.
So I'll just kind of allow the sauce to simmer for a bit
and thicken and encourage everything to meld together
and become the perfect shovelable food.
One of the greatest things about these noodles
is that they're delicious at any temperature,
hot right out of the pan, at room temperature
when they've been sitting on the party table
for a couple of hours,
cold out of the fridge when it's like late at night.
My dad's favorite food group is leftovers.
He'll have to fight me for these though.
I'll get my serving bowl.
Pile these in.
I'll finish with my scallion greens.
And I have to make sure that they're okay for my dad.
Let's do one tester bite.
Just one.
Mmm.
They're so chewy and perfectly salty.
[sighs] Who doesn't want a big platter
of saucy noodles on game day?
Still to come, I'm diving seven layers deep
into the dip of my dreams.
Oh, yeah, baby.
-[announcer] Touchdown! -[mouthing]
For our football party's final nosh,
I am making my peanut chicken seven-ish layer dip,
which is creamy and salty and fresh and crunchy
all in one beautiful bite.
It's just as pretty to look at as it is to eat.
I'll start with my first layer,
which is a thick typical peanut sauce.
I've got my creamy peanut butter here,
three quarters of a cup just popped into my bowl.
Two tablespoons of soy sauce,
which I'm using here to achieve
that smooth typical consistency.
And then a tablespoon of honey.
A little bit of sweetness
is what makes this layer so addictive.
A tablespoon of sambal oelek.
That was a little bit more than a tablespoon,
but that's okay.
My dad can handle spicy.
And a couple of teaspoons of toasted sesame oil.
And then the juice of half a lime
for that beautiful fruity brightness.
And I'll stir this around until it's smooth.
Seven-layer dip is big around here.
I like it because it's basically a meal in a dip.
And this version is basically a chicken satay,
which I love
because chicken and peanut sauce together are delightful.
So I'm gonna combine all the layers
right on my serving plate.
Typically, 7-layer dips are done in like a casserole dish
or a bowl.
I love plating them sometimes on a big flat platter like this
so you can see all the layers from a bird's-eye view.
Mmm. Mmm.
That was the perfect combo for sweet and salty.
I'll get my chicken.
So it's just a shredded rotisserie chicken.
I'll scatter this about.
And then some pickles here that I've made
with thinly-sliced Persian cucumbers
tossed with some rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce,
toasted sesame seeds and toasted sesame oil.
Toss, toss, toss. Quick pickle.
The refreshing crunch that these provide
rounds out all of these flavors and textures.
The fourth layer is really fun.
It's crunchy ramen noodles.
This is just a packet that I broke up and toasted, 350 for a few minutes.
My mom always used to make a salad
with crunchy toasted ramen noodles on top of it.
This is the crunch that every 7-layer dip needs.
Number 5, mayo.
I don't need mayo...
said no version of me ever.
Some chili crisps for more heat.
I'll splatter this on.
Some scallions.
We've reached seven layers.
This next one is a bonus.
But I love to add peanuts
anytime I'm using peanut butter,
so that you can see that there's peanuts in it.
You get more texture.
I'll nestle in my lime wedges,
which we're gonna consider a ninth layer today.
So we can have a touchdown plus a field goal,
makes nine. Boom.
Time to eat.
[John] Wow, this looks amazing.
[Molly] Thank you for giving me a good excuse
to make all this food.
Thanks for making all this food.
-Cheers. -Cheers.
Mmm-mmm-mmm.
[John] Mmm.
This is what they should have at football games.
Chinese sausage pig in a blanket.
Mmm-hmm.
Mmm.
[football commentator on TV] Touchdown!
-Is that a touchdown? -Something happened.
-One team is so excited right now. -Touchdown.
[laughing]
[Molly] You know these, right?
-[John] These are like-- -It's sachima. Fried noodles.
...crispy-- Oh, wow.
-Mmm. Mmm. -Mmm.
Delicious.
Hmm, this is a really long game.
It's a good thing we got more food.
-[laughs] Yes, we do. -[laughing]