How to Make Chive Boxes

My mom grows chives in her yard, something she started doing when we lived in Champaign, Illinois. They’re very easy to grow and maintain and when you trim them, the entire yard smells like fresh chives (which might not always please the neighbors). In Champaign, we used to stir fry chives with all types of other veggies and also make chive boxes (more like chive dumplings, but the translation from Chinese to English is literally chive boxes). This is an easy recipe, especially if you have lots of chives in your garden and you can incorporate different types of veggies for a delicious snack.

Chive Boxes

Simple dough (2 cups flour: 3/4 cup water)
1 pound chives
1/2 pound shredded carrots
1 pound cocktail shrimp
4-5 Shiitake Mushrooms, sliced
2-3 pieces bean curd, diced
3 eggs
2 bunches of glass noodles, soaked in warm water

Thoroughly wash the chives:

De-vein the shrimp (if necessary), remove the tails, and dice:

Thinly slice the shiitake mushrooms (we purchase them dried, soaked them for 2-3 hours, and sliced them):

Dice up the chives and shred the carrots:

Mix the eggs together and cook them, omelet style (after the eggs are cooked, slice them to add to the filling):

Dice the bean curd and stir fry:

Then add the carrots, chives, and shrimp:

Finally, add the eggs that have been sliced and the glass noodles (drain them before placing in the pot):

Fill the chive boxes with the rolled out dough:

Make sure they’re not too plump (otherwise they won’t fully cook) and close the chive box with a fork:

Place the chive boxes on a heated up pan and cook until the dough is crisp:

Make sure you cook both sides:

YUM! These are super easy to make and my mom and I make them a lot during the summer months. The ingredients are all easy to come by (even if you don’t grow chives in your backyard) and they’re really delicious!