Sunday Supper with Roger Li
In the center of Roger Li’s kitchen, surrounded by white cabinets, pale walls, and crisp, eggshell-colored floors, sits a dark, marbled stone island. Though it is eye-catching when empty, on a Sunday afternoon in August, the island was especially striking, packed tightly with a spread of dim sum prepared by the chef.
Dishes seemed to flow endlessly from Roger's three-tiered, steel steamer, a plume of vapor engulfing him every time the lid is cracked. Dumplings came in every shape and color, some translucent, some fluffy and cloud-like. Others were cradled in pint-sized tins to keep their soupy fillings from dripping out. Deliciously fatty pork belly, layered on trays, sat next to Cantonese duck, bubbling steamed ribs, and brightly braised greens.
For the next few hours, the feast – with a few bottles of wine – is slowly consumed as friends and family eat plate after plate, mingling and marveling as they joke, “Roger’s done it again.”
He smiles, knowing it’s true: Roger has been hosting Sunday gatherings like this for 14 years.
The gatherings began in 2008, after his move to Pittsburgh from Philadelphia. With no family nearby and no time to drive to and from Philadelphia for the holidays, Roger and his then sous chef – now wife – Claudia thought, “let’s do something.”
That notion soon became a regular gathering on Sundays at Roger’s house. In his apartment in the West End, coworkers and employees would spend nights drinking beer on Roger's eight-by-eight deck, taking time to relax and rest, soaking in their two-day break before returning to the restaurant on Tuesday.
“We love hosting on Sundays,” Roger said. “It’s a good time for us to hang out… [especially with] people who work with me. I’m not their boss anymore; we can be friends and just talk. There’s a lot to get out of just hanging out.
Since 2008, Roger graduated to a house, grew his family, and impacted Pittsburgh’s food industry through a handful of restaurants: Umami, Ki Ramen, Ki Pollo, Nanban, and The Parlor Dim Sum. Though they may be less frequent – maybe two times a month – Sundays still stand out as red-letter days.
Roger shares a few of his Sunday Dim Sum recipes with TABLE readers. Try your hand at a few, invite your friends over, and have your own Sunday feast.
Steamed Ribs
3 lb pork riblets, washed and rinsed
2 tbsp black beans, washed and rinsed
4 tbsp Shaoxing wine
3 tbsp cornstartch
1 tbsp ginger, minced
2 tbsp ginger, minced
1 tbsp salt
½ tsp white pepper
2 tsp MSG
2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp shallot oil
Mix all ingredients together and steam in a steamer for 20 minutes, until hot and bubbly.
Taro Dumplings
500 g taro mash
100 g wheat starch
3/4 cup water
110 g butter or lard
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
Mix all ingredients together (the consistency should be like dough). Take spoonfuls of the dough and fry in oil, until the dumpling looks similar to a croquette. Dip in dumpling sauce and enjoy!
Dumpling sauce
2 cups ginger
1 cup garlic
2 cups Shaoxing wine
2 qt low soy sauce
2 qt water
2 qt sugar
3 qt rice vinegar
1/4 cup MSG
Mix all ingredients together, and then simmer for 15 minutes on low heat. Enjoy with your favorite dumplings.
Egg Tart
1 puff pastry, store-bought
6 eggs
1 cup evaporated milk
2 cups hot water
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Take store-bought puff pastry crust and cut to fill mini tart tins. Parbake the shells according to package directions. While shells bake, mix ingredients. Fill up the tins with the egg mixture then bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
Story by Maggie Weaver / Photography by Laura Petrilla / Food and Recipes by Roger Li