Easy Dumplings

Continuing with my theme of easier but less traditional ways to make Asian food, I present a simpler way to get your dumpling on.
Making dumplings from scratch can be fun and you could host a dumpling making party where you end up meeting the girl of your dreams, but you don't always have the time or energy for that.

For the wrapper, you can buy wonton wrappers (check the label).  I used the Banyan brand, a Texas company.

For the filling:
1/2 package of tofu, chopped
1/4 onion, chopped
four or five white button mushrooms
soy sauce, four or five splashes
ginger, a dash
basil, a dash or two

Mix all the filling ingredients in a bowl.  Spoon about a grape-sized amount of it onto a wrapper.  Fold the wrapper into a triangle.  Keep a little warm water handy as you can dip your finger into it and it'll help seal the wrapper.  Fry those puppies up!

Veggie Tempura

Tempura is Japanese for "that tastes awesome!"
I cheated when I made tempura this time, using a packaged batter mix like this one.  Actually that's the exact one I used and it turned out better than any scratch-made batter I've ever made so keep that in mind.
There are directions on the box that basically include whisking ice cold water into the batter, dipping the veggies into said batter and placing them in a pan with a lot of oil and frying them until crispy.  You may want to use a paper towel to get some of the oil out.  You may also want to serve this with a salad to balance things out.

Veggies used: Sweet potato, asparagus and onion.
Veggies you might to use in addition: green beans, eggplant, carrot