Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Lumplings

My interesting take on gyoza (Japanese dumplings), which I could eat all day until I'm fat.. or... fatter, I suppose. Anyway, I changed some of the traditional ingredients. I still use the requisite ground pork, but I switched the bok choy for red cabbage and added some traditional Thai flavors as well. The result is a deliciously different dumpling - and since mine often come out of the pan in one sticky lump that has to be plucked apart, and I make rather ugly pleats in them, I dubbed them 'lumplings' instead. The cabbage is prepared sweet and the pork savory; the two are then combined, wrapped, and pan fried to create a delicious harmony of Eastern flavors.

Usually dumplings are filled with raw filling, and then either steamed or fried long enough to cook the meat through. I find that using cooked filling instead of raw, while slightly messier when filling, reduces cooking time greatly and allows the first batches to stay hot while the last are cooking, enabling everyone to eat at once and letting me sit down through the meal.

The odd ingredients:
Dumpling wrappers are available in all Asian supermarkets and in many grocery stores, usually frozen; you can also make your own, but I find the process unnecessarily laborious and prefer the convenience of inexpensive frozen wrappers. Galangal is a root popular in Thai cooking, and is similar to ginger; ginger can be substituted if none is available, but the flavor and aroma are noticeably different. I use a jarred variety of galangal that keeps well in the fridge for a long time, since I use it infrequently. Shrimp paste is a hideous smelling pinkish-grey Thai paste made of shrimp and salt, and is available in jars in Asian supermarkets.

1 rounded tsp shrimp paste
1T sesame oil
2 cups diced red cabbage
1/2 cup water
1T packed brown sugar
2 cloves garlic
1 scant tsp galangal
1T mirin (sweet Japanese cooking wine)
1T komezu (rice vinegar)
1/2 pound ground pork
1T shoyu (Japanese soy sauce), plus additional for dipping
1 package round dumpling wrappers

Wrap the lump of shrimp paste well in aluminum foil and cook in a heated skillet over medium heat for about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Add the sesame oil to the skillet and heat until just smoking; add cabbage and stir-fry for 5 minutes. Add water, sugar, garlic, galangal, and mirin to the skillet, stirring well to combine, and simmer cabbage until the liquid has evaporated. Transfer cabbage to a mixing bowl and add the pork, shoyu, and cooked (unwrapped) shrimp paste to the skillet. Fry over medium heat until well-cooked. Add pork mixture to the cabbage, mix thoroughly, and allow to cool to room temperature.

Get some water boiling, or have very hot tap water available. Now, get ready to fill the dumplings. Set out your dumpling wrappers, the filling, and a small bowl half full of lukewarm water. To make the dumplings, dip a finger in the water and wet the edge of one wrapper. Spoon a scant tablespoon of filling into the center, and fold roughly in half, making little pleats along the top edge. When you have 20 or so made, heat a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat and arrange as many dumplings as will fit, flat (unpleated) side down. Fry them until the bottoms are browned and crispy. Add boiling or very hot water to come about 1/3 of the way up the dumplings; cover immediately and steam about 3 minutes, or until dumplings become shiny and darker in color. Remove lid and continue steaming until water has evaporated; dump into a large covered serving dish and start cooking the next batch in the same way (more oil will have to be added with each batch). Serve hot with shoyu for dipping.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Curry and rice


Continuing with my love of Japanese food, one of my favorite Japanese dishes is a good curry and rice (karee raisu). It's something that's quick to fix, nutritious, warm and comforting, and the family loves it. The ingredients are very basic and I always have them on hand. When I have no idea what to make for dinner, I whip up a quick curry and rice and everyone's happy.
Japanese curry has an interesting history. S&B Foods, the first company to produce a Japanese-made curry powder, has a lovely page on their website dedicated to the Japanese curry story. Do read it; it's an interesting bit of cultural and culinary history, and will help you to better understand this wonderful dish.

I'm not providing an actual recipe here - sometimes I use S&B's packaged curry mix, which you can find in Asian supermarkets and many grocery stores, but when I do make curry from scratch I never know exactly how much of what I put in it. The first time I made curry and rice, about 8 or 9 years ago in an electric skillet in my college dorm room, I didn't use a recipe, and I still don't to this day. The basic ingredients are listed below; experiment and taste until you come up with something you like.

The basics:
  • Beef, chicken, or pork (beef is the most traditional and tastiest)
  • a few carrots and potatoes
  • an onion
  • beef or chicken boullion
  • yellow curry powder, mild or hot, to taste
  • cornstarch or other thickening agent
It's pretty straightforward: Chop up the meat, carrots, potatoes, and onions. Cook the meat in a large pan with a little oil; when it's done, add the veggies and cook about 5-7 minutes more, covered. Add the boullion and bring to a boil. Mix cornstarch with a little water and stir into pot. Add the desired amount of curry powder. Simmer about 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Serve with rice.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Fix-you-up chicken soup.

Anyone who knows me well enough knows I love Japanese food. Most of those people also know that my family (particularly the man of the house) do not. Sure, he'll eat yakitori when cornered into taking me to a sushi bar, and he likes gyoza as long as there's no cabbage in them, but he won't touch most everyday Japanese staples. The thought of eating traditional miso soup, made with fish stock and sea vegetables, repulses him. It's a great, healthy meal or snack and I wish I could just hold him down and pour it down his throat, but he's too big for me to beat up.

Right now, however, he's sick. Since sick men are worse to be around than colicky babies, I decided to take matters into my own hands and make some chicken soup. Miso chicken soup, to be exact. There are those that don't believe in the power of chicken soup when you're sick, but it's a simple fact that salty liquids help keep you well-hydrated, and being hydrated plays an important part in getting better - just ask my mother. Miso is not only salty, but it is also made from soybeans and brown rice, the general health benefits of which cannot be touted enough.* It is also tasty and adds a lovely layer of complexity to the flavor of any dish, which never hurts. Combine it with other delicious and nutritious ingredients, and you have a soup that's sure to perk you up any day.

Fix-you-up chicken soup

2 tsp sesame oil
1 1-inch knob of ginger, peeled and cut in half
2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
1 small onion, diced, preferably a sweet variety
1 cup carrots, sliced or julienned
1 cup potatoes, diced
a generous splash of sake, preferably Gekkeikan
2 cups chicken broth or boullion
4 cups water
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large handful of brown rice
1/4 cup brown miso (akamiso) paste**

Heat oil on medium-high in a large pan. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring briskly, about 30 seconds. Add onion, carots, and potatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with sake and cook an additional minute before adding broth, water, chicken, and rice. Simmer soup about 20 minutes, or until chicken is well-cooked and vegetables and rice are tender. Remove chicken and dice; return to pot and add miso, stirring well to dissolve. Serve in a big bowl with a warm blankie and box of tissues.

* I am not a health professional, and make no claims about the health benefits of eating the above soup. It just makes me feel better when I eat it. But while you're online, why not Google the health benefits of garlic, soybeans, ginger, brown rice, and the other ingredients in this soup?

** White miso makes a good substitution if brown is not available. Miso paste can be found in Asian or Japanese grocery stores, many health food stores, and some grocery stores. Real miso is completely gluten-free.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

A riddle.

What's better than sex and almost as good as a cocktail?



Homemade truffles. I used Epi's recipe for caramel-dark chocolate truffles. I am now inspired to create all kinds of delicious handmade chocolate treats, now that I've got the basics down. They were pleasantly easy (though time-consuming), and unbelievably delicious. The fleur de sel adds a lovely note of complexity to what would otherwise be a very flat-tasting candy. Try some for yourself, and look for future truffle experimentation here. I'm thinking lime/white chocolate with a very very bittersweet coating (something like Cote d'Or's Noir Brut).

^ Truffles in the making - cocoa coated before chocolate dipping.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Mother's little helper.

I'm taking about the caipirinha, the national drink of Brazil. Think of it as Brazil's answer to the margarita. I love cocktails, from the perfect dirty martini (a secret I will never share), to a great cosmopolitan, to a marvelous margarita. This one, however, tops the margarita in my book. So how do we make this delicious drink, you ask?


1 lime, cut into 8 wedges
2 tsp superfine sugar
2 oz cachaca
ice (preferably in fun shapes)

Put 4 lime wedges in a rocks glass. Top with sugar and muddle for about 15 seconds. Toss in ice cubes, pour in cachaca, and stir. Serve (and drink) immediately. Best enjoyed after the kids are in bed. But then again, isn't everything?

Weight Watchers POINTS: 3

Friday, July 4, 2008

What to do with fish.

I'm always a little uneasy around fish. I have a hard time envisioning creative preparations, particularly ones that my family will enjoy. Sure, I have a few safe standards - teriyaki for salmon or tuna, shrimp phat thai, and some nice pan-fried scallops. But still, my partner and daughter don't like anything spicy (she has an excuse - she's four), he hates salmon, and I have yet to try those really tasty scallops out on either of them. Anyway, I got a good deal on tilapia filets this week at the local grocery store, so I decided to try something a little different. Citrus and fish is generally a safe combination, so I've adapted Epi's recipe for pan-seared tilapia with chili-lime butter to suit my family's tastes and to better fit into my Weight Watchers Points. Add a couple of my favorite sides, and you have a tasty meal just about anyone can enjoy.

Pan seared tilapia with chili-lime butter; asparagus and shiitake saute; goat cheese mashed potatoes (serves 3)
Weight Watchers Points per serving: 9

1 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp finely chopped shallot
1/2 tsp lime zest
1 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp sambal oelek (chili paste)
1/4 tsp salt

3 tilapia filets, about 500 g
1 Tbsp sunflower oil

2 tsp salted butter
75 g asparagus tips, preferably the small Thai variety
75 g shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 2-inch piece of leek (the light green and white part), sliced very thinly
1 tsp dried thyme (not ground)
1 tsp dried parsley

1 pound yellow-flesh potatoes
1 1/2 oz goat cheese, crumbled
1 cup vegetable broth or boullion

For tilapia:
Combine butter, shallot, lime zest and juice, chili paste, and salt well in a small bowl. Refrigerate until serving time. Pat fish filets dry and lightly salt on both sides; heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Fry until golden-brown on each side, about 5 minutes. Serve with a dollop of chile-lime butter on top.

For saute:
Melt butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Add vegetables and herbs and saute until tender, about 10 minutes.

For potatoes:
scrub and peel potatoes; cut into half-inch thick slices. Boil in salted water until crumbly-tender. Drain well and return to pot. Add goat cheese and mash well. Add broth, 1 tablespoon at a time, mashing until potatoes are desired texture.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Sicilian lamb chops (with food porn).


Every now and then I like to splurge on something really luxurious for dinner. It's sort of my subsitute for eating out. I can cook an amazing meal at home for a fraction of the price of eating said amazing meal in a restaurant. Tonight I made lamb, which I've never cooked before but grew to love years ago thanks to my Jordanian neighbors back in the States.

Flipping through my Italian cookbook for a previous night's risotto recipe, I found a delicious-looking lamb preparation that I simply had to try. Well worth the gamble - the chops were tender, juicy, and smothered in a rich pan gravy that was exceptionally good for mopping up with the accompanying fries.

Sicilian lamb chops with pan gravy and rosemary-garlic steak fries (serves 3)
Weight Watchers Points per serving: 8

300 grams lamb chops (about 3 large)
1 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 oz white wine
3 oz beef broth
1 Tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

500 grams (1 pound) yellow-flesh potatoes (about 4 medium)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 180 C.

Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Saute garlic with lamb chops until chops are browned on both sides, about 3 minutes. Deglaze pan with wine; simmer 2 minutes. Add broth, tomato puree, rosemary, and pepper. Stir well and simmer for another 2 minutes. Transfer chops and all pan juices to a glass baking dish, and bake for 35 minutes.

Once the chops are in the oven, scrub (but do not peel) potatoes and cut into 1/8 wedges. Toss potatoes with olive oil, rosemary, garlic powder, and salt in a large covered skillet. Cook on medium heat, turning occasionally to brown all sides, until lamb chops are done.

Serve chops with a heaping serving of fries and plenty of the pan gravy for dipping.

Chinese takeout - at home (part 1).

Lately I've had a real craving for Chinese food. Since moving to the Netherlands six months ago, I've missed what I grew up calling Chinese. Sure, there's really no such thing as real Chinese food in the United States, but here it's even stranger. 'Chinese' takeout here has heavy Indonesian influences, and I don't care much for Indonesian food. So I set out on an online quest to find some good 'Chinese' recpies like I'm used to.

Orange chicken has always been my hands-down favorite at any Chinese takeout place. It's sweet, it's spicy, it's sticky and just plain yummy. This version (much lighter, using white meat chicken and skipping the usual breading and deep-frying) is absolutely delicious, mildly spicy, easy to make, and tastes just like the American Chinese food I'm used to.

Orange chicken with broccoli and steamed rice (serves 3)
Weight Watchers Points per serving: 8

3/4 cup uncooked white rice, such as jasmine or basmati
3 cups broccoli

1 tsp sesame oil
350g boneless, skinless chicken breast (2 breasts), cubed
1 Tbsp soy sauce (or tamari)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp sambal oelek (chili paste; found in most supermarkets)
2 tsp vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
1 cup orange juice
1 Tbsp cornstarch or 2 Tbsp flour

Cook rice according to package or rice cooker directions. Steam broccoli.

Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned. Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl and whisk thoroughly. Add to chicken mixture, stir well, and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 6 minutes, or until chicken is well-cooked and no longer pink inside, and sauce is thick.

Serve over steamed rice, with broccoli on the side.

NOTE: For the non-spicy version, omit pepper and chili paste.