Asian
Chinese Beef w/Black Bean Sauce
From: Steve Kramer
Here is another quick and easy Chinese recipe. Enjoy!
BEEF WITH BLACK BEAN SAUCE
Yield: 3 to 4 servings if served alone; 6 to 8 servings if served with 3 other dishes
1/2 KILO LEAN BEEF MARINADE: 1 Tablespoon oil 1 teaspoon water chestnut powder (corn starch) 1 tablespoon sherry 1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon chile paste 3 cloves garlic 3 teaspoons fermented black beans 3 slices fresh ginger root 3 tomatoes 1 large onion 2 green peppers
BINDER: 1/2 tablespoon water chestnut powder :2 tablespoons chicken stock
SAUCE MIX: 1 tablespoon sherry 1 tablespoon light soy sauce 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1/2 cup chicken stock 3 Tbs black bean sauce 1 Tbs chile paste 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
PREPARATION: Slice meat very thin and add marinade. Mince the garlic, black beans and ginger. Cut the tomatos, peppers, and onion into small pieces. Dissolve 1/2 tablespoon water chestnut powder in 2 tablespoons chicken stock. Measure into another bowl 1/2 cup stock. Add sherry, soy sauce, sugar, black pepper, and black bean paste.
COOKING PROCEDURE: Heat oil, add garlic, ginger, and brown beans. cook for 30 seconds. Add meat and cook until brown. Add onions and cook until soft. Add peppers and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add sauce mix, stir, then add tomatos. Bring sauce to a boil and then add binder. stir well until thick.
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Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.00
MOO SATE Categories: Beef, Indonesian Yield: 8 servings
2 lb Beef; thinly sliced 3 T Curry powder 1/2 t Chilies, ground 2 Garlic clove; minced 2 Onion, large; minced 4 T Lemon juice 1 T Honey
PEANUT DIPPING SAUCE
1 c Peanut butter 1 c Coconut cream 1 T Lemon juice 4 T Soy sauce 1 T Worcester sauce 2 ds Tabasco 1/4 t Salt
Calories per serving: 448 Fat grams per serving: 20 Approx. Cook Time: 0:30
Slice the meat into thin strips, no more than 1/4" thick and about 1" wide. Make strips paper-thin if possible. Mix curry powder, chilies, garlic, onions, salt, lemon juice, and honey in a large bowl. Add the meat strips and toss well to cover with the marinade.
Thread meat strips on bamboo skewers, 3 or 4 pieces per skewer. Make sure that plenty of onion and garlic bits cling to the meat. Arrange skewers of meat in a dish, cover with any remaining marinade, and refrigerate while making the sauce.
Brown or grill the meat skewers and serve with the warmed peanut butter sauce for dipping.
Sauce: Blend all ingredients together well to make a smooth sauce. Keep refrigerated, but warm before serving.
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Bird's Nest Soup
This is from "The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Three Ancient Cuisines. China, Greece, Rome." By Jeff Smith.
1-3/4 ounces cleaned bird's nest (see note below) 2 cups water 2 slices fresh ginger, each the size of a 25-cent piece 4 cups Chinese chicken Soup Stock (see recipe below) 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water Salt to taste 2 eggs, beaten Ham, cut julienne, very fine, for garnish.
Soak the bird's nest overnight in fresh water. Using a fine mesh strainer drain and rinse the nest. Place in a saucepan and add 2 cups of water and the ginger slices. Simmer for 5 minutes and drain in the strainer, discarding the ginger. Pick out any impurities and add to the soup stock and simmer for 1/2 hour.
Stir in the cornstarch mixed with water and cook to thicken. Add salt to taste and pour the beaten eggs in a thin stream over the top of the soup. Count to ten and gently stir the eggs into the soup. The shredded-ham garnish will go nicely on the top of this very delicately flavored soup.
Note: He advises that a good Chinese market should have nests available (or perhaps they will order for you), but they are very expensive. "The cost for enough nest to make two batches of this soup will be somewhere between $30 and $40".
Chinese Chicken Soup Stock
5 pounds chicken backs and necks 2 slices fresh ginger, each the size of a 25-cent piece 2 Chinese dried turnip balls (preserved turnip or preserved radish), coarsely chopped and rinsed with fresh water
Place the bones in a 12-quart stockpot and cover with water. On high heat bring the bones barely to a simmer. We do not want to cook the soup yet so do not let it do more than just simmer. Foam and scum will form on the top of the pot. You do not want this to boil. Drain the bones, discarding the water, and rinse well with cold water. Add 1 quart of fresh water for each pound of bones, along with the ginger and rinsed dried turnip. Bring to a simmer and cook 1 hour, uncovered.
Strain the soup stock and discard the solids. Remove the fat by using a plastic tube or simply chill the stock overnight and remove the fat when it has congealed.
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Beef Bulgogi
This is from a great Korean cookbook by Noh Chin-Hwa:
Ingredients: 1 1/3 lb top round or tenderloin of beef 3 T sugar 2 T rice wine 5 T chopped green onion 2 T chopped garlic 6 T soy sauce 1 T sesame salt (I'm not sure what this is, so I generally use sesame seeds and figure that the extra salt is unnecessary) 2 T sesame oil black pepper to taste
Directions: Slice beef thinly and score each slice lightly. Stir together sugar and wine and marinate beef in this for at least a half hour.
Meanwhile mix the rest of the ingredients together and then pour over the beef and mix well. You can either grill the meat or broil it at 500 degrees for 10 minutes.
As a variation, for Pork Bulgogi, slice meat and score. Sprinkle with 1 T grated ginger and stir. Set aside.
meanwhile mix all the ingredients except the rice wine together and add 4 T red pepper paste (found in asian markets). Rub this mixture into the meat well and grill.
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(Cashew Chicken) Kai Pad Med Mamuang Himaphan
Description
There is a little confusion in the name of the dish: mamuang is mango, but in the full formal Thai language mamuang himaphan is a cashew nut; the logic is as follows: himaphan refers to the Brahministic equivalent of the Garden of Eden, and the bean in which the cashew nut grows is similar to a small mango--hence the cashew is the "mango of paradise". However this leads to one of those delightful double recipes, which is a sort of culinary pun, which the Thais seem to be particularly fond of. To add an element of piquancy to the dish you can include a small amount of shredded mango--it is however quite optional if you prefer to leave it out.
The sauce includes honey as a sweetener, again the connotation is of the land of the dawn paradise, but if you prefer you could use sugar (preferably palm sugar), though the sauce won't have quite the same flavor. Further the sauce is flavored with "sweet soy", which is freely available in Thailand and is effectively a dark soy to which a little sweetness has been added. However, you can easily substitute Maggi's Seasoning Sauce if you cannot find Thai sweet soy.
Finally there is the matter of the cashews themselves. You have a variety of strategies available for cooking these: you could simply buy roasted cashew nuts (unsalted of course), or you could prepare your own. Their is no doubt in my mind that the flavor of freshly prepared cashews is far better than any precooked nuts bought in the supermarket.
If you choose to cook them yourself you may simply 'dry fry' them in a wok or skillet over medium heat. This, however, tends to lead to localized burning and uneven cooking unless you keep them constantly on the move. You could deep fry them (and some people choose to add a few dried red chilies to the oil for flavor), but this in my opinion makes them a little too oily for the balance of the dish. Better to cook them as indicated below.
Ingredients:
1 lb chicken, cut into thin slices, then into bite sized pieces. 1 tablespoon kratiem (garlic), thinly sliced 1 tablespoon prik ki nu daeng (red bird's-eye chilies), thinly sliced 1 tablespoon nam pla (fish sauce) 1 tablespoon si-ew wan (sweet soy) or Maggi's Seasoning Sauce 2 tablespoons oyster sauce 1 tablespoon honey 1 tablespoon nam prik pao (chili paste) 1 teaspoon prikthai (black pepper), freshly cracked 3 tablespoons nam sup (stock) 2 tablespoons rice wine 1/2 cup cashew nuts
Garnish:
2 tablespoons mango, shredded 3 tablespoons ton hom (spring onions/green onions) 3 tablespoons prik yuet (sweet Thai chilies) or green bell pepper, julienned
Method:
First roast the cashews: this is best done in a turbo-oven (a glass or steel container with a hot air heater/fan in the lid that produces very hot, dry cooking conditions), at 300 C until golden brown.
In a wok, over medium heat, saute the garlic and prik ki nu until the garlic is golden and the whole is aromatic, then remove and reserve the chilies and garlic.
Add the chicken and all the ingredients except the cashews, stock and wine to the pan and stir fry until the chicken just begins to cook. Add the stock and continue over low heat until the chicken is cooked, then using a slotted spoon remove the chicken from the sauce and set aside.
Add the rice wine and reduce the sauce until a slight glaze appears (if necessary add 1 teaspoon of arrowroot powder, dissolved in a little tepid water).
Return the chicken, chilies and garlic to the sauce, and add the cashews. Make sure they are heated through.
Serving & Storage:
Serve with steamed white rice.
Tease 2 tablespoons of mango into shreds with the tines of a fork (or julienne finely), cut the whites from 4/5 spring onions, and thinly slice about 3 tablespoons of the green tops. Julienne the sweet chilies or bell peppers and garnish the dish with the mango, onions bulbs, sliced tops, and the chilies.
Serves 4
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GLAZED FIVE-FRAGRANCE SPARERIBS
1-1/2 pounds meaty spareribs
Simmer Sauce: 2 Tablespoons dark soy sauce 1 Tablespoon dry sherry 1 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon five-fragrance powder
1-1/2 cups boiling water 2 Tablespoons dark soy sauce 2 Tablespoons dry sherry 3 Tablespoons oil 1 medium clove garlic, crushed & peeled 2 Tablespoons sugar
Chop the ribs into 1-inch pieces. Put them in a small pot and marinate in the simmer sauce for 15 minutes. Add the boiling water and bring the simmer sauce to a boil. Adjust heat to medium low to maintain a strong simmer; then cov er and simmer for 30 minutes, turning meat now and again. Drain the simmer sauce into a bowl and set the ribs aside. (Can do this step in advance and refrigerate, bring to room temperature before continuing). Measure out 1/4 cup of sauce and combine it with 2 Tablespoons dark soy sauce and 2 Tablespoons dry sherry. Set it within reach for making the glazing sauce. Heat a wok or large heavy skillet over high heat until hot; add the oil, swirl, and heat for 10 seconds. Press and turn the garlic in the oil with the back of a spatula. Stir in the sugar until it is dissolved. Then add the simmer sauce a little at a time (it will splatter - stand back) and stir until it puffs into thick caramel bubbles. Then pour in the ribs and tumble them vigorously until the sauce coats all of them, with no sauce left in the pan. Scoop the ribs onto a serving platter and garnish with parsley. Serves 3 to 4 as a single appetizer; more with an assortment.
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SZECHUAN SWEET AND SOUR SPARERIBS
1-1/2 lbs meaty spareribs 2 Tablespoons oil 4 quarter-sized slices peeled ginger 1 cup boiling water
Sauce: 2 Tablespoons bean paste 2 Tablespoons dark soy sauce 2 Tablespoons dry sherry 2 tablespoons cider vinegar 2 Tablespoons sugar 2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 medium whole scallion, coarsely chopped
Separate the ribs first, then cop each, meat side down, into 3 pieces. Heat a wok or large, heavy skillet over high heat until hot; add the oil, swirl, and heat for 30 seconds. Toss in the ginger slices and press them in the oil. Then add the ribs and stir-fry in turning and flipping motions until all are whit. Add the boiling water, adjust the heat to maintain a very gentle but steady simmering, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes. In the meantime, mix the sauce ingredients together in a bowl, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Chop the scallion. At the end of 45 minutes, the ribs should be tender and there should be very little liquid left in the pan. Turn the heat high and tumble the ribs a few times. Then give the sauce mixture a big stir and pour it over the meat; stir vigorously until it thickens and glazes the meat. Scatter in the chopped scallions, give the contents a few fast turns, and scrape the ribs and scallions into a hot serving dish - without the oil.
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Phak Tom Kati (Vegetables in a Coconut Sauce)
From: "Colonel I. F. K. Philpott"
The name literally means "vegetables boiled in coconut milk".
Makheua phuang are very small Thai eggplants that resemble crunchy garden peas. If (as I expect) they are not available near you, then I suggest you use tender raw garden peas. If you can only get frozen peas, then drop them in hot (not boiling) water until defrosted, and then transfer to ice water to stop the cooking, and then strain thoroughly.
If swamp cabbage is not available substitute spinach.
Thai long beans (sometimes called yard beans or yak's tails) can be replaced with ordinary western long beans.
Green peppercorns are sold in Thailand on the stem, making them easy to discard before serving, but I suggest that if you can only get loose peppercorns, that you put them in a small muslin bag or 'spice ball'.
Ingredients:
1 cup coconut milk 1/2 cup makheua phuang (Thai eggplant) 1/2 cup tua phak yao (long beans), broken into 2" pieces 1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced 1/2 cup phak bung (swamp cabbage), shredded 1/2 cup phakat khao (Chinese cabbage) 2 tablespoons hom daeng (shallots/purple onions), sliced finely 1 tablespoon light soy sauce 1 tablespoon [palm] sugar 1 tablespoon prik ki nu daeng (red birdseye chilies), finely sliced 1 tablespoon prikthai ong (green peppercorns) 1 teaspoon bai makrut (kaffir lime leaves) shredded, or 1/2 teaspoon lime zest
Method:
In a saucepan bring the coconut milk to a gentle simmer, and mix in the sugar and soy sauce, and stir in the lime leaves. Add the shallots and pepper, and gently simmer for 1-2 minutes until aromatic. Taste for the balance of sugar and salt and adjust if necessary.
Add the vegetables and return to the boil. Simmer gently until just cooked (If using garden peas, do not add them until the other ingredients are almost cooked, and then serve as soon as they are warmed through).
Serve with either rice or noodles
Serves 4
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Chinese Hoisin Shrimp
From: Steve Kramer
Here's a delightful way to enjoy shrimp. The recipe, serving two, is quick and easy, taking about 15 minutes from start to finish. Most of the ingredients can be found in any big city supermarket. Enjoy!!
Chinese Hoisin Shrimp
Ingredients: 1 1/2 lbs. medium shrimp 1/4 cup Chinese Hoisin Sauce, or Japanese Ten Men Djan 1 Tbs. Dark Chinese Soy Sauce 1 Tbs. Dry Sherry 1 Tbs. minced fresh ginger (Do NOT use powdered ginger) 1 tsp. minced garlic 6 scallions 1/4 tsp salt 2-3 Tbs peanut oil for cooking
Prep: Peel and devein shrimp. Cut scallions into 1" pieces. Mix together hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and sherry.
Cooking: High heat through out the cooking process Heat wok until almost smoking. Add oil. Add ginger, garlic and salt, and stir-fry 20-30 secs., until pungent. Add shrimp and stir-fry 2-3 minutes until pink. Add scallions and stir-fry 30 seconds. Add Hoisin sauce mixture, stir-frying for another minute. Serve immediately with rice.
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Pad Thai
From: (Stephanie da Silva)
1/2 pound dried rice noodles 1/8 inch wide Warm Water 1/2 pound shrimp, chicken, pork or combination 1/4 cup fish sauce 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons white vinegar 1 teaspoon paprika 4 green onions 1/2 cup vegetable oil (more if needed for step six) 1 teaspoon chopped garlic 2 eggs 3/4 pound bean sprouts ground roasted chiles (see note at bottom) ground unsalted roasted peanuts Lime wedges
1. Soak noodles for 20-25 minutes in enough warm water to cover them. They should be flexible and soft, but not so soft that they can be mashed easily with the fingers. Later cooking in liquid will soften them more. Drain them throughly in a colander while preparing the other ingredients. Traditionally they are left in full-length strands, but you may cut them into 8 inch lengths if you find it easier to stir-fry then that way.
2. Peel and devein the shrimp leaving the tails intact(or remove if preferred) Slice chicken, pork into 1/8 inch strips 1-2 inches long.
3. Mix the fish sauce, sugar, vinegar, and paprika in a bowl and stir until the sugar dissolves. Set aside. Slice green onions both the green and white parts, diagonally into 1-1/2 inch long pieces. Set aside.
4. Heat a wok, add the oil and swirl over the surface. Add the garlic and stir fry until light golden. Add the meat and stir-fry until shrimp is pink. If using chicken or pork stir-fry until pink disappears. Add the noodles and toss lightly to coat with oil and the distribute meat and garlic( I often do this in a larger pot since things tend to come out of the wok).
5. Add the liquid from step 3 and bring it to a boil rapidly, gently folding the noodles without breaking them. Reduce heat to medium and boil the mixture, folding frequently until the noodles have absorbed the liquid (I find a pasta server works great for this step).
6. Lift the noodles gently from one side of the wok. Pour a little oil along the side of the wok, then break the egg ad slip it into the oil. Break the yolk and cover the egg with the noodles immediately. Repeat this on the opposite side with the other egg. Allow eggs to cook undisturbed, over moderate heat until they are set and almost dry. Additional oil may by added if the eggs or the noodles begin to stick to the wok.
7. When the eggs are set and almost dry, fold them gently but rapidly into the noodles. Try not to break the noodles, which will be soft and fragile at this point. An effective way is to insert the scoop under the eggs, lift it through, and fold the mixtureover. Continue the lifting and folding motion until the eggs are broken up and well distributed.
8. Add the green onions (and bean sprouts if you prefer them mixed in) and toss the entire mixture quickly and gently, stll avoiding breaking the noodles. Cook for about 2 minutes or until onions are tender.
9. Take a large platter spread with bean sprouts(if you left them out above). Spread Pud Thai from wok over top. Sprinkle ground chilies(see note) and ground peanuts over the top and squeeze lime over the top. Or serve toppings seperatly for each diner to add according to taste.
Note on chilies: Buy whole dried chiles and grind since pre-ground often lack the "bite" of whole ones. Thai chilies may be used (_VERY_ hot), or milder American chiles may be used. The Thai chilies are know as Prig hang. They may also be found in Mexican food sections under the name "Chiles Arbol". Use sparing if you aren't used to them they are quite potent.
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Pad Thai
1/2C. vegetable oil 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1C. small cooked shrimp 1T. sugar 3T. fish sauce 1 1/2T. ketchup 2 eggs, beaten 3/4lb. rice vermicelli, soaked in hot water for 15 mins. and drained 1C. bean sprouts
Garnish
1T. dried shrimp powder 2T. peanuts, coarsely ground 1/2t. dried red chili flakes 2 green onions, finely chopped 2T. coriander leaves, chopped 2 limes, sliced into rings
Heat oil in a wok and fry garlic until golden. Quickly add the shrimp and stir fry until heated through. Add the sugar, fish sauce and ketchup and stir until sugar dissolves. Add the beaten eggs, letting them set slightly, then stir to scramble. Add the noodles and toss and stir for about 2 mins. Reserving about 4 Tbls. of bean sprouts, add the remainder to the wok. Stir over heat until the bean sprouts are barely cooked. Turn the Pad Thai onto a platter, placing the reserved, raw bean sprouts on one side.
Presentation
Sprinkle the noodles with the garnish ingredients in the following order: shrimp powder, peanuts, chili flakes, green onions, coriander leaves. Ring the platter with the lime slices and serve.
From: The Original Thai Cookbook by Jennifer Brennan
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Pad Thai
noodles - vermicelli or rice noodles ~ 6 oz. 2 T. peanut butter 5 T. soy sauce or tamari 1 T. brown sugar 2 scrambled eggs 6 diced scallions 5 cloves pressed garlic peanuts 1/3 cup vinegar quartered lime
Cook, rinse and refrigerate the noodles ahead of time. In a bowl mix the PB, soy, and sugar.
In the wok, sautee the scallions and garlic. You can add bean sprouts at this point too. After a few minutes, add the noodles, and stir-fry them for about 5 minutes. Then add the stuff in the bowl, and the vinegar. Cook this for a couple more minutes. Last, add the eggs and peanuts, and heat until hot. Serve with the lime wedges on the side.
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Pad Thai
1 Pkg (10-16 oz. (.3-.5 kg) rice stick noodles 2Tbl oil (30 ml) 3 or more cloves garlic, crushed or minced 8oz. (250&127;g) Shrimp, peeled (optional) 8oz. (250g) Chicken, Pork or more Shrimp, cut into dice or matchsticks (optional) 2 or 3 eggs 1 Cup (250ml) bean sprouts 1/4 Cup (60ml) chopped/ground peanuts 1 red chile, finely chopped, or 1 tsp (5ml) red pepper flakes (optional) 1 Cup (250ml) sliced cabbage Cilantro leaves Lime wedges
Sauce 1/4 Cup (60ml) Thai Fish Sauce 1/4 Cup (60ml) White Vinegar 2 Tbl (30 ml) white sugar 3 Tbl (90 ml) Paprika
Soak the rice noodles in cold water at least two hours before cooking. Drain
In a large wok, heat oil and stir-fry garlic for 30 seconds. Add shrimp and other meat if used.
Add the noodles, and stir-fry until al dente. Add sauce ingredients, cook to allow most of this to be absorbed (2 minutes or so).
Spread the noodles, etc. out to the sides, and add eggs. Some will crack the eggs directly into the wok, others will pre-scramble. If cracked into the pan, start stirring them up when partially cooked, so you get 'streaky' yellow and white eggs. As they cook, fold the noodle mixture back in.
Add 1/2 the bean sprouts, peanuts, red pepper, folded into the mixture.
Serve hot, garnished with the rest of the bean sprouts, chopped cabbage, cilantro. Serve with lime wedges to be squeezed into the noodles.
In my house, we have doctored this with thai hot chile sauce, sweet and sour sauce, or sate-style peanut sauce. It takes to any of these very well, depending on your tastes.
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Pad Thai with Shrimp
8 oz. small size rice noodles 3 T tomatoe sauce or tamarind paste 2 T veg. oil 1 T pickled radish 3 T sugar 1/3 c water or chicken stock 1 egg 3 T fish sauce 1/2 lb shrimp, cleaned and shelled 1 handful bean sprouts (fresh); chopped once or twice 2 oz green onions, cut into 1/2 inch pieces 2 T finely chopped peanuts
1. Soak the rice noodles in cold tap water about 20 minutes, until they are "springy". Then drain in a colander until needed.
2. If using dried tamarind, soak the tamarind in hot water for awhile, then mash with a fork to soften. Force as much of the mixture as you can through a seive to remove bits of bark, etc.
3. Heat oil in wok, and add the tamarind/tomato sauce, picked radish, and sugar. Mix well and let heat up.
4. Add the noodles, small portions at a time, and and that water/stock. Mix well until all the noodles are coated with the mixture. Add more liquid if necessary -- it will cook out. Don't be easy on the noodles -- chop them with the spatula or spoon some to separate them. It may help to "toss" the noodles like a salad, to get them coated.
5. Beat the egg and mix with the noodles. Add the fish sauce and shrimp. Mix everything thoroughly. The noodles will tend to "clump", so stir or "toss" like a salad to get everything mixed, and to ensure that the egg and shrimp cook thoroughly. It will help to cover the wok with a lid for a minute or so, then toss the mixture, then cover again. You'll know it's done when the shrimp are completely pink. There may be a little browning of the noodles; stirring will keep them from burning.
6. Add the bean sprouts, green onions, and chopped peanuts. Mix well, then turn off the heat and let stand a minute or so. Serve.
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Hunan Dumplings
Title: POTSTICKERS
2 c all-purpose flour 1/2 c water
1/2 lb ground pork 1/2 small Chinese (Napa) -cabbage, cored and chopped 1 green onion, coarsely -chopped 2 thumb-sized slices fresh -ginger, minced 2 water chestnuts, chopped 1 t salt 1/2 t sugar pn pinch white pepper 1 t sesame oil
5 T vegetable oil 1 c water
Hot chili oil Red rice vinegar Soy sauce
PROCEDURE:
In a bowl, combine flour and water, mixing to form a ball. Remove to a floured board and knead with your palm for about 3 minutes. Shape into a ball, cover with a damp towel, and let stand for about 10 minutes.
Make the filling by combining the Filling ingredients above. Refrigerate until ready to use.
To shape and assemble, knead dough for about 3 minutes. Roll into a cylinder that is about 1 inch in diameter. Cut off the ends, then cut into about 24 pieces, each about 3/4-inch wide. With the cut side up, press the dough down with your palm to flatten. Use a rolling pin to make pancakes about 2 1/2-3 inches in diameter. (They get quite thin; that's what you want.)
Spoon 1 tablespoon of filling into the center of each pancake. Fold the dough over to make a half circle and pleat the edges firmly together.
To pan-fry, heat cast-iron or other heavy-bottom skillet over moderate heat. Add 3 Tbsp oil, swirling to coat bottom. (Watch out, it sizzles quite a bit. Don't get burned!) When oil is hot, place potstickers, seam side up, in skillet and agitate (shake) for 30 seconds. Pour in water, cover, and gently boil over moderate heat for 7 to 8 minutes. When oil and water start to sizzle, add remaining 2 Tbsp oil. Tip skillet to distribute oil evenly; watch carefully (uncovered) to prevent sticking. When bottoms are brown (usually several minutes later), remove from heat and carefully lift out potstickers with spatula.
To serve, turn potstickers over (dark side up) and arrange on serving platter. Combine chili oil, vinegar, and soy sauce in proportions to suit your taste and offer sauce for dipping. Alternatively, cut up a hot chili pepper into red rice vinegar.
NOTES:
You can freeze uncooked potstickers for later use, if you squeeze out the water from the cabbage during preparation (in a colander or cheesecloth). Freeze potstickers separately on cookie sheets until firm, then put them in plastic bags.
When rolling out the pancakes, leave the centers slightly thicker than the edges. A thicker center will hold up better during the browning.
If you prefer, steam potstickers for about 12 minutes over boiling water instead of pan-frying. (No self-respecting hacker would be caught eating steamed potstickers, though.)
These are really not hard to make, and come out quite nicely! Following the dough recipe above leads to a fairly dry and floury dough; this makes it hard to roll out and pleat. Feel free to add a little more water. There are also now commercially available potsticker presses that take care of folding and pleating; they're cheap and plastic and work rather well.
The perfect potsticker is uniformly brown with a thick brown area on the bottom (where it sticks to the pot); it seems that achieving this only comes with practice. I tend to fry both sides a bit before adding the water; this helps. Beware of too much heat; the bottom will bubble and crack. This doesn't taste any different, but doesn't look as nice.
If you don't cook the whole batch at once, store the potstickers so that they don't touch; the dough tends to stick to itself, so the potstickers may tear as you remove them.
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Subject: Chinese "pot stickers" recipe
Mix together in bowl: 1lb ground pork or chicken 1/4 lb raw shrimp chopped finely 1 box (10oz?) frozen spinach 1-2 grated carrots 3-4 mushrooms diced finely. 1 can (3-5oz) waterchestnuts drained and chopped finely 1/8" cubes 3-4 green onions chopped 1-3 T grated ginger (fresh) 2-3 cloves garlic chopped finely generous splash of Chinese Rice Wine (or Mirin) generous splash of soy sauce
Spread three or four cookie sheets with waxed paper. Set them nearby. Open your package of potsticker or wonton wrappers. Begin filling them. It seems to work best if one person has their hands all icky from mixing the stuff and puts small amounts on to a wrapper that someone else is going to fold.
Use a litle water to seal the edges. You can crease them in any way you like. But the extra dough should be on top, and they should sit flat on the cookie sheet. Fill the cookie sheets with them. Continue filling and sealing until you either run out of filling or run out of wrappers. For this much filling I used two packages of wonton wrappers (with some wrappers left over). Make sure they're not touching on the cookie sheet.
To cook: Put 1/8" of oil in the bottom of a skillet that you have a lid for. Cast iron works great for this. Revereware stainless steel does not. (Just from personal experience). Fill the pan with potstickers as close together as you can cram them. Usually you do a circle around the outside then 3-4 more in the middle. Turn the heat on. Cook them on high/medium high heat for 5 minutes or so. (Don't turn them, just use a spatula to lift the edges to see if the bottoms are getting crunchy.) Once they are nice and brown on the bottom, (with the lid in one hand), quickly pour in 1/2 cup of water and put the lid on. Turn the heat down to medium. They should simmer but not boil madly. (If you have an electric stove you may want to either put them on a different burner turned down to medium, or take them off the heat for a minute so the pan will cool a little.) Cook for 20 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. (It should take at least 20 minutes.)
Serve with a sauce of (let it sit while they're cooking): rice vinegar, rice wine, soy sauce, grated ginger
4 of us ate 3 10" skillets full of potstickers. So, be prepared to cook lots.
Any extras can be frozen on the cookie sheets, then later transferred to a ziplock bag (or other container). To cook the frozen ones follow the exact same instructions above. No need to defrost them.
Potstickers Mix in a bowl: 1 lb ground chicken 1 box (10oz?) 1/3lb of raw shrimp finely chopped. mushrooms approx 1 cup finely chopped. Could also use 2-3 black mushrooms finely chopped. 1-2 carrots grated 1 sm. can waterchestnuts finely chopped (1/8" cubes) 2-3 green onions sliced thinly 1-2 T grated ginger (use fresh -- this adds *terrific* flavor!) 1-2 T finely minced garlic 2-3 T chinese sweet rice wine or mirin 2-3 T soy sauce 1-3 T rice vinegar ( cabbage, shredded/minced as for cole slaw, optional) ( tofu, optional)
This makes about 70 small potstickers, which is enough for 6 people for dinner...more or less.
To make this vegetarian, freeze a block of tofu. Thaw it, squeeze out all the moisture (just like squeezing a sponge). This changes the texture of the tofu. Finely chop/crumble. Use more black mushrooms, and maybe some cooked minced cabbage (I don't particularly like cooked cabbage so I don't use it in my potsticker recipe, though it can be used). And of course don't add the chicken and shrimp. (This is Johanna's variation)
To assemble: spoon a small amount of the filling into the middle of the skin. Wet the edges with your fingertip. Seal the edges together (you can be creative in the form, though they're typically sort of crescent shaped with a pleated edge). You don't want to roll them like an egg roll, you just want the edges all sealed together. They should have a flat bottom side that is only a single layer of dough thick.
Lay the filled potstickers on a wax paper lined cookie sheet. They shouldn't touch each other at this point. The pleated/sealed parts should be on top.
After you've filled all you're going to fill, this recipe uses 1 1/2 packages of wonton wrappers. (Just freeze the extras.)
Put a 1/8" of vegetable oil in a skillet (either cast iron or non-stick, I prefer cast iron). Carefully arrange the potstickers in the pan, crowd them in tightly, but they should be one level thick. Put the pan on medium to medium high heat and cook for 5+ minutes or until the bottoms are brown and crispy. Quickly add a scant 1/2 cup of water and put the lid on. Turn the heat down to simmer and let them cook until all the water is absorbed 15-20 minutes. If the dough looks done after 20 minutes and there is still some water left, uncover the pan and let the water boil off.
(Don't skimp on the oil to save calories -- they'll stick to the pan and the skins will rip. This happened on my non-stick pan when I was cooking some leftover ones I'd frozen)
I usually cook two panfuls for 4 people to begin with, and then cook another panful to finish off our appetites.
Extras (uncooked) can be frozen on the cookie sheet until they're solid then put them in a container in the freezer. Cook them exactly as I wrote above, don't worry about thawing them, it's not necessary.
Extras (cooked) can be saved in the fridge for a couple of days -- my boyfriend liked them nuked, I liked them cold.
Serve with a dipping sauce of: soy sauce rice vinegar sweet rice wine ginger garlic green onions a little sugar a couple drops of sesame oil
Mix these to taste. About equal parts of the first two, 1/2 of that much for the 3rd and a little of the others.
(I added a smidge of fish sauce, the kind used in Vietnamese/Thai cooking).
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Red Curry Vegetables (Gangkuwa Phak)
From:(Bill Wynn)
4 tbs. / 60 ml Oil (safflower or sunflower) 2 - 4 large Garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 tbs / 30 ml *Red Curry Paste 16 fl oz / 500 ml Coconut Milk 4 tbs / 60 ml Light Soy Sauce 2 tsp / 10 ml sugar 2 - 4 small Thai Chilies, finely sliced lengthwise 2 Japanese Eggplants, cut in 1/2 inch diagonal slices 2 Cups Assorted Fresh Vegetables (snow peas, mushrooms, bell pepper) 4 Kaffir Lime Leaves, de-veined and finely sliced 15+ leaves Basil
Heat the oil in a wok, add the chopped garlic and fry until golden brown. Add the curry paste, stir with the garlic and cook for a little over a minute. Stirring briskly after each addition, add half the coconut milk, all the sugar and the soy sauce.
As the curry thickens add the eggplant and remaining vegetables, followed by the rest of the coconut milk. When the eggplant is almost tender, add the lime leaves and chili and cook for another couple of minutes. (If your wok is hot enough the vegetables should cook very quickly). Garnish with the basil leaves and serve with or over steamed Jasmine or Sweet Thai Rice. (Experimenting with different types of basil gives this dish subtle aromatic and flavor variations).
Makes four servings.
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Curry Paste:
[Canned Curry paste is available, some of which does not list fish sauce or shrimp paste, but I am always wary of the all-encompassing ingredient "spices". It's better if you make it yourself anyway.]
*Red Curry Paste (Gaeng Pet) 8 Dried long red chilies, de-seeded and chopped
1 tsp / 5 ml ground corriander seed 1/2 tsp / 2.5 ml ground cumin seed 1 tsp / 5 ml ground white pepper 4 tbs / 60 ml chopped garlic (about eight small cloves) 2 stalks lemon grass, finely chopped 3 corriander roots, chopped 1 tsp / 5 ml chopped Kaffir Lime skin 1 inch / 2.5 cm galangal (kha) finely chopped 2 tsp / 10 ml light soy sauce 1 tsp / 5 ml salt
Note: corriander with the root still attached can be hard to locate if you don't grow your own. Organic produce markets or farmers markets are often a good bet when fresh herbs are available. Add a little more corriander seed if the root cannot be found.
Kaffir limes are different from the "standard" variety. Their skin is very "knobbly". If you can't find the kaffir lime use kaffir lime leaves, which are available at Thai and some other asian markets.
Blend all of the above using a mortar & pestle or an electric grinder. (You'll need a very large mortar to do this efficiently). The result should be a smooth paste, which can be frozen for future use. Makes about 4 tbs / 60 ml paste.
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Title: Spicy Baby Vegetables
10 New potatoes, halved 12 Baby carrots 12 Baby courgettes(zucchini) 2 T Corn oil 15 Baby onions 2 ts Chilli sauce 1 ts Garlic pulp 1 ts Ginger pulp 1 ts Salt 400 g Canned chick-peas (garbanzos), drained 10 Cherry tomatoes 1 ts Crushed dried chillies (optional) 2 T Sesame seeds
Bring a medium pan of salted water to the boil and add the potatoes and carrots. After about 12-15 minutes, add the zucchini and boil for a further 5 minutes or until thr vegetables are just tender.
Drain the vegetables well and set to one side.
Heat the oil in a deep round-bottomed frying pan (skillet) or karahi (wok) and add the baby onions turn golden brown. Lower the heat and add the cilli sauce, garlic, ginger and salt, taking care not to burn the mixture.
Add the chick-peas(garbanzos) and stir-fry over a medium heat until the moisture has been absorbed.
Add the cooked vegetables and cherry tomatoes and stir over the heat with a slotted spoon for about 2 minutes.
Add the crushed red chillies and sesame seeds as a garnish and serve.
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Braised Eggplant, Szechuan Style
From _Madame Chu's Chinese Cooking School_ by Grace Zia Chu:
1 large eggplant 2 Tb bean sauce 2 Tb hot bean sauce with chili 1 tsp sugar 1/4 c vegetable oil 1 Tb ginger, minced 4 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 lb ground fresh pork (1/2 c)
Peel eggplant. Cut across eggplant into 1 1/2 inch slices. Cut each round slice into 4 pieces. Then cut each of these in two places, not cutting quite through so eggplant will cook evenly. Combine with the bean sauce, hot bean sauce with chili, and sugar with 1/4 c cold water.
Heat vegetable oil in a wok or skillet, then add ginger and garlic. Mix a few times. Immediately add pork and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add eggplant and stir fry until all eggplant is coated with oil, about 4-5 min. Add the already mixed sauce and mix well, then add 3 Tb water. Cover, turn the flame down to low, and cook for about 5 min. Serve hot. You may wish to make it a little milder by adding less hot bean sauce...or perhaps more, to make it hotter. 4-6 servings
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Red or Green Thai Curry -- Carol Miller-Tutzauer
You can add other things (holy basil, fish sauce, chopped hot Thai chiles, lemon grass, galanga, shrimp paste, etc.).
2 T red or green curry paste (use more for hotter curry; Mae Ploy brand is excellent 3 T vegetable oil 3/4 lb boneless chicken meat, cut into 3/4-inch pieces 2 cans (unsweetened) coconut milk (approx. 3 c in all) 1 c water or chicken broth 1/2 c baby corns 1/2 c straw mushrooms (or substitute other mushroom of your choice) 1/2 c sliced bamboo shoots 5 kaffir lime leaves (dried are fine; these are available in packages on the bottom -- usually dusty -- shelf of the Asian market; they look like dried, curled-up leaves) 1/2 t salt (more or less to taste) if green curry, 10 fresh basil leaves if red curry, 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into matchstick-size strips
Fry curry paste in oil in saucepan until fragrant. Add chicken (if using) and saute for about 1 minute over medium high heat. Add remaining ingredients except basil leaves or red bell pepper. Bring just barely to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 20-30 minutes. Just before serving, stir in basil leaves or red bell pepper. Serve with cooked Thai Jasmine rice.
Evil Jungle Prince with Chicken (or with Mixed Vegetables) Keo's Thai Cuisine by Keo Sananikone, Ten Speed Press, 1986,
1/2 lb boneless chicken breast (or 1/2 lb mixed vegetables, see note below) 2 to 6 small red chile peppers 1/2 stalk fresh lemon grass 2 kaffir lime leaves 2 T oil 1/2 c coconut milk 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 to 4 T fish sauce, based on personal taste (omit for veggie version) 10 to 15 basil leaves 1 c chopped cabbage
Thinly cut chicken into 2-inch strips. (If doing veggie version, cut vegetables into thin strips.) Grind together red chili peppers, lemon grass, and kaffir lime leaves in a food processor or pound in a mortar. Heat oil to medium-high and saute pepper mixture for 3 minutes. Stir in coconut milk and cook for 2 minutes. Add chicken (or vegetables) and cook for 5 minutes or until cooked (same time for veggies). Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in fish sauce (if using), salt, and basil. Serve on a bed of chopped cabbage.
Makes 3 to 4 servings.
Note: For mixed vegetables, choose from among bell peppers, string beans, water chestnuts, tomatoes (small cherry tomatoes are best), bamboo shoots, miniature corn, asparagus, cucumbers, zucchini, Japanese eggplant, and mushrooms. I particularly like string beans or asparagus, a few cherry tomatoes, shredded (rather than sliced) bamboo shoots, miniature corn, and some straw mushrooms or slender (Japanese) eggplant.
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Yellow Curry Chicken
1 lb bnls, skinless chicken breast, cut in bite-size pieces 2-3 c fresh veggies: mushrooms, asparagus, onions, zuccini, ... 2 potatoes, peeled and cut in pieces, pre-cooked 1-2 carrots, cut in bite-size pieces, pre-cooked 1/2 c or so frozen peas
1-2 T veg. oil 1 T red curry paste 1 can (14 oz) coconut milk 3-4 T fish sauce dash salt 1-2 T sugar 1 T yellow curry powder 1/2 c water or chicken stock 1/2 bay leaf
1A. Pre-cook potatoes and carrots. Don't cook them too done, since they will simmer with the main dish later.
1. Cut boneless, skinless chicken breast into bite-size pieces.
2. Wash and cut fresh vegetables into bite-size pieces.
3. In a heavy saucepan on medium heat, heat the veg. oil, red curry paste, and about one third of the coconut milk. Heat 5-10 minutes, stirring, until it forms a thin gravy.
4. Turn the heat to high, add the chicken, and cook until the chicken is half cooked, maybe five minutes.
5. Add the fish sauce, sugar, salt, and rest of the coconut milk, and mix well.
6. Stir in the curry powder, potatoes, carrots, and water/stock. If desired, add 1/s bay leaf. Let simmer just a minute or two.
7. Add the fresh vegetables and the frozen peas, and let simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, until fresh veggies are just done.
8. Serve (with jasmine rice...).
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