I have been MIA, but certainly not inactive. New year came with a roarin' start particular on the home front- we are planning to move! Decluttering, disposing, donating all came with the territory. Although it's been tiring, it feels good to shed the old and the unused. You'd be surprised how much it naturally helps unclutter the chaos of the mind. Having less means less things to be responsible for and thinking about. I have been gravitating towards minimalism and I hope with our eventual new home, it will embody that 'less is best' philosophy.
I truly can't believe how fast time flew... My first program of 2020- Asian cooking classes with seniors with mostly familiar faces and some new, we've already had four go by π©π³π¨π³, exploring home-style cooking from Vietnam, China, Korea and Japan.
To kick-start the first session of the year, Vietnamese chicken noodle soup! It's one of the simplest and most subtle flavour of the many variety of Vietnamese noodle soup bowls out there-- think hours-to-make beef pho and rich, pungent spicy beef noodles (bΓΊn bΓ² huαΊΏ) with pork blood cubes and feet.
Chicken legs cook in an hour to make the broth, meat shredded, protein doubled with sliced egg crepe atop vermicelli rice noodles garnished with green onions, cilantro, red chiles and doused with fish sauce and fresh lime juice. Winter comfort soup meal right there π.
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| Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup |
Noodles were accompanied by these tasty pan-fried beancurd shrimp and pork mousse rolls which are popular for Chinese dim sum. I added red chilis for colour and a bit of heat and water chestnuts for crunch. Macerating in the blender breaks down the shrimp and creates a springy mousse texture. Adding ground meat help extend the meatiness however, substitute the meat with shrimps and make it a pure ultimate shrimp mousse roll. The taste will be light and airier.
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| Served these delectables at Chinese New Year |
Pan-Fried Beancurd Shrimp and Pork Mousse Rolls
Makes 12 rolls (with about 1-1/2 cups mixture)
400 g shrimps, shelled and deveined, salted and rinsed well with cold water until clear
1/4 lb. to 1/2 lb. lean ground pork or chicken
2 shallots, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp. tapioca flour dissolved in 2 Tbsp. water
1 egg white, yolk reserved for another use
1 long red chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped water chestnuts
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 tsp. white or black ground pepper
Dashes of fish sauce
1 pkg. beancurd sheets
2 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tbsp. water
Thai chili plum sauce to serve
Pat the shrimps dry with paper towel and place in a food processor with pork. Add the shallots and garlic; process to a smooth, shiny paste.
Add tapioca paste and egg white to the mixture while motor is still running and process to incorporate all the ingredients. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in the chili, wagter chestnuts, salt, pepper and fish sauce.
Prepare the beancurd sheets by cutting into twelve 8“ x 8” pieces for wrapping. Place ~ 2 Tbsp. of filling on the bottom of the skin into a flat log. Fold up to encase the filling and fold in the sides. Dip your index finger in the cornstarch mixture and run it across the top seam of the sheet; tuck the filling in the wrap with the top of your fingers and roll up to seal. NOTE: Sheets dry out easily; keep in package or place damp towel over sheets while using.
Heat 2 Tbsp. of oil in a large pan over medium heat, pan fry both sides with the seam side down first until golden brown about four minutes each until cooked through. Sprinkle a little water half way through to slightly steam and to prevent a tough and chewy skin. Drain the rolls on a paper towel-lined plate to soak up any excess oil. Serve with chili plum sauce.
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 tsp. white or black ground pepper
Dashes of fish sauce
1 pkg. beancurd sheets
2 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tbsp. water
Thai chili plum sauce to serve
Pat the shrimps dry with paper towel and place in a food processor with pork. Add the shallots and garlic; process to a smooth, shiny paste.
Add tapioca paste and egg white to the mixture while motor is still running and process to incorporate all the ingredients. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in the chili, wagter chestnuts, salt, pepper and fish sauce.
Prepare the beancurd sheets by cutting into twelve 8“ x 8” pieces for wrapping. Place ~ 2 Tbsp. of filling on the bottom of the skin into a flat log. Fold up to encase the filling and fold in the sides. Dip your index finger in the cornstarch mixture and run it across the top seam of the sheet; tuck the filling in the wrap with the top of your fingers and roll up to seal. NOTE: Sheets dry out easily; keep in package or place damp towel over sheets while using.
Heat 2 Tbsp. of oil in a large pan over medium heat, pan fry both sides with the seam side down first until golden brown about four minutes each until cooked through. Sprinkle a little water half way through to slightly steam and to prevent a tough and chewy skin. Drain the rolls on a paper towel-lined plate to soak up any excess oil. Serve with chili plum sauce.
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| Dumplings 101 |
It's all in the magic flip ✨... what a little potato starch and water can do to dumplings.
During Chinese New Year, it is custom to eat dumplings- lots of it π₯π₯π₯! The more you eat the more money it's suppose to bring for you in this year of the rat. The more pleats you make on the dumplings, the more fortune is sealed in for you. Bring It On... π₯.
My cooking class had everyone hands-on filling, wrapping and pleating. We made a pork, ginger and cilantro version in two styles- pan-fried and the main attraction, GYoZas- crispy bottoms with steamed tops in an attached circular fan shape #dumplingart. Paired with a hot and sour soup, it was a delicious dumpling and soup kind of day π₯π₯£π€!
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| Crispy gyoza-style dumplings- steamed tops, crispy bottoms. |
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| WoWZers!!! |
Into Korea the following week...
Beautiful blistered shishito babies... all you need is a sprinkle of salt and a hot grill pan for these sweet shrivelly peppers. And a skewer to pierce all over first or else they'll pop π₯. Like my son says "gulping gorgeous π€€!"
Served in or alongside Korean Pork Belly Kimchi Stir Fry with steamed rice and lettuce parcels, pan fried tofu, kimchi and other panchan (appetizer sides) we got a hearty lunch to comfort us on this cold day ❄!
Shishito peppers are sweet but spicy at the tops where the seeds gather. Fun Fact: Did you know there could be a random 1 or 2 hot ones in every batch?
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| Love that lone yellow one πππ |
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| Pork belly and kimchi lettuce parcels... YUMMERS! |
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| The building blocks of good Miso Soup |
I love the simplicity of Japanese miso soup. There are as many types of miso soup as there are households in Japan-- a recipe that offers a different taste developed over many years in each family π₯£.
The building blocks of a good miso soup relies on dashi (basic stock) and miso paste. My dashi is made from a combo of kelp and bonito flakes, then I add small diced tofu, wakame seaweed, swirl in red miso (saltier and more umami than lighter coloured) and thinly sliced green onions. Miso paste was also combined with tahini sesame paste, mirin and sugar for a dressing on a green beans side western-style (yoshoku) with sesame seeds. Miso is great for braising, marinating, roasting vegetables, sauces and glazes.
The building blocks of a good miso soup relies on dashi (basic stock) and miso paste. My dashi is made from a combo of kelp and bonito flakes, then I add small diced tofu, wakame seaweed, swirl in red miso (saltier and more umami than lighter coloured) and thinly sliced green onions. Miso paste was also combined with tahini sesame paste, mirin and sugar for a dressing on a green beans side western-style (yoshoku) with sesame seeds. Miso is great for braising, marinating, roasting vegetables, sauces and glazes.
To warm us up even more on this cold day, we also made a hearty skillet simmered beef and tofu. More tofu π€. This satisfying recipe features a richly flavoured beef and onion topping nestled in soft tofu with earthy shiitake mushrooms. The delicious light sweet and savoury sauce combining sugar, soy sauce and mirin/sake is a definitive characteristic of home-style Japanese cuisine. Served over hot rice, the beautiful flavours are soaked up and instantly becomes more irresistible and full-filling with each bite. Itadakimasu π²π₯ππΆπΈ.
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| Japanese Home-Style Simmered Beef and Tofu |
That's what it's all about in this Seniors' Centre Community Kitchen... Cooking...
And Eating Together... π
I have so much more goodness on the go.... will collate and share on my next post.
In between goals, there is a thing called life that has to be lived and enjoyed. -- Sid Cesar.
Be still to savour the moments π. The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear, see and experience.
Namaste my friends π!
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