Sasha's Kitchen: Veal Kimchi Dumplings

I've been on a dumpling kick recently.  I just can't get enough dumplings! Recently, I made some veal-kimchi dumplings that were spicy and delicious and we just couldn't get enough of them.  This recipe can also be made with chicken if you prefer.  The combination of kimchi and sriracha sauce lends a nice flavor.    I even made dumplings for New Years Eve for our cook at home dinner tradition, but I made my beef dumplings with Napa cabbage.  Happy and healthy new year to all my readers.  I have high personal hopes for the New Year and some important goals in mind.  I hope the new year brings everything you hope for.

Sasha's Kimchi Dumplings
1 lb ground veal (or ground chicken)
1 T sriracha sauce
4 T low sodium soy sauce
1 T sesame oil
10 oz diced kimchi
1 T diced ginger
1 T diced garlic
1 bunch of chives, diced
3 scallions, diced
2 T black of balsamic vinegar


Mix all of the ingredients for the dumplings together in a bowl.  Don't be afraid to use your hands.  You are going to need to do so to work everything together.  Be sure to chop of the ingredients finely.  Use circular dumpling wrappers and gold the dumplings as you prefer.  I usually made them with pleats, but I was lazy when I made these and simply made half moon shapes.  Use a bit of water to seal them together.  After you fold each dumpling, allow them to rest on parchment paper while you prepare the rest.  Its amazing how many of these a person can eat.  They are just so addictive!

To pan fry the dumplings, the following website provides a great primer on how to pan fry.  Line the finished dumplings on parchment paper before cooking so they don't stick.  Coat the bottom of a non stick pan with a couple tablespoons of canola oil.  Line the dumplings in the pan, crowded, smooth side down and cook over heat for two to three minutes.  Add about a half inch of water, cover with a lid and allow to cook for four to five minutes until the water is gone.  Then, remove the lid and flip the dumplings and cook another three minutes until nicely browned. 


Prepare a dumpling sauce of 2:1 soy sauce to balsamic vinegar and add a tablespoon each of sesame oil, garlic and ginger as well as plenty of sriracha sauce to add some heat if you prefer.  Dip the dumplings in the sauce and enjoy.

Sasha's Kitchen: Veal Kimchi Dumplings

Sasha's Kitchen: Beef Dumplings with Napa Cabbage

In my last post, I wrote about my Chinese dumpling class.  The recipe below is a variation on the beef dumplings we made in the class to my specifications.  I was able to replicate the nicely pleated fold to make the dumplings and taught my husband Brad how to do it as well.  He had fun joining me making dumplings last weekend.  This was a great meal - the filling was absolutely delicious and packed with flavor in every bite.  We pan fried the dumplings and they came out perfectly.  I'm so glad I have this new cuisine to add to my repertoire.  I think I'll be making dumplings quite frequently.  Next up, I plan on making veal/kimchi dumplings next weekend.

Sasha's Beef Dumplings
1 package circular dumpling wrappers
1 lb lean ground beef
3 cups diced napa cabbage
4 T low sodium soy sauce
2 T black vinegar
1 T sesame oil
4 scallions, diced
1 T diced garlic
1 T diced ginger

Mix all of the ingredients below for the filling with your hands, until well combined.  Put a small amount in each dumpling wrapper and fold dumplings. I can't really explain how to fold a dumpling in writing, so I guess you just have to already know how do do that.

To pan fry the dumplings, the following website provides a great primer on how to pan fry.  Line the finished dumplings on parchment paper before cooking so they don't stick.  Coat the bottom of a non stick pan with a couple tablespoons of canola oil.  Line the dumplings in the pan, crowded, smooth side down and cook over heat for two to three minutes.  Add about a half inch of water, cover with a lid and allow to cook for four to five minutes until the water is gone.  Then, remove the lid and flip the dumplings and cook another three minutes until nicely browned.

Sasha's Kitchen: Beef Dumplings with Napa Cabbage

Sasha's Kitchen: Dumplings!

Recently I took a Chinese Dumpling making class one Sunday at the Brooklyn Kitchen in Williamsburg.  The class was an excellent class taught by Connie Sun of Bite Size Kitchen where I learned tons of useful dumpling making tricks.  I learned some great recipes for Chinese style fillings, and most importantly, several techniques for folding dumplings.  Last night, Brad and I made Chinese style beef dumplings, which we pan fried, and were delicious, and next week I plan on making veal/kimchi dumplings as well.  So this is the first of a series of posts on dumplings that I plan on posting, as I'll be sharing the recipes for the dumplings I'm making these days soon. Here are some pictures of the dumpling making experience from my class.  Oh, and also check out my latest product review from ShopRite on their blog panel Potluck!

Delicious dumpling fillings for the beef dumplings with Napa cabbage and the kimchi dumplings

A nicely folded dumpling, complete with the pleats

two folding styles of dumplings, ready to be pan fried

dumplings being steamed

My first folded dumpling

Dumplings galore!

Filling for dessert eggrolls - ricotta, honey, pomegranate seeds and chocolate chips

Dessert eggrolls

Sasha's Kitchen: Dumplings!

Sasha's Kitchen: Chinese Style Cashew Chicken

I love Chinese food but only really good, quality Chinese food made with quality ingredients and good meats, which is quite hard to come by, to say the least. Recently, I received a package of all kinds of delicious nuts from ShopRite, everything from cashews to almonds to a variety of mixed nuts. I made a great salad that incorporated some of the cashews, but decided to save the rest to make a Chinese style sesame chicken. A good sauce for most Chinese dishes, will include some amount of hoisin sauce in the mixture. I came up with my own recipe for the cashew chicken sauce here which was relatively easy, and tasted authentic and delicious. This dish was a huge winner with my husband and is one that we will surely make again and again.

Sasha's Chinese Style Cashew Chicken
1 package chicken breasts (I used Empire Kosher, my favorite type of chicken)
2 T canola oil
3 cloves of garlic, diced
7 scallions, diced
2 T rice vinegar
4 T hoisin sauce
2/3 cup of cashews
1 T soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1 tsp honey (I used delicious homemade honey from a family friend in Danville, PA, Jan, who make his own honey from his own bees!)

Chop up the chicken breasts into small pieces. Coat with the cornstarch and saute in the canola oil until the chicken is about two thirds complete. Add the scallions, cashews and the garlic next. While the chicken is cooking, mix the hoisin sauce, water, rice vinegar, honey and soy sauce, and add the mixture to the chicken. Continue to cook until the sauce thickens a bit (the water will evaporate) and the chicken is fully cooked. Serve with rice and either steamed snow peas or sugar snap peas.

Sasha's Kitchen: Chinese Style Cashew Chicken

Sasha's Kitchen: Chinese-Style Duck Dumplings

I have made different types of dumplings in the past, as have some of my guest blogging friends. Yet, I have usually used store bought wonton or dumpling wrappers, which work pretty well but are slightly hard to seal. For these dumplings, Chinese duck dumplings, I used the author's recipe for the dough, as I have been small bite savory pastry happy lately (I have made empanadas, dumplings and spanikopita all within the past week, all with my own dough). This recipe is from the Food Network's Bobby Flay, and is really a winner as far as Chinese style duck dumplings go. The one difference - instead of using duck breasts, I used two medium sized legs of duck confit for my half recipe - less fat and still delicious.

Chinese Style Duck Dumplings (modified from this recipe from Bobby Flay)

Dough
4 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups hot water

Filling
2 boneless duck breasts, or 2 legs of duck confit, cooked and shredded, fat removed
1 1/2 cup finely chopped savoy cabbage
3 T fresh chopped scallions
2 T fresh chopped cilantro
2 T fresh chopped chives
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 T chili paste
1 T hoisin sauce
2 T cornstarch
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp Chinese five spice powder
salt and pepper

Canola oil, for frying

Sauce
1 cup black vinegar (I used balsamic instead)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 T hoisin sauce
2 T fresh lime juice
1 T chile paste
2 T freshly chopped cilantro
1 tsp diced habanero pepper
2 T freshly chopped mint

Combine all the ingredients for the filling in a large bowl. For the dough, combine the ingredients in a stand mixer and turn on lightly floured surface to knead with some excess flour if needed. Rest covered. Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in another bowl.

To assemble the dumplings, roll out the dough to about an 1/8 inch thick and cut circles using a 3 inch round cookie cutter, or a similarly sized top of a glass. Put a teaspoon of filling in the middle of each and fold into a half moon shape, so that the filling sits in the center of the dumpling. Wet the edge of the dough and pinch to seal with your fingers. If you like, pleat the edge of the dumplings using a fork and curl the dumpling slightly using your fingers to tug gently.

Heat a skillet with a thin coating of canola oil and add the dumplings in concentric circles so that they are touching. Cool until the bottoms are golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. The reduce the heat and add water to cover 1/4 of the way up the dies of the dumplings. Be careful - it will spatter. No surprise - my husband does this part! Cover the skilled and adjust the heat to simmer the water. Cook for seven minutes. They will be done when the water is gone.

Yum - these were perfect, addictive and delicious!

Sasha's Kitchen: Chinese-Style Duck Dumplings

Eric's Kitchen in NJ: Asian Pan-seared Halibut

I'm staying at my Mom's house for the next three months while Jenn is up in Jersey City until we can get out of our lease. The only other person at my Mom's during the week is my Grandma and we decided to make Halibut this past Wednesday night. It was very easy and tasted fantastic!

Ingredients (serves 3):
3 halibut fillets
1/2 a bunch of scallions, chopped
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp of soy sauce
2 tbsp of white wine (we used a Reisling)
a nice coating of sesame seeds on one side of the fish

First we marinated the fish in all the other ingredients for about 15 minutes. Then I got some olive oil hot in a pan and added the fish, keeping the marinade aside while the fish seared. I only ever flip any meat or fish once I flipped it and gave it a few seconds to sear the other side (toasting the sesame seeds). Then I added the marinade and let that cook as well since it was on the raw fish. I covered it for a minute or so as well to help ensure it would be tender. I'd say no more than 2-3 minutes on each side for a 1 inch thick fillet. It came out perfectly flaky and delicious and was a pretty healthy meal in the end.

We served it with some chopped, stir fried bok choy. Same ingredients without the sesame seeds and added some turkey broth maybe half a cup at the end. Please keep in mind any measurements in my recipes are probably not completely accurate as I guesstimate.

Eric's Kitchen in NJ: Asian Pan-seared Halibut

Eric's Kitchen in Jersey City: Marinated Tofu Stir Fry

I wasn't initially going to post this recipe because it's pretty simple and didn't think it would photograph too well but it tasted amazing (I have less pictures than normal). This was only my second time cooking tofu but it was so much better than the first. Initially I was just going to bread and saute the tofu but recalled the first time I made it, it was pretty dry and I wasn't a huge fan. I knew I needed some sort of sauce to go with my dish so I looked up some stir-fry sauce recipes and cobbled together things that I actually had in the kitchen and decided to marinate the tofu in the same sauce.

Ingredients: (serves 4 portions)
1 package of extra firm tofu (drained weight, 14 oz.)
1 cup (dry) of white rice
1/2 vidalia onion, sliced
1/2 red pepper, sliced
3 shiitake mushrooms
1 bunch of broccoli, chopped
1 small can of water chestnuts, drained & sliced
1 cup of chicken broth
1 cup panko crumbs
whole wheat flour
3 egg whites
sesame and vegetable oil

Sauce/Marinade: (most the measurements are guesstimates)
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 bunch of scallions
1 tbsp black sesame seeds
1 hot pepper, minced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 -2 tbsp white wine (I used Kris's Pinot Grigio)
1-2 tbsp sesame oil

To start, I prepped all my veggies, then tried to dry out the tofu as much as possible so it would soak up as much marinade as possible. I put the tofu on top of a couple of pieces of paper towels and another on top, in between two sturdy paper plates and then stacked a few cans of Progresso's Soup on top to help drain it out over the course of an hour or so. I changed out the paper towels once or twice.

Then I sliced the tofu into 16 pieces and marinated 8 at a time for about an hour each (I had a lot of time yesterday). In the future I might add the chicken broth to the marinade so that I could marinate all the pieces at once. I then dredged the tofu in whole wheat flour and egg whites and coated them with the Panko crumbs. Panko crumbs are light and fluffy and therefore it takes a lot more volume to coat things than normal bread crumbs.

I started my rice and I got two pans nice and hot with some sesame and vegatable oils and started my broccoli in the large pan and some of the tofu in the other. The tofu, I turned often and had to add a little more oil pretty often to get them nicely browned on each side. I suppose you could deep fry them also but I don't have a fryer and don't want one as I would probably deep fry way too many things... The key with the tofu was nicely browning each side to seal in the moisture from the marinade.

After the broccoli had been in the pan for a few minutes I added my other veggies and some minced garlic and cracked black pepper along with enough oil to cook everything as the pan was pretty full! Once I was almost done with the tofu after a few rounds in the small pan, and the veggies were softened and cooked, I added my sauce/marinade and 1 cup of chicken broth and brought it to a boil, adding just a couple of pinches of whole wheat flour to give the sauce a little more thickness. I let this boil down for a few minutes while dealt with my rice and finished off the tofu.

I served the tofu over the rice and then topped it all off with the veggies and sauce. In the end the tofu was nice and moist and crunchy took on all the flavor of the marinade and the sauce made a fantastic topping with the rice and veggies as well.

Eric's Kitchen in Jersey City: Marinated Tofu Stir Fry

Gilly's Kitchen on the Road: Changsha

I recently flew to Changsha (the capital of the Hunan Province in China) to attend my brother-in-law's wedding. I also visited Hong Kong for several days, and I will write about my dining experiences in that city in a later post. Our visit preceded the Chinese New Year by only one week. Oh, and clearly this post has nothing to do with vegan baking.

The majority of our meals in Changsha took place in banquet-type facilities (rather normal given that the meals were part of larger events, such as the rehearsal and the wedding itself) so I cannot discuss actual restaurants, but did take plenty of photos of some interesting dishes. We did have a meal at the Changsha Sheraton the first night we were there, even though we were not staying in the Sheraton. We also ate at Pizza Hut, which is a little different (ahem.. extremely different) than U.S. Pizza Huts! Therefore, this post will be more of a photographic tour of my dining experiences in Changsha.

Our first meal, as mentioned above, was at the Sheraton at an upscale restaurant and bar named Bar Zen. I had delicious bacon-wrapped giant prawns, and my husband had some sort of lobster pasta (not pictured).

Bacon-wrapped giant prawns (and a side of fries)

The following day consisted of meeting our translator/friend of the bride's family (a local college student preparing to further her education in the U.S.) and taking a trip to a main shopping district. We stopped for lunch at Pizza Hut, which in Changsha is a somewhat upscale-sort of restaurant with a very extensive menu. The bride and groom even suggested we stop in for a meal, so we took their advice. We ordered a rather odd array of dishes, from benign mashed potatoes and lychee smoothies to a fried shrimp pizza (which also had crab and octopus buried in the cheese) and a shrimp stuffed crust pizza (the stuffed knots alternated between cheese and shrimp).

Friend shrimp pizza (half eaten by the time I remember to take a photo)

Shrimp stuffed crust pizza

We then spent an hour or two walking around the shopping district, popping in and out of various stores and generally people-watching as our translator told us about cram schools and other interesting tidbits.

Gilly's Kitchen on the Road: Changsha

Molly D's Kitchen in Seattle: Pork Hash

When I was a kid, after school we used to take our pocket change to the manapua man who parked his truck outside the school. I love a good manapua, but for me the real draw was the pork hash, because they cost only a quarter each. They were an especially large version of the juicy, open-ended pork dumplings, and one or two made a cheap and filling snack much more satisfying than anything from the convenience store down the street.

Pork hash is available all around the islands, and like many local dishes, it’s a bigger, heavier, and more strongly flavored version of a daintier Asian dish. In this case it’s a lot like a Chinese siu mai, and while it might be argued that siu mai are just as flavorful, pork hash are generally bigger and a solid mass of pork rather than pork combined with lighter shrimp. They’re also pretty easy to make, involving few specialty ingredients and no real dumpling-wrapping skills. The following recipe results in a mild savory flavor, and at the very end I include ideas for additional ingredients to mix in or condiments to serve alongside the pork hash.

This recipe (based on one from alohaworld.com) is easy and very forgiving, but it uses two techniques, dumpling wrapping and steaming, that some readers may not have tried before. For those who have not, after the instructions there is a longer description of how to wrap the pork hash and set up the steamer. This is a good recipe for novices because neither the wrapping nor the steaming needs to be precise: There’s no expert crimping or sealing to do and even if they don’t look pretty they’ll taste good, and they won’t suffer terribly if you leave them in a little long. (Just make sure the raw meat is cooked through!)

Pork Hash

1 lb. ground pork

2 eggs, beaten

3 stalks green onions, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can water chestnuts, drained and minced

3 T oyster sauce

1 package won ton/dumpling wrappers*

oil to coat wrappers

*Mine are round dumpling wrappers maybe 4 inches in diameter, but square is fine and you can’t really go wrong as long as they’re mostly wheat flour and water. I find them in the frozen section of an Asian supermarket.

1. Combine all ingredients except wrappers and oil.
2. Add about 2 tsp of meat mixture into dumpling wrappers (give or take, depending on size of wrappers) and bring sides up to surround.
3. Coat wraps lightly with oil to prevent sticking.
4. Place in steamer and steam for 15-30 minutes depending on size of pork hash. (Not sure when it’s done? Take one out and cut it open.)

Variations

• This particular batch I made with half ground chicken and half ground pork and it turned out very well, probably because the mild chicken didn't compete with the pork. Beef might work, but it might not quite match up with the oyster sauce, especially if that cut or cow is at all “livery” or gamey tasting. You can also substitute minced shrimp (a great dim sum pairing with pork) for some of the meat. Larger pieces of shrimp tend to not stick to the meat mixture, so if you want to include some, don’t go overboard or it might not hold together.
• Other ingredients for the meat mixture could include diced lap cheong (I’ve had great results with that one), char siu, or minced cilantro. Anything that would work well in pork-based dim sum is fair game.
• These have a nice flavor on their own, but it’s mild. If you want a dip, try Chinese hot mustard or a vinegar-based hot sauce.
• For those who (like me) aren’t eating much gluten, try steaming the filling in a heat-safe bowl inside the steamer, and remember it’ll take much longer to cook. The resulting “meatloaf” is not nearly as fun to eat, but it’s very tasty and you can chop it up to put on top of rice or noodles, maybe with some sesame oil. If you want no gluten at all, leave out the oyster sauce and perhaps use wheat-free tamari, sesame paste, minced dried shrimp, or a flavorful Chinese condiment you like.

Technique: Stuffing Dumpling Wrappers

• After defrosting wrappers I leave them in the fridge until I start cooking so they don’t have a chance to get gummy and hard to work with.
• I keep some water in a bowl under my hands and wet the “wrapper” hand before I pick up each wrapper so that I don’t have dry edges breaking as they pleat around the filling
• To stuff, either cup one in the palm of your hand, add filling, then squeeze around sides to get folds of wrapper to stick to filling; or make a “c” shape with your hand and push center of wrapper into the hole, so your hand is already squeezing the sides. 
• You’re not trying to seal this (it ends up open at the top, like a little cup), so you don’t have to have perfect technique. They’re a bit easier to work with, though, if you err on the side of too little filling rather than too much.

Technique: Steaming

• I have a bamboo steamer, but metal is fine too and you can probably even use a little fold-up steaming insert, you just might have to steam in more batches.
• Set up a wok or large pot that your steamer will fit inside. If it’s a dedicated steamer it will have its own lid so the pot doesn’t have to completely encase the steamer, it just needs to be wide enough that you can set the steamer into it over the water.
• I want to keep food out of the crevices of the bamboo, so in each tray I lay down a big leaf of lettuce, heat-safe plate, or piece of foil; if I’m using a plate or foil I make there is a bit of space on the sides for the steam. Your steamer might not require this step.
• When you’re ready to steam add a couple inches of water to the pot, as much as you can without having the boiling water touch the bottom of the food. (If you’re using a steamer basket and want to get it higher off the bottom of the pot, you can coil up a wad of foil or use some other heat-safe metal item to raise it up further.)
• Turn the heat to high, and check the water level every so often (this may require lifting up the steamer) so it doesn’t boil dry.

Placing Pork Hash in the Steamer
Left to their own devices the wrappers will stick to the steamer and to each other, so you have to oil anything that will come into contact with the wrappers. I’ve tried two approaches:

1. Brush oil around each wrapper when you finish stuffing it. Advantages: You can nestle the pork hash right up against each other, which allows you to steam more at once, and they hold each other up and come out in nice cylinders. Disadvantages: It takes longer to set up and is messier.
2. Just oil the lettuce/plate/foil and then space the pork hash out so they don’t touch (and stick to) each other. Advantages: Setup is faster and neater. Disadvantages: You have to steam them in more batches, they spread out more, and if they bubble up over the edges of the wrapper they get sloppy, so they don’t look as nice. I don’t mind the spreading on its own but I don’t like it when they bubble over, so again I err on the side of under-stuffing. 

You can always try a batch, or even just a few, then adjust your technique for the next batch. Aside from keeping some water in the pot, you can go as fast or as slow as you like.

Technique: Pan-Frying Pork Hash

The photo that accompanies this post was taken the day after I made the pork hash, when I pan-fried them as I would potstickers. If you want to do the same:

1. Heat a pan with one or two tablespoons of oil on medium heat. When pan is hot, set pork hash on their flat bases, with a little space between them so they don’t stick to each other.
2. Fry pork hash without moving them until you can pick one up without any sticking and see that it is crisp and golden.
3. Add a couple tablespoons of water to the pan and cover, allowing just a bit of steam to escape.
4. When water is evaporated and edges of wrappers are pliable (because if you’re using leftovers, they’ll have dried out a bit in the fridge), uncover and allow to cook for a couple more minutes until bottoms are crisp again.

To read about Eric's Chinese-style pork dumplings, too, click here.

Molly D's Kitchen in Seattle: Pork Hash

Sasha's Kitchen: Tea Eggs For The Chinese New Year

To commemorate the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Tiger, I prepared a simple, traditional Chinese New Year Food, called the Chinese Tea Egg.  Fragrant and flavorful tea eggs are a typical Chinese treat.  The recipe involves soaking the eggs in a mixture of soy sauce, dark tea, orange peels and a variety of spices.  The beautiful fragrant smell during the lengthy seeping process filled my Park Slope condo with a lovely aroma.  The end result is eggs that have a lovely, quaint marbled appearance due to cracks in the hard boiled eggs where the fragrant tea-soy mixture absorbs into the albumin of the egg.  Smaller, more intricate cracks result in more detailed marbling when the egg is peeled.  For best results, the eggs should be allowed to be seeped for two days.  I wasn't that patient, so I seeped for about five hours, which resulted in a beautifully marbled egg, but only a hint of the fragrant flavor.

Chinese tea eggs have a symbolic significance in China, and are often made for the Chinese New Year.  Not surprisingly, the egg is a symbol of fertility in Chinese culture, as it is in many other cultures.  In addition, the tea egg is also considered a symbol of prosperity and wealth.  Sounds good to me.  I figured that this would be a nice fragrant and simple recipe to try out.  

Chinese Tea Eggs (recipe derived from Appetite For China Website)

3 eggs

2 T dark tea

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

2 star anise

1 cinnamon stick

2 medium sized pieces of orange peel

First, cover the eggs with water and bring to a boil.  Then simmer for three minutes.  Then remove the eggs and allow to cool a bit before cracking the eggs evenly around the surface with a spoon.  Put eggs back in the water, and add the spices, soy sauce and tea.  Simmer on low for three hours.  If you want a stronger flavor and have more patience for this project than I had, allow to seep overnight (you would certainly need to do this off the stove though, as I don't know anyone crazy enough to leave their burner on overnight!)

I made some other delicious recipes for dinner tonight - a new crab cake recipe and a very special fruit glazed creme brulee.  I'll post on them tomorrow during the day, since I plan to have a Valentine's Day Eve night out tomorrow night with my husband.

For some more complete and filling Chinese recipes from Michelle, check out her exploration of Fuschia Dunlop's cooking with Fragrant Fish Eggplants and Dan Dan Noodles.

Back to watching the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics, the Olympics-junkie that I am.

Sasha's Kitchen: Tea Eggs For The Chinese New Year

Sasha's Kitchen: Mongolian Hot Pot ("Chinese Fondue") Part Deux

Prior to writing this post, I have unfortunately not had the opportunity yet to dine at a restaurant where Mongolian Hot Pot (known as "Chinese Fondue") was served - certainly my loss.  However, after reading about Hot Pot from guest Bloggers Kelly and Eric, I decided that I had to give it a try myself.  Truthfully, Mongolian Hot Pot is meant to be served to a group of diners, such as at a dinner party.  However, since it was my first try, and I was recipe testing, I decided to prepare Hot Pot for two - myself and my husband, Brad.

The first step was purchasing a hot pot.  I didn't get one of the fancy traditional hot pots, but the model I purchased at Tarzian West Housewares in Brooklyn was perfectly acceptable for making Hot Pot.  I bought the Presto Kitchen Kettle Multi-Cooker/Steamer which can function as a Hot Pot, among other things.  Apparently it can also be used for a wide variety of other tasks, from braising to deep frying, so I will be sure to use it next time I prepare my deep-fried NOLA beignets.  Thus, I selected my hot pot, which is pictured below.  It came with an internal basket, but I plan on purchasing additional small metal baskets on my next excursion to Chinatown, to use for a dinner party so each participant can have their own basked to make their hot pot fondue.  Last night, however, we made do with one basked and made one hot pot concoction that we shared.

The next step was to prepare the broth in the hot pot.  Although some diners may just use a simple beef or chicken stock, that would not do the trick for me.  I think the broth is really the most important ingredient in hot pot because it gives all the other vegetables and meats their flavor, as you want them to "soak up" the savory broth.  I was extremely pleased with the broth recipe I concocted, so I am going to share it below.  I really wanted something with a chicken broth / coconut flavor with lots of thai and asian spices, and a just a bit of heat.  I accomplished that in a very satisfying way.

Sasha's Mongolian Hot Pot Broth

7.5 cups of low sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup white cooking wine

2/3 cup coconut milk (leftover from the coconut meringue buttercream cake I baked on Saturday)

1 tsp sesame oil

2 T rice vinegar

1 tsp diced garlic

1 1/2 tsp powdered ginger

1/4 tsp saffron

1/2 tsp dried lemongrass

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

I prepared the broth in the hot pot and allowed it to simmer, much the same way I would have prepared a broth if I did it on a pot on my oven.  Like I said above, I was quite pleased with the results.

The next step was to select the ingredients that would be cooked in the hot pot - and for this step, the sky's the limit.  The possibilities are endless but I settled on the following:

london broil

fresh scallops (cut into small pieces, perhaps I should use baby scallops next time instead)

onions

tofu

broccoli
udon noodles

Next time, I will probably include some red pepper as well!  I seasoned all of the ingredients differently, using various combinations of pepper, soy sauce, scallions, rice vinegar, and sesame oil.  The tofu, broccoli and scallops were actually my favorite because they really absorbed the tasty broth extremely well.  I cooked my hot pot at about 200 degrees (my husband wanted me to turn up the heat, but I preferred to keep it down, and allow the ingredients to cook a bit more slowly).

My results were delicious - I recommend serving with just a bit of the broth, and with a homemade sauce made of soy sauce, rice vinegar, a bit of sugar, ginger and a touch of sesame oil.  I plan to get those mini-baskets very soon, and have a hot pot dinner party in the near future using my broth recipe to cook up everything and anything that I'm in the mood for.

Click here to read Eric in Jersey City's Hot Pot Post; Click here to read Michelle in Toronto's Chinese Eggplant Cuisine.

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Sasha's Kitchen: Mongolian Hot Pot ("Chinese Fondue") Part Deux

Bryan's Kitchen In Dublin: Singapore Noodles with Mixed Seafood

Today I was out walking on a nice Dublin day and decided to take a visit to my local Asian market. For those of you not acquainted, Dublin possesses a large Chinese and Korean population that give the city an interesting twist, as truly authentic Sizuan or BimBim Bap can be found in between pubs that have been serving up proper pints of Guinness since the 18th century.

Tonight's post is my take on Singapore noodles with mixed seafood. Inspired by the street food that I ate on a recent trip to East Asia, this is a very versatile recipe which can support any kind of seafood. Squid, octopus, or scallops could all be used for a tasty change to this recipe.

Here's what you will need to prepare my Seafood Singapore noodles:

12 oz packaged Singapore noodles
8 oz Chinese-style fish balls
8 oz can Stir-fry vegetables (Bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, water chestnuts, baby corn)
4 oz very small frozen shrimp (sometimes marketed as unbreaded popcorn shrimp)
4 oz straw mushrooms, trimmed
2 tsp ginger (preferably fresh)
3 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 medium red onion, diced
1 T soy sauce
1 T Teriyaki sauce
1 T vegetable oil
1 tsp coriander (preferably fresh)
1 tsp chili flakes (optional)
Black pepper to taste

First heat a wok or large frying pan to high heat with the oil in the pan. When the oil has come up to heat, add the red onion and saute it for approximately 2 minutes or until the onion becomes somewhat tender. Next, add the garlic, saute for about 30 seconds with the onion, and follow-up by adding the mushrooms and other vegetables.

Continue stir-frying until everything has come up to temperature and add or freshly grate the ginger and continue cooking until you can smell the ginger (maybe 30 seconds). Add the fishballs and stir fry them until they are thoroughly cooked. Add the noodles and in the beginning allow these to be as close to the bottom of the wok/pan as possible. Eventually they will separate and mix in as you continue to stir-fry.



When you are satisfied that the noodles are completed integrated, add the teriyaki, soy sauce, and the shrimp to the mix. Once the shrimp is cooked the meal is ready to serve. Get out the chopsticks, sprinkle on the coriander, and a steaming bowl of goodness is waiting for you, even on the coldest Dublin night.

Bryan's Kitchen In Dublin: Singapore Noodles with Mixed Seafood

Michelle's Kitchen in Toronto: Fuchsia Dunlop's Fish Fragrant Eggplants

I am currently obsessed with Fuchsia Dunlop's wonderful Sichuanese cookbook "Land of Plenty." Like me, Dunlop actually spent some significant time living in China - I in Suzhou and Shanghai, she in Chengdu at completely opposite ends of the country - so I find it very interesting that she and I both fell in love with the same dish; yu xiang qiezi or fish fragrant eggplants.

The irony is that there is in fact no fish anywhere in this dish, it is merely a Sichuanese flavor profile. It's a wonderful blend of salty, sweet, spicy and sour which many areas in Asia adore - especially the Chinese with their sense of balance. I made this last night and it is amazing! I will admit that my favorite version in Shanghai was sweeter than Dunlop's and included ground pork, however the Shanghainese love sweeter food so I think this was just an example of the changing landscape of Chinese cuisine adapting to different areas of the country. My own tiny piece of Sichuan in Shanghai!  You can find the recipe below in Dunlap's 2003 cookbook, Land of Plenty.  A link to the original recipe can be found here.

1 1/3 - 1 2/3lbs Asian eggplants (you can use regular, but you will have to salt them and let sit for 30 mins to draw out moisture. With Asian you can chop and go)
salt (if needed)
peanut or veg oil for deep frying
1 1/2 tbsp Sichuanese chili bean paste
3 tsp finely chopped ginger (I only put 2 tsp as I'm not a huge fan of ginger)
3 tsp finely chopped garlic
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 tsp white sugar
1/2 tsp light soy sauce
1 1/3 tsp cornstarch with 1 tbsp cold water
1 1/2 tsp Chinkiang or Chinese black vinegar
4 green onion chopped thin - green parts only
1 tsp sesame oil

Cut eggplants in half lengthwise and then in 2-3 inch sections. Heat oil for deepfrying in your wok to 350-400F (it will just be beginning to smoke). Add eggplants in batches and deep fry 3-4 minutes until just turning golden and soft. Drain each batch on a paper towel.

Drain off oil save 2-3 tbsp oil. Add chili bean paste and stir fry about 20 seconds. Add ginger and garlic; stir fry another 20-30 seconds being careful not to burn the mix. Add stock, suger and soy mixing well. If you need salt add it now.

Add the drained eggplants and simmer a few minutes to absorb the flavors. Spinkle cornstarch and water mix over to thicken, then add vinegar and green onions; cooking just until onions are no longer so raw. Remove from the heat, stir in sesame oil and serve.

I made some nice basmati rice to go with this and drank a gorgeous white beer from Toronto's own Mill Street Brewery called "Wit" that has some nice citrus flavors to it which helped cut the richness of this dish. I am completely obsessed with "Land of Plenty." Definately my best cookbook buy in a very long time. I can't be in China right now, but Fuchsia Dunlop and her wonderful recipes allow me to travel there any night of the week at my table!

Michelle's Kitchen in Toronto: Fuchsia Dunlop's Fish Fragrant Eggplants

Molly D's Kitchen in Seattle: Congee

One of my favorite comfort foods is rice porridge with Chinese flavors. When I was a kid in Honolulu we called it jook (the “oo” is pronounced as in “book”), which from what I can tell from my limited research is a Korean or alternative Cantonese name. Now that I’m on the mainland it seems the more common name is congee, so that’s what I’m calling it here.

My parents never made congee when I was little, so I only ate it in restaurants, often with dim sum. Muddling through Seattle’s dreary winter, I recently decided to make congee a more regular part of my repertoire. It’s warm and filling, cheap and easy to make, and can accommodate a wide variety of ingredients and toppings.

My congee is adapted from this recipe. (The blog is worth a read, too.)

Here is the absolute base recipe:

Congee

1 c. short-grain rice

8 to 10 c. water

Wash rice and put it in a large pot with 2 cups water. Place over high heat until water boils, then add another 4 cups water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 1½ hours, stirring occasionally and adding water as necessary (about 2 to 4 cups more).

Serves 6-8

Of course, you won’t want to eat it like that; it’s extremely bland, and congee can be much more interesting. This is what I did to make the bowl pictured above:

Congee

1 c. short-grain rice

2 c. chicken broth

6 to 8 c. water

4 or 5 shiitake mushrooms

handful dried shrimp

Wash rice and put it in a large pot with stock. Place over high heat until stock boils, then add about 4 cups water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Soak 4 or 5 dried shiitake mushrooms in hot water until softened. Remove stems and thinly slice. After congee has been simmering for half an hour, add mushrooms and shrimp to pot along with a pinch of salt.

Simmer for another hour, stirring occasionally and adding water as necessary (about 2 to 4 cups more).

Serves 6-8

I topped this bowl with:

• Fried tofu cubes
• Slices of lap cheong
• Fried carrot slices
• Sesame oil
• Dark soy sauce
• Sliced green onion
• Crispy fried shallots

(So many of these were fried because I was already frying the tofu.)

But honestly, you can mix in or top with anything you like. Any or all of the liquid can be veggie or meat broth. In the step when I added the mushrooms and shrimp, you could also put in ginger, garlic, bits of meat, or anything else you want to simmer with the rice and flavor the whole congee.

Other toppings might include:

• Flavorful sauces like black vinegar, chili paste, or soy sauce
• Meats and veggies like char siu, blanched broccoli, or raw tofu
• Garnishes like crispy noodles, pork floss, or bits of onion

You could even use non-Chinese ingredients based on what you have in the fridge and pantry, I just wouldn’t suggest combining preserved soybeans with leftover chicken mole, you know?

Molly D's Kitchen in Seattle: Congee