These Shrimps Were Made For Wokin: Shrimp Stirfry with Brown Rice October 10, 2008
Posted by sicatmeow in Recipes.Tags: bok choy, brown rice, carrot, ginger, hot pepper, scallion, sesame oil, shrimp, tamari
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I am foreal sweatin this wok. You should def get one. And now that I’m getting the hang of it, I am woking up something major. Here is my weekly wok tip of the day (huh?): Cook fast and cook hot. Make sure your ingredients are ready to throw in cause when the wok calls, you answer gotdamnit.
Chinese Shrimp Stirfry with Ginger and Brown Rice
1/4 cup of fresh ginger (thin strips)
4 small hot, red peppers, sliced (add more or less depending on your fire mouth)
2 scallions, sliced, keep the bottom half separate from the top half, but you will be using both
1 carrot julienned
1 bunch of baby bok choy (can’t find baby bok choy? 1/2 of a mama), chop the stems, slice the greens and keep each pile separate
1/2 lb of medium-sized shrimp, peeled and de-shitted
1/8 cup of tamari (have I mentioned that tamari is the same as soy?)
2 cups of cooked brown rice
veg or peanut oil for frying
sesame oil for garnish
marinade for the shrimp:
1 tsp of chinese 5 spice
1 tbs of tamari
1 tbs of tomato paste
This serves 2 with 20 minutes of prep (if you’re peeling your own shrimp), and 10 minutes of cooking. (That’s 30 minutes total. der.)
First, prepare your shreemps. Peel and do what you gotta do. Mix the chinese spice, 1 tbs of tamari and tomato paste. Coat the shrimp and let it site while you chop the veg. When you’re all prepped, you’re ready to heat the wok.
Heat your wok, add the veg or peanut oil and heat till it smokes. Add the ginger and stir furiously. 30 seconds later, add the hot peppers (this may make you cough). 30 seconds later, add the whites of the bok choy. Your wok’s heat may have reduced a bit, so make sure it is as hot as it was when you started. When it is, add the carrots. 1 minute later, add the whites of the scallions. Now, add your cooked rice. Make sure your wok is hot, the rice should be crisping in some areas, but because you are stirring like mad, it won’t stick. Add the green of the bok choy and when wilted, create a whole in the middle of the grub and add the shrimp.
Stir the shrimp in the middle while it cooks. As soon as the shrimp is done (about 3 minutes), stir everything together, add the remaining tamari and dish up. Garnish with greens of the scallions and sesame oil. Eat with cold cold beer.
Dumpling For You, Dumpling For Me October 8, 2008
Posted by sicatmeow in Recipes.Tags: basil, beef, cabbage, carrot, cilantro, dumplings, ginger, pork, rice paper, scallion, sesame oil, shitake, sirachi, tamari, wanton wrappers, wasabi
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What do you get when you combine homemade dumplings and spring rolls, wine flowage, and tequila shots to boot? Our house on Saturday night. Oh. Yeah. And I’m not going to lie to you people, the food was banging. Even C said the food seemed easy enough to make at home and her culinary skills peak at choosing a stinky cheese and a dope wine – not that thats anything to laugh about. I can’t taste the difference between merlot and shiraz but give me a blind pork test and I’ll school you. Anyway, make these things at your house to impress your friends.
Steamed Pork and Scallion Dumplings
1/2 lb of ground pork
2 scallions, sliced
1/4 cup of tamari
3 tbs of sesame oil
dash of vinegar
fresh pepper
wanton wrappers
Makes about 12.
Mix the first 6 ingredients together. Drop a spoonful of mixture on to the center of the wrapper. Wet the exposed edges with water. Grab all the corners, bring to the middle and scrunch together. Steam for 20 minutes. Dipping sauces below.
Steamed Ginger and Beef Dumplings
1/2 lb of ground beef
1/4 cup of finely chopped ginger
1/4 cup of tamari
salt and fresh pepper
wanton wrappers
Makes about 12.
Mix all ingredients together. Drop a spoonful of mixture on to the center of the wrapper. Wet the exposed edges with water. Grab all the corners, bring to the middle and scrunch together. Steam for 20 minutes. Dipping sauces below.
Fried Cabbage, Shitake and Carrot Dumplings
1 carrot, diced
1/4 cup of white cabbage, shredded
1/4 cup of shitake mushrooms, diced
wanton wrappers
veg oil for frying
1/2 cup of water
Makes about 12.
Dice your carrot, cabbage and shrooms and combine in a bowl. Drop a tablespoon or so (you’ll begin to feel it out) onto the wrapper. Guess what you do here. That’s right. Wet the edges, grab the corners, bring together, scrunchy scrunchy. Here is what is different. Heat a frying pan and add a bit of veg oil for frying. When very hot, place your dumpling to fry for 5 minutes. When they have a nice crispy brown bottom, pour in a 1/2 cup of water and cover immediately to finish cooking through with a nice steam bath. Let it do its thing for 5 minutes. Should be ready at this time. Dipping sauces below.
Fresh Spring Rolls
1/2 carrot, julienned (that means cut into thin strips at about 3 inches)
2 scallions, cut down the middle middle and cut at about 3 inches
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1/2 bunch of chinese or (uh, american? or italian?.. dunno) basil
rice paper rolls
Cut your veggies and clean and dry your herbals. Add the rice paper to a bowl of very warm water and let it soften for about 30 seconds. Make sure you get all the edges under the water so it doesn’t roll up and crack. When the paper is soft, very gently pull it out and lay flat on a cutting board. Throw a bit of each of your ingredients into the center towards the bottom of the wrapper. Begin to roll the fatty towards the center. Halfway up, grab the right and the left and fold over the rolled half. Then continue to roll up. As soon as the paper dries, it will stick to itself. To serve, use a very sharp knife to cut 2 or 4 slices and stand up if possible.
Dippin Sauces
sirachi
wasabi paste with tamari
chopped ginger in tamari
sesame oil with red pepper flakes (or without)
Let me mention that I particularly like the wasabi with the beef and the sesame oil with the spring rolls. Let me also mention that these are damn easy to do, cheap as all get out and fun to eat. I am not afraid to cater your next dumpling affair. Gimme a date and a time and I’ll be there. You provide the tequila.
Me and My Baby, Porking in The Kitchen September 22, 2008
Posted by sicatmeow in Fun Gadgets, Projects, Recipes.Tags: dumplings, pork, sesame oil, shallots, sirachi, soy
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So we like to eat pork, wanna fight about it? We also like to eat bite-sized. I think it’s cuter that way. Pretty sure R just thinks it’s more fun to eat with his fingers. I got a steamer recently, and since we like dumplings around here, and pork is our heart, we churned out some pork dumplings like we were a tiny little dumpling-eating factory.
All the ones that look like dumplings, R made. My anal ass (ha, didn’t even think about that when I was typing but it stays) liked the straight lines of the stars, so those are mine. Also see the lone tortalli I made. :( Not sure why I did that.
I’m not going to lie to you, R’s were better and I would recommend that shape with this recipe. Something about the bunchy dough at the top that was mmm mmm good.
Steamed Pork Dumplings
1 lb of ground pork
1/4 cup tamari
3 tbs of sesame oil
2 tbs of sirachi
one small splash of vinegar
1 shallot, finely chopped
wanton wrappers (as I said before, shut up)
salt and pepper
Makes about 24 dumplings. Perfectly serves 2 as an entre if you’re fat.
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Mix with your fingers (please wash them first, gross). Drop one scoop of pork, roughly the diameter of a quarter in the middle of the wanton wrapper. Brush water on the exposed parts of the wrapper to act as a adhesive. Gather the corners and edges and pull to the top. Smoosh together. Keep uncooked dumplings beneath a damp paper towel while finishing up. Wet the steamer a bit before putting the dumplings in or they will stick to the wood after cooking. Put the steamer on top of a pot of boiling water and let the dumplings steam for 20 minutes. If there are two stacked baskets, as most steamers are, switch the order halfway through.
For dipping, serve with individual bowls of tamari sauce, sirachi sauce, and sesame oil with red pepper flakes. I hear duck sauce would do yourself good, as well. Again, if you’re going to use your fingers, please wash them?
Treating My Heart: Vietnamese Salad August 29, 2008
Posted by sicatmeow in Health, Recipes.Tags: basil, cilantro, iceberg, lime, noodles, sesame oil, udon
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Have you ever finished a weekend full of sausage and felt like your heart just might burst if you don’t give it some green? Yeah. That’s why Sundays there are always green meals happening. Recently, I had my fill of meat so I had to do a fat-free, hi-ruffage salad. Because I care.
Vietnamese Salad
2 servings of udon noodles
2 scallions, sliced
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 cup bean sprouts
3 cups iceberg lettuce, shredded
Dressing:
2 parts fresh lime juice, 2 parts tamari, 1 part sesame oil
You’ll probably want to start with two juicy limes and work your way from there.
And, instead of tamari, you can use low-sodium, high-quality soy sauce. (Or fug it, some leftover Chinese Packets)
Boil your noodles, toss with half the dressing. Pour into a large bowl. Throw the lettuce on top. Then the rest of the herbs, scallions and sprouts. Top with the rest of the dressing. This makes two large servings. Your tiny beating heart will thank you. (Although, this really goes well with thinly sliced beef, rolled around a slice of onion, grilled.)
