Squash potstickers

 

MUNCH RATING: 3/5

Now that I’m working full time I really don’t have a lot of time for cooking and blogging. As soon as Steve and I get in from work I cook something quick and simple and I just don’t have the inclination to faff about photographing the dish.

 

But I made these potstickers last weekend. I had some leftover butternut squash that I’d simply roasted in the oven. I mashed it up and chucked in some finely home-grown sage (all the plants are doing well – still need to update those blog posts!) and some salt and pepper. Then I filled the gyoza wrappers (these were frozen but they only took a couple of hours to thaw out on the kitchen counter) and folder them in half and sealed with water.

 

I think I’ve finally got the knack of cooking potstickers. I heated some oil in a pan and put about 5 dumplings in and cooked them for about a minute on each side until they were nicely browned. Then I added about 2 tablespoons of water and clamped on a lid and cooked for about 3 minutes (I’d cook for longer if the dumplings contained raw meat) until all the water had disappeared. Then I put them in the oven on a low heat to keep warm.

 

Technically these aren’t really potstickers as I used a non-stick pan so they didn’t stick – I just find it easier this way.

 

TASTE TEST:

I served them with some ketchup manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce) and because the butternut squash was sweet, it was all a bit too sweet! But they did taste nice, we just prefer meaty dumplings!

Panko Fish with Katsu Curry Sauce

 

MUNCH RATING: 4/5

 

When I was in the Chinese supermarket with my brother and we walked past the Panko breadcrumbs I told him that’s what is used to make Chicken Katsu Curry like in Wagamamas. So he asked how do I make the curry sauce and I told him I use the Golden Curry sauce mix (Medium Hot). So he bought some, but I’m not sure if he’s used it yet. So this recipe is for you Greg!

 

 

In the packet there are 2 foil-sealed blocks of the sauce mix and each block has 4 squares. The instructions say a whole packet will make enough sauce to serve 5, but I use just 1 square to make enough sauce for myself and Steve. I calculated the amount of water is 175ml to create a nice thick sauce.

 

 

Chicken Katsu is traditionally deep fried, but I don’t really like deep frying so I always shallow fry for about 5-10 minutes until crispy and golden brown and cooked through. Fish cooks a lot quicker and only needs a few minutes each side. After I learned my new trick to breadcrumb chicken using only oil (instead of using flour and egg first - see Creamy Chicken Kiev) I used the same method for the fish and it worked really well.

 

Steve likes his curry with brown rice, but I decided to have some roasted squash and sweet potatoes with mine.

 

• Serves: 2

 

Ingredients:

• 2 fillets of white fish (I used tilapia), cut into smaller pieces if very large
• Olive oil
• 2 handfuls of Panko breadcrumbs
• Vegetable oil
• 1 square of Golden Curry sauce
• 175ml hot water

 

Directions:

1. Coat the fish (or chicken) with the olive oil, then coat well with the breadcrumbs.
2. Heat a few Tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large frying pan and then add the fish when the oil is hot (test the temperature by dropping a few breadcrumbs in and if they sizzle then it’s ready). Fry the fish for 4-5 minutes on each side until golden brown and crispy.
3. Meanwhile, make the curry sauce by putting the hot water in a small saucepan, then add the square of curry sauce and whisk constantly over a medium heat until the square has dissolved and you have a nice thick sauce.

Tempura batter (for pork, chicken and squid)

MUNCH RATING: 3/5

 

For some reason the original pork/chicken ball batter that I’d previously used and really liked has not produced good results on all the subsequent occasions that I’ve made it. So I decided to try using John Torode’s batter, which is basically a Japanese tempura batter as it contains cold (sparkling) water.

 

CHANGES TO THE RECIPE:

I decided to batter a selection of things: 1 pork chop, 1 chicken breast and 3 pieces of squid. We didn’t cook the squid for as long, so they are the smaller, paler balls in the photo. The pork and chicken were cooked for about 5-6 minutes, turning occasionally.

 

The amount of batter was sufficient for this amount of meat and seafood. However, I ran out of cornflour for dusting the pork, so I just used plain flour instead and it was fine.

 

I got Steve to make the Sweet and Sour sauce from the original recipe we like, as we know it’s a winner! I’ve rewritten the sauce recipe below.

 

TASTE TEST:

Well the pork and chicken balls were lovely as the meat was moist and succulent. I never normally use chicken breast as I find it dry and lacking flavour. So Steve was very surprised when I told him it was breast and not thigh. Unfortunately the squid tasted very fishy, so I suspect that the frozen squid I used has spoiled, either before or after I bought it.

 

The batter was nice and crispy, but it was a little bit greasy. It might be because we didn’t drain them well enough. Or we perhaps didn’t have the oil hot enough when we dropped the battered meat/squid in, so the batter didn’t create a barrier against absorbing more oil. I still thought the batter was really nice, but Steve said it just wasn’t the same as the take-away ones! So as a batter it is very nice, but it doesn’t get as high a Munch Rating as it’s just not spongy enough in the middle for Steve’s liking.

 

So we’re still looking for the perfect recipe. I’m going to look into why the original recipe we liked hasn’t worked since the first time I made it. I think I might have converted the quantities incorrectly when I downsized the recipe.

 

I have also asked my Dad to ask his friends who own a Chinese take-away for their recipe. Hopefully I will learn some insider secrets!

 

I now have almost a whole bottle of soda water to use up. I could make up a nice drink with it, but I’ve found a recipe for pancakes which uses soda water as it apparently makes them really fluffy. So hopefully I’ll get around to experimenting with that recipe before the water goes flat!

 

• Makes: 6-8 pork balls, 6-8 chicken balls, 12-15 squid rings

 

Ingredients:

FOR THE BATTER

• 100ml soda water, chilled
• 100ml cold water
• 140g self-raising flour
• pinch of salt

 

• selection of skinless, boneless meat/seafood, cut into chunks
• 25g cornflour
• sunflower or vegetable oil, for frying

 

Directions:

1. Line a baking tray with kitchen paper and turn on the oven to low.
2. Fill a large pan 1cm deep with oil and heat until shimmering.
3. Mix the soda water and cold water into the self-raising flour with a little salt (but don’t overmix as it’s OK to have lumps in tempura batter to keep it light)
4. Tip the cornflour onto a plate and dust the chicken/pork/squid with cornflour shaking off the excess, then dip into the batter. One at a time, lower into the hot oil (about 5-6 every batch). Turn up the heat to keep the meat frying, if needed, and cook for 5-6 mins, turning once.
5. When cooked, drain on the tray, and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining meat. Stack onto a plate with the warm sauce on the side.

 

FOR THE sweet and sour SAUCE:

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons) tomato ketchup
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/4 cup (60ml) white vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)
• 1/4 cup (60ml) water
• 1/2 cup (100g) white sugar
• 1/4 cup (45g) brown sugar, packed
• 1 Tablespoon corn flour
• 1/8 cup (2 Tablespoons) cold water

 

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan combine the first 6 ingredients and bring to a boil whisking constantly.
2. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer stirring for 2 minutes.
3. In a small cup dissolve the corn flour in the cold water until smooth, then add to the simmering sauce stirring constantly.
4. Cook for another 3 minutes stirring until bubbly and thickened.
5. I served this at room temperature. You can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for probably about a week or you could freeze it.

Pork Potsticker Dumplings

 

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

 

A while ago I tried to make potstickers completely from scratch using my Gran’s recipe for the dough. I added too much water and it was a bit of a disaster, so this time I cheated and used ready-made gyoza wrappers that I bought from a Chinese supermarket. So these dumplings were actually very quick and easy to make, especially when I had Steve to help me.

 

For the filling I adapted a Ken Hom recipe and I made the mistake of substituting Chinese leaves for bamboo shoots as they contributed a funny smell which wasn’t too pleasant! But other than that they tasted really good!

 

I have another recipe for the filling which uses beef mince, so I’ll try that next time. I will also have another try at making the dough from scratch!

 

• Makes: 22-25 dumplings

 

Ingredients:

• 22-25 gyoza wrappers
• a little water for sealing the dumplings
• 1 Tablespoon oil for cooking the dumplings
• 60ml water for cooking the dumplings

FOR THE FILLING:

• 250g minced pork
• 1 teaspoon ginger, finely grated
• 1 clove garlic, finely grated
• ½ Tablespoon Shaoshing rice wine
• ½ Tablespoon dark soy sauce
• ½ Tablespoon light soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• ½ teaspoon sugar

 

Directions:

Preparation:

1. Put all the filling ingredients into a bowl and mix together well. Allow to marinate in the fridge for 1 hour.

To make the dumplings:

1. Place a large teaspoon of the filling in the centre of each gyoza wrapper and moisten the edges with water.
2. Fold over the dough to create a semi-circle and pinch together with your fingers to seal. You can add pleats if you like. Place your completed dumplings onto a lightly floured tray and keep covered whilst you make the rest.

To cook the dumplings (in batches):

1. Heat a large lidded frying pan until it is very hot. Add half the oil so that the base of the pan is covered. Place half the dumplings in the pan flat side down, reduce the heat and cook for about 2 minutes or until they are lightly browned.
2. Add 30ml of water, cover the pan tightly and simmer gently for 5-7 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
3. Uncover the pan and continue to cook the dumplings for 2 more minutes – the dumplings should look wrinkled. Remove from the pan and keep warm whilst you repeat with the other half of the dumplings.

 

COOK’S NOTES:

• The dumplings will keep in the fridge overnight as long as they are tightly covered.

Tsukune - Pork Balls on sticks

MUNCH RATING: 3/5

I got the inspiration for this recipe by one of my favourite Japanese anime shows, Samurai Champloo, as the 3 main characters are always on the search for food and they seem to eat food on sticks a lot.

So a quick search on Google resulted in Tsukune. I have adapted a recipe I found to add more flavour, but the basic method for making them is the same. They are cooked in two stages but it really isn't that complicated.

I think these would be great on the BBQ as you can prepare and cook them up to step 5 and then finish them over the hot coals.

The original recipe bastes the pork balls with Yakitori sauce but that calls for 1 Tablespoon of Mirin and 5 Tablespoons of Sake, both of which I didn't have as they're quite expensive and I wouldn't be able to use them up during our time in SF. So I substituted the Mirin and Sake with Hoisin Sauce to invent my own sauce!

• Makes: 12 Pork Balls
• Cooking Method: grill/broiler or BBQ

Ingredients:

For the Pork Balls:

• 300g/11oz minced/ground pork (or you can use chicken or turkey)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp all purpose flour
• 2 tsp corn flour/starch
• 6tbsp dried breadcrumbs (I used panko)
• 1 teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
• 1 clove garlic, grated (optional)
• The juice from 1 inch piece fresh grated ginger root

Ingredients:

For "Poor Mandy's Yakitori Sauce"

• 5 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch blended with 5ml/1 teaspoon water
• 2 Tablespoons Hoisin Sauce

Directions for the Sauce:

1. In a small pan, mix all the ingredients for the "yakitori sauce", except for the cornstarch liquid. Bring to a gentle boil then reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes or until the sauce has slightly reduced. Add the cornstarch liquid and stir until the sauce is thick.

Directions for the Pork Balls:

1. Soak 4 bamboo skewers in water for a few hours.
2. Put all the ingredients the pork balls in a medium bowl and mix until well combined. (You can use a food processor if you have it).
3. Wet your hands and scoop about a tablespoonful of the mixture into your palm and shape it into a small ball about the size of a golf ball. Make all 12 balls.
4. Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil. Add the pork balls and boil for about 7 minutes or until the colour of the meat changes and the balls float to the surface.
5. Remove the balls from the pan and drain well on kitchen paper.
6. Toss the pork balls in a little bit of oil - this will help them brown.
7. Thread 3 balls on each skewer and cook under a medium grill/broiler or on a barbecue, keeping the skewer hands away from the fire. Turn them every few minutes until they are evenly browned.
8. Brush with sauce and return to the heat.
9. Repeat the brushing process twice, turning the balls to coat evenly so that the sauce caramelises.

NO BAMBOO STICKS? Don't worry, you can just put your balls on a baking sheet and cook under the grill, turning them often and basting with the sauce.

I served the Pork Balls with stir-fried spaghetti with mixed vegetables. My Dad often uses spaghetti/pasta instead of noodles and I think it makes a nice alternative/substitute:

Blanch some broccoli and drain. Saute 1/2 onion and some sliced mushrooms in a large pan. Add thinly sliced carrots and cook for a couple of minutes then add the broccoli. Add enough cooked spaghetti for 2 people and stir-fry for a few minutes. Add about 4 tablespoons of oyster sauce and make sure everything is nicely coated.

Yasai korroke (Japanese vegetable cakes)

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

This is a recipe from the Wagamama cookbook which I've made before but not actually tried in the restaurant.

In San Francisco it's easy to find ingredients like Panko Breadcrumbs, I got mine in Safeway so I didn't have to make a special trip to Japantown for them.

• Makes: 6 cakes

Ingredients:

• Vegetable oil, for deep frying
• 1 large potato, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
• salt and white pepper
• 25g (1oz) frozen peas
• 25g (1oz) canned sweetcorn, drained
• 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped (or use spring onion and skip step 4)
• 1 red chilli, trimmed and finely chopped (or some chilli flakes
• 3-4 tablespoons plain flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• 50g (2oz) panko breadcrumbs

Directions:

1. Put the potato and sweet potato in a pan of boiling water and cook for 10-12 minutes until tender. Add the peas for the last 2 minutes.
2. Drain, return to the pan, then crush slightly with a wooden spoon to create a lumpy mash.
3. Stir in the sweetcorn.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a frying pan and cook the onion and chilli over a low heat for 6-8 minutes until soft.
5. Combine the onion and chilli with the mash in a large bowl, season and mix evenly.
6. Allow to cool slightly, then divide into 6 equal portions and shape into flat cakes.
7. Place the flour in a bowl, the beaten egg in another and the breadcrumbs in a third.
8. Dip each cake first into the flour, then in the egg and finally in the breadcrumbs.
9. Fill a pan two-thirds full with oil and heat to 180C/350F or until a cube of bread added to the oil browns in 30 seconds.
10. Deep fry the cakes for 2-3 minutes until golden brown and crisp, then drain on kitchen paper. Alternatively you can shallow fry them, carefully turning them on all sides until golden brown - takes a bit longer but just as tasty!