Not Your Normal Dumplings

May I just say that this Japanese blog is the best thing that's every happened to my kitchen? Everything I make from there is seriously delicious. Including these: these are gyoza, which are basically Japanese dumplings. Call them wontons, potstickers, whatever. Just make them!

GYOZA
from japanesefoodaddict.com
Yield: 2-4 servings
Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients
• 32 gyoza wrappers (get wonton wrappers from Albertson's. That's what I did and it was less than 3 bucks)
• 1/4 lb ground pork
• 1/2 lb cabbage (chopped)
• 1/2 cup green onion (chopped)
• 1 clove garlic (minced)
• 1 tsp ginger (minced)
• 1/2 tsp sugar (for mixing with pork)
• 1/4 tsp salt (for mixing with pork)
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil (for mixing with pork)
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp sake
• dash pepper
• 1/4 tsp flour
• 1 tsp sesame oil (for grilling gyoza)

How To:
1. Knead the pork in a bowl then add sugar, salt and sesame oil
2. Add cabbage and green onion, then knead. Add soy sauce, sake and sprinkle pepper
3. Mix flour and 3 tsp of water in small bowl
4. Put roughly 1 or 1.5 tsp pork in the middle of a gyoza wrapper. Dip your fingers in the flour water, and spread it around the edge of the gyoza wrapper. Fold in half and pinch softly around the edge.
5. Boil 1 cup water
6. Heat the oil in a pan, then place the gyoza, heavy side down, into the pan
7. Add 1 cup boiling water, cover, and cook until the water evaporates (about 4 minute) over high heat
8. Add 1 tsp sesame oil (roll pan to distribute)
9. It is ready when gyoza becomes a little browned on the bottom
10. Serve with vinegar/soy sauce mixture for dipping
 
Notes:
- I grew up making these with venison. My dad is a hunter and whenever we had ground venison (which is all the time) my brother and I would close wonton wrappers and watch TV. The point is you can fill these with anything- carrots, tofu, sprouts, chicken, turkey, venison, etc. Go for it and experiment!
- I didn't use cabbage, or sake, or sesame oil. I just used regular vegetable oil.

Enjoy!

Ebi Chiri

As part of my Japanese food obsession, i've done ebi chiri. What is ebi chiri? Well, ebi is shrimp in Japanese (you're learning a new language here too!) Chiri is....chili in messed up English. No joke.

Ebi Chiri
from japanesefoodaddict.com
Yield: 2 servings
Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients
• 18 pieces of shrimp (216g)
• 1 clove of garlic (minced)
• 1 tsp ginger (minced)
• 1/4 cup green onion (chopped)
• 2 tsp sake (for uncooked shrimp)
• 1/4 tsp salt and a dash of pepper (for uncooked shrimp)
• 2 tsp katakuriko (potato starch for uncooked shrimp)
• 1/2 tsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 4 tsp ketchup
• 1tsp chicken soup powder
• 1tsp doubanjiang
• dash of salt and pepper

How To:
1. De-vein, shrimp wash with cold water
2. Put shrimp in a small bowl, add salt and pepper, sake, katakuriko and mix.
3. Mix spices (oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, ketchup, chicken powder) together in small bowl
4. Heat oil in frying pan then sauté garlic and ginger
5. Add shrimp/sake/katakuriko/doubanjiang mixture and cook for 1 minute over medium heat. Add green onion.
6. Add mixed spices and 1/4 cup of water, mix, cook for 2 minutes and serve.

Notes:
- Per usual, I didn't use half the ingredients, namely sake, oyster sauce, and doubanjiang (this is a Chinese chilied spice). I sauteed jalapenos for spice. If i had some, I'd also add Sriracha sauce. It doesn't make a difference, it just adds a little crunch.
- This is one of the easiest things I've made. I'm shocked at how simple these are.

Summer Hash

I found this recipe at Sunflower Market, my favorite place to shop for produce. I love artichokes so this was perfect!

ARTICKHOKE, POTATO AND MUSHROOM HASH

Ingredients:
- 2 lemons, juiced
- 8 baby artichokes (don’t use regular)
- 2 medium potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- ½ onion, finely chopped
- 2 cups sliced mushrooms
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tbsp. capers (opt.)

Directions:
1. Fill a large bowl with cold water, add lemon juice; set aside
2. Snap off the outer leaves of the artichokes until reaching the pale yellow leaves. Using a small knife cut off the stem and any dark leaves. Cut off the top; place artichokes in bowl; set aside.
3. Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Place over high heat and bring to boiling; cook 3 to 4 minutes. Drain; set aside.
4. In the same pot bring 4 cups salted water to boiling. Drain artichokes and add to pot. Cook 15 minutes or until the stem end is fork-tender. Drain; let cook slightly. Cut into quarters.
5. In a large skillet heat butter and oil over medium-high head. Add onion; sauté 5 minutes. Add mushrooms; sauté 5 minutes; Add potatoes, garlic and artichokes; sauté 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parsley and (if desired) capes, and serve.

Notes-
- Use artichokes from a can. I had a hard time with the regular ones.
- Make sure to cut potatoes before boiling. I didn’t and they were undercooked.

Japanese Chicken

I'm making it a point to make Japanese food once a week. And this week it's fried chicken. But not normal flour-dredged fried chicken- this is covered in katakuriko aka potato starch. It's really good and freaking easy.

CHICKEN KARAAGE
from japanesefoodaddict.com

Yield: 4 servings
Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients
• 3/4 lb chicken (cut into 1 1/2″ pieces)
• 1/2 oz ginger (ground)
• 1 green onion (chopped)
• 1 clove garlic (ground)

Spices
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sake
• 1/2 tbsp Chinese soup powder (chicken bouillon powder)
• 2 tbsp katakuriko (potato starch or corn starch)

Directions:

1. Mix soy sauce, sake, ginger, garlic, chicken bone soup powder, and green onion in a small bowl
2. Marinate chicken in mixed spices and cool in a fridge for 30 min
3.Remove chicken from marinade (throw liquid away), add chicken and katakuriko to a bowl, and mix
4. Heat oil to 375°F (190°C) and fry chicken (about 5 minutes)
5. Put chicken on a paper towel and pat dry to remove oil

Notes
- Please do not fry chicken all at once. If you do too much chicken at the same time (it will not get crispy). I use a regular sized frying pan with 2″ of oil, and fry about 5-6 pieces at a time.
- I used corn starch. It's burns easily so be careful.
- I didn't use sake.
- I let it marinate for several hours. It tastes good!

Enjoy!

Green Tea Cupcakes....for St. Pattie's Day!

This spring break my friend asked me if I knew how to make green tea cupcakes. "Of course I do!" I replied. Not that I'd made them before. But I knew that all I had to do was add matcha powder to any recipe.

For those who don't know, Matcha is a powdered form of green tea. It's usually used in traditional Japanese Tea Ceremonies and is considered to be very valuable. That's why sometimes you see "green tea [insert dessert name here]" and "matcha [insert name]" Matcha will probably be a better quality and a stronger flavor.

I love this stuff. I started eating matcha desserts in Japan a few years ago: doughnuts, ice cream, ice cream sauce. Whatever, I'd eat it. So when my friend asked me about cupcakes, I jumped at the chance.

Matcha Cupcakes
from Cupcake Bake Shop by Chockolyt


Ingredients:
-24 cupcake papers/350 degree oven
-1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
-2 cups sugar
-2 large eggs
-2 large egg yolks
-3 cups all-purpose flour
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-1/8 teaspoon salt
-1 cup milk
-2 tablespoons matcha tea

How to:
1. Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds.
2. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add eggs/egg yolks one at a time, beat for 30 seconds between each.
4. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add to batter and mix to combine.
5. Mix matcha in with the milk. Add to the batter and mix until combine.
Scoop batter into prepared into cupcake papers.
6. Bake for 22-25 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

Matcha Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:
-1 stick butter, room temperature
-2 tablespoons half and half or light cream
-1 tablespoon matcha powder
-3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

How to:
1. Mix matcha in with the light cream to make a paste.
2. Beat butter briefly, scrape bowl.
3. Add the sifted powdered sugar and matcha paste. Beat until smooth.

PS:
- Matcha is hard to find. I got mine at Whole Foods, but try local teashops or international markets as well.
- The cupcakes can also be topped with a vanilla frosting(as suggested by one of my friends)
- These don't need food coloring, they are super bright.
- Feel free to cut back on the tea. I love the bitter flavor but it may be a bit strong for some. Like my mother


Enjoy!

Drunk Cupcakes

This is my final delish desert from the Academy Awards last week.I didn't make these, but one of my friends did. These are ridiculously sweet, and definitely not for the faint of heart.





Guinness and Bailey’s Irish Cream Cupcakes
from http://annies-eat.net

Yield: 24 cupcakes
Ingredients:

For the Guinness chocolate cupcakes:
-1 cup stout (Guinness)
-16 tbsp. unsalted butter
-3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-2 cups all-purpose flour
-2 cups sugar
-1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
-3/4 tsp. salt
-2 large eggs
-2/3 cup sour cream

For the Bailey’s ganache filling:
-8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
-2/3 cup heavy cream
-2 tbsp. butter, at room temperature
-2 tsp. Bailey’s Irish cream

For the Bailey’s buttercream frosting:
-8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
-3-4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
-4-8 tbsp. Bailey’s Irish cream

Directions:
To make the cupcakes:
1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.
2. Combine the stout and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the eggs and sour cream to blend. Add the stout-butter mixture and beat just to combine. Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed just until incorporated.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the ganache filling:
1. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until simmering, then pour it over the chocolate.
2. Let sit for one minute and then whisk until smooth. If the chocolate is not completely melted, place the bowl over a double boiler or give it a very short burst in the microwave (15-20 seconds).
3. Add the butter and Bailey’s and stir until combined.
4. Set aside to let the ganache cool until it is thick enough to be piped. (You can use the refrigerator to speed the cooling process, but be sure to stir every 10 minutes or so to ensure even cooling.)
5. Meanwhile, cut out a portion from the center of the cupcake using the cone method (a small paring knife works best for this). Once the ganache has reached the correct consistency, transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a wide tip and pipe it into the cupcakes.

To make the frosting:
1. Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
2. Gradually add the powdered sugar until it is all incorporated.
3. Mix in the Bailey’s until smooth. Add more if necessary until the frosting has reached a good consistency for piping or spreading. Frost the cupcakes as desired.

NB:
- Feel free to leave out the ganache. The cupcake is great, but with the frosting and ganache it's almost too much. I couldn't even finish a whole one is one sitting.
- If you're not using the ganache in the cupcakes, make truffles with it! Refrigerate it til it's thick enough to be rolled. Then roll it in cocoa powder and put back in the fridge for a little bit. Enjoy!
- Instead of using a legit piping bag, just cut the end off a Ziploc bag and use that. Be careful, the bag's break easy.

Beef Bowl

I just found the most wonderful Japanese food blog:japanesefoodaddict.com. It's got the simplest/best Japanese food. I've been searching for somewhere with good Japanese food, food I'll actually eat that don't all for rice vinegar and mirin, etc. Because I'm not gonna go buy these. But this website is perfect. All I need is stuff I already have: soy sauce, soup stock, sugar, etc.

I'm going to be posting the recipes in full with notes of what I substituted/left out. I hope you enjoy!

Gyudon (Beef with Rice)

from japanesefoodaddict.com
Yield: 2 servings
Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients
-2 bowls of steamed rice
-0.4lb of sliced beef
-1 medium onion (sliced)
-1 tsp hon-dashi (soup stock powder)
-6 tsp soy sauce
-4 tsp sake
-4 tsp sugar
-1 tsp granted ginger

Preparation
1. Add hon-dashi and sliced onion in 2 cups of hot water in the saucepan
2. After the water boils, cook for 6 minutes on medium heat
3. Add mixed spices (soy sauce, sake, sugar, ginger) and beef in the saucepan and cook on high heat.
4. Reduce heat to medium and after it boils cover and simmer for 10 minutes
5. Serve it a bowl of steamed rice with soup in the saucepan

NB:
- This is possibly the easiest thing I've made. It took no time and I didn't have to hover over it.
- Go read my Rice in a Pot post if you don't have a rice cooker!
- For the beef, I used beef stir-fry.
- I used regular soup stock cubes, don't worry about it being hon-dashi.
- Instead of grating ginger, I used 1 tsp powdered ginger.
- I didn't even use sake.
- Seriously this taste perfect!

One Huge Cookie!

So for the Academy Awards Party, there was also this little goodie. I know this picture doesn't look appetizing. But before I could snap a good one, someone ate part of it. Go figure. Anyway, it's great if you can't be bothered to make tiny cookies, it tastes great and it's something different to try.

Skillet-Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie
from marthastewart.com

Ingredients:
-2 cups all-purpose flour
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
-1/2 cup sugar
-3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
-1 large egg
-2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
-1 1/2 cups (about 9 ounces) mixed milk- and semisweet chocolate chips

How To:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla; mix until they are fully incorporated. Add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Transfer dough to a 10-inch ovenproof skillet, and press to flatten, covering bottom of pan. Bake until edges are brown and top is golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Don't overbake; it will continue to cook a few minutes out of the oven. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, 15 to 20 minutes. Cut into 8 wedges. Serve warm; top each wedge with a scoop of ice cream and some caramel sauce.

NB:
- Add frosting, different kinds of chips, just have fun with it!

Take this one, Giada!

So the Academy Awards were last week and my roommate and I went cooking crazy. (I'll actually have 3 separate posts on the food we made). I found this recipe searching for food blogs to follow. And Cream Puffs in Venice won my heart due to this recipe:


Nutella Meringues
Yields 15 to 20 meringues (depends on how big you make them)

3 large egg whites, at room temperature
a pinch of cream of tartar
a pinch of salt
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon, granulated sugar
1/4 cup Nutella

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Make sure you have one oven rack in the bottom third of your oven and one in the upper third of your oven.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Set up a double boiler (a pot with another pot on top or a heat-proof bowl on top) and put the Nutella in the top of the double boiler. Warm the Nutella through and then set aside while you make the meringue. (You could also warm the Nutella in a microwave.) Let the Nutella cool as you make the meringue.(It will cool, but not solidify,which is what you want.)

In the bowl, using an electric beat, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until they are completely foamy.

Add the cream of tartar and the salt and continue whipping at medium-high speed until when you lift the whisk attachment, soft peaks form. This should take a few minutes.

Once you have reached the soft peak stage, increase the speed to high and begin adding the sugar a few spoonfuls at a time (this should take a few minutes).

Once all the sugar is in, the meringue should be very thick (almost stiff) and when you left the whisk firm peaks should remain.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and drop in all the Nutella. With a rubber spatula, gently fold the Nutella into the meringue three or four times. You’re aiming for a swirled effect so don’t overmix. This will also help avoid deflating the meringue.

Using two spoons, drop the meringue onto the parchment-lined baking sheets in large dollops.

Place in the oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, immediately lower the heat to 200 degrees F. and rotate the trays. Bake for an hour. (PS- so I totally forgot to do this and they turned out fine.)

After an hour, check the meringues. If they are completely dried out then turn the oven off and leave the meringues in the oven for a few hours to cool with the oven. If the meringues still look a bit “wet”, then continue baking for another 20 minutes or so. Either way, once fully baked, turn off the oven and leave the meringues in there for a few hours.

When you remove the meringues from the oven they should be completely dry and cool and will sound hollow when you tap the bottoms.

The meringues will keep in an airtight container for a week.