Fried Dumplings (Pork)

Simple yet extremely flavorful. Great as a light lunch or app before dinner.

Every now and then I like to make some pork gyoza but his time I couldn't find the right wrappers for those so I picked up wrappers for fried dumplings and they turned out so good, I'll probably experiment with more fillings and definitely buy more when this pack of sheets is over (soon)!

Serves 2

Preparation: 1 hr

16        Dumpling wrappers 

1          Egg, beaten

2 cups  Cooking oil for frying 

For the filling:

1/3 lb   Ground pork

2 Tbsp Cabbage, finely chopped 

2 Tbsp Corriander leaves, finely chopped 

1 Tbsb Fish sauce

1/2 tsp Salt

For the dipping sauce:

2 Tbsp Sriracha

2 Tbsp Flavoured rice vinegar

2 Tbsp Soy sauce

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients for the filling and mix well.

Make 16 portions of the pork mix, each about 1 tablespoon. 

Place one portion of pork in the center of one wrapper and seal the sides by brushing them with the beaten egg and pressing together firmly. 

Make sure there is no extra air in the sealed envelope or the dumpling may crack while frying.

Heat the oil in a deep frying pan. 

Test the oil with a small piece of dumpling wrapper. If it sizzles immediately, add the dumplings. 

Do not crowd the dumplings. Fry them in batches such that there is enough room for all the dumplings in one batch to float. 

Make sure they are cooked evenly on all sides.

Meanwhile, mix the ingredients of the dipping sauce in a small bowl.

Remove dumplings from oil and drain on paper towels before serving with the sauce.

Give me an E!

To add to the earlier Special K..

As you may know, the second letter of my last name is "E". I decorated this letter keeping in mind our frequent trips to Canada last year. 

Not only is the maple leaf the most widely recognized national symbol of Canada (thanks to the flag), everywhere you look in Canada you'll find products made from the maple tree and maple syrup. No surprise there since Canada produces 80% of the world's maple syrup. 

Besides being used as a substitute for honey in some recipes, the syrup is also used in making  granola, cakes, pies, breads ... you get my drift. You can find maple-flavored-just-about-anything in Canada!

Note to self: Say thanks to the Canadians the next time I'm piling pancakes on my plate! :)

So coming back to the letter at hand. How did I do it you ask? Here is how.

Materials used:

Paper mache letter

Cardstock paper in red, orange and green

Red and gold acrylic paint

Maple leaf paper punch

Glue (and a fair amount of patience that doesn't come with it!)

To get started, I painted the back and sides of the letter with gold and red respectively. This allows the artwork to have a finished look in the end.

Then I painted one section of each colored paper with gold and let it dry. 

With my handy little paper punch, I then went about making lots of maple leaves (punching both regular and painted sections of the sheets). This way, I had gold leaves with slight hues of the original color.

 Note: I made sure to punch more red and orange leaves to achieve an overall red colored finished product.

Then, with some all-purpose glue and patience, I began to stick them on the paper mache letter. I started at the edges so that these would be somewhat contained and yet peeking out of the boundary.

I made sure to overlap the leaves to get that wonderful look of fallen leaves on the ground.

And finally, the 'K' has a companion with others on the way :)

Photography 101

Having fun behind the lens at the Seattle Center

The international fountain dancing to accompanying music.

 Delighting the merrymakers with the occasional big whoosh!

 Workers preparing stalls for the upcoming festival

Mothers taking a stroll on a Sunday afternoon

 Bird on the lookout for fallen popcorn, I think.

 Exterior of the EMP museum

Having some fun with the colorful wall

The space needle supervises under a hot sun as the Monorail carries tourists and locals back and forth

Playing with Depth of Field 

and vibrant colors

 and dancing light on contours

Someone else has been playing here too :)

Dale Chihuly's gardens

This reminded me of Christmas.. sigh!

Look who's peeking over.

Money for a good cause

 Children's play area

Time to head home to DH!

Marzipan Farm Animals

If you like to play with your food, like I do, here's a fun way to do it!

Any experience with modelling clay is a plus but no experience needed to have fun!

All you'll need is about 1 lb of marzipan and food colors. I have used gel food colors here.
Pigs: Red
Sheep: Brown
Cow: Brown (for hide) and red (for ears)
Duck: Yellow (for body and wings) and orange (for beak and feet)
Black for all their eyes.

You can do the same with fondant if you like but that's too sweet for my taste and hardens too fast too.

Also, Marzipan has a natural off-white color whereas fondant is white.

Enjoy!

Lamb Tagine

Lamb Tagine with Chickpeas and Figs

I love this slow cooked Moroccan lamb dish.

Although this dish is normally served over flavored couscous, you can add some extra chickpeas (like I have) and enjoy it as a thick aromatic stew!

Serves 6

Preparation 

1 1/2 cup   Dried chickpeas

5               Garlic cloves (2 whole, 3 chopped)

2 small       Cinnamon sticks

2 Tbsp       Olive oil

3 pounds    Lamb shoulder cut in 1/2'' inch cubes

1 large       Onion, diced

5 tsp          Ras-el-Hanout* (spice blend)

1 Tbsp       Ginger, peeled and chopped

1 cup         Tomato puree

2 1/2 cups Chicken stock

1/4 cup      Dried figs, chopped

2 Tbsp       Fresh cilantro, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Wash the chickpeas and soak them overnight in 4 cups water. Drain and pressure cook with 3 cups water, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 cinnamon stick and 1/2 tsp salt. One whistle of your pressure cooker and 15 minutes rest time is enough.**

Season lamb with salt and pepper. 

Heat oil in a large heavy bottom pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add lamb and cook till brown on all sides. Transfer lamb to a bowl and set aside.

Add onion to the pot. Season with salt and cook till golden brown. Add chopped garlic, Ras-el Hanout, ginger, cinnamon stick. Saute for 2 minutes and add tomato puree. 

Add lamb and any juices from the bowl. Bring to a boil and add chicken stock***.

Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 90 mins, stirring occasionally.

Add the chickpeas and cook for 10 minutes. Add the figs and cook for another 5 minutes.

Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. 

Spoon Tagine into bowls and sprinkle with chopped cilantro

*    Ras-el-Hanout should be available at any specialty foods store or middle-eastern supermarket.

**  Adding spices while cooking the chickpeas gives a good flavor. Without them, the chickpeas will be bland on the inside.

*** You can also substitute some stock with some of the water in which the chickpeas were cooked.

Beet Soup

Beet Soup

Great healthy and yummy way to use up beets!

After I made the beet salad, I was left with an extra beetroot and wanted another way to serve it up to the picky-eating DH. I realized that with a quick zap in the blender, adding some flavors and accompaniments it would make a great soup. So here goes nothing!

It turned out to be a good recipe. Of course it still tastes like beet (which I don't mind, some others might) but not too much. And it's healthy for you! So whip it up and tuck in!

Serves 2

Preparation: 30 mins

Ingredients

1              Boiled beet (large)

1 Tbsp     Flour

1 Tbsp     Butter

1/2           Soup Bouillon cube (Knorr)

1 1/2 cup Water

1 Tbsp     Rosemary (or other fresh herb)

4 Tbsp     Chevre (fresh Goat Cheese)

2 Tbsp     Whipping cream

3 Tbsp     Candied walnuts (Yes, I add them wherever I can!) :)

Salt and pepper to taste

Chop up the beet into 1/2 inch cubes and puree it in the blender with 1/2 cup water. Set aside.

Bring the remaining 1 cup water to a boil and add the soup bouillon cube. Stir to dissolve. Set aside.

Make a Roux Brun with the flour and butter: Melt the butter in a saucepan and add flour to it. On a low flame, cook the flour in the butter. Monitor the flour as it cooks and stir occasionally to make sure it is cooked evenly. The granules will become crisp and darken over time. Do not over cook. As soon as the flour turns a golden brown or biscuit color, add the bouillon and stir vigorously to blend evenly and avoid lumps. 

Caution: The soup may splutter when you add bouillon to the pan!

Once the soup base is ready and you find no lumps, add the beet puree and fresh rosemary. Increase the flame and bring the the soup just to a boil. Over cooking at this stage will ruin the flavor of the herb you've added.

Blend the Goat cheese and the whipping cream together.

Pour the soup into 2 bowls. Add a dollop of the cheese whip and a few walnuts to each and serve with warm bread!

As you dig in, the cheese whip will melt in the bowl and you get to enjoy beet soup in more ways than one! :)

Don't tell my mom I'm playing with my food! ;)

Special K

Special K    
A little something to remember Turkey by.

After returning from a recent trip to Turkey and seeing all the amazing handmade ceramics, carpets, glass lanterns et al, I was inspired to create something to remember the trip by.

At the local art supplies store, I walked the aisles looking for something simple that I could elevate with the help of my rusty art skills.

When I found a wall full of paper-mache letters, I couldn't resist and decided to pick up a 'K', a No.2 paint brush, a set of metallic acrylic paints and a white gel ink pen.

I started out with just a plain bronze for the back so it would have a finished look later.

Then painted the sides a nice blue for all the Iznik tiles and blue coast scenes that fill my head.

Covered the front surface (in pencil) with a vine and floral design so often seen in Turkish art. Then decided to make it more prominent with the white pen.

Of my set of metallic acrylics, I designated some basic colors and set about filling the spaces with a paintbrush.

And finally finished it by redoing the lines with the white pen, adding veins to the leaves and more definition to the outlines. I can't always stick to lines :(


















I'm not entirely sure if it will continue to sit prettily above our fireplace or live somewhere else in our home. But it will always remind me of the wonderful people, culture, art, food and seascapes of Turkey!

Beet and Goat Cheese Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

Beet and Goat Cheese Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

Perfect for lunch any day or a light meal on a hot summer night.

Serves 2

Preparation: 45 minutes prep time and 10 minutes assembly

1           Beet (large)

4 cups   Mixed greens

½ cup   Orange vinaigrette

3 Tbsp. Crumbled Chevre/ Feta

2 Tbsp. Grated Monterey Jack

½ cup   Candied walnuts

1 cup    Croutons

Orange Vinaigrette

½ cup    Orange juice

4 Tbsp.  Rosemary EVOO (see notes)

2 Tbsp.  Lime juice

1 tsp.     Orange marmalade

Salt and Pepper to taste

Candied Walnuts

¼ cup   Sugar

½ cup   Walnuts

Do ahead: Cook the beet for 15 minutes in a pressure cooker on the flame. Turn off the flame and let it cook as it cools in the pressure cooker (see notes). Once the beet is at room temperature, chill for at least 15 minutes in the refrigerator.

While the beet is cooking, make candied walnuts. Heat the sugar on medium flame in a non-stick pan. Stir occasionally. When the sugar melts and turns into a golden syrup, add the walnuts and stir to coat lightly. Remove from pan and allow to cool completely on a plate.

Assemble the Salad

Combine all the ingredients of the vinaigrette in a food processor and blend for 30 seconds.

Add the dressing, cheeses, walnuts and croutons to the mixed greens and toss to mix well.

Peel and slice the beet.

Divide the salad among 2 plates. Top it with the sliced beet and serve.

Notes:
You can make your own Rosemary Extra Virgin Olive Oil by simply warming some extra virgin olive oil and adding a sprig of fresh rosemary to it. Make sure the oil is not too hot so that the herb does not get fried.

Cooking time for the beet will vary depending on the pressure cooker and the flame. I used a small pressure cooker and medium flame. Use your judgment for cooking time if using a larger cooker or an electric/ induction cook-top. 

Spice-encrusted Lamb Popsicles

Spice-encrusted Lamb Popsicles

Recipe courtesy "Vij's At Home" cookbook.

These are delicious alone or served with sour-cream Indian dressing or chutney dip

Serves 6

Preparation: 20 minutes + 2-3 hours to marinate

1.75 -2 kg         Rack of lamb, cut into 30 chops

125 ml              Cooking oil (using less oil changes the flavour)
2 Tbsp.             Ground cumin
1½ tsp.             Salt
1- 1½ tsp.         Ground cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp.             Ground coriander
1 Tbsp.             Paprika
1 tsp.                Turmeric
2 Tbsp.             Finely chopped garlic (6 medium cloves)
½ to 1               Whole lemon, cut in wedges (optional)

In a large bowl, combine lamb with oil, cumin, salt, cayenne pepper, coriander, paprika, turmeric and garlic.

Toss lightly to coat the lamb, then cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours to allow lamb to marinate.

Move your oven rack to its highest position, and preheat the oven to 250°C. On a large baking sheet, arrange the chops — as many as will fit comfortably without overlapping— and bake for 2 minutes.

Remove from the oven, set on a heatproof surface and, using tongs, turn each chop over. Bake for 2 minutes more then remove from the oven.

Using a sharp knife, cut into a popsicle. It should be pink in the center. If the popsicles are not quite cooked, bake each side for 30 seconds to 1 minute more. Transfer to a serving platter and squeeze some lemon juice over the cooked popsicles.

Sour Cream Indian Dressing
Makes 1 cup.
Prep time: 15 minutes + 15 minutes of refrigeration

250 ml             Sour cream (full fat or low fat)
½ cup              Coriander leaves 

½ tsp.              Salt
½ tsp.              Ground cayenne pepper
½ tsp.              Finely chopped garlic 

In a medium bowl, mix together all of the ingredients. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate the mixture for at least 15 minutes. The dip will keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

STEPS IN PICTURES

Step 1: Cut it up.                                                  

Step 2: Spice it up.

    

Step 3: Marinate       

                                             

Step 4: Bake

Step 5: Enjoy! 

-Amana