Volume 9, Issue 81 - October 24, 2005

Hello Recipe Club,

I love Asian cuisine. I do not claim to be an expert at preparing by any means, but I am not afraid to experiment with it in the kitchen. This week we will explore some dishes from Japan, China, Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did researching them.

Japan

Traditional Japanese cuisine is dominated by white rice, and few meals would be complete without it. Anything else served during a meal - fish, meat or vegetables is considered a side dish and are served to enhance the flavor of the rice.

Being an island nation, its people consume much seafood including fish, shellfish, octopus, squid, crabs, lobsters, shrimp and seaweed. Although not known as a meat eating country, very few Japanese consider themselves vegetarians by any sense of the word. Beef and chicken are commonly eaten and have become part of their everyday cuisine.

NOTE: Sushi is NOT raw fish! Sushi is vinegared rice topped or mixed with various fresh ingredients, usually fish or seafood….but that is another topic for a Recipe Club.

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Yakitori Chicken

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 pounds chicken breast fillets, cut into 1 inch cubes
8 scallions, cut into 1 inch lengths
soaked bamboo skewers

Yakitori Sauce (makes 2 cups):

6 tablespoons sake, or sherry
3/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons Mirin
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Preparation:

Combine the sauce ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil.

Thread the five pieces of chicken and four pieces of scallion, alternatively onto soaked skewers and brush with the yakitori sauce. Grill, basting regularly, until thoroughly cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees.

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Vegetable Tempura

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

Tempura Batter:

1 cup cold water or cold beer
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 egg yolk
1 cup sifted unbleached flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt

Dipping Sauce:

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon Mirin
1 tablespoon ginger, grated
1 tablespoon sliced scallions

Preparation:

Batter:

In one bowl, mix all liquid ingredients. In another, mix dry ingredients. Slowly stir wet into dry, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl frequently for stray clumps.

Dipping Sauce:

Combine all ingredients in bowl. Stir to combine. Keep Chilled until use.

For tempura vegetables, simply drop your choice of veggies (zucchini, mushrooms, broccoli, etc.) into the batter, remove with tongs and drop into hot (350 degrees) peanut oil until golden brown. Serve with dipping sauce on the side.

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Gyoza (Potstickers)

Known in Japan as gyoza, pot-sticker dumplings are easy to prepare, and make a delicious appetizer or party hors d'oeurve. This recipes is from Chef Hiroko Shimbo.

Makes 40 pot-stickers, about 4 to 8 servings

Ingredients:

Wrapper:

3 1/2 ounces cake flour
3 1/2 ounces bread flour
additional flour for dusting
1/4 teaspoon salt

Stuffing:

5 ounces ground pork
1 teaspoon soy sauce, plus more for dipping
3 1/2 ounces spinach, leaf part only, chopped
1 portobello mushroom, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 teaspoon grated ginger
2 tablespoons chopped garlic chives
pinch of sugar
4 tablespoons sesame or vegetable oil
Japanese hot mustard paste, or French smooth mustard paste

Preparation:

Wrapper:

Sift the two flours into a large bowl and stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt. Have about 1/2 cup boiling water in a measuring cup. Add the water to the flour mixture little by little, stirring with a pair of chopsticks. Shape the mixture into a ball, cover it with a moist cloth and leave it for 1 hour.

On a floured work surface, knead the dough for 5 minutes or until it is smooth. Form the dough into a long log and cut the log crosswise into 40 disks. Dust each cut side of the disk with additional flour to prevent the surfaces from drying out.

Roll each piece of dough into a 3-inch disk, making the rim thinner than the center. Dust the wrappers generously with additional flour and stack them. If you are not using the wrappers right away, wrap the stack tightly in plastic wrap.

Stuffing:

In a bowl, toss the chopped spinach and mushroom with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes. Squeeze the vegetables firmly to remove excess water.

In another bowl, toss the ground pork with the soy sauce and mix until the pork is sticky. Add the vegetables, garlic, ginger, sugar and garlic chives.

To Assemble and Cook:

Place a wrapper in one hand, wet half the rim of the wrapper with water (when you are using the freshly made wrapper, there is no need to wet the rim with water), and place about 1/40 of the stuffing in the center of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper in half by placing the dry edge over the wet edge. While sealing the dumpling, make six to seven pleats in the top, dry edge, starting at one side and continuing around the rim.

Over medium heat, heat a skillet or wok large enough to hold 20 dumplings and add 1 tablespoon oil. When the oil is hot, add 20 dumplings to the skillet, pleated sides up, and cook until their bottoms are golden and crisp.

In a bowl, combine 1 cup boiling water and 2 tablespoons oil. When the bottoms of the dumplings are golden, add enough of this water and sesame oil mixture to the skillet or wok, so the liquid reaches to 1/3 the height of the dumplings. Immediately cover the skillet or wok and cook the dumplings over low heat for 8 minutes.

Remove the lid of the skillet or wok, turn the heat to high, and cook away any remaining liquid. While cooking, shake the skillet or wok gently to avoid the dumplings from sticking to the skillet or wok. With a spatula, carefully remove the dumplings from the skillet or wok. Cook the remaining 20 dumplings in the same way, using 2 tablespoons more oil and another cup of boiling water.

Serve the dumplings hot, with soy sauce and mustard paste.