A few days have passed since my last post. The reason? H&M just opened up in Montreal on Saint Catherine’s Street. No, I am not in the market for a cheap pair of designer?!? jeans. I just spent the last two days helping out for the preparation of a massive (for my workplace) off-site catering contract.
Imagine, 400 canapes by 12 or 13 different types. Now you can see the logistics of what we just did. Couple that with service as usual, and you have a fun time. Tell that to the poor cooks that got to peel 4L of edamame beans. (shudder)
So, what’s this about the title, Jason? I had the opportunity to learn how to cook a superbly awesome high-grade sushi rice. Then I got to make 450 nigiri-style sushi rice balls. I earned a nickname for my efforts… snowflake. (No two are ever alike.) Finally, dumpling hell.
The first set that I took care of resembled little cat turds. *(That is how my chef put it after all…) Soon, I got the gist of the sushi rolling method down. They had started to look like square cat turds. A little adjustment, and lo and behold! Finally, there were ones that we acceptable. Only 449 left to roll!
You are wondering, where is the recipe Jason? Funny. Very Funny.
There will be no recipe for that today folks. You cannot give a recipe for sushi rice. You really have to have someone show it to you. I am not even confident enough to list out the method here for you. It is that picky.
Next up. Dumplings. Potstickers.
I love eating potstickers. Addictive, tasty, and good for you too. *(laughing) Making them? Well, that is another story.
I will start off by saying that the mise en place for this item is not so bad. Basically you have a dumpling mixture, wrappers, water, brush and a small spoon. What is so hard about that? If you are not a nut like me, nothing. Just fill’er up, fold in half, seal the edges and go.
Problem is, chances are if you are reading this, you are a bit of a nut like me. You wanted to know about the pleats, didn’t you. Oh dear. Now you are in for it. See, the stupid dumpling press does not work; looks like we gotta do this manually.
Deceptive those little bastards. I will overcome them though. I could *pwn* these freaking things, right? A quick trip to google, videos, then Youtube, and I got myself a couple of cool videos to look at. *(Side note ~ after an infuriating amount of time looking at expert village’s minute long segments on the art of dumpling making set out for ADHD sufferers, ne relâchez pas, there is hope, just more search-fu.)
A couple of good videos to be had:
How to Make Goyza ~ A great gaijin, but the best close-up I could find.
How to Make: CHINESE DUMPLINGS ~ Not great for pleats, but a real treat with the accent and all. Dumprings! I think that the accent is very cute.
The key here is that a person has to practise. Fortunately, I have my recipe for dumpling mix right here:
Pot Sticker Recipe
- dumpling Dough (Freezer section in asian markets)
- 4 cups celery cabbage (Napa cabbage)
- 1 pound lean ground pork
- 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions, with tops
- 1 tablespoon chinese wine (or white wine)
- 2 tbsp low-salt soy sauce
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- Cut the cabbage across into thin strips. Steam cabbage for two minutes until tender.
- Cool cabbage; squeeze out the excess moisture.
- Mix the celery cabbage, pork, green onions, wine, cornstarch, the remaining 1 teaaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and the white pepper in a large bowl.
- Place 1 tablespoon pork mixture in the center of the circle.
- Lift up the edges of the circle and pinch 5 pleats up to create a pouch to encase the mixture.
- Pinch the top together.
- Repeat with the remaining slices of dough and filling.
- Place on baking sheet with parchment paper; freeze until solid.
- Place into ziplock bag in the freezer. (The dumplings will keep for 1 month, if they last that long.)
Want to cook some dumplings? Here is the method:
- Heat a nonstick skillet until very hot.
- Add 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil, tilting the skillet to coat the sides.
- Place 12 dumplings in a single layer in the wok and fry 2 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown.
- Add 1/2 cup water.
- Cover and cook 6 to 7 minutes, or until the water is absorbed.
- Repeat with the remaining dumplings.
- Serve with Ponzu dipping sauce. (Available at the sushi counter at your local big huge grocery chain. Fads are great, aren’t they?)
Well, that has been a good look at the art of sushi and dumplings. For the last couple of days, they have been my world. I am slowly getting better. Practice makes perfect right? Right? Anyone? *(Crickets chirping)
Well, that’s that then.
