6 posts tagged “seaweed”

The Daring Cooks July challenge certainly managed to take me completely out of my comfort zone.  I have barely heard of Molecular Cuisine before this challenge, and now I was actually asked to produce something befitting the much-misunderstood-and-little-known art of cooking.  The biggest obstacle for me is to make a vegan fish dish that remains moist and will blend well with the powders.

Sketchy from Sketchy's Kitchen is the host for the Daring Cooks July challenge.  He hopped between a MC (Molecular Cuisine) dish and a classic rustic Italian dish, and opted to skip the 400 year old dish in favor of something that would be new and daring.

The Challenge: Skate, traditional flavors powdered (slightly altered)

This is a dish from Grant Achatz, found in the Alinea cookbook - page 230.  Our host picked a recipe that could be completed without having to order a bunch of specialized chemicals or powders. Just a little work and you can make this, the techniques are not very hard and only require a few tools.

  4 skate wings (I made Tofu Fish Sticks instead, see below)
  * Beurre monte
  * 300g fresh green beans
  sea salt/kosher salt
  1 banana
  454g butter - 4 sticks

  Powders - prepare ahead of time
  caper / onion (total failure on my part)
  lemon powder (skipped and subbed more tofu fish breading powder)
  cilantro/parsley powder
  'brown butter' powder (skipped the cream powder)
  (I also added paprika powder)
 
* For green beans, slice each beans into very thin rounds (2 mm)
* Beurre Monte - 454g butter (4 sticks, 1 pound) cubed and cold, 60g water. In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil, remove from heat and whisk in the butter 1 cube at a time. This should from an emulsion. Keep this heated, but under 195 degrees. The emulsion will not break - this is your poaching liquid.

I made the Tofu Fish Sticks - a famous recipe from Vegan Lunch Box.  This was a huge success, and we really loved the flavors of the tofu fish sticks.  I even used the leftover breading powder as one of the powders to be served on the plate with the fish sticks.  Unfortunately, I found drying the herbs and other things in my microwave oven is very difficult.  I completely failed in making the onion powder because my microwave doesn't have high or low temperature settings.  When I left the onion in the microwave for 2 minutes each time, the onion wouldn't dry.  When I used 3-4 minutes each time, the onion started burning.  Drying in the oven would be better, I suppose, but I really couldn't find enough time to sit in front of the oven to watch.

The plating was fun to do, but obviously, I could have made some nice pattern of the powders to make it more presentable.  The whole challenge was a new thing to try, and I might study a little further on Molecular Cuisine, but overall, I really think having a dehydrator is rather critical in this case.

For more beautiful plates in this July challenge, check out the Daring Cooks blogroll.

We are huge dumpling/potsticker lovers.  You can eat dumplings/potstickers for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  So when our June host Jen from use real butter chose this challenge, I was super excited.  I have always been fond of making Chinese dumplings/potstickers from scratch, but sadly I don't make them often enough.  This time I got my perfect excuse.

Jen from use real butter is our host for the Daring Cooks June 2009 challenge.  It's a basic concept: a filling inside a dough wrapper, sealed, and cooked.  This delicious theme runs through many cultures and is among the more popular bites at Chinese restaurants - especially dim sum.  The recipe she provided is based on her family recipe.  There is a lot of room for exploration and creativity.

Chinese Dumplings/Potstickers

dough: (double this for the amount of filling, but easier to make it in 2 batches - or just halve the filling recipe)
2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (113g) warm water
flour for worksurface

dipping sauce:
2 parts soy sauce
1 part vinegar (red wine or black)
a few drops of sesame oil
chili garlic paste (optional)
minced ginger (optional)
minced garlic (optional)
minced green onion (optional)
sugar (optional)

Combine all filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly by hand.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use (up to a day, but preferably within an hour or two).

Make the dough, Method 1: Place the flour in the work bowl of a food processor with the dough blade.  Run the processor and pour the warm water in until incorporated.  Pour the contents into a sturdy bowl or onto a work surface and knead until uniform and smooth.  The dough should be firm and silky to the touch and not sticky.  [Note: it’s better to have a moist dough and have to incorporate more flour than to have a dry and pilling dough and have to incorporate more water.]

Make the dough, Method 2 (Jen's mom’s instructions): In a large bowl mix flour with 1/4 cup of water and stir until water is absorbed.  Continue adding water one teaspoon at a time and mixing thoroughly until dough pulls away from sides of bowl.  We want a firm dough that is barely sticky to the touch.  [My note: I used a little more water than the 1/2 cup listed in the recipe.  The dough is not supposed to be soft, but not too stiff either.  Use your own judgement and you might have to just trust your instinct and see what happens.]

Both dough methods: Knead the dough about twenty strokes then cover with a damp towel for 15 minutes.  Take the dough and form a flattened dome.  Cut into strips about 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide.  Shape the strips into rounded long cylinders.  On a floured surface, cut the strips into 3/4 inch pieces.  Press palm down on each piece to form a flat circle (you can shape the corners in with your fingers).  With a rolling pin, roll out a circular wrapper from each flat disc.  Take care not to roll out too thin or the dumplings will break during cooking - about 1/16th inch.  Leave the centers slightly thicker than the edges.  Place a tablespoon of filling in the center of each wrapper and fold the dough in half, pleating the edges along one side (see images in Jen's post for how to fold pleats).  Keep all unused dough under damp cloth.

To boil: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add dumplings to pot.  Boil the dumplings until they float.

To steam: Place dumplings on a single layer of napa cabbage leaves or on a well-greased surface in a steamer basket with lid. Steam covered for about 6 minutes.

To pan fry (potstickers): Place dumplings in a frying pan with 2-3 tbsp of vegetable oil. Heat on high and fry for a few minutes until bottoms are golden. Add 1/2 cup water and cover. Cook until the water has boiled away and then uncover and reduce heat to medium or medium low. Let the dumplings cook for another 2 minutes then remove from heat and serve.

To freeze: Assemble dumplings on a baking sheet so they are not touching. It helps to rub the base of the dumpling in a little flour before setting on the baking sheet for ease of release. Freeze for 20-30 minutes until dumplings are no longer soft. Place in ziploc bag and freeze for up to a couple of months. Prepare per the above instructions, but allow extra time to ensure the filling is thoroughly cooked.

To serve: Serve dumplings or potstickers hot with your choice of dipping sauce combinations.

I made dumplings in the soup, deep-fried dumplings, and the traditional potstickers.

My Filling (for 14-16 dumplings):

1 recipe Tofu Ricotta (PPK)
1 medium-size eggplant, peeled and sliced across to 1/4-inch pieces
1 zucchini, sliced to 1/4-inch pieces
1 large portobello mushroom, sliced
15 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 1/2 large tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cup freeze-dried chives
1/2 tsp. red curry paste
1 tsp. black bean chili sauce
A dash of Hungarian paprika
3 water-packed baby artichokes, well drained and squeezed dry, roughly chopped
1/4 cup walnuts, finely chopped
20 capers, drained and finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Deep all vegetables from eggplant to tomatoes (one type of vegetable at one time).  When done, dry on paper towel very well.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mash deep-fried vegetables, tofu ricotta, all spices, and everything else together until creamy and well-combined.

Seaweed Soup:

10 cups water
1 cup dried konbu
3 large cabbage leaves
1/2 cup fresh scallions, sliced
2 Tbsp. white miso
Salt and pepper to taste

Put everything in a large pot and cook on medium heat for 5-7 minutes before adding the boiled dumplings.

Verdict: Once you get the hang of making your own wrappers, you can make your dumplings in no time.  It's a fun way of eating and certainly a one-pot-meal.  Regarding the pleating part, I thoroughly had fun.  It may seem difficult at first, but if you are patient enough to try a couple more times, you will get the hang of it pretty quickly.  It's really not so hard.

For more dumpling/potsticker variations, check out the Daring Cooks blogroll.

This is very similar to what I made yesterday.  I'm madly in love with udon noodles now.  Instead of dark soy sauce, I used sea salt and garlic powder.  I added a little more sesame oil and miso and used two different types of mushrooms: dried shiitake mushrooms and the other, I have no idea.  They have much fatter stems than enoki mushrooms but taste a little like oyster mushrooms.  So they add a natural seafood flavor to the noodles.  I have to share the photo here since I love how the noodle bowl looks.

 

This is a very simple dish.  We've been really busy so I haven't really cooked.  I'm still trying to get back into our regular routine.  Somehow I was craving for some Japanese noodles and nothing beats the easy-and-simple-yet-flavorful udon noodles.

 

 

1 pkg. udon noodles (cooking time according to the package instructions)
5 cups water
8-9 dried shiitake mushrooms
1/3 block extra-firm tofu, cubed
4 cups of baby bok choy, roughly chopped
Some Japanese seaweed (any type you like), torn into pieces
1 1/2 Tbsp. white miso
1 1/2 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
2 tsp. toasted sesame oil

1. Add dried mushrooms to the water in a pot and cook together.  Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to medium.
2. Add tofu cubes and stir in the miso.  Cook for 2 minutes.  One minute before everything is cooked, add bok choy.
3. Turn off heat when the noodles are done.  Add soy sauce, sesame oil and seaweed.  Stir.  Serve right away.

* Feel free to adjust all the ingredients to your own preference.

x-posted

I thought of following Fatfree Vegan Kitchen's Double Mushroom Miso Soup but ended up making something quite different.  I used two different types of mushrooms and two types of tofu as well.  The hearty soup turned out to be fabulous.  A very wonderful addition to the autumn comfort soups.  I will try to add some baby bok choy and some Japanese noodles next time.

Ingredients:
(Serves 5-6 people)

 

15-20 dried shiitake mushrooms (sliced)
20-25 black fungi (soaked in warm water beforehand)
A handful of seaweed
2 cartons of silken tofu (cut into small cubes)
9-10 pieces of fried tofu (cut into halves)
2 handfuls of soybean sprouts
2 medium-sized green peppers (sliced)
6 cloves fresh garlic (skinned)
3 sticks of leek
2 packages of spinach
Coriander
3 tablespoons of white miso
5 drops of mushroom dark soy sauce
Plenty of sesame oil
Generous amount of sea salt
Black pepper

 

 

1. Start with 2/3 pot of water.  Add dried shiitake mushrooms and black fungi and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce to low-heat and keep simmering for about 20 minutes.
3. Put in seaweed and continue cooking.
4. Add half a bulb of garlic and plenty of chopped leek.  Also add 2 green peppers (sliced).
5. Continue cooking and add halved fried tofu pieces.  Cook for about 30 minutes.
6. Add sliced button mushrooms into the broth and continue to cook for another 20 minutes.
7. Put in soybean sprouts.  Stir from time to time to make sure everything cooks evenly.
8. Cut silken tofu with a knife into cubes and put into the pot.
9. In the meantime, steam up some spinach (1-2 minutes).  When done, combine into the pot.
10. Add plenty of sesame oil, coriander, 3-4 tablespoons of white miso, 5 drops of mushroom dark soy sauce, some black pepper, and enough sea salt according to the taste.
11. Stir and mix well and allow the soup to simmer for another 10-15 minutes.  Serve alone, or with some Japanese noodles.  Enjoy!