OMGSNAX!

oh my god, dudes & dudettes! did you miss me? probably not half as much as i missed you! the thing is that i did a whole lot of cooking in february — just not a whole lot of blogging about it. i guess i was reading Julie & Julia & felt annoyed by some self-indulgent whining, & then thought, hey wait a second … I’M a self-indulgent whiner! oh noes!

luckily, i’m totally over it — & just in time for a return to some hardcore recipe experimentation, for i’ve transferred to a new job which means NO MORE EVENING OVERTIME, & that, my friends, is a surefire way to get me back into the non-pasta-with-broccoli-for-dinner routine (uh, not that there’s anything wrong with that!).

so tonight i made these sweet potato wonton-esque things with my new partner-in-crime (kitchen-stylee!), sarah, who was indispensible & without whom there’s no way i would’ve gotten all this chopping of vegetables & stuffing of dumplings finished at a reasonable hour. (as it was, it took THREE HOURS.)

so these are technically called shiao mai, but sarah & i have decided that we’re going to call them dumples. an ugly word for a delicious snack.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup mushroom mince (see below)
1 cup mashed cooked sweet potato
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 green onions
2 tablespoons fresh mint
1 package (12 ounces) wonton wrappers
soy sauce, seasoned to taste with white vinegar, sugar, & green onions, for dipping

METHOD
in a bowl, combine the mushroom mince, sweet potato, bread crumbs, egg, soy sauce, sugar, salt, green onions, & mint. mix very well. set up a work space with a clean, dry cutting board, a baking sheet, a small bowl of water, the wonton wrappers, & the sweet potato filling.

divide the stack of wonton wrappers into thirds & trim away the four corners of each stack, reserving the little pasta triangles to toss into your next pot of boiling soup. place 3 of the now octagonal wrappers before you on the cutting board. place about 2 teaspoons filling in the center of each wrapper. now, your job is to coax each wrapper into a tiny, slender version of a paper baking cup filled with cupcake batter. begin by using a table knife to spread out the filling on each wrapper as if it were peanut butter on bread. stop just short of the edge, leaving a thin border of pasta all the way around. then, place one wrapper in your palm &, using the fingers of your other hand, pinch its sides up into a cup. tap its base on the cutting board to firm it up. next, work your way around the exterior, pressing the dull side of the table knife into the sides to even up the little folds & give the dumpling an upright shape, like a column holding up a roof. tap the base again & set the tall but diminutive “cupcake” aside on the baking sheet. fill & shape the remaining dumplings in the same way. place them without touching on the baking sheet. at this point, you can seal the dumplings airtight & refrigerate them for 1 to 2 days, or freeze for up to 1 month. they can be steamed directly from the refrigerator or freezer.

to steam the dumplings, fill the bottom of a steamer or a heavy saucepan with serveral inches of water and bring it to a rolling boil over medium heat. meanwhile, place a batch of the dumplings on a steamer basket or tray. when the steam is steady & strong, place the dumplings over the steam, cover, & adjust the heat to maintain a steady head of steam. cook until the filling firms up & the wrappers are tender & cooked, about 15 minutes. transfer carefully to a serving platter. serve warm with seasoned soy sauce.

INGREDIENTS: MUSHROOM MINCE
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped garlic (8 to 12 cloves)
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped cilantro root, or cilanro stems & leaves
1/2 teaspoon freshly grond pepper
8 ounces fresh button mushrooms, chopped
4 ounces firm tofu
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 tablespoon palm sugar or brown sugar
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons regular soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt

METHOD: MUSHROOM MINCE
in a mini processor, combine the garlic, cilantro, & pepper & grind to a fairly smooth paste. set aside.

chop the mushrooms until they are reduced to a crumbly pile & set aside. chop the tofu into tiny cubes & set aside as well.

in a skillet over medium heat, warm 2 tablespoons of the oil until a bit of mushroom added to the pan sizzles at once, about 1 minute. add the garlic-cilantro paste & toss until fragrant & shiny, 2 to 3 minutes.

add the mushrooms & cook, tossing often, for 5 to 7 minutes. the mushrooms will soften, release their liquid, & brown as they cook. when the liquid has cooked away & mushrooms are shiny & tender, scrape them to the sides of the pan & add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the center. add the tofu & toss until thoroughly combined with the mushrooms & heated through, about 1 minute. add the sugar, water, both soy sauces, & salt & cook, tossing often, until the mixture is moist, evenly colored, & well combined, 2 to 3 minutes. remove from the heat, let cool to room temperature, & refrigerate in a tightly covered container until needed.

DEVIATIONS & OBSERVATIONS
okay, i finally made something with mushrooms — LOTS of mushrooms. are you happy now??? god.

that being said, it, well, wasn’t that bad. at all. in fact, it was really REALLY incredibly good. now maybe that’s b/c the mushrooms weren’t those slimy gross ones that look like smurf houses, or maybe it’s b/c the mince contained enough garlic to kill a horse, but the fact of the matter is that, while i may not be a mushroom convert, i’ve come to the conclusion over the last few months that i can tolerate them as long as they’re not the predominant flavor or texture.

COMPROMISE, KIDS. that’s how we do it in the 314.

now you may have noticed that the directions for the mushroom mince leave off the shallots — no worries, i just added them with the tofu (given where they were in the list of ingredients, that seemed about right), & it all came out just fine. in fact, we weren’t even able to get the cilantro & garlic into a paste at all — sarah smushed everything around in the blender for a bit, & i figured it’d taste good either way (can’t go wrong with garlic!), so it was really more of a fine mince than a paste.

you’d think that 8 ounces of button mushrooms would be overkill — that all this would result in WAY more than 1 cup of the mince. sarah & i thought so, & we flipped through the book to pick out another mushroom mince recipe to make during the week to use the leftovers … but the truth is that it made maybe a cup & a quarter of mince all told, so no big deal. we did use the leftover mashed sweet potato for nefarious purposes (see below), but it really all worked out.

the dumples themselves were a breeze to make — a little time consuming, sure, but that three hours included a lot of chopping and stirfrying and sweet potato boiling time as well as dumple formation. (note: i did substitute cilantro in the filling for mint, as i’m suspicious of fresh mint as a rule, not to mention i already had the cilantro.) now, sarah & i had a problem figuring out how to actually form the shiao mai according to the directions — i mean, i had a good mental picture, but they really wouldn’t do what i thought they should be doing, so instead we made dumplings of various shapes — sarah’s had sort of a star shape, while i mimicked my aunt donna’s crab rangoons & folded them first into triangles & from there, brought two points together into a sort of, um, hug. they stand up & look like little crowns.

once i saw that shape, i was reminded of the goons & decided that i should fry some of these puppies up in addition to steaming them — i’d actually been looking for a good veg goon substitute anyway, b/c what’s not to love about tiny fried appetizers? my aunt fries them in a stockpot full of oil, but i just pan fried them in a little vegetable oil & it worked fine.

taste-wise, they were AMAZING. I AM NOT MESSING AROUND. the soy sauce was wicked salty, but who cares? the dumples didn’t even need it! so freaking good. i would eat these all the time, & i would definitely make them again.

as for the leftover mashed sweet potato, i added some cinnamon sugar & filled a few leftover wonton skins (we didn’t have quite enough savory filling for all 48 skins) — i fried them up & sprinkled more cinnamon sugar on top, & while i didn’t taste any of them personally, sarah, sue, &, of course, daniel said that they were delicious.

i should note that the sweet dumples were all daniel’s idea — well, actually, he suggested that i make some sweet (as he strenuously objects to sweet potatoes made savory), & i hammered out the details.

 

 

 

“Sweet Potato Shiao Mai” from Real Vegetarian Thai by Nancie McDermott, © 1997.

i found this coconut curry tofu recipe last week on allrecipes.com via a vegan recipes community on livejournal & was determined to try it. i was nervous b/c i’d never made anything like it before, & i knew i was going to modify the ingredients substantially, thus dramatically upping the chances of disaster, but i felt i had to forge ahead in the name of science.

so forge ahead i did.

INGREDIENTS
2 bunches green onions
1 14-ounce can light coconut milk
1/4 cup soy sauce, divided
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons chile paste
1 pound firm tofu, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
4 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
4 ounces fresh mushrooms, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
4 cups chopped bok choy
salt to taste

METHOD
remove white parts of green onions, & finely chop. chop greens into 2-inch pieces. in a large heavy skillet over medium heat, mix coconut milk, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, brown sugar, curry powder, ginger, & chile paste. bring to a boil. stir tofu, tomatoes, yellow pepper, mushrooms, & finely chopped green onions into the skillet. cover, & cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. mix in basil & bok choy. season with salt & remaining soy sauce. continue cooking 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender but crisp. garnish with remaning green onion.

DEVIATIONS & OBSERVATIONS
so … i really like broccoli. i like the way it soaks up sauces in thai & vietnamese food, although i really like it with almost anything as long as it’s just slightly overcooked. bok choy, on the other hand, i could take or leave. so i substituted broccoli for bok choy.

chopped vegetables

i also eliminated the tomatoes (not in season), the bell pepper (didn’t want it), & the mushrooms (ew gross). i should’ve made more broccoli to compensate, but i didn’t.

additionally, i drastically reduced the green onions (used maybe half a bunch instead of two full bunches) & added a small chopped white onion instead. i’m not sure how much of a difference that made. i also added 3 cloves of garlic, just for the hell of it.

oh, & i didn’t have curry powder, so i just added equal parts cumin, tumeric, & red pepper instead, & doubled up on the ginger. i also used cilantro instead of basil b/c i see cilantro all the time at thai & vietnamese restaurants, whereas for me, basil has more of an italiany taste.

so i guess it’s kind of almost an entirely different recipe? but still really good.

i put my latke-making know-how into the task of frying tofu

the last change i made was that i fried the tofu in peanut oil before i added it to the sauce. (i actually fried it up before making the sauce at all b/c i only have one skillet.) i’d never fried tofu before, but a waiter told me once that peanut oil was the secret, so i poured a few tablespoons of peanut oil into the skillet (which probably would’ve worked better were my burner not off-kilter & slanty), heated it, & plopped the tofu cubes in. it took WAY longer to fry than i thought it would, but my patience paid off & the tofu got golden & crispy on the outside. i am REALLY proud of myself for figuring that part out — especially without guidance from a recipe — & now that i know how to do it, i’ll probably be doing it a lot more often. & you can drain it on paper towels after it’s done, so that probably helps marginally with the grease factor.

golden tofu

the sauce initially looked like it was never going to come together — the coconut milk was all separated & weird-looking, the spices were clumpy, the chile paste wouldn’t mix in, & i forgot to saute the onions in advance — but i just dumped it all in & crossed my fingers & it actually totally worked out.

i should’ve taken a photo when it looked horrible

the spices still need a little fine-tuning, & that may be mostly to do with the improvised curry powder, & i REALLY should’ve made rice to go with it, but by the time i thought about it, everything was almost finished & the rice i have takes about half an hour to make, so no go. i did make rice afterwards & i poured the leftover sauce in with the rice, b/c i really needed to either halve the sauce recipe or triple the amount of broccoli (& use a full package of tofu instead of a half, which is what i did).

the finished dish

daniel hated it, but he apparently hates coconut milk, so there you go. i asked him if he didn’t like it b/c of the spices, & he said, “no, i don’t like it b/c it’s bad.” at least he’s honest!

 

 

“Coconut Curry Tofu” from allrecipes.com.

so here’s the thing: i realized at work today that i absolutely had to do this week’s recipe today, as tomorrow is brian’s CD release & saturday i’ll be in kirksville with him for another show, & then it’s NEXT WEEK already, & come on, man, i’ve got a schedule to stick to! sheesh.

other dishes up for consideration, mostly found while browsing allrecipes.com during my half-hour lunch break, included: some kind of yellow curry & broccoli, sweet potato cornbread, frittatas, macaroni & cheese, some kind of pasta (oh wait but yesterday!), cheesecake. but then i got home & flipped through my Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home & saw i’d dog-eared a fried rice page, & daniel said that he’d been craving some kind of rice dish ANYWAY, so we were off to schnucks to get a bunch of overpriced oils & some vegetables. thank god for last minute choices!

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root
4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar or cider vinegar
2 teaspoons molasses or brown sugar
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon chili paste, or splash of chili oil (optional)
1 cake tofu (about 3/4 pound)
3 tablespoons peanut oil or vegetable oil
2 medium red or green bell peppers, cut into thin strips
6 ounces snow peas, stemmed (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup water
4 cups cooked brown rice
2/3 cup chopped scallions
chopped toasted almonds (optional)

METHOD
in a shallow nonreactive bowl, mix together the marinade ingredients [everything through chili oil]. cut the tofu into strips 1 inch long, 1/2 inch wide, & about 1/2 inch thick. add the tofu strips to the marinade & stir gently, using a rubber spatula to avoid breaking the tofu. marinate for about 10 minutes.

prepare all of the remaining ingredients & have them at hand before starting to stir-fry.

heat a wok or large skillet. swirl the oil around the wok, add the peppers, & stir-fry for 3 to 5 minutes on medium-high heat. add the snow peas & water & continue to stir-fry, uncovered, until the water evaporates & the snow peas are crisp & begining to puff up. using a slotted spoon, remove the tofu from the marinade & add it to the wok. stir for a moment, hten add the rice & heat thoroughly. pour on the marinade, add the scallions, & stir.

serve immediately, garnished with chopped almonds if you like.

DEVIATIONS & OBSERVATIONS

daniel chops the ginger (still don’t have a grater, people)

i hate brown rice.

have you noticed how often i start this section with “i hate X” or “i hate Y” ..? well as a big old DUH, i’m picky! christ. let it go.

so i bought some speciality medium-grain sticky rice b/c, as i discovered during last week’s chana masala fiasco, good rice really does make a difference (the basmati rice was delicious). & i will tell you this: eff your uncle ben’s minute rice shit, b/c this is where it’s at.

other things i did differently: added broccoli, halved the snow peas, 86ed the green bell pepper, used way less tofu (daniel doesn’t like it), oh, & i scrambled an egg on the side of the wok after i’d cooked the vegetables b/c doesn’t fried rice usually have egg in it? the hell?

my virgo boyfriend had to stack all the vegetables on the cutting board just so

vegetables in the wok

but holy COW, this was a good marinade. & i almost always mess up tofu when i make it, but i just got extra-firm & crossed my fingers & it didn’t fall apart! & it tasted really really good! & it was made even better by the fact that i didn’t have to chop any of the vegetables b/c daniel did it all while i did the tofu & the rice.

note the mongolian “fire oil” in the background

anyway, i believe we finally have our first OMGSNAX! success story. & imagine this, i owe it all to moosewood!

the final product

 

 

“Fried Rice” from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home: Fast and Easy Recipes for Any Day by The Moosewood Collective, © 1994.