Bite-size bound

True Asian dining often yields dishes that offer natural portion control.  In Japanese cuisine, this is recognized by most people as sushi--a medley of flavors served up in bite-sized pieces.  However, in Chinese-American cuisine, many people fall into the trap of Lo Mein or Teriyaki Chicken, so often served slathered with sauce with a large side of fried rice.  Only recently has Dim Sum--the Tapas of the East--become popular in the West, but if you're not one to cook up five different mini meals for yourself just to keep your portions down, then moving away from the fried egg-noodles might be a difficult transition.

However, if you are familiar with any Asian cuisine, you know about the glory of pot stickers.  These small, two-bite dumplings are infinitely customizable, dip-able and, of course, delicious.  Plus, put five of them on your plate and you'll be surprised how full you'll be once you've consumed the lot.  Made with turkey, pork or beef and spiced any way you want, these fried and steamed dumplings can create a meal that you're proud of (and not regretting later).

As it is with many of the best Asian dishes, however, pot stickers are no walk in the park.  The filling itself isn't difficult to make, though everything you put inside must be chopped very finely.  No, the chore comes to creating the dumplings, crimping the edges and making sure that the wrapper dough doesn't stick and pull apart.  These dumplings are by no means a 30-minute meal, but making them can be fun and seeing the finished product is so fulfilling (in more ways than one).

Beef Pot Stickers
by Chef K and Chef E

Makes 30-40 dumplings

Ingredients:

3/4 lb ground lean beef
1 egg
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, grated or pressed
1/2 cup green onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup water chestnuts, finely chopped
1/2 cup shitake mushroom, finely chopped
1 tsp sesame oil
black pepper
40 gyoza wrappers
Canola oil (for frying)

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine beef, egg, soy sauce and sesame oil.  Add ginger, garlic, onion, water chestnut, mushroom and pepper.  Fry up a tsp of mixture to taste and make adjustments.

Lay gyoza wrappers on wax paper.  (Note: You may want to keep a small bowl of all-purpose flour nearby to keep the dough from sticking from surfaces or each other.)  Place tsp of mixture into center of gyoza wrapper.  Dipping your finger in water, trace around half the wrapper.  Fold over and pinch to seal well, especially at bottom corners.

In a large frying pan, fry 5-7 dumplings seam-up in 1 tbsp of oil on medium heat for 30 seconds or until bottoms are golden brown.  Then add 1/4 cup water.  Immediately turn heat to low, cover and cook for 7-8 minutes, until the dumplings look translucent or most of the liquid has evaporated.

Serve up with a small cup of white rice and steamed baby bok choy and enjoy!

Try this recipe with ground pork or turkey and play with your own spice combinations.  Try adding cabbage for a veggie twist or Chinese Five Spice for an interesting flavor.  Either way, no dumpling would be complete without a delicious dipping sauce that's both sweet and savory!

Gyoza Dipping Sauce
by Chef E

Ingredients:

1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp toasted sesame seed
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce and sugar, whisking well.  Add sesame oil, sesame seed, garlic powder and onion powder and mix well.  Use as a dipping sauce or pour over dumplings!


Side Dishes

Sometimes, your tastebuds demand something so delicious that there's no way it could be good for you.  And when it's paired with a lighter, healthier meal, by all means, have at it!  That's why we came up with this delicious crab rangoon recipe--crispy, creamy and salty--for your dining pleasure!

Crab and Cream Cheese Rangoons
by Chef E

Ingredients:

1 pkg (8 oz.) Philadelphia cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 can crab meat, drained OR 4 oz lump crab meat
white pepper
wonton wrappers

For best results, use lump crab meat from your grocery store's seafood section.  If using canned crab meat, drain it from the can and, using a cheesecloth, wring the crab meat until it is very dry.  Wherever you get your crab meat, you must ensure that the meat is dry or else you will not be able to successfully fry your rangoons.  (A big thanks to Foodie in Disguise for helping us figure this one out!)

Mix in the crab with the softened cream cheese until smooth.  Add white pepper to taste.

Place tsp of mixture into center of wonton wrapper.  Turn the wrapper so that the corner faces you and that it looks like a diamond.  Dipping your finger into water, trace the bottom two sides of the wonton wrapper and fold the corner upward, sealing the corner and sides 1/8 inch away from the top.  Then, fold in the left and right corners, sealing one on top of the other, to form a pastry that looks like an open envelope.

Fry them in oil that is at 350 to 375°F for about a minute or until golden brown.  Let them sit on a paper towel to dry.  Serve immediately and enjoy!


Bon Appétit!

Sure, these dishes might not be authentic, but if you grew up eating Asian-American food like us, why not enjoy a more gourmet version?  And the fillings for both the pot stickers and the crab rangoons are really up to you--go vegetarian for one and turkey and vegetable for the other.  Regardless of what you do, their manageable size remains the same, leaving you to fill your belly one tasty bite at a time!  (Though, learning how to use chopsticks is a whole other matter!)

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Posted in: beef,cheese,crab,dumpling,Pastry,Puff

Finding a bit of Southern seafood comfort

When you're looking for a delicious grab-bag of flavor, shellfish is where it's at.  However, while many people will jump at the opportunity to drink a shrimp cocktail, certain crustaceans and bivalves can either be too tough to crack or too slimy to stomach for even the most adventurous of seafood lovers.  Crab legs are (literally) a pain and often the battle with the sea-spider's armor hardly seems worth the amount of booty within.  Oysters are stubborn shuckers, and even if you order them on the half-shell, their flavor and booger-esque texture are usually a taste the person doing the slurping must acquire.


But if you're anything like us here at The Giddy Gourmands (who are natives to the fish-filled state of Southern California), you love to open the hatch and let those gooey, oceanic pearls slide down your gullet--and face a challenge head on.  And, truthfully, there are ways of getting around those aforementioned obstacles: Canned lump crab is far less stressful to open, as are fresh oysters in the jar.  Now, we aren't suggesting that you put cans and jars on ice instead of legs and shells, but for gumbo--yeah, you heard us--it works like a charm!


When it comes to fish on the West Coast, we're all about filets, sushi and snow crab legs on a mountain of ice; dishes like gumbo aren't exactly found on every menu.  However, with its rich tomato base, the "Holy Trinity"--onions, bell peppers and celery--and everyone's favorite wild card, okra, gumbo is a great equalizer for all of those strong fishy flavors.  Also, did we mention it smells pretty tasty?  With a pot of the Giddy Gumbo bubbling on your stove for an hour or two, your house is guaranteed to smell as if it's got a chef (or three) living in it!

Giddy Gumbo
by Chef E, Chef K and Chef S


Serves 6


Ingredients:

10 oz jar of oysters

1/2 lb raw, peeled shrimp, cut up

8 oz lump crabmeat

10 oz sliced okra 

1/2 cup celery

1/2 cup bell pepper

1 cup onion, diced

1 cup tomato puree

1/2 cup chopped tomato

2 tsp garlic, diced

2 tbsp butter

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

4 cups poultry stock 117, chicken broth 121

salt

pepper

paprika

cayenne

thyme

chopped parsley (on top)

filé powder (on top)

Directions:


In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat.  Add onions.  Once they are golden brown (approx. 10 minutes), add in flour, mixing well between tablespoons.  Add tomato puree and chicken broth, whisking until smooth.  Add garlic.  Add (to taste) salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne and thyme.


Add shrimp, crab meat (picked over for shell and cartilage) and sliced okra.  Reduce heat and simmer until okra is tender (approx. 20 minutes).  Then, add oysters, cooking until oysters are plump.  (Note:  Depending on your preferences and how large your oysters are, you may want to cut them up before adding them.)


Leave gumbo on low heat until you are ready to serve.  Then, trim parsley and sprinkle filé powder over the top, stirring in before serving.  (Note: Filé powder might be hard to find at your local grocery store, so while it may be a typical gumbo spice, you may find yourself omitting it like we had to.)


Serve over some white rice and enjoy!




Side Dishes




When we sat down, ready to dig into the steaming seafood stew in front of us, we had to wonder if there was something missing.  How about something to slather with butter?  How about something to dip into our freshly made gumbo?  We wanted a muffin, but not just any muffin!  We're talking about the South!  So we baked up a batch of cornbread muffins with a honey molasses glaze!

Honey-Molasses Cornbread Muffins
By Chef E and Chef K


Yields 14-16 muffins


Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal, stone-ground

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

3 tbsp sugar

3/4 tsp salt

2 large eggs, beaten

1/4 cup oil

1 cup milk

1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, defrosted

4 tbsp raw molasses

1 oz water

1/2 tsp honey (preferably raw)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.  Beat in eggs.  Add oil and milk.  Add defrosted corn kernels.  Mix well.  Pour batter into well-greased muffin tins and bake for about 12 minutes or until golden brown.

To make glaze, place raw molasses and water in a small pot over low heat.  Mix well.  Add honey, dissolving it well.  Once the muffins are out of the oven, use a small pastry brush to apply a light layer of glaze to the top of the muffins.  

Let them cool and then devour them!

Bon Appétit!

Over a bed of rice with some sweet cornbread, a steamy serving of gumbo can turn any overcast summer day into one worth staying inside for.  But even on sunny days, what's better than a spiced spoonful of our favorite seafoods?  Cool your tongue with a white wine or a sparkling cider (alcoholic or not, it's up to you!) and this meal ought to be a crisp and delicious way to end your day!

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Posted in: cornbread,crab,gumbo,oyster,shrimp