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2006-10-01 -Short Attention Span Theater-

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Posted by Zenster 2006-10-01 05:07|| || Front Page|| [8 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Wonton
Chinese Pork Dumplings

Preparation Time: 30 Minutes

Serves: 4-8 People

Ingredients:

½ Lb Ground Pork
¼-½ Pound Cooked and Peeled Shrimp
1 Package 3 ½ Square Wonton Wrappers (12 oz. Package = ~50-60 leaves)
6-8 Water Chestnuts (whole or sliced)
2-3 Scallions (some green part included)
1-2 Whole Eggs (beaten)
1-2 Cloves of Garlic (crushed or minced)
1-2 TBS Shaoxing Chinese Rice Wine
2 TSP Soy Sauce
1-2 TSP Grated Ginger
½ TSP Sugar
¼ Cup Diced Celery
¼ Cup Diced Green Bell Pepper
¼ Tsp Ground White Pepper
¼ Tsp Five Spice Powder
¼ Tsp House Ra Yu Sesame Chile Oil (substitute Dynasty Goma Chili Oil if needed.)

Preparation:

Mince the green pepper and celery finely. Parboil them in a small amount of water until near tender. Grind the shrimp into a fine paste in a mortar and pestle or using a food processor. In a large bowl combine the pork and ground shrimp. Add the cooked vegetables, crushed garlic, fine chopped scallions, minced water chestnut, grated ginger, sugar and all other spices and liquids. In a separate bowl beat an egg or two until creamy. Mix it with the meat and blend thoroughly. Refrigerate and allow the mixture to marry for one hour.

To make the wontons, line a few plates with wax paper. On a cutting board place one of the square papers on the diagonal in front of you so that it forms a diamond shape. Place a small teaspoonful of the meat mix centered on the lower half of the wrapper. Dip your finger into a small bowl of water and run your fingertip around the upper two edges to moisten them. Fold up the skin in half to form a triangle and press the edges together to seal the wonton. Grasp the two pointed outer corners and pull them together while rolling the main body of the filling away from you. This will give you the standard restaurant wonton shape. Any extra meat mixture can be used in egg rolls, or made into small meatballs to be served with noodles.

An alternative is to place the meat into the center of the paper and merely squash the edges together in a sort of sacatini pouch or beggars purse. Wet your fingers and crimp all of the edges together while twisting slightly. Place the wontons on the wax paper and make sure that they do not touch each other. Keep the wontons covered with a moistened towel or paper towel so that they do not dry out.

Cook the wontons in a fast boiling clear broth or salted water. Do not allow them to over-cook as they will disintegrate. Once they begin to float on the surface they will be close to done. If the dough is past al dente they are ready. These same wontons may also be deep fried to a golden brown. They freeze well and can go from the freezer to the cook pot with ease. To freeze, allow individual trays of the wontons to freeze until hard, then place in plastic containers with sheets of waxed paper in between layers.

Notes: For wonton soup use the traditional ingredients of water chestnuts, scallions, snow peas, mushrooms, whole shrimp and a good strong chicken broth. Some shaoxing rice wine, a few drops of soy sauce and coins of ginger will add a nice perfume.

For the classic War Wonton (or Woh Wonton) soup, include small pieces of pork and chicken meat along with options like straw mushrooms, pieces of squid mantle (calamari) or

Deep fried wonton may be served with a good chili or seafood sauce for western palates. Crosse & Blackwell is one of the best. For more authentic flavor use a dipping mixture composed of dark soy sauce with several drops of roasted sesame chile oil. Chopped garlic, scallions, vinegar, grated ginger and a dash of sugar are optional

Posted by Zenster">Zenster 2006-10-01 05:24|| 2006-10-01 05:24|| Front Page Top

#2 When's Rantburg Ramadan vs. Rodan?

Posted by Penguin 2006-10-01 10:50|| 2006-10-01 10:50|| Front Page Top

#3 Patience, patience.

Posted by Zenster">Zenster 2006-10-01 14:14|| 2006-10-01 14:14|| Front Page Top

#4 Errata: For the classic War Wonton (or Woh Wonton) soup, include small pieces of pork and chicken meat along with options like straw mushrooms, pieces of squid mantle (calamari) or thin slices of char siu barbecue pork.

Posted by Zenster">Zenster 2006-10-01 14:24|| 2006-10-01 14:24|| Front Page Top

#5 I go straight to this page after breakfast to make sure I'm not to hungry. Wow! Fantastic!

Posted by 6 2006-10-01 19:00|| 2006-10-01 19:00|| Front Page Top

#6 How To "Silk" Meats
Chinese Deep Fried Coating Technique

Notes: The process of "silking" meats gives them a slightly crunchy and chewy texture similar to what is found in sweet and sour type dishes. This method sometimes is also called satining.

This recipe will coat up to 1 ½ pounds of meat

Ingredients:

8-16 oz. Peanut Oil (best for deep frying, especially Asian foods)
1-2 Egg Whites (at room temperature)
¼ Cup Cornstarch

Optional:

Dash of Paprika (to add a golden color to the final coating)

Preparation:

Bring the eggs to room temperature before using
Use two egg whites and ~1/4 cup cornstarch for every pound of meat
Cut the meat into bite size chunks
For peak tenderness, slice larger cuts of beef and pork across the grain
Place the cornstarch and meat in a bag
Shake until completely coated
For the best results hand dredge each piece (very time consuming)
In a medium size bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy
Slowly add the meat to the egg whites while stirring constantly
Make sure that all the meat is wetted with the egg whites
Let the coated meat rest for at least 15 minutes
Heat oil to 350°F (180°C) in medium sized saucepan with tall sides
Lift each piece of meat from the egg white mixture and drain briefly
Add the meat only a few pieces at a time to avoid cooling the oil
Meat should bubble vigorously in hot oil
Meat is done when a crisp coating is obtained
Remove from oil and drain on paper towels
Toss with a small amount of sauce to coat and use immediately

Notes: Use this method for Chow Mein, Kung Pao, Sweet and Sour, Stir Fry and all sorts of dishes. It works well for seafood, poultry, beef and pork. The crust helps to lock in flavor, provides a pleasant contrast in texture and absorbs sauce in a unique fashion. Experiment with coating thickness and frying temperature to get the proper balance of crusting desired. Frying temperature should be around 350°F (or 180°C). If you do not have a deep frying thermometer, let a tiny drop of water fall from your finger into the oil. It should sizze and pop immediately. Otherwise your oil is not hot enough. This method should not be confused with Japanese tempura, which relies upon a regular batter style coating.

Posted by Zenster">Zenster 2006-10-01 22:06|| 2006-10-01 22:06|| Front Page Top

#7 Char Siu Bao
Steamed Chinese Barbecued Pork Bun

Preparation Time: 45 Minutes

Serves: 6-12 People

Ingredients:

Filling:

½-1 Pound of char siu barbecued pork (scroll down to post # 1 at link for recipe)
¼ Cup Minced Scallions (white part only)
¼ Cup Char Siu Marinade (from recipe)
2 TBS Chicken Stock or Water
1 TSP Cornstarch

Dough:

1 16 oz. Package D&D Gold Saigon Dia-Bao Dough Mix (available at most Asian food stores)
1 Cup Scalded Milk
½ Cup Sugar
1 TBS Vegetable Oil (not olive oil)

Waxed Paper

Preparation:

Filling:

Barbecue marinated pork while basting with char siu marinade on grill or in oven. Allow it to cool and then chop into small pieces. In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch with chicken stock or cold water and allow it to melt. Place a small saucepan over low heat and mix in chopped meat with marinade and minced scallions. Add dissolved cornstarch and stir thoroughly. Raise heat slightly and continue to stir until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and allow it to cool. The sauces consistency should be almost that of paste and not at all runny.

Dough:

Blend all ingredients for 10 minutes. Cover bowl with a moist cloth and allow to rest for another 15 minutes. Thoroughly knead for another five minutes. Cut out 3 squares of waxed paper and reserve. Roll dough into a long cylinder and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball of dough and flatten into a 4 diameter circle.

Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the meat mixture onto the center of the circle of dough. Grasping and gently stretching the doughs edges, bring them up to meet over the center. Pinch the dough closed and make sure there are no openings that might let the contents leak out. Shape into a flattened ball and place, seam side down, onto one of the squares of waxed paper. Repeat until all of the dough balls are used.

To Steam:

Use a perforated vegetable steamer, preferably one whose center post can be removed. Drop-in steamer racks and inserts work just as well. Add two cups of cold water to the pot. Depending on size, arrange four or six of the buns on the steamers surface. Turn heat to medium and allow the buns to steam for at least twenty minutes. The buns should be fluffy and light with a completely heated filling.

Posted by Zenster">Zenster 2006-10-01 23:57|| 2006-10-01 23:57|| Front Page Top

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