Days like Thanksgiving only happen once a year, but sometimes I wish every Saturday or Sunday could be as food-driven. I’m actually not such a big fan of turkey, or of cranberry sauce for that matter. What really gets me pumped about November is that it’s considered normal, even necessary, to spend the entire day in the kitchen.Sure, I can totally get into relaxing on the couch, book in hand or DVD on the ready. But there’s nothing like a bunch of recipes to tackle, with the whole morning and afternoon ahead, that can really soothe a home cook.
When this sort of day is granted, and when I have the fun of cooking in Mike’s parents’ beautifully-equipped and airy country kitchen, it’s a challenge that I seek. And so, I left the city with recipe print-outs in hand and headed Connecticut-bound with an appetite for Asian.
The meticulousness and subtlety of Asian cooking makes it a cuisine that I hope to familiarize myself with more and more. I do love me some good lo mein after a late night, and I recall a regretfully-long obsession with sesame chicken as a kid, but now I savour the lightness but flavor-packed tastes found through gently combining grated ginger, lime, cilantro, chiles, sesame seeds, soy, lemongrass, and so much more.
Plus, the dexterousness required for shaping dumplings or for neatly coating vegetables with panko trains your fingers towards delicacy in a way my clumsy paws never thought possible.
And lastly, the dipping and dunking, rattling of chopsticks, and of course, the sake, make for such a fun and festive meal to share. After a day spent within the room that is my home away from home, followed by a requisite shower, the meal is already made and only needs to be reheated. Along with your guests, a journey through exotic but comfortingly homemade foods is yet to be discovered.
The Asian meal below is designed to be made in advance and simply placed in the oven before serving.
Veggie Dumplings (makes about 3 dozen)
vegetable oil
4 large carrots, peeled and grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh minced ginger
½ head nappa cabbage, thinly sliced (or purchased pre-sliced)
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 packet wonton wrappers
-Set a large sauté pan to medium heat. Add in oil.
-Dump in sliced cabbage and scallions. Let sauté and stir with wooden spoon, about 3 minutes.
-Once wilting, add in garlic and ginger, and incorporate.
-After about 10 minutes, when cabbage is softened, add in soy, sesame oil, and rice wine vinegar. Let cook about 2 minutes more.
-Off the heat, add in carrots, and combine.
-Transfer to a glass bowl and taste for seasoning.
-Set in fridge to cool, covering with plastic wrap.
-Once the filling is cooled (minimum 3 hours), set up a work station with a small water dish, wonton wrappers alongside cutting board, and a sheet pan for completed dumplings.
-Spoon a teaspoon of filling into center of a wrapper. Lightly line the wrapper with water and pinch at top and along the sides to form a triangle, and set aside.
-Working in batches, add vegetable oil to the same size sauté pan. Sear dumplings on each side for about a minute, or until golden brown. Next, add enough water to lightly cover the bottom of the pan. Cover the pot and let steam for a minute. Place dumplings on sheet pan and move on to the next batch.
-Before serving, warm all dumplings on sheet pan (300 degrees) and serve with soy sauce.
Edamame Hummus (Serves 6 to 8)
1 bag frozen shelled edamame, defrosted overnight
1/4 cup tahini
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest
1 lime, juiced
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 bunch chopped cilantro
salt, according to taste
-In a food processor, place all ingredients except cilantro, and blend. Add in cilantro and blitz for about a second more.
-With a plastic spatula, incorporate mixture into a serving bowl and serve with sliced vegetables and wonton chips.
For the wonton chips:
-1/2 package wonton wrappers
Vegetable oil
salt and pepper
-Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a sheet pan, incorporate wrappers with oil and seasoning.
-Let crisp in the oven until browned and serve with edamame hummus.
For the salmon:
I absolutely love this sauce for the salmon that is based on a recipe from the New Legal Sea Foods Cookbook. The sauce is simmered and reduced in advance, and then cooled. It is delicious and caramelizes nicely in the oven, and can be used on any other firm fish, like cod, or on chicken.
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons peeled and sliced ginger
Dried red pepper flakes
2 cloves chopped garlic
2 fresh limes, squeezed
6 salmon filets, lightly washed and patted dry
sesame seeds
-In a small saucepan, add in all ingredients (sugar, soy, hoisin, ginger, red pepper flakes, garlic, and lime juice).
-Let come to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened.
-Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature and then place in the fridge.
-When ready to cook, place salmon on a lined sheet pan.
-Glaze, using a pastry brush, with sauce.
-Place in a 425 degree oven for 8 minutes.
-Remove and add more glaze. Raise heat to a broil, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more until lightly blackened.
-Garnish with sesame seeds.
