Tag: shrimp
Grilled Shrimp & Skirt Steak-Surf and Turf Time!

Grilled Shrimp & Skirt Steak-Surf and Turf Time!

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The one consolation to the pandemic for us (which goes to show just how fortunate and entitled we are), my kids came home at various times for extended stays.  I’ll admit, having been empty-nesters for awhile, it took some adjusting but it was nice.  Despite finding ourselves falling back into the “parent-child” trap, conversations were much more introspective for all of us.

Surf and Turf

Dinner the night before the last J moved back to the City was a family favorite we haven’t done in quite awhile, a variation of Surf and Turf.  Grilled Rosemary Garlic Shrimp and Hoisin BBQ Skirt Steak.  Both are simple to make and delicious.

So the surf and turf started with skirt steak grilled on the bbq.  It’s so stupid easy I’ll just include the recipe here.  It is a one to one mixture of Hoisin Sauce and your favorite barbecue sauce.  Slather it all over the meat and allow to marinade for a couple of hours. That’s it.  You can pump it up with minced garlic and a bit of soy sauce if you like. Throw it on the barbie and grill to medium rare, done.  You could use Flat Iron, or Flank Steak (texture is pretty different though). Be forewarned, skirt steak is no longer an “economical” cut, yikes!

Shrimp Primer

In Asian cookery, leaving the shrimp shells on when cooking is a given.  My dad always told me to buy shrimp with the shells on, they taste fresher and more flavorful.  The shells seem to absorb the seasonings.  The way to eat them is to suck all the flavor off the shell-on shrimp and then peel the shrimp and eat it.  With deep-fried shrimp, you can actually eat the shells, it’s crispy, crunchy and delicious.  A favorite dish my dad would make, don’t chuckle, Ketchup Shrimp.  It’s roots are Cantonese. Shell on shrimp are stir-fried with aromatics like ginger and garlic and finished with Ketchup.  The flavor profile is sweet, salty, a hint of tart and it is quick and easy. I can remember happily munching on the shells, yums.  I bet these could be thrown on the grill too.

This grilled shrimp recipe is from Epicurious by way of the sadly defunct Gourmet magazine.  It’s been a favorite in our house for a long time, I think it will become a favorite in yours too.  

I deveined and removed the legs from the shrimp, leaving the shell and tail intact. The garlic is chopped and mashed with coarse salt and added to olive oil along with minced rosemary.  Please try to use fresh rosemary, its so fragrant or substitute fresh herb of choice like oregano, thyme, lemon zest and smoked paprika.

Allow the shrimp to marinade for 4-6 hours.  The beauty of this dish, you can make it year-around!  In the summer, throw it on the barbecue.  In the winter, like NOW, I use a stove top pan and grill 3-4 minutes a side until the shrimp turns color.  Serve with lemon wedges.  Good and easy.

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GRILLED ROSEMARY GARLIC SHRIMP

Delicious and easy recipe for grilled shrimp
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword garlic, Grilled shrimp, rosemary
Prep Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup finely chopped garlic mashed to a paste with 1 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves plus sprigs for garnish
  • 16 shrimp about 10-16 per pound jumbo or large
  • lemon wedges as an accompaniment
  • 3 tbsp olive oil plus oil for brushing shrimp

Instructions

  • In a large bowl stir together garlic, minced rosemary, and 3 tablespoons oil and add shrimp. Marinate shrimp, covered and chilled, at least 4 hours.
  • To grill, thread 4 shrimp on each skewer and brush with additional oil. Grill shrimp on an oiled rack, set about 5 inches over glowing coals, 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until just cooked through.
  • Alternatively, grill in a hot well-season ridged grill pan, covered, over moderately high heat 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.
  • Garnish shrimp with rosemary sprigs and serve with lemon wedges.

Notes

If grilling outdoors, thread shrimp on skewers. The original recipe calls for putting shrimp on skewers, that's too much work for me!
Substitute herbs- use oregano or thyme, smoked paprika, 
For an Asian flavor profile mince garlic and ginger and add basil or cilantro.

Enjoy!
Egg Dumplings (Gai Don Gok)

Egg Dumplings (Gai Don Gok)

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One of my favorite homestyle dishes my mom would make is Egg Dumplings or Gai Don Gok.  My mom’s version of Gai Don Gok or Dan Jiao uses her recipe for won tons and replaces the flour wrapper with egg.  Whenever my mom visited she would make a batch of won tons and egg dumplings.  While the kids were at school we would head to the Chinese market for ingredients, pork, shrimp, water chestnuts, and fresh wrappers.  As soon as we got home Mom would set about making the won ton filling.  Half of it was always reserved for egg dumplings.  As soon as she was done wrapping won tons, she started on the egg dumplings.   She wanted to make sure she had a plate of hot dumplings ready and waiting when the kids came bounding through the door.

Unfortunately, not only is my mom too frail now to make her dumplings but the COVID pandemic has prevented us from visiting her in person.  We are being robbed of precious moments we could spend with her.  Our only consolation is the aggressive measures taken were successful and thankfully she and the other residents remain virus-free.

Moments of Comfort

Missing my mom, the memories of making won tons and egg dumplings with her popped into my head.  I felt the urge to make won tons and egg dumplings.  Just like Mom,  I hand-chopped everything-the pork, shrimp, water chestnuts, shrooms, and onions for the filling.  I wrapped wontons and then set about making egg dumplings.  The hubs and kids came walking through the door just as I put the finishing touches on the plate of Gai Don Gok.  Mom would approve.

I love the combination of pork and shrimp but the filling can be made with all pork.  Substitute ground chicken for a portion of the pork if you like.  That is the beauty of Mom’s Super Duper Won Ton and Everything Filling for egg dumplings, stuffed squash, or meatballs in soup, it is versatile and pretty darn tasty.

It will take a little bit of practice to make the dumplings unless of course, you are an omelet pro.  Then it will be a piece of cake.  Whip eggs with water (one teaspoon per egg) and set aside.  Have everything next to the stove.  Heat a sufficient amount of oil to generously coat the bottom of the frying pan.  I use a stainless steel pan generously oiled to keep the egg from sticking.  Heat the pan over medium-low heat.  It can’t be too hot or the egg will brown too much before the filling has a chance to cook completely.

The Dumpling Process

Use a Chinese soup spoon (this is what mom and millions of other Chinese moms use to measure) or an equivalent (1.25 tablespoon volume) spoon and fill it with the egg mixture.  Pour this into your pan to create a 3-inch circle, lower the heat if the egg cooks too quickly.  Scoop the filling (about 2 teaspoonfuls) and drop it on one side of the egg circle.  Immediately fold the egg over to cover the filling and form a crescent-shaped omelet.  Gently press down the filling to flatten it so it cooks evenly.  Flip the dumpling over and cook to a light golden brown, approximately 30 seconds per side. Push to the side, or transfer to another pan set on low heat to set while cooking additional dumplings.   Serve with ketchup or oyster sauce.  The egg dumplings are delicious in soup just like won tons.

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Egg Dumplings (Gai Don Gok)

Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian
Keyword Egg Dumplings, Gai Don Gok
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

Pork & Shrimp Filling

  • 3/4 lb ground pork
  • 1/4 pound fresh shrimp peeled and deveined and roughly diced
  • 4-6 water chestnuts peeled and coarsely chopped, fresh or canned (rinse before using)
  • 3-4 dried shiitake mushrooms soaked, drained and coarsely chopped
  • 2 stalks of green onions coarsely chopped
  • 1 T cilantro leaves finely chopped (optional)
  • 1/2 inch knob of fresh ginger peeled and minced
  • 1 T soy sauce
  • 1 T oyster sauce
  • 1 T rice wine or sherry
  • 1/2 tsp. sugar
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp white pepper
  • 1/2 tsp sesame oil optional

Egg Wrap

  • 4 large eggs, slightly beaten plus 1 t water per egg substitute stock for water

Instructions

To Make Filling:

  • Place ground pork and shrimp in a medium sized bowl. Add seasonings. Using chopsticks or a spoon, stir the mixture in one direction until the ingredients are well combined. Transfer half of the filling to a bowl. Reserve the other half for won tons.
  • You can pre-shape the filling into little balls to have ready for frying the dumplings or scoop little balls while you are frying if you like.

To Make Egg Dumplings

  • Break eggs into a bowl, add water and beat until thoroughly combined. Place the filling and egg mixtures by stove. If water is used, add a dash of salt and pepper to the egg mixture. Omit salt if stock is used.
  • Heat a stick-resistant or non-stick skillet over medium low heat. Add 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the pan. I use a steel pan with a generous amount of oil to coat the bottom.
  • Using a large spoon (or Chinese soup spoon) spoon approximately 1.5 tablespoons of egg mixture into the pan to form a circle. Cook about 10 seconds, when the egg edge is set, place 2 teaspoons of filling on one side the egg. Using a spatula and fork, fold the other side of the egg over the filling and gently press down. Cook for 15 seconds and flip. Cook 30-45 seconds on the second side. If the filling seems soft and not quite done, continue to flip and cook. The dumplings should be a golden color. Adjust heat so the filling cooks through and the egg doesn't brown too much.
  • Transfer the dumpling to another pan set on low heat. This keeps the dumplings warm and ensures they cook through. Continue to cook additional dumplings.
  • Serve with ketchup or oyster sauce.
(Hiyashi Chuka – Ramen Salad) Swept Away By A Summer Ramence Summer Madness #2

(Hiyashi Chuka – Ramen Salad) Swept Away By A Summer Ramence Summer Madness #2

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TAs temps edged upward this past week, I began thinking about cold noodle dishes to counter the heat. One of our favorite ramen joints in San Jose features a summer noodle salad that the hubster loves. This prompted me to think it was time to add a cold ramen dish to my repertoire.  I perused one of my favorite sites, Just One Cookbook, and found a classic Japanese cold ramen dish, Hiyashi Chuka.  Bingo, I was off to the races.  At first glance, it seemed very similar to my Somen Salad.  The dressing has soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and rice vinegar, for instance.  A big difference is Hiyashi Chuka starts with a thicker, more substantial ramen noodle.

Summer Ramence

The dish is eye-candy, the noodles are hidden by a colorful palette of toppings including julienned pale green cucumbers, orange-tinged crab leg, slivers of green onions, pink honey ham and shreds of fried egg.  Cold noodle salads like this refreshing and delicious Hiyashi Chuka are perfect for summer potlucks, picnics and pool parties.  I hope you will add it to your summer rotation.

The Skinny on Noods

Both fresh or dried noodles work in this dish.  I like using fresh ramen or lo mein. If you can get a hold of ramen noodles by Sun Co. from Hawaii, get it. This brand supplies the bulk of ramen houses in the US. and has a really nice chew or consistency.  In a pinch, you could use linguine or spaghetti but my first choice would be an Asian noodle. If you are gluten-free, rice or yam noodles would be a good substitute.  Confused about the multitude of Asian noodles out there? Here is a great Asian noodle primer from Serious Eats.

Dressing It Up

The dressing is on the sweet side so I would start with two tablespoons of sugar, taste and add more if desired.  You can use Ponzu, a citrus soy sauce, instead of soy sauce. Toppings can be ANYTHING you like or have on hand.  Keep in mind you want the play between sweet and salty, crunchy and soft. I like cucumbers, honey ham, imitation crab, egg, corn, and tomatoes. Don’t like imitation crab?  Use bay shrimp or splurge on real crab.  You can substitute honey turkey, shredded chicken (leftover soy sauce chicken would work really well) or char sir (bbq pork) for the ham. I leave out the lettuce sometimes or substitute shredded cabbage.  I love a good sprinkling of chopped scallions and cilantro.  Oishii!

Ramen Salad
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HIYASHI CHUKA (COLD RAMEN)

A delicious, refreshing cold noodle salad that is perfect for summer!
Course Main Course, Salad
Cuisine Asian
Keyword japanese, Noodle, Ramen, Salad, sesame
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 8 Servings

Ingredients

Dressing

  • 6 Tbsp soy sauce Any all purpose soy like Kikkoman will work, or substitute half with Ponzu for a hint of citrus
  • 4 Tbsp sugar Adjust to taste! Start with 2 tablespoons
  • 3 Tbsp rice vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 Tbsp water
  • 1 Tbsp white sesame seeds roasted/toasted
  • ¼ tsp ginger grated
  • ½-1 tsp la-yu, optional Japanese chili oil

Egg crepe, shredded

  • 2 large eggs beaten
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • ¼ tsp salt kosher or sea salt; use half if using table salt
  • neutral flavor oil vegetable, canola, etc

Toppings

  • 1/4-1/2 pound Bay shrimp
  • 1 Persian/Japanese cucumbers or 1/3 English cucumber, julienned
  • 1 iceberg lettuce shredded, or use romaine lettuce
  • ½ Tomato cut into wedges, or cherry tomatoes quartered
  • 3-4 slices Honey Ham Sub bbq pork, or honey turkey, Canadian bacon, julienned
  • 4-6 imitation crab meat kanikam or splurge and use real crab, or fish cake, shredded or julienned
  • 1/2 cup Kaiware radish sprouts or green onions, chopped

Other toppings

  • Poached chicken or leftover soy sauce chicken shredded, in place of ham
  • Julienned carrots
  • dried wakame seaweed
  • shredded nori seaweed kizami nori

Noodles

  • 2 package fresh ramen noodles 12 ounces each substitute dry ramen noodles, or Lo-mien

Garnish

  • 1 Tbsp white sesame seeds roasted/toasted
  • Japanese karashi hot mustard optional
  • pickled red ginger beni shoga or kizami beni shoga, optional

Instructions

  • Combine dressing ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk together. Set aside or if made in advance, store in fridge.
  • For eggs, make thin egg crepes and cut it into thin strips. Heat oil in non-stick pan over medium heat. Pour the egg mixture into the pan, tilt & swirl pan to distribute egg. Like making a crepe. Cook until set and flip egg over. You will have a few brown spots, but should be predominantly yellow. Slide crepe onto a plate and reserve. When it is cool enough you can roll the egg crepe up and cut it into thin strips.
  • You can use large prawns if you like, but I like using bay shrimp which generally come precooked. Easy peasy.
  • Cut all the topping ingredients as directed.
  • For the noodles, bring a pot of water to a boil and add the noodles. Separate the noodles before dropping into water. Cook according to package directions. Drain the water and rinse the noodles to remove starch. Allow noodles to cool completely. Chill in fridge if desire. Place noodles in a serving bowl and mix half of dressing into noodles.
  • Place all the toppings and pour the remaining dressing on salad before serving. Serve with karashi hot mustard and pickled ginger on the side, if desired. Refer to pics, ingredients are usually arranged in a radial pattern on top of the noodles.
Want Wontons? Hanging with Mom (雲吞)

Want Wontons? Hanging with Mom (雲吞)

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My mom came down and spent the week with us recently.  She is 93 years old and still lives in San Francisco in the same house I grew up in.  Her memory has faltered and her cognitive skills have diminished but she soldiers on.   I am thankful that she is still with us and grateful for the moments we have together.  It is now our turn to take care of her, everything comes full circle.

DSC03240

When she visits we talk about family.  She remembers snippets of when she was younger, she laughs at my exasperation with my kids.  She doesn’t do much cooking anymore but she does like to make wontons for the kids when she visits.  When I was in college she would make trays of wontons, freeze and pack them ready for me to take back to Berkeley after a weekend visit.  When the kids were small, during her babysitting stints, she would make wontons for them.

Tons of Advice on Won Tons

We head to the Asian market to shop for freshwater chestnuts (no canned stuff for her), pork (not pre-ground too mushy), mushrooms, wrappers, and shrimp (raw & unpeeled).  At home she insists on making the filling as she has for so many years, chopping the pork and shrimp by hand and incorporating the seasonings with her Chinese cleaver.  We reserve some of the filling for mini stuffed omelets called Gai Dan Kok (kid favorite) and then we sit, talk, and fold won tons.  We fill as many trays as we have wrappers or filling, and store them in the freezer.  When the kids come home she will boil up a batch or fry egg dumplings for them.  These are the moments I will treasure.

Mom makes classic pork and shrimp filling for her wontons.  It is my go-to filling for not just wontons but the egg dumplings, and steamed stuffed squash.  It’s delicious.  The shrimp can be chopped with the pork and blended with the pork or cut the shrimp into 1/2 inch pieces and place one piece in each wonton as shown in the video below. Soaking the shrimp in potassium carbonate firms up the shrimp giving the wonton a nice bite.  You could probably forego this step.  I added 1 tsp Ponzu (or you could use soy sauce and a squeeze of lemon) and 1/2 tsp sesame seed oil to the shrimp for additional flavor.

The Fried Way

These wontons can also be fried.  Heat oil in a large pot to 375 degrees.  Fry these in at least 2-inches of oil in the pot.  Cook in batches of 6-8 won tons.  Fry to golden brown and remove to a paper towel-lined pan to drain off excess oil.  Serve with a sweet and sour sauce or ketchup.

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Wontons

Every culture has a dumpling, our family enjoys won tons in soup or fried as an appetizer. A classic! This is me mom's recipe for wontons, our favorite.
Course Appetizer, Soup
Cuisine Asian, Asian-American
Keyword dumplings, soup, won ton
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

Pork & Shrimp Filling

  • 3/4 lb ground pork
  • 1/4 pound fresh shrimp peeled and deveined and roughly diced
  • 4-6 water chestnuts peeled and coarsely chopped fresh or canned (rinse before using)
  • 3-4 dried shiitake mushrooms soaked in warm water to soften (15-20 min) drained and coarsely chopped
  • 2 stalks of green onions coarsely chopped
  • 1 T cilantro leaves finely chopped optional
  • 1/2 inch knob of fresh ginger peeled and minced

The Flavorings

  • 1 T soy sauce
  • 1 T oyster sauce
  • 1 T rice wine or sherry
  • 1/2 tsp. sugar
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp white pepper
  • 1/2 tsp sesame oil optional

That's a Wrap

  • 1 pkg won ton wrappers Hong Kong Style are extra thin, I use thin wonton wrappers by New Hong Kong Noodle Company of San Francisco

Instructions

Filling

  • Start with Pork shoulder or Pork Butt. Hand-chop or coarse grind in food processor. When buying pork, look for coarse ground
  • Place ground pork and shrimp in a medium sized bowl. Add seasonings. Using chopsticks or a spoon, stir the mixture in one direction until the ingredients are well combined. Transfer half of the filling to a bowl. Reserve the other half for egg dumplings or steamed squash.

Wrapping

  • See video of my mom wrapping wontons!
  • Have ready wrappers, filling and small bowl of water or egg wash to seal won tons
  • Choose any won ton wrapper you like. My preference is Thin wrappers from New Hong Kong Noodle Factory. Wrappers come in different thicknesses. Avoid thick wrappers if you are making wontons for soup or deep-frying. Thick ones work well for Potstickers-a combination of frying and steaming when more filling is used.
  • Wontons can be folded in a variety of ways including simply folding like a triangle or square. Trick is to eliminate air bubbles and use water or egg wash to seal the edges.
  • Use about 1 generous teaspoon of filling per wonton.
  • Meanwhile, fill a large stockpot with water at least 2/3-3/4 full. Bring to boil over high heat. Drop folded wontons into the boiling water. Keep water at a nice boil not on a crazy high boil. The wontons will float to the surface as they cook, an indication they are ready. Let boil for about 3-4 minutes total, about 1 min after they float to the top. Remove with strainer, drain and serve in soup*
  • * Chicken Soup is perfect. If you use commercial chicken broth, use low sodium and season yourself. Add a slice of fresh ginger or shallots as you are heating. Season with soy sauce.
  • All the rage now seems to be serving wontons without soup, slathered in Chili Crisp Oil and a splash of vinegar. You could easily sub the soup and use a chili oil for the wontons. See notes for sauce.

Notes

From Red House Spice, Chili Sauce for Wontons in lieu of soup. 
Mix together, drizzle just cooked wontons with sauce.  Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions. Add a touch of Chinese Sesame Paste if you like ~1 teaspoon.

Watch Mom Fold Wontons!