Little Packages

Pan Fried Pork Dim Sum/ポークの小籠包点心

My translation of 小籠包shoronpow is - ‘little package’. Wrapped little something in thin pastry skin. It’s style is similar to hum bow but little..er. Jellied chicken stock oozes out it’s juice when cooked. That is when I regret that I didn’t make more.

Shoronpow usually served as 点心 dim sum in Chinese restaurant. I love to go to dim sum place with two other friends because they always comes in three pieces on a small plate and if I ask the server pushing the cart what’s in a package, the answer sounds like it’s all gibberish but we love adventure and mystery. Yes, we will take the one-whatever it is- on the right. 謝謝.

For this post I used pork, minced shrimp is also fantastic however. I probably pack it a little nicer next time. You see, people like prettier package.

First – make Chinese Chicken Soup Jell-O

• Unflavored powder gelatin 10g
• Cold water 1/4 cup

• Chinese chicken soup granule (鶏がらスープの素) 1 teaspoon
  

• Hot water 1/2 cup　

1. Pour water in a small cup, sprinkle gelatin and soften.
2. Put chicken soup granule in a small container then pour in hot water, stir and dissolve. After you no longer see the steam then add softened gelatin and mix well
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3. Cool the mixture by placing In a larger container filled with ice water (see picture). When it starts to harden transfer to refrigerator for 30 to 40  minutes.
   
4. Mince the chicken Jell-O. Set aside
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Second step- Make Pork filling 

• Pork belly meat 120g minced
  
• Garlic chives (にら) 4 stalks minced -  may substitute with green onion
• Ginger root peeled and minced about 2 Tablespoon
• Sake 1Tablespoon
• Sesame oil 1 teaspoon
• Soy sauce 1 teaspoon
• Sugar 1 teaspoon
• Salt 1/2 teaspoon
• Chicken Jell-O

1. Mix pork, garlic chives and ginger root well
2. Add sake, sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar and salt then kneed well with your hand
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3. Add chicken Jell-O and combine. You may need 1 Tablespoon water to get the filling to stick together.
   
4. Divide filling into 10 parts and form balls. Keep chilled in refrigerator until ready to use
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Third step – Make dough

Equipment: bread maker

• Weak power flour 110g
• Bread flour 40g plus more for dusting.
• Dry yeast 1 teaspoon
• Sugar 1 teaspoon
• Salt 1/2 teaspoon
• Cold water 80 ml.

1. Put both flours in a bread maker pan first then bury the yeast in the flour.
2. Put sugar, salt and water around flour.
   
3. Select dough course and push start.
4. After dough is done (raised once) remove form pan and form a ball.
5. First dust the surface if necessary. Cut dough in half and make two 5 inch cylinders.
   
6. Cut each cylinder to 5 equal parts then make balls. Keep the balls under a moist towel or paper towel to prevent the dough from drying out.
7. Stretch the dough to make 4 inch diameter rounds. Make it so that center is little bit thicker than the edge.
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8. Put prepared filling in the center of round. Fold edges up to wrap as neatly as possible. Seal the seam securely.
    

Final step – Cook and Steam

• Vegetable or Peanut oil 2 Tablespoons
• Water 2 Tablespoons
• Sesame oil 2 Tablespoons
• White toasted sesame seeds 1-2 Tablespoons for garnish
• Green onion 2 stalks chopped small for garnish

1. Heat 2 Tablespoon of vegetable oil or peanut oil in large non stick skillet at medium heat. Note; Place lid near so it is ready to use.
2. Gently place the buns seam side down and brown the bottom.
3. Pour 3 Tablespoons of water and immediately put lid and steam  for 5-6 minutes at low heat. Remove lid and cook until water evaporates.
4. Pour Sesame oil into the pan and occasionally scoop the oil onto the buns. Cook for 1-2 minutes
5. Garnish with sesame seed and green onion on top. Serve with vinegar, ponzu or gyoza sauce.
   

My friend brought me a generous amount of premier kale. I brushed lightly with olive oil and sprinkled with salt then roasted it in the oven 10 minutes or so at 375F before I put on the shoronpow.

On the home front….Old lawn was an utter disaster, weeds and moss and crab grass… We put new sod in front and back yard last week.  Harvesting time for raspberry. Although the raspberry shortcake raspberries are short on flavor, they are long on looks!

Edible nasturtium are from seeds…I thought I choose orange color but whatever!The dainty rose has a great fragrance.This is Japanese flower I can’t remember the name. The Gumi plants produced some berries but they are so tiny! I grow up eating neighbor’s. Very nostalgic. My husband received packages from our children for Father’s Day which he kindly shared with me. He had to, those cookies from Momofuku Milk Bar are huge! The puddings from Japan were also delicious! Mmmmm…silky!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

True Grit

Spaghetti Alle Vongole

The clams harvest close to Mt Fuji has drastically decreased recently linked to a possible connection to Mt. Fuji activity. Last time it erupted was in 1707, during the Edo era. There have been things like the sudden collapse of section of the mountain, Lake Kawaguchi is north side of Mt. Fuji, it’s water level is unusually low and the massive amount of ayu (鮎, sweet fish) die off; those strange occurrences may be predicting another eruption in the near future? That is some scientists’ theory…I hope they ‘re wrong.Looking at Mt. Fuji from Lake Kawaguchi.

The clams my husband cooked were of Washington state origin so they had nothing to do with Mt. Fuji or to this recipe yet it was kind of eerie. We were there! A couple of months ago! We walked along Lake Kawaguchi, seeing Mt. Fuji up close… The thought that we may never see serene Mt. Fuji again and hearing of other catastrophic natural disasters lately cast shadow on my mind.

Now let’s go on to cooking - Hold your horses Cowboy, you shouldn’t cook clams right away! They need serious salt bath time! I lectured my husband. Biting into sandy clam is no fun-at-the-beach, de-grit you must! I read a fellow blogger’s method of de-gritting (is that really a word?) and I’m happy to report that it’s practically identical to mine, just that she is cuter and younger..what I’m talking about? In fact, I was getting nervous that the blogger made a really similar dish last week. Her fabulous photos and everything…Honey, do we have a plan B? No? I see….on the bright side, my recipe has Italian name. Buon Appetito!

Time to purge!   

1. Clean clams well with bristle brush under running water.
2. In a large bowl, pour 1000ml water and dissolve 2 Tablespoons of sea salt. Place a strainer one size smaller than the bowl. Put cleaned clams into the strainer.
   
3. Lay long cooking chopsticks or wooden spatulas across the bowl.
4. Cover with a newspaper or cloth on top.
   
5. Wait at least 1 hour but 3 or more hours is preferred. After more than 5 hours in salt water bath, clams were way relaxed.

Ingredients for 2-3 people

• Olive oil 1 Tablespoon
• Garlic 2 cloves thinly sliced
• Red hot pepper 1-2 pods, seeds removed and slice across
• Clams 2 pounds
• White wine 1/3 cup
• Spaghetti half package about 8oz.or less
• Cabbage leaves 3-4 roughly chopped
• Salt, white pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in a skillet. Add garlic and red hot pepper and sauté until fragrant.
2. Add clams and sauté for 30 seconds.
3. Pour wine and cover with lid. Steam until clams open up. Discard ones that do not open. Remove clams to plate or bowl. Set aside.
4. Pour 4 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt in a same pan and boil.
5. Break spaghetti in half or thirds and put in the pan. Cook till al dente. Add more water if spaghetti is not cooked.
   
6. Return the clams plus cabbage to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes.
7. Salt and pepper to taste.Darling, this is marvelous!

    

Every Thursday 4 PM to 8 PM till September 5th. the city’s Farmer’s Market is open for the season. First stop - pizza! It was Delicious!

We ordered drinks at this place. Not bad but the price …yowza $5.75 We could buy 2 slices of pizza with that kind of money.Hand cranked juice extractor?

The picture is gluten free mini cupcakes but we bought regular cupcakes. 75 cent each or 3 for $2.Colorful macaroons are for our eyes only…we are getting short on cash. There is always next week.A different artist is scheduled each week.

The better part of Saturday was spent weeding and removing dead plants. Our next door neighbor came out with a pick to help my husband. How nice!I made strawberry cupcakes using fresh strawberries from garden as a Thank-You gift. I added very little sugar so they were not overly sweet.My raspberry shortcake raspberry plant looks wonderful – Hummm, it does not taste like shortcake however.My husband found this moth’s(?) nest in back yard.

I received bunch of lavender again this year from a neighbor who grew it in her back yard. Love, love lavender!