Polly's Swirly Bao - RUOSeJUWEN with FEN Se, Carrots, and Ground Pork

 The actual Chinese name for this steamed bun/bao-ze in the shape of seashell or snail  shell is RUOSeJUWEN.  RUOSe literally means 'screw'.  But it would not sound right if I call it Screw Bao.  This has been my favorites because it has interesting shape.  You can have fun eating it by unravelling the strands like noodle.  I have tried to make this many times, but never satisfied with the formula.  Like many other Chinese dishes, there are no written family recipes being handed down.  We all depend on the memory and passed on down from the older generation.  Of course, there are cooking books that we can always referenced to.  It is also very interesting to find out that whether you follow the passed down recipe or from the cook book, you find that both recipes are quite similar.  The only difference is that one is written and institutionalized and the other ones are passed down to the new generation by words of mouth and with lots of interesting family story to go along with it.   Since we are so busy working outside the home, I think writing down the family recipe is a good thing.  We tend to eat more outside and try to cram so many things-to-do in a day that those family recipes could gotten lost.
So this recipe is quite comparable to the ones that I have.  But the mixing method include the poolish that I my formula did not have before.  And interestingly, there isn't that much water required to mix the main dough.
Ingredients:
Mix 3 oz of poolish (1:1 flour: water and a pinch of yeast & 3 days old) with 2  C of flour, and 1/2 C (to 3/4 C if needed) water.  Knead to form into a nice medium soft dough.   Set aside.

Beat 3/4 C of egg whites (from 5 AA Large size eggs) with 1/4 C of sugar.  Just enough to mix the sugar together well.  Add 2 Tbsp of shortening. Mix.  Then, add, 1 tsp baking soda.  Set aside.
Shift 2-3/4 C flour with 1-1/2 Tbsp baking powder.  (Optional:  Add 1/8 tsp of instant yeast as assurance.)
 Shift flour mixture into the poolish mixture.   
Add beaten egg white mixture.
Start mixing everything together with spoon or with the palm of your hand until a nice smooth ball forms - 10 minutes. The dough should be as soft as your ear lobe.  Cover and let rise until double in size.
Cover your bamboo steamer with cheesecloth and get the steamer's bottom pot ready with water.  Set aside.
Prepare the filling ingredients that you would like to add.
Filling:   * Microwaving time depends on your microwave's power.
1/2 a package of FEN-Se (Bean Thread Vermicelli) - Rehydrate the FEN-Se in hot water.  Thin Rice Stick would work also.  The bean thread should be soft after 5 minutes, but not disintegrated.  Use a clean sanitized kitchen scissors and cut the bean thread into 3 inch length.
1/2 C Carrots, - thinly julienned.   Microwave the carrots for 1-2 minutes with 1 tsp of water, covered with microwave splatter shield to keep the steam in.
* Microwave the carrots just enough to get it out of crisp so it will be easier to roll in the dough.
Mix 1/2 Cup of ground pork with 1/2 tsp Kosher salt.  Place on a microwaveable plate.  Cover the plate with microwave splatter shield cover.    Microwave the ground pork mixture for 1 minutes.  Stir at 30 seconds and separate large chunks into small pieces.  *Drain the bean thread and carrot mixture thoroughly.   Add the pork to carrots and bean thread mixture and mix well.  Taste and add seasonings - salt and pepper and any thing else you like. 
I added 1/4 tsp of Chili Flakes in mine.
Portion the dough into two.

 Roll out one portion into rectangle.  Spread the bean thread mixture with pork over the dough.   Fold into halves.











Slice the dough at1/4 inch intervals.

 Hold both ends with hands and stretch out to -- at least 6 inches and while holding one end of the dough with left hand twirl the right dough end around the left hand that is holding the dough to form a turban or snail looking twirled dough. 
 Scoop the dough off the fingers and tuck the right dough end under.   I had to do a few before it 'looks good'. 

Cover and let it rise for 1 hr (if your kitchen is 65'F like mine) until it has risen 1/2 time it's size.  & soft to the touch.
























Bring the water to full boil.  Place the bamboo steamer on top of the pan - the boiling water should not touch the bottom of the bamboo basket.  There should be at least 2 inches of gap between the boiling water and the steamer basket.
Steam at high temperature for 12 minutes.  





Turn off the heat.  Let it cool for a few minutes with lid on.


Transfer the basket over a large platter to catch the steam evaporation.
Serve.
Re-steam or fry it in skillet with a bit of oil to brown the bottom the next day.  

You can eat this with or without Soy sauce and vinegar dipping sauce or serve with main course dishes.

Polly's SHOYU-RAMEN

Making SHOYU-RAMEN's Stock - 2 Cups Water - 1 Cup Chicken Stock, 1/2 TB BONITA granules, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 3/4 tsp Regular SHOYU (soy sauce), 1 tsp WAKAME (dehydrated seaweed), 1 fish cake stick - CHIKUWA or anything you like.  2 tsp of chopped green onions.   1 Hard boiled egg.  Bring to boil, then, simmer till your noodle is cooked. 

This Hong Kong Style egg noodle is a bit thin cut than the Japanese noodle, but it's okay.  It's cheaper and and will work out fine. Open the package and divide the noodles into 4 equal portions.  Freeze the other 3 portions for later use. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

YAKISOBA, GYOZA, and MISO Dinner

Once in a while I get this cravings for Japanese food.   I think and think about it, and I could have just bought the frozen packages of GYOZA or YAKISOBA or MISO soup.... then, I think and think, again... I don't want all those preservatives and MSG, and etc, etc.  At the end, I try to gather all the ingredients... checking for any veges in the garden.... nope, nothing is growing.  But I found small portions of ground pork in the freezer - good! now I can make GYOZA (---the Chinese Fried Potstickers in Japanese name). 

While I was preparing them, I thought of my Japanese nursemother preparing dinner.   I remember her mixing in the MISO into the soup, and at the end of the meal, she puts all the rice with oats into it and feed them to the two large dogs. Dogs would lap clean the large NABE that they eat out from.


For MISO SOUP
Ingredients:  serves 4
4 inches of small DAIKON - peeled and julienned thinly
1/2 cake of extra firm TOFU - cut into 1-1/2 cm cubes
4  to 5 Cups of water - boiling
1 Tsp of HONDASHI - bonita granules
1 Tbsp MISO  - low sodium type

 

 Bring water to boil in a small pot, add HONDASHI or dried bonita.   (Strain/Remove dried bonita after 15 min.)   Medium Low heat - Add DAIKON and Tofu.  Cook for 5 min.  Turn to simmer.
Scoop 1 Tablespoonful of MISO into a large ladle.  Over the pot, add some liquid into the ladle with the MISO still in it.   With chopsticks, stir the MISO in the ladle to liquefy, pouring out the mixed liquid into the soup, then, at the same time scoop in more liquid into the ladle that is still with MISO..... Well, that's how it is usually done.  You can do it anyway you want to liquefy the MISO paste, but be sure that the paste is well mixed with the liquid before adding into the soup base.   Stir gently to mix.   Turn to low to keep warm while you make all other food or it is ready to serve at this point.  Garnish with some chopped green onions, if you would like.

For YAKISOBA  (Stir fried Japanese noodles)
This usually the fast food served close to and around the train stations or at shopping malls.  Funny things about Asian culture is that you see shoppers buying fresh vegetables and fresh seafood at the markets...and yet still they set a small snack time aside to sit down to eat RAMEN, YAKISOBA, and other quick snack meal before heading home. This is the same in Japan or in Viet-Name or in Taiwan where I have been, as well as right here in San Jose, San Francisco, etc, etc.... Food! is such a easy comfort to the human tummy.   

Ingredients:  Serves 4
4 leaves of NAPA cabbage - washed thoroughly & cut into 4x1/4 inch strips

(  or   1/4 section of a small Cabbage is actually preferred for the YAKISOBA for the texture reason - cut into strips as well.)
1/4 Cup Ground Pork or any meat you like
1 bag of Bean sprouts - rinsed with salt and rinsed again.  Then, soaked in water for at least 5 minutes to get rid of the acidic odor
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil or vegetable oil
3 Green Onions chopped.

1-1/2 packages of YAKISOBA (with mix package << yes it has MSG....) - Rinse it off under warm water to soften and to get rid of the extra oil they packaged in.  Otherwise, buy dried noodle, boil enough noodles to serve 4 people, and strain, then, set aside.


I don't know what it is with the bean sprouts in the US, but I don't ever remember such odor in the bean sprouts we purchased in Japan.  We buy these bean sprouts from the Korean women (when we lived in Japan).  She sprouts these strong tasty bean sprouts.  Everyone goes there to buy from her.  So, be sure to rinse your bean sprouts thoroughly and let it soak in fresh water for a while.
In a heated skillet or Wok, add cooking oil.  Medium High Heat - Add chopped onion and stir fry for a minute.  Add meat and stir fry - 45 sec.  Add Napa Cabbage.  Stir fry till it wilts.  Add softened noodle, stir fry to mix all well.  Add Bean Sprouts.   Add 1-1/2 packages of YAKISOBA flavor mixture.  The alternative is to add ready made Japanese YAKISOBA sauce (yes, it has MSG also.. unless they make one without.) or my alternative is to add TONKATSU sauce.  Stir fry and till everything is well mixed.  If you want to add a bit of "crispiness" to the noodle, stop stirring and let it fry at medium low heat for a minute.  But FYI - it will not 'brown or become crisp' like the pan fried noodle.

 The first time I made this YAKISOBA, I placed the noodle out of the package right under the vegetables.  The heat softened the noodle eventually, but I discover that the noodle from the package is covered with cooking oil, thus, the final product was very oily.  So, the 2nd time I prepared it, I chose to soften the noodle out of the package in a bowl of warm water.  Changing it a couple of time to wash out the oil.   This softened the noodle and got rid of the extra oil.

For GYOZA (Japanese Fried Potstickers)
To make it yourself or just buy the frozen version??? that is the question.  I like LING LING's dumpling to some extent, but not satisfactorily.   Because my mother spoiled us rotten when we were young.  She made everything from scratch and rolled all 100's dumpling skin herself.  She makes them the we like.  or I could fly to TOKYO and eat at this famous restaurant for GYOZA or to TAIWAN to eat at strips of eatery famous for dumpling... well, the last I heard from my friends  who fly back and forth to Japan or Taiwan, those places are 'gone'.   I have a package of Wonton skin in the refrigerator that I can use, but... naaa, just not the same.   So, next! onward.   No complaining!

Ingredients:  Serves 4 
Mixed all of the ingredients in a bowl - set aside while rolling out the skins
2/3 C ground pork
2 chopped green onions
4 leaves of NAPA Cabbage - washed and chopped and squeezed between your palms to remove liquid.
1 tsp minced ginger, 
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground Black pepper
1/4 tsp sesame oil
 
2 Tbsp cooking oil for frying
1 Cup of hot water for frying

Prepare GYOZA dough skin:
Mix 1-1/2 Cup of Flour and 1/2 tsp of salt.  Add 1/2 C of 'hot' boiled water.
Mix quickly to form a dough.  The dough should be as soft as your ear lobe.
Add flour or more water to achieve the softness.
Cover and let it sit for 5 min.
Roll into a long rope - 1-1/2 in diameter.
Cut into 1 to 1-1/2 inch pieces.  
Smash with the palm of your hand the 'cut' side down to form the dough into a disc.
Set aside in flour bed until all pieces are cut and formed into disc.
With the straight rolling pin, roll out the skin.
You can check out several techniques posted on the YOUTUBE.
Mine is here at:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOknUXH2BRU
or in the previous posting at http://rockdavinci.blogspot.com/2010/05/pan-fried-potstickers-home-made.html
Then fill the dough.

Heat the skillet, add cooking oil, then, place the dumpling around in the pan.
Listen to the frying noise.
Add enough hot water to almost cover the dumplings.  Cover with Lid.
Cook in High until water evaporates.

 Make sure to use a lid that fits the fry pan.  In this picture, this lid is not it.  I changed it afterwards, but I didn't want to lose the temperature while I go get the right lid.

 Listen carefully to the music of frying - "pitter chat patter" -- as the water evaporate.  Rotate the position of the skillet to make sure the well browning of each potsticker.  Lift one up and check.  Remove from heat when they are golden brown.

Finally, my dinner is served!!     It was a great GYOZA, YAKISOBA, and MISO soup!