Cooking with Mom - SHIER BIEN - Pan Fried Large Bao

Sunday's best highlights was cooking with my mother.   My mother's favorites are 'noodle' food or the 'bread' food.  She was busy studying some recipes by Carol.   We picked a couple of recipes - Shi'er Bien and Green Onion Pancake.  It was a fun day.

Makes 8

Ingredients for Filling:

400 g ground pork

400 g chopped NAPA Vegetable, squeezed to strain excess water

5 - 6 Chopped Green Onions

1/4+ C Chopped Ginger

Soy sauce 1 TBsp

Sesame oil 2 TBsp

Salt 1 tsp

White pepper

Stock 50 cc

Dough:

300 g Flour

100 cc hot water

90 cc cold water

Salt 1/8 tsp

Mix flour and salt, then add Hot Water.  Mix well, then add cold water and knead to form into a smooth ball.  Divide the dough into three parts. And form into a long rope 1-1/2 in to 2 inches in diameter.

Cover the dough and rest for 30 min.

Take one rope and slice into 2 to 2-1/ 2 inches each.  

Roll out the dough.  Thinner on outer edge then the center. 

Divide the meat mixture into equal portion.   Place it in center of the rolled dough.

Pinch close the dough - very well to keep the gravy from escaping.  

Place pinched side down on a floured surface and press down gently with your palm to flatten a bit.  

Heat a large skillet with 3 TBsp of cooking oil. 

Place the Shi'er Bien with pinched side down in the skillet when the oil started to shimmer.

Turn to high heat. 

Put 1 cup of water and cover with lid.  

Cook until almost all liquid is evaporated. Turn heat to medium low.

Remove the lid and cook for 2 minutes.   Rotating the skillet's position over the burner to assure even browning of all Shi'er Bien. Turn them over to brown the smooth side.  

Ready to serve when they are beautifully browned. 

Serve with ginger dipping sauce:  finely thread cut gingers; add soy sauce 1:1 seasoned rice vinegar or to your taste.

Making TONKATSU - Japanese style PanFried Pork Cutlet

While cutting a rump of pork for making stew, I sliced off some for ground pork and cutlets.   Didn't know what I want to do, but I remember how tasty the TONKATSU was that I had at one of the party.  Since I gave my own PANKO, I set to work.  

Serves 3

Ingredients:

3 large sliced pork pounded with the back side of the knife blade into thin slice

Or 6 small slices

1-1/2 C homemade PANKO ( bread crumbs crumbled finely in food processor)

1 C milk

1/2 tsp Nanami Togarashi - Japanese 7 flavor chili peppers usually used for eating UDON or SOBA, etc.

1/2 tsp Kosher Salt

1/2 C flour + 1/4 tsp salt and white peppers 

Skillet with 4 to 5 TBsp of cooking oil ( depending on the size of your skillet.)   Oil should cover only half deep of the food.

1.   Cover pork slices with flour.  Mix milk with peppers and salt. 

2.   Dip floured pork slices in milk mixture.
3.  Transfer to a bowl with PANKO.  Coat both sides by pressing down on the surface.  
4.  Slide them gently into the skillet.  Fry until brown on both side over medium low heat.   Serve with rice and coleslaw, for example, and with Tonkatsu Sauce.

Place on top of Tempura sheet to catch/ subtract excess oil before cutting into strips to serve.

Fall Jewel 2014 - KAKI

This year I followed my friend's recommendation and wait to crop KAKI, Japanese persimmons until November.  I kept them covered with a crop net since late September.  

It was a great suggestion.   While my mom's Giant FUYU KAKI ripened at extreme fast rate along with the Figs (in Campbell) I noticed my KAKI are in good shape waiting for the cold front to freeze it over, even.   It will become sweeter.

Some of them have grown larger than any other year's.  I left half more on the tree those that are facing south and southwest.  They seem to have slower ripening rate than the ones that were facing north and northwest.