Gyoza! This is another recipe, and it's really good! The pork filling includes a couple of very Japanese ingredients: wakame and miso.

I made the gyoza wrappers from the recipe in my Japanese cooking project book. This time I made it all in one day, and surprise, surprise, the dough was well behaved without long resting periods.

For 40 gyoza skins, use 2 cups all-purpose flour (plus 1/4 teaspoon salt), add up to 1 cup boiling water by spoonsful. Mix with chopsticks. The flour gets more and more lumpy looking, until you can form it into a ball. It will look quite primative, but wrap it in a damp cloth and let it pull itself together, resting for 1 hour.

Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic—less than 5 minutes: I usually knead it longer so it seems that is why I've needed to let the dough rest more! Roll it into a log about 1 1/4" in diameter. Cut it into 4 pieces. Work with one section at a time, keeping the remainder covered with a damp cloth. In the picture, you can see I used plastic wrap, but cloth would have been better—condensation. Roll each disk: roll the slice into an oblong shape, turn 30°, roll again, turn 30° and roll. Ideally you'll have a 2 1/4" circle. Roll just the circumference of the dough to make the edges thinner. You want to make dumpling wrappers about 3" in diameter, with the edges thinner than the centers. Dust each wrapper with flour and stack. The stack is higher in the center, where each skin is thicker.

Pork and Wakame Gyoza
from Washoku by Elizabeth Andoh

I doubled the original recipe here, because if I'm making gyoza, I'm going to make enough to make me happy. 40 dumplings
Dipping Sauce:

• 6 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 Tablespoons rice vinegar

Mix the above ingredients together. Divide into individual serving bowls to accompany the gyoza.
For 12 ounces ground pork:

The Vegetables:

• 4" piece of negi, or a small leek, or a bunch of green onions
• 3 large cabbage leaves (I used about 6 small leaves of savoy cabbage)
• 3" piece of carrot
• 2 Tablespoons dried wakame

Cut the onion into large chunks. Coarsely chop the cabbage, including the stems. Slice the carrot. Put all of the vegetables into a food processor, and pulse until the mixture is finely minced. The wakame will absorb liquid from the vegetables.
Note: Next time, I'll add the cabbage close to the end of the processing so it is not chopped so small. The pork needs to have some vegetable pieces to make it less dense.
The Seasonings:

• 2 Tablespoons sake
• 2 teaspoons dark miso
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Put the above into a deep bowl and mix well. Add the vegetables from the food processor. Mix. Add the pork and knead the mixture with your hands until well combined and sticky.
Filling:
Form the filling into a ball, then divide it into quarters. Work with one portion at a time and keep the remainder in the fridge. Have ready a small bowl of cold water to seal the edges of the dumplings. Have a cookie sheet covered with a cotton cloth to place the finished dumplings on. For more details about shaping the dumplings and making those cool looking pleats click here.
Cooking:
Heat a skillet; when it's hot add 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Arrange the gyoza around the pan without crowding. Cook the dumplings until the bottoms are browned golden, about 3 minutes. Pour about 1/4 cup of water and 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil into the pan, and slap the cover over the skillet. Lower the heat so the water just simmers. Steam the dumplings for about 5 minutes—cooking is finished when the skins become translucent and the pork is firm. Continue to cook until the pan is sizzling and the water evaporated. Serve 5 or 6 dumplings for an appetizer or side-dish, 10 to 12 for a main course. Be sure everyone has some dipping sauce.

Now I do occasionally shop at Walmart and now I hate them for a different reason. It's because they sometimes do smart things and they had me too caught up in hating them for the stupid reason that I didn't see it coming. I don't like to get caught off guard.

Walmart opened a new location on Peachtree Industrial Blvd, not far from Buford Highway last year. And anticipating their market they regularly stock items that are just not - "Walmart-like". Like baby octopus salad, wakame (seaweed) salad, frog's legs and softshell crab (only $1.82 each!). I'm sure it probably comes from that huge Asian food distributor up in Duluth (forget the name) - but that's OK - the quality is great and now I can save the drive, don't need to borrow a wholesale license and no longer have to buy 20 lbs at a time.

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

• 200 gr. de arroz integral
• 1 cebolla
• 3 cucharadas soperas de alga wakame
• 1 l. de agua
• salsa de soja
• aceite de oliva
• sal

Tiempo de preparación: 45 minutos

Modo de preparación:

1. Remojar durante 1 hora el arroz integral agua fría y durante 10 minutos el wakame en medio vaso de agua. Escurrir el alga y rehogar junto con la cebolla picada en brounoisse, a fuego lento.
2. Deslavar el arroz integral, escurrirlo y añadirlo a la cazuela con la cebolla y el wakame. Remover a menudo para que se tueste el arroz sin que se pegue la cebolla. Añadir el agua al arroz dejando que hierva durante 5 minutos.
3. Bajar el fuego al mínimo, sazonar al gusto, añadir una cucharada de salsa de soja y tapar la cazuela sin remover. Pasados unos 25 minutos el arroz habrá absorbido el agua y estará tierno, listo para servir.

Las algas son un acompañamiento de las comidas cada vez más extendido. El wakame es rico en vitaminas y minerales por lo que el plato se verá enriquecido en estos nutrientes.

Una variante de esta receta, más gustosa, consiste en añadir un tomate mediano picado no demasiado fino. Sofreirlo un una sartén con un poco de aceite y mezclarlo con el arroz y las algas.

Buen provecho.

This is a delicious, simple salad that's perfect to try if you're just getting acclimated to sea vegetables. Wakame is soft and tender with a mild, sweet flavor. When I first served this to my family, it was gone in minutes after they once looked down at it cock-eyed because in no way does it resemble the artificially colored and processed seaweed salad you get at a typical sushi bar. Not only does this taste a hundred times better, it's a hundred times better for you.  Recipe follows..

This recipe will yield up to 4 side-salad servings, or one giant serving if you want to make it a big meal!

8 oz. or 1 bunch chopped curly kale, stems & veins removed
1/4 cup Eden instant wakame/or wild Atlantic alaria or wakame (such as Ironbound Island)
1/2 stalk Eden pickled daikon, quartered
1 6" long piece English cucumber, quartered
1 Haas avocado
nama shoyu
flax seed oil
umeboshi plum vinegar (such as Eden brand)
2 inch piece freshly grated ginger
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1/2 jalepeno pepper, finely minced (optional)
Eden shake, or black & white sesame seeds

Put kale, garlic, ginger, and jalepeno into a large bowl and lightly but evenly sprinkle with nama shoyu. Toss well and let sit for at least one hour (refrigerate overnight for optimum tenderness). In a separate smaller bowl, soak the wakame for 10-20 minutes in 3 times the amount of water.

Drain and squeeze excess water from the wakame with your hands, one bunch at a time. Add to bowl of kale along with the cucumber and pickled daikon and gently toss. Then add about 2 tablespoons of Eden shake or sesame seeds, 2 tablespoons of flax seed oil sprinkled evenly, and a very light sprinkling of ume plum vinegar. Toss again, and check for flavor. Add additional flax oil, nama shoyu, or plum vinegar if needed. (Note: Be careful not to overdo the ume plum vinegar, it is very intensely tart and salty!)

Finally, cut the avocado in half to open and discard pit. Scoop out each side very carefully with a large spoon so that flesh comes out in one piece. Face down, thinly slice the avocado and arrange around a large platter as pictured above. Place the kale and wakame salad in the middle, ganish the avocado and platter with sesame seeds, and serve.

<3, JMK

It started with a quiet drink with Mr. 302. Him of the exquisite taste in jazz.  Who makes quintessential mixes that make for perfect mood music.  Him of the impeccable taste.  Appreciator of the elegant.  Sartorial commentator. 

We met at La Perla in Sea Point, which hadn’t changed a bit in the 20 years since I’d last had a decadent lunch there with my granny. We migrated from the chilly balcony to the deep, soft leather seats of the bar.  Drank Peroni and pondered the imponderable.  How corporates fuck up the resource that is their humans.  How good it can be when your bottle store knows your name.

We wandered back to his flat for a night cap, to talk about films and the elegant manners of a by gone era.  I giggled too much and snooped around his flat, instantly impressed with his “spa girl” mug and the half bottle of Dolce Vita Prosecco in the fridge.  Combined with a little Crème de Cassis, it was delicious and two glasses later I had to roll out the door to find my car. 

It’ll be a while ‘til I can forget the sight of the moon glittering on the night sea, though.  Mr. 302.  You are a flawless host.  Thank you.  (And I shall return the nympho nun DVD shortly!)

Saturday was a mojitoless mojito tasting and Blue Pete’s birthing day dinner.  The former, which required the imbibing of a large amount of margueritas, impacted directly on the latter, which actually included mojitos.  I was decidedly weavy by the end of that.  Stardust diner is hilarious.  Where else does your waiter get on your table to belt out “You be good to mama.  She’ll be good to you!” Bring. It. On! 

Sunday was lunch with my most favourite aunt (well, one of them).  I was nervous.  I was hung.  I wasn’t really up for it.  But Wakame in the afternoon sunlight,  Sushi, MUCH wine and some half naked surfers improved me enormously.  Except for when it appeared that my aunt might be leaving my uncle.  Which would really, really break my heart.

Then home.  And a little BUI.  So. Dex. Arb.  I actually wrote this, long hand, with a pencil, just for you:

The problem with being drunk for pretty much a whole weekend is that your resistance is down.  They layer is gone. The convex film between is intangible.  Disappeared, in fact.  And everything feels too real.  To close to the surface.  Too much to the bone of truth.  And you can’t do anything but be.  I’ve cried non stop, this weekend.  I have been weak with alcohol and emotion.  Not something I allow myself.  Not something I do.  But need.  Sometimes.  Weakness. I understand those who need this crutch.  Either to mask or reveal.  I live such a controlled life.  So to let go. To give a little over to booze and hungry need.  The pain of others too raw to block.  The overwhelming desire to shut out the world and curl up alone too huge to ignore. A catastrophe of funerals and extra marital affairs.  A world of yes and no. Made both more and less real by ethanol and grief.  Perhaps this is why I don’t drink that much.  Perhaps this is why I should drink more often. 

So, ja. Perhaps this BUI stuff isn’t such a good idea.  But there you go. 

Oh.  And Saturday morning included a little  indulgence shopping.  I’d introduce B.O.B., but he’s run out of B.

*grin*

So how can you cut down costs on eating and still maintain a healthy diet. The Seoul of Las Vegas explores various food items and costs, while staying close to the Korean menu.

A normal Korean meal includes rice, panchan, a main dish of poultry, meat, fish or pork and some type of soup. Panchan is the Korean word that refers to all of the side dishes in a meal.

Some of the most common panchan that you will find at Korean BBQ's in Las Vegas are kimchi, cold-boiled bean sprouts, radish, cucumber kimchi, wakame, boiled and sweetened potatoes, anchovies, Korean potato salad and tofu among many other side dishes.

Although, groceries can add up rather quickly, I would recommend shopping at a mom and pop shop or an Asian market for most items rather than major grocery store chains. You will find that the quality of vegetables, fruits and meats will increase, while the price will not. For large stores where you can find almost everything, I recommend 99 Ranch Market on 4155 W Spring Mountain Road.

A budget of $22.80 is almost impossible for one person to survive on each week. Your serving sizes will be cut down significantly, but you can still eat a variety of different foods. Experiment with recipes and give your body new choices [fruits, vegetables, meats] each week. Don't just resort to ramen or mac and cheese because your health will suffer, and it will be evident in your every day life.

I really love Japanese food, especially seaweed!Almost every kind...So since my new discovery ( the Japanese food store downtown in Athens ) I have been eating a lot of seaweed! Today my mum was asking to try seaweed so I made a salad with what I had left from my last visit to the Japanese food store. I had only dried wakame seaweed, but I also had a weird japanese noodle-like vegetable thing call yam. So those two were my basic ingredients. Note that this recipe is very low in calories ( though very nutritious) so try it when you have sushi as a starter or you will still be hungry after you eat that!.( Im planning on posting vegan sushi recipes soon)

You need :

1 pack of yam noodles ( shirataki )

1 tbs of dried wakame seaweed

2 1/2 tbsp soy sauce

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 tbsp mirin

1 tsp rice vinegar

zest of 1/2 lemon

1 tbsp sesame seeds

First place yam noodle and dried wakame in two separate bowls. Boil 3 cups water and pour it over yam and wakame. Cover each bowl with a plate and let the yam stand for tree minutes and wakame for about 5 (until the wakame expand completely). Dry wakame looks like dried green tea leaves, but the become very big when you soak them in the boiled water.This is how the wakame will look when its ready:

While you are waiting combine soy sauce with garlic powder and mirin ,rice vinegar and lemon. Drain wakame and yam very well. Pour soy sauce mixture on wakame and mirin mixture on yam. Stir well, let stand for 15 minutes and them cobine everything together to serve. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. (Makes 2 servings as a starter or one as a main low-cal dish)

OK, OK, I'll get to the point.  The first one I was talking about is Cathe Olson's excellent little book Simply Natural Baby Food.  It certainly lives up to its name -- it's a no-frills, no pictures or distractions kind of basic book.  Cathe Olson is the first person I've met in the literary sense whose very nutritious recipes with a couple of novel ingredients (for me at least) like sea vegetables, nutritional yeast flakes and miso, are also easy to make and yummy! She refuses to compromise on flavor and all her recipes are simple and super healthy.  She packs a lot of information into such a slim book: 150 recipes! The recipes are by and large vegetarian.

At first I was a little reluctant to incorporate the ingredients she lists such as sea vegetables like kombu and kelp (I know, I know, but bear with me) but you know what?  Her idea is very simple and doesn't involve a great learning curve when preparing these new ingredients. When you find them at your natural foods store, just crumble them, combine them and put in a salt shaker and shake, shake shake for your health. Anybody can do that and be healthier in return.

In contrast, I thought Cynthia Lair's Feeding the Whole Family was too much on the obscure ingredients and all-vegetarian side for my taste. My husband wouldn't settle for a whole cookbook like that. I had to sell it. It looked and felt harder. It remains an excellent resource and I would heartily recommend it to vegetarians and anybody who is serious about adding new grains and more healthful ingredients to their family's diet -- and has the time and patience to learn about them.

Back to Simply Natural Baby Food. I like that kelp granules or powder is a substitute for sodium, as most of us get too much anyway.  Particularly helpful for babies (immature kidneys to process too much salt/sodium) and people with high blood pressure.  I've tried a number of the recipes, and each come out great and the instructions are so well written.  I like the tidbits she adds too.  The book is divided into beginner, intermediate, older baby and toddler foods.  What I like about this little gem is the fact that her older baby and toddler recipes are recipes the whole family can enjoy.

One potential problem for the less adventurous: although she lists detailed information about some obscure ingredients for some in the front of the book, some people just can't make themselves haul to a natural foods store and take the time to search for arame, wakame and hijiki.  If you're that type of person, just omit these ingredients and substitute sea salt or regular table salt for the kelp. No reason to throw out the baby with the bath water.  Now, if you're a hard-core carnivore and want to feed your baby and toddler mostly meats and are only buying one book, I recommend passing on this one. For most people however, this book is a wonderful introduction to a healthier diet.

I can't say enough about this book.  Did I mention this book was affordable too? Next time, I will discuss the other winner.

Friday's lunch, my favorite, bibimbap!

Clockwise from the top:

bibimbap: sadly without kochujang to spice it up, but still delicious. lightly pickled bean sprouts, carrots and greens, marinated stir fried pork, and julienned egg crepe on steamed rice.

commercially made Japanese style shrimp shumai ( 燒賣)
Japanese shumai contain a starchy shrimp paste filling, versus a shrimp and meat filling that is more common in Chinese style shumai.

Wakame soup with enoki and shiitake mushrooms.

Arroz Integral de Aipo, Algas Wakame, Tomate e Cebola

Ingredientes
4 mãos de arroz integral
2 colhers de sopa de azeite
1 colher de chá de sal marinho
1 ramo de aipo
2 cebolas vermelhas
4 tomates

Preparação
Tudo cortadinho e posto na panela com o arroz. Atenção para o arroz integral estar muito bem lavado. Acompanhei com pão e azeitonas.

Still, I was responsible for making a dinner that my SAD diet room-mate would gladly eat. Hmn... Creativity needed>
I do have a number of bags full of vegetables I have dehydrated over the winter, and some leftovers from the summer, so.....

• I dug out my last little bit of wakame (about 1/2 C) and soaked it.
• I soaked about 1/2 handful of dehydrated turnip.
• I ground up about a handful of dehydrated red bell pepper slices.
• I finely chopped 1/2 onion.
• I also soaked @ 1/2 C of dehydrated parsnips.
• I combined the wakame with the turnip and the bell pepper powder, and added some garlic powder, olive oil, and apple cider vinegar.
• To the parsnips, I added some olive oil and a little black pepper.

That was dinner. I found the wakame salad very filling and satisfying (such an interesting word – you know when you eat something and you *feel* like it is what you needed)
The parsnips were good... like rice...

I am going to take the leftovers to work tomorrow for lunch.

So starting this with this week, I'll be posting my favorite lunch of the week.

This week's Kyuushoku (school lunch) favorite is...

From the left going clockwise:

Mabo Tofu( 麻婆豆腐) over rice: firm tofu stir fried with ground beef and chili pepper. (spiciness toned down for school)

wakame soup with enoki mushrooms,

cucumber, carrot, and bean sprout salad : all vegetables cut into small pieces, then tossed with sesame oil and vinegar

Trolling (fishing with jigs behind a slow-moving boat) is also a low-impact, environmentally responsible fishing method . We like that!

Sesame Seared Albacore Tuna

Heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan.
Combine equal amounts of toasted and black sesame seeds on a plate.
Thoroughly coat each side of the loin with the seeds (no need to use any egg wash as the seeds will stick).
Sear loin on each side about 1 minute (a bit more if you want it less rare inside).

To cut the loin use an exceptionally sharp chef's knife. To come out with clean, unbroken slices, I find it easiest if you place your hand perpendicular to the loin and carefully slice between your index and middle finger. This way you can stabilize the loin while you slice and prevent it from falling apart. Take care to make nice long slices, not short back-and-forth slices as if cutting bread.

Serve on a bed of wakame and drizzle with a little ponzu sauce. It's also delicious with a little soy sauce and wasabi.

Tip: How can you tell how well-done your fish (or meat) is? Check out Men in Aprons' Hand Test Method.

I love eating Wakame Salad. When I was in Jakarta, Arman and I were a big fan of Sushi Tei's Wakame Salad. We could have that every time we go there, while Andrew has his favorite Yakiniku Don. Then after we moved to the US, we couldn't find any Japanese Restaurant that serves the same Wakame Salad. The Wakame Salad here is basically just the wakame (seaweed) with sesame seed and oil dressing. While the one back in Jakarta complimented with other type of vegetables with special Sushi Tei dressing (I think it is a mix of garlic, sesame oil, carrot, daikon and some other secret ingredients). Oh boy, I miss Sushi Tei's Wakame Salad a lot. Does anyone know of similar Wakame Salad like the one at Sushi Tei?

Oh, if you are a big soft shell crab lover, you should try Mishima Restaurant over on 3rd Street. My friend, Heru, introduced us to this restaurant. The soft shell crab salad is really good. And if you are a big fan of noodle soup, you might be tempted to try the udon noodle soup here. Talking about Udon, today, I decided to have Beef Udon noodle soup at home. So I put in the Udon noodle into a boiled shrimp broth (you can boil shrimp's head for its broth), added a few slice of beef and some Japanese meatballs. It was very yummy and a perfectdish for a cold weather. Andrew finished nearly a whole bowl of udon as shown in the picture below.

Last night, I was faced with leftover "slaw" (I had two kinds: cabbage and onions with various inspired herbs and olive oil and apple cider vinegar; and cabbage with olive oil and Thai curry paste. Both kinds had been food processed to a consistency of about applesauce size pieces)

In the cabinet, I found a mostly empty packet of wakame, and was suddenly inspired. I popped the wakame in a bowl with water to the top, and waited. Then I wrung it out and threw it in a bowl with the slaws, some more inspired herb, and some more olive oil and apple cider vinegar. Amazingly, I had a winner!!!! (my non-raw room-mate asked for seconds even after the amount I had given her was half the planned meal).  I will include more wakame, and keep it on hand for when I don't know what to make with leftovers.

This will definitely go into my bag of tricks.

ahí va la recetilla:

la idea era intentar hacer una cigala que pareciera hecha a la parrilla y combinarla con el sabor marino de las algas y la textura untuosa del tuétano

 ingredientes:

• 2 cigalas por persona

• 2 huesos de tuétano por persona

• algas wakame
• agua ahumada (para simular efecto ahumado, se puede comprar en los antiguos nativo, tiene un fuerte sabor ahumado)
• sal
• aceite y limón

preparación:

• para el tuétano:
  • tener al menos 12 horas el tuétano en agua con sal para que suelte la sangre
  • blanquear en agua hirviendo un minuto o hasta que se pueda sacar el tuétano del hueso con facilidad
  • sacar y reservar una parte de la grasa del tuetano que se haya fundido
  • enharinar el tuétano y freir con poco aceite muy poco tiempo (si no se funde)

• para las cigalas

• pelar las cigalas y quitar el intestino central (en muchos casos sale solo si tuerces la aleta del final de las colas y tiras, si no, de la manera tradicional, cortando el centro para eliminar los intestinos
• macerar con un buen chorro del agua ahumada al menos durante 1 hora en la nevera
• una vez maceradas y antes de servir, calentar el grill del horno al máximo, mientras poner las cigalas en la bandeja del horno y darles unas pinceladas de la grasa que ha soltado el tuétano
• dejar en el grill sólo hasta que se calienten, tienen que quedar parcialmente crudas

• para la esencia de cigala:

• saltear unos segundos las cabezas en la sartén y exprimirlas sobre un colador para extraer todo su coral
• emulsionar este  jugo con aceite de oliva, unas gotas de limón y un poquitín de picante

presentación

• hidratar las algas mojandolas unos y dejando que recuperen su textura fuera del agua
• preparar un lecho, sobre estas añadimos las cigalas y le añadimos la vinagreta de la esencia de cigala
• y a cada lado servimos un par de trozos de tuétano
• lo ideal es acompañar cada pinchadita de cigala con un poco de tuétano, me gusta el sabor que le da y la textura untuosa que deja en la boca y que combina a la perfección con el marisco