Beef Shumai

I've always loved shumai dumplings even before I knew what they were called. You can buy ready made shumai made of crab or pork. But if you love to cook and by chance you distrust the way they make pork products in the US, then here's a simple way to make Shumai using ground beef.


Now remember, I didn't come up with this recipe. I'm just here to show you how easy and inexpensive it is to make.
 
 
 
And you can make this in little or no time at all.
 
To make Beef Shumai you'll need:

1 pkg wonton skins
1lb of ground beef
2 Tbsp of thinly sliced or grated ginger root.
2 Tbsp of green onions (thinly sliced)
1 Tbsp of Soy Sauce
1/2 Tbsp of sugar
Seasme Oil - 1-2 tbsp - Don't go overboard!
2Tbsp of cornstarch - or more
 

The first thing you'll want to do is to mix all the ingredients into the ground beef.
Mix throughly until sticky. Depending on how much ground beef you have you may need to add more sesame oil and corn starch. Just go easy on that corn starch if you are counting calories!
 
 
 
 

Next take a spoonful of your ground beef and place in the center of the wonton skin. The recipe I got this from recommends adding a green peas but you can do with or without depending on your taste.
 
If your hand looks like mine in the picture holding a wonton skin with a spoonful of ground beef then close your hand like you are closing a fist (don't close too tightly otherwise you'll have squishing out in all directions) and with your fingertips close the wonton skin enveloping the ground beef.
 
 
 

If you get a good batch going like seen here then you are ready to place them in a steamer. But don't rush! Cooking is supposed to be fun and not your own personal Lucy Sketch!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Place the Shumai in a steamer or steamer like improv. Make sure you don't pack them tightly in the steamer or they may tear apart when you are ready to remove them. Allow enough room (unlike my picture-doh!) for your Shumai to cook. Steam for around five minutes and serve them with your favorite sides.
 
 
Enjoy!

Serving up Soba

Soba noodles never quite caught my attention until I first tried my hand at cooking Japanese dishes. That's likely in part due to their resemblence to spaghetti that we've grown up with here in the states.

Ahh but despite appearences, the similarities stop there.
Watch!

Like with any noodle you'll want to bring a pot of water to a boil.
Drop a bundle of the noodle into the ot and stir right away.
Decrease heat and simmer for no more than five minutes.

Now if you are in Japan, aquiring a zaru is no problem. Luckily, I live near Little Tokyo so I can find these things. But if you live out somewhere like my parents do in a state with no Japanese community then your on line stores can provide you with one.

So that the hell is a zaru anyway? A zaru is actually a bamboo mat used for draining noodles much like a colander and it's also used for serving as you'll see in my final photo.

You don't need a zaru to cook soba but it sure looks traditional if you do!

So now that you have your soba ready drain it with a colander or a zaru with cold water.
Rinse and drain completely before you serve! I can't emphasize that one enough. I once neglected to rinse thoroughly the first time I tried to make soba and thought I got a bad batch. Nope! That's why it's good to read the instructions!

Now that I've got your atten well continue on!

Presentation is always part of the game.

But it's not just presentation. It's ultimately about taste.
 
Here's what I reccomend servinv soba with:

1. Thinly diced green onions.
2. Thinly sliced nori (seaweed)
3. Wakame - Dried Seaweed.

 
Combine all these elements together on top of your zaru or favorite serving plate with a shot or two of Ponzu Sauce and you are ready for a quick and easy Japanese meal that can be enjoyed at any time of the day.
 
Enjoy!

Jagaimo no Tosa-Fumi

If you love potatoes - this one is for you!

Tamago no Ramen

Now if you have ever been laid off before or simply did not know what to make on a budget here's something for you!