Banana (lotus) Leave Sticky Rice

This is another one of those items that could be found at your closest Dim Sum house. It normally wrapped with lotus leaves though. I just improvised and used banana leaves, but still taste yummy. I just love anything with sticky rice, sweet or salty or just plain. The chewiness of it and how it burst with sort of nutty flavor is just too hard to resist.

So prepared for lots of recipes with sticky rice! Those of you who like my 12 years old that associated this kind of sticky rice as a dessert, then you will be in for a surprise! For it not your basic sticky rice dish, but a unique and it an acquired taste. He doesn’t like it that much, because he think that it should be sweet with banana filling. Now my oldest relish this one. He just love the unique of it, and the salty yet flavorful taste of the rice and the meat combination.
I guess I can’t please everyone…



Ingredients:

2 Cup of sticky jasmine rice
¼ Cup dried shiitake mushroom thinly sliced
2 Cup of chicken broth
½ Tsp of white pepper
¼ Cup of pork or duck meat
1 Tbsp of rice wine
1 Tbsp of sesame oil
2 Tbsp of soy sauce or to taste
½ Tsp of salt
1 Chinese sausages

Methods:

1. Soak the rice with cold water overnight.
2. Clean and dried the banana leaves.
3. Cut into 8 inches squares.
4. Slowly roast it over low fire so that the leaves will be soft and easy to wrap without cracking or tearing apart. Just don’t burn it.
5. Bring the oil to hot and add the meat, Chinese sausages, salt, soy sauce and stir fried it for 5 minutes or until cooked.
6. Put the sticky rice in a pot over medium heat and stir in the chicken stock, mushroom, white pepper.
7. Stir until all the juice is dry and all the rice turn white.
8. Take off the stove and let it cool slightly.
9. Take the cut square banana leaf and scope about 3 to 4 table spoons of the rice on it.
10. Wrap it by folding the first corner closest to you. Then folding both side together and roll it to the end.
11. Placing the end on the bottom, put in the steamer and steam for about 1 hours.

Serve hot!

Siu Mai

Now this is my all time favorite dumpling. The combination of the melts in your mouth pork and shrimp with all the spices are so hard to resist. And this is always on my menu when I do make dim sum at home. It also help that the process of making it is so much fun and easy….even my son can do it! And that precisely what I put him up too! When I do make this cute little dumpling he gets to wrap it together. He is getting really good at it too! So I will teaches my two years old to do it too..that way I can just wait to eat at the table! Lol So not happening anytime soon though!

This is also a very popular item at the Dim Sum house. You can never miss this item in the cart that being push around the room. Beside from the taste, it probably the safest if you not sure what to order and item that doesn’t take a lot of guessing what in it for those not familiar with Chinese food. Also helps, that the taste never failed to amaze first time Dim Sum eater.


Ingredients:

1 Package of Dumpling wrapper (circle one best)
1 Lb of center cut pork
12 Shrimps devein and peel
1 Tbsp of corn starch
1 Egg white
1 Tbsp of Chinese rice wine
5 Shiitake dried mushroom
1 Steam of scallion
1/8 Cup of water chestnut (optional for crunchiness)
1 Tbsp of carrot cut into square for decoration, cut into thin tiny squares
1 Tbsp of sesame oil
½ Tbsp of minced ginger
2 Tbsp of soy sauce or to taste
1 Tsp of dark soy sauce
1 Tbsp of oyster sauce
½ Tsp of salt
½ Tsp of white pepper

Methods:

1. Soak the Shiitake mushroom wit hot water for at least 30 minutes. Then slice it into thin strips.
2. Peel and devein the shrimps. Grind the pork and put in a mixing bowl.
3. Add the all the ingredient together such as the corn starch, egg white, ginger, salt, both of the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine, oyster sauce and message together.
4. Put in the refrigerator and marinated for at least 1 hours.
5. Remove from the refrigerator and mix in the water chestnut, mushroom, and scallion.
6. Remove one of the wrapper and place on your palm.
7. Place about a tablespoon of the filling in the middle and wrap it pull the wrapper up and slowly wrap it around the filling.
8. Place the cut carrot on top for some nice color.
9. Spray the bamboo tray with Pam and place the siu mai in it over water.
10. Steam for 15 to 20 minutes to cook well.

Served with Chinese hot mustard, chili sauce and soy sauce.

Enjoy!

Daikon Radish Cake

If you’re not familiar with this dish, well maybe this can help you. This is the dish that usually gets push around with the grill push cart that comes with the taro cake. It is usually served with the sweet hoisen sauce mix with something else. I can’t seem to get the ingredient on it yet. Anyway, it usually grilled in front of you until golden brown before serving. The fragrance and the texture is so good. It a creamy and has a lot of chew in it.

I always order this, but not everyone enjoy it as much as I do. Therefore, I end up packing it to go after everyone taste about a bit or so. It is an acquire taste. But I think it one of the best dish ever, beside the siu mai.


Ingredients:

8 Oz rice flours
1 Cup of water
1 1/2 Cup of daikon finely chopped or shredded.
2 Chinese Sausages
3 Tbsp of Scallion chop http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
4 Shiitake dried mushrooms
¼ Dried shrimps soak in water for at least 25 minutes
4 Tbsp of vegetable oil or lard
1 Tsp of salt
2 Tsp of soy sauce
½ Tsp of white pepper
3 Tbsp of cilantro

Methods:


1. In two separate bowl soak the dried mushroom and dried shrimp in hot water for 25 minutes.
2. After finished soaking thinly slice the mushroom and set aside.
3. Chop the sausages and daikon and set aside.
4. In a mixing bowl, mix the flour and water until it is paste but not too runny. Add the 3 tbsp oil.
5. With the remaining 1 tbsp of oil, heat it to hot and then stir in the sausages, mushrooms, scallion, shrimps and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Then pour it into the flour mixture and mix well.
7. Spray the 6x9 inches square baking pan with Pam spraying oil and pour the dough into it.
8. Flatten the top out smoothly add the chopped cilantro and put it in the steamer for 1 1/2 hours. javascript:void(0)
9. After it cool down, place it in the refrigerator overnight.
10. Before serving, cut it into square shape of desire size and fried it with 1 Tbsp of oil until slightly golden brown on top.

Serve and dig in!

Ha Gaw

This cute little clear dumpling it a very popular Chinese item at every Dim Sum house. Maybe because it look nice with it transparent skin or maybe it the love for shrimp that makes it so popular! Whatever it is, this is a very easy and yummy dish to make…not to mention pretty to look at. It does take a little patient while you’re pleating it, but it so worth it when you see the finished product.

For me personally I just love the way it look! It just looks so pretty and delicate. And that it precisely what it is too...very delicate to work with. If the flour is not mix with hot boiling water it will fall apart when you try to work with it like an overcooked fragile pastry. Therefore, it is very crucial to follow the direction down very details. Beside this point, I really do enjoying making this dumpling. I like how pleating these tiny things relaxes me. It feels like I am in my own little serene corner and just concentrating….blocking out all the noise and crying baby! Well at least for that 30 minutes it takes to get it done.. 










Ingredients:

1 1/4 Cup Wheat flour
2 Tbsp Corn Starch
1/4 Tsp Salt
1 Tbsp vegetable oil or lard
1/2- 3/4 Cup hot boiling water

Filling:

1 Pack Jumbo Shrimp
½ Cup of bamboo shoot
1 Tbsp of corn starch
1 to 2 Table spoon of soy sauce (add to taste)
½ Tsp of dark soy sauce (optional, it for color)
½ Tsp of kosher salt
½ White pepper
1 Tbsp of Chinese rice wine
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Egg white

Methods:

1. Peel and devein the shrimp.
2. Add the corn starch, oil, wine, egg white, both soy sauce, salt, pepper and message it together with the bamboo shoot. Let it marinate for at least 45 minutes in the refrigerator.
3. When the shrimp done marinating start the skin wrapper.

Methods:

1. Bring water to boil.
2. Shift together dry ingredient such as wheat flour, cornstarch, salt.
3. Make a well and add the hot water slowing and using a wooden spoon blend well. Do not pour at once, do it until dough soft and pliable.
4. Blend until it is pliable.
5. Wet a hand towel and cover the dough to keep it moist and soft.
6. Now make a quarter size balls and put it in the tortilla presser and press.
7. Remove and slowly pleat the from left to right, one over the other.
8. Put the shrimp filling inside and bring the back to close gently. Pinching the side flat.
9. Make sure to spray the bamboo steam with Pam spray first so that it won’t stick.
10. Place the ha gaw in bamboo tray and steam for 8 to10 minutes or until it turn transparent and the shrimp is pink inside.

*If it is not transparent or clear maybe because it too thick or while it hot in the steamer it tend to be less clear.