Wasahoku Guide - Japan Times

Japan Times has finally combined the wonderful cooking of Rick LaPointe into a 3 page special section online. He often gets to the basic ingredients and in English, explains how to make those special Japanese foods you simply can't find overseas.
Link:
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/japanese_food_guide01.html

Pizza

Pizza Dough
*Clean counter needed!*

Combine:
1 1/4 cups warm water
1 package quick yeast (8g) (scant tablespoon)
1 teaspoon sugar

Let stand 5 minutes.

Stir in, in this order:

1 tsp. salt
2 TBS. oil
STIR
1 cup bread flour (flour + 1 tsp Baking Powder)
STIR
1 cup all purpose flour (unbleached)
BEAT WELL To make a stiff dough

Gradually add:
3/4 - 1 cup all purpose flour (unbleached)


Put some flour on the counter (Handful).
Turn our mix onto floured surface.
Fold top 1/3 over itself. push down. Turn 1/4.
Fold top 1/3 over itself. push down. turn 1/4.
add a little more flour onto counter if dough sticks.
Continue to knead dough until smooth. (maybe 5 minutes).

Place about 1 TBS oil in a bowl.
Put dough into bowl. Turn dough over to cover it in oil.
Cover with warm wet towel (no drafts).
Let sit quietly 30-45 minutes.

Oil a large cookie sheet.
Turn dough over onto large cookie sheet. (10 x 15 inches)
Punch down dough once, and spread quickly with oiled fingers to edges.
Pinch edges for crust.

Add toppings:
Pizza Sauce, garlic, salami, green peppers, corn, olives, onions, cheese, etc...

Bake at 450C / 230F , 15-20 minutes.
Makes two medium-large sized pizzas.
Serves 4-5.
From: Wooden Spoon Bread Book p.256

Tuna Patty Melt

2 cans tuna (120g.chunk white), drained.
1 dill pickle, finley chopped
1/4 cup mayonnaise (light)
1/4 tsp. lemon rind, grated (optional)
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 TBS. celery , fine chopped
2 TBS red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 tsp. each, salt and pepper
1 slice of cheese per sandwich (light Cheddar)
4 or 8 slices of bread (English Muffin)

Mix ingredients in a bowl.
Make your toast,
Top with tuna mixture,
Top with slice of cheese.

Grill / Broil in oven until cheese melts. (2-3 minutes).
Serve with a pickle !


Original recipe From:
GIDiet, Fish and Seafood p.183, Green-Light.
Makes 4 servings.

School Lunches

Last year was eat at school, this year is eat at home. I usually swap out the days but here's the general gist of what I make. I try to balance by not too many sandwiches, as one of my kids hates bland bread, so I put bread in only 2 days/week and found 'other stuff' for the other 3 days. I plan for about an hour near the weekend, and then shop for specific items to make the meais.

Last year:
Monday: Kraft Mac&cheese/pasta or Ramen (separate noodles from soup)
Tuesday: Sandwich (egg/tuna/cheese)
Wednesday: Soup in thermos
Thursday: Sandwich Wrap (Banana,yogurt,raisin, or chicken fajita, etc.)
Friday: Rice (Rice balls, weiner, etc...)

This year at home:
Monday: Ramen (chashu , corn, seaweed, boiled egg)
Tuesday: Home made soup (Chicken veggie, Cauliflour chick pea, Borscht)
Wednesday: Kraft Mac&Cheese or Pasta
Thursday: Grilled hot sandiwch (Cheese, Tuna salad)
Friday: Rice Bowl (Chicken/egg, Mabo Tofu, Chinese topping)

Extra Nira, Ham Kakiage

Left over Nira from making Gyoza

1) Good with scrambled eggs.

2) Nira and Ham Youfu Kakiage

100g Nira, garlic chives, long strips (1 package Japanese)
5 pieces ham, sliced strips.
BATTER:
2 eggs
2/3 cup water
3 TBS cheese powder
1 cup flour
salt, pepper
Frying Oil
------------
DIRECTIONS:
Mix ingredients with batter.
Slip mix off large serving spoon into hot deep frying oil.
Cook: 170 C for 3-4 minutes.

Gyoza filling or Gyoza Wraps

Extra Gyoza Filling:
1) You can keep the filling in the refrigerator for a few days.
If frozen, it will become a bit watery, and you will need to add more starch once thawed.

2) With small eggplants, slice them down the middle, and stuff filling to make a 'sandwich'. These can be fried.

3) I have also seen them covered with water,egg,breadcrumbs and fried.
However I have not cooked them this way.

4) Sometimes I just add some egg, and fry them into 'patties' for a side dish.

Extra Gyoza Wraps:
1) Add spiced applesauce, wet seal edges, fold, and fry for a nice little 'apple pie'.

2) Unopened partial packages can be frozen, then thawed for the next time.

3) A piece of Farmer's Cheese, Shiso leaf can be placed in the wraps, seal edges with water, to form a 'sandwich' and fried too.

4) Another sealed shut Pub 'Salad Sandwich' uses:
1 egg, boiled
1/4 stick celery,minced
1 small green pepper,minced (1/4 western style)
5 slices ham,minced (80g)
1/4 round onion,minced (50g)
salt, pepper,
1/2 TBS mayonaise
tabasco pinch.
-- mix all ingredients in bowl, place inside wraps.
-- seal edges and fry.
(Orange Page, Otsumami no Hon, July 1992)

Gyoza

**Food processor recommended**
Original Recipe Serves 2:

20 pieces gyoza wraps, round.
150 g ground pork
250g hakusai chinese cabbage (2.5 pieces)
1/2 tsp. salt
50g nira (garlic chives)..(or green onion stems).
5 cm round onion
5 g ground ginger
FLAVORING:
1 TBS Sake
1 TBS Starch
1 TBS Sesame Oil
1/2 tsp.soy sauce
pinch pepper


----------- Large batch -------------

70 wraps (1 1/2 packages)
500g ground pork (or beef)
1/2 medium chinese cabbage (875g)
1 tsp salt
175 g Nira (volume looks like 6 green onions)
1/2 round onion
1 piece ginger, ground (1 tsp)
FLAVORING:
3 TBS Sake
3 TBS Starch
3 TBS Sesame Oil
2 tsp Soy sauce
few shakes of pepper
---------------
FILLING DIRECTIONS:
Place Minced pork in large bowl.

Mince(process) Chinese cabbage, add salt, mix, and let sit for 10 minutes.
Squeeze excess water out of chinese cabbage. Place cabbage in bowl with meat.

Mince(Process) Nira(onion stem), round onion, add to the large bowl.
Add flavoring to the large bowl.

Hand mix all ingredients well.
(I use Korean Kimchi disposable gloves.)
----------------
GYOZA FOLDING:
One teaspoon.
Small bowl with 1/4 cup water.
Cookie sheet.
Gyoza wraps (cut package lid for flipping open only. They dry out fast).
---------------
FOLDING TECHNIQUE:
Your main hand thumb and pointer finger will do the top folding.
Your second hand's fingers will carry the weight of the gyoza.
Your second hand's thumb and pointer finger near middle knuckle will assist pressing.
Practice touching your second hand's thumb to your pointer finger middle knuckle a few times. Note this is NOT pinching with finger tips.

Second Hand:
Place a teaspoon full of gyoza filling onto the middle of the wrap, being careful to keep it away from the edges. Not too much.

Place wrap on your second hand's fingers so that your thumb/pointer near middle knuckle can assist pressing the edges.
(Edge close to middle knuckle of pointer finger.)

Main Hand:
Dip two fingers into water, make a laaarge happy face with the water, around the edges of the wrap. Not dripping wet.
(Wet all around is ok too, but not too wet.)

Now, you are going to make the fold/corner farthest away from your main hand.
Fold the wrap up, and push down with your thumb to make the corner stick.

---- REPEAT 3-4 times-----
Pick a top piece of wrap near the fold, **LIFT and FOLD it ontop of the edge.**
Push it down good.
(The wet edge of the wrap keeps edges sticking together.)

Second Hand:
Use your pionter finger near middle knuckle/thumb to press the fold one more time.

--------------
When finished, pinch the corner closest to your main hand.
Place gyoza on cookie sheet, not touching other gyoza, edges up, and form it a little, ensuring all edges have stuck together. If there are openings, get a little more water in there to make it stick.
(If you keep openings, the filling will fall out during cooking.)

Keep fresh gyoza for cooking today.
Place remaining gyoza, on the cookie sheet, in freezer.
In the morning *pop* the frozen gyoza off the cookie sheet, and place in freezer bag.

---------------
FRYING GYOZA:
Oil for cooking goes into a fry pan that has a LID. (2 TBS). Medium-high.
Place gyoza into frypan, no lid. Fry until bottom is browned. (4 minutes)

Place water up to 1/3 of gyoza, into the frypan.
Place lid on the frypan. (sometimes I use a fork to insert underlid to stop splattering water). STEAM gyoza untill all water has evaporated. (8 minutes).

The gyoza are done. I enjoy placing a plate on top of the frypan, and then *trying* to flip the gyoza to get a nice visual effect. Keep your spatula handy for any sticky gyoza! Or you can just use your spatula and place the gyoza on a plate for serving.

-------------
DIPPING SAUCE:
3 soysauce : 2 vinegar : 1 layu chili oil

-------------
From: Orange Page, Ryori 1 nen sei. 1991 Winter
Original Recipe serves 2. 258 kcal/person. 20 pieces.
Gyoza can be frozen individually on a cookie sheet, then taken of and placed into a freezer bag for storage.