Chawan-mushi

Ingredients

4 shrimp in shells without heads, about 30 g each
80 g chicken thighs, skinned
4 fresh shiitake mushrooms
1/4 bunch mitsuba (trefoil)

Custard

3 eggs
1-3/4 cups dashi
1 tsp mirin
2 tsp light soy sauce
pinch salt

Method

1. Shell and devein the shrimp. Cut chicken into 2-cm cubes. Parboil shrimp and chicken briefly, cool in cold water, and drain.
2. Cut shiitake into halves, and parboil. Cut mitsuba into 3/4-inch lengths.
3. Make the custard. Beat eggs lightly so they won’t bubble. Combine dashi and seasonings, add the mixture to the eggs, and strain through a sieve.
4. Pat dry shrimp, chicken, shiitake, and mitsuba, and distribute evenly into 4 serving cups. Fill with custard to four-fifths full, and cover with lids or plastic wrap.
5. Transfer the cups to preheated steamer, and cook over high heat for 2-3 minutes. Turn down heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes more. Custard is done if clear juice comes out when it is poked with a bamboo skewer.
6. Remove cups from steamer and serve hot.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: 100 Recipes from Japanese Cooking

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Beef and Vegetable Wrap

Ingredients

1 lb beef
5 large cabbage leaves
1/2 carrot
2 green peppers
2 oz mung-bean sprouts
parsley
cherries

Seasoning

1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 egg
6 tbsp chopped green onion
2 tbsp garlic
1 tbsp rice wine
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp sesame salt
1 tsp salt
black pepper

Method

1. Remove the vein stems from the cabbage leaves and cut the leaves into 4-inch square pieces. Scald in salted boiling water and rinse them in cold water.
2. Cut the carrot into 1/4-inch thick pieces and scald and cut them into 1/4-inch cubes.
3. Halve the green peppers to remove the seeds and cut them into 1/4-inch square pieces.
4. Scald the mung-bean sprouts, squeeze and chop them finely.
5. Mix the minced beef and sliced vegetables well with the seasoning ingredients. Shape the mixture into oval meatballs in the palm of your hand and coat them in cornstarch.
6. Coat the insides of the cabbage leaves with cornstarch. Place each meatball in the cabbage leaf and wrap it into a small bundle.
7. Place the cabbage bundles in a steamer and steam for 15 minutes.

Source: Healthful Korean Cooking

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Spicy Vegetables in Tortillas

Ingredients

1 medium onion, quartered and thinly sliced
4 baby corn, halved lengthwise
2 celery ribs, cut into julienne strips
1 medium zucchini, cut into julienne strips or thinly sliced
4 Tbsp snow peas, sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into strips
2 large tomatoes, seeded and cubed
1 medium green chili pepper, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
2 Tbsp tomato paste
3/4 cup vegetable stock
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tsp ground coriander
8 flour tortillas, frozen or fresh
3/4 cup plain yogurt

Method

1. Mix all of the vegetables together in a heatproof bowl and place in the top of the steamer.
2. Mix the tomato paste, stock, 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro and ground coriander together, and pour over the vegetables in the bowl. Cover with pleated wax paper and steam for 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
3. Lay the tortillas in the base of the second tier of the steamer and place over the vegetables for the last 5 minutes of cooking time or until warmed through.
4. Mix the yogurt and remaining cilantro in a serving bowl.
5. Spoon the vegetable mixture into the tortillas and serve with yogurt.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Steam Cuisine

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Banana Cones

Ingredients

11-1/2 oz very ripe bananas, peeled
4/5 cup coconut milk
1-1/2 oz rice flour
4-1/2 oz sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 oz grated coconut, preferably fresh
2 banana leaves
30 toothpicks

Method

1. Mash the banana in a bowl and add the coconut milk, rice flour, sugar, salt and 2 oz grated coconut. Mix well.
2. Cut 15 circles, each 6-inch in diameter from the banana leaf and then cut the circles in two equal halves.
3. Form cones with the half circles of banana leaf, and fasten them with a toothpick, then fill them with the prepared mixture. Decorate the tops with the rest of the grated coconut.
4. The cones should be steamed in a vertical position in a steamer for 7 minutes (a holder can be improvised with a metal rack), then transfer to a serving dish.

Makes 30 pieces.

Source: The Blue Elephant Cookbook

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Vietnamese-style Tofu and Mung Bean Vermicelli Cake

Ingredients

2 blocks traditional tofu
30 g mung bean vermicelli
2 wood ear fungus
2 tbsp shredded carrot
2 tbsp corn kernels
2 tbsp green peas
1 egg

Seasoning

1 tsp salt
1 tsp mushroom essence
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1 tbsp cornstarch

Method

1. Crush tofu in cheese cloth and squeeze to remove excess water. Put tofu in a bowl and set aside.
2. Soak vermicelli until soft. Drain and and squeeze out water. Shred and set aside.
3. Soak and clean wood ear fugus. Dice when softened.
4. Crack egg and separate egg yolk from egg white.
5. Mix tofu, all the other ingredients except egg yolk and the seasoning ingredients together.
6. Line a rectangular loaf pan with plastic wrap. Add tofu mixture and press to fill the pan and flatten the top.
7. Steam tofu mixture in high heat over boiling water for 25 minutes.
8. Remove from steamer and apply a layer of beaten egg yolk on the top surface while hot. Allow to cool completely.
9. Before serving, cut tofu cake into individual cubes. Garnish with mint on top and serve.

Makes 6 servings.

Source: Vegetarian Cuisine

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