Baby Sardines in Japanese Sweetened Soy Sauce いりこの佃煮

What I meant by baby sardine is the dried anchovy, also called iriko (いりこ) in Japanese. Not the much more delicate little white fish shirasu (しらす). You can find the dried anchovies in the supermarket usually around kombu, seaweed, or other dried seafood ingredients.

While in Taiwanese cuisine, dried baby sardines often used in stir-fry or chili sauce, I've also made congee with dried baby sardines, upgrading that umami flavor all around. And of course the classic Japanese tsukudani (佃煮) is one other great way for such ingredient.

Baby sardines in Japanese sweetened soy sauce いりこの佃煮 - 

Ingredients?

• 1 loosely packed cup dried baby sardines 丁香魚乾
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 1 tablespoon rice wine
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon toasted white sesame seeds

How? 

Usually the dried anchovies are stored in the freezer, at least that's what I do. So if that's the case, there's no need to defrost the anchovies the night before. Just use it straight from the freezer. Or if you happen to just bought the room temperature dried anchovies, use as it is too.

Right before cooking, quickly rinse the dried anchovies then pat dry with paper towel. Use a medium pot and add in the prepped anchovies. Switch to medium low heat to dry-roasting the fish for a short moment.

Still using medium low heat, pour in 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of mirin, 1 tablespoon of rice wine, 2 tablespoons of water, and add 1 tablespoon of sugar. Slowly cook till all the sugar has been melted.

Continue to cook till the sauce has been reduced, almost to a sticky consistency in the end. Mine took about 10 minutes.

Towards the end, sprinkle some toasted white sesame seeds. You can serve as it is. For unfinished portion, simple store in the fridge. Serve the unfinished portion under room temperature later on and don't attempt to reheat the anchovies again.

It's sweet and savory at the same time, which can be a great little side dish for Japanese style breakfast, maybe serve together with congee too. I actually used it as a little flavor swap for curry rice. A little goes a long way. In fact, if the portion is too big, the somewhat sticky seasonings can be a bit overwhelming. Just a spoonful or two for each serving of main meal will do.

Extended reading:

• Japanese burdock root and pork stir-fry
• Kinpira gobo (burdock root cooked in Japanese seasonings)きんぴらごぼう
• Seared corn and seaweed fritters

Deep-Fried Tofu Pouch Stuffed with Semi-Cooked Egg

There's something hidden inside the tofu pouch!? Something simple and comforting, a semi-cooked egg that is. The deep fried tofu pouch stuffed with semi-cooked egg can be a snack on its own or a good portion side dish, but I think the best is to serve as something to munch on as beer food (don't drink and drive).

Deep-fried tofu pouch stuffed with semi-cooked egg - 

Ingredients (for six servings)?

• 3 large rectangular pieces deep-fried tofu pouch
• 6 eggs

Sauce:

• 1 cup hot water
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup mirin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Japanese rice wine

How?

Rinse the fried tofu pouches under hot water to draw out some of the oil. You can soak them in hot water too but just for a quick moment. Drain and gently squeeze-dry. Slice the tofu pouch in half and carefully open up the inner side to get two smaller pockets.

Break the egg one by one, better to break into a bowl or measuring cup first. Carefully open up the halved tofu pouch then pour in the egg.

Use one toothpick to sew together the opening in a ziczag fashion. So in the end you'll get like a small pouch or packet for each serving. Repeat for all 6 servings.

Have a medium pot ready and add in all the ingredients listed under the "sauce" section. Bring to a boil then adjust the heat to keep at a light bubbling stage.

Transfer the pouches over with the openings facing up. It's totally fine if the pouches are slightly leaning on one side. Just remember half way through the cooking, carefully switch to the other side to ensure even flavoring. 

So once the pouches are in, cook for five minutes while spooning some of the sauces to the openings too. After that, change sides and cook for another five more minutes.

Transfer the pouches to serving plate. Remove the toothpicks, the pouchy shape should hold even without the toothpicks by now.

The tofu pouch is even more delicious after soaking in all the sauce. Not just the runny yolk, but the sauce will also get squeezed and flew out when you took a big bite in the center. Quite satisfying especially considering how easy this recipe is.

I wonder what else can I stuff inside, any interesting ideas? 

 

Extended reading:

• Hijiki and inari age onigiri 羊栖菜豆皮飯糰
• Salmon and quinoa stuffed fried tofu pouches
• Japanese fried tofu pouch and beef udon 日式豆皮牛肉烏龍麵

Pan-Fried Chicken and Chinese Basil Rice Paper Rolls (Please Enjoy Right Away)

Once a long while I'd like to dig into more troubled hassled work in the kitchen. Things like making bread and noodles from scratch, or this pan-fried rice paper roll recipe.

Some might find it a soothing process, but trust me, all that handcraft work doesn't necessarily translate to therapeutic especially when you have to cook up few other dishes at the same time. But it's definitely fun and especially fulfilling once the result is successful.

Pan-fried chicken and Chinese basil rice paper rolls - 

Ingredients (about 20 medium small or 10 medium large pieces)?

• 20 medium small or 10 medium large rice paper
• 380 grams chicken tenders
• 40 grams Chinese or Thai basil
• 1 medium red bell pepper
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Chinese rice cooking wine
• 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• Some olive oil
• Some sweet chili sauce (optional) 

How?

Remove the tendon from chicken tenders then slice the meat to smaller cubes. You can simply use ground chicken but I think hand-slicing the chicken to smaller cubes adds more texture.

Marinate the chicken with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of rice cooking wine.

Meanwhile, peel and chop the garlic cloves. Destem, remove the seeds and pith from the red bell pepper, then slice to small cubes. Save some whole basil sprigs for garnish in the end, and chop the remaining leafy part.

Have a pan ready and drizzle about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Switch to medium heat then add in the garlic. Give it a quick stir-fry till aromatic but not burnt.

Add in the chicken, try to stir-fry while breaking the meat to smaller bits, cook for about a minute. Add in red bell pepper and stir-fry for another minute. Add in chopped basil leaves and cook for a quick 30 seconds.

As for the seasonings, add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of fish sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. Mix till evenly blended and continue to cook till the whole thing appears more concentrated and darker color. Scoop them out and set aside till cool-off.

You have to really wait till the chicken filling has completely cooled-off, that means the temperature won't affect the rice paper much.

Have a plate with some depth filled with drinkable room temperature water. Also try to find a non-stick working surface to lay the rice paper on top.

So take out the dry rice paper, doesn't matter the package shows Thai or Vietnamese rice paper, gently soak one rice paper in the water till softened and shapable. The package should also have some instructions on it for you to follow.

Move the softened rice paper to the working area. I actually put a damp towel on the working area too to further prevent any possible sticking issue. Spoon over some of the chicken filling then wrap into a roll. Remember to tug in both ends. Repeat till you finish up all the rice paper or chicken fillings.

Have a pan ready and drizzle 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Switch to medium heat and wait till the oil gets hot. Carefully pick up the rolls one by one and add to the pan. Make sure these rolls do not touch one another, otherwise they might stick together.

Just leave the rolls there and sear till you feel the bottom has been set and turned golden color. Carefully flip to the other side and sear till golden again.

Set up a big plate lined with paper towel. Once both sides get that good sear, transfer the rice paper rolls there. You might have to pan-fry these rolls in few batches depending on the size of pan. If so, drizzle more oil and repeat the process. 

It's better to sear fewer rolls at once instead of crowding the pan. Once these rolls touch and stick to one another, that'll definitely give you a big headache, way more troublesome then searing these rolls in few batches.

Once all set, transfer pan-fried rolls to serving plate. Garnish with whole basil sprigs and see if you'd like to serve with additional Thai sweet chili sauce on the side. However, the filling is flavorful enough, these rice paper rolls still taste great even without the extra sauce .

Working and folding the semi-sticky rice paper is no easy job at first, but trust me you'll get a hang of it after a few tries. So don't get discouraged or frustrated when the first few pieces turn out somewhat mis-shaped.

And even if you do have some slightly deformed rolls, you can still pan-fry them till nice and golden as long as the filling is still nicely sealed inside. The final look won't be so bad after all with golden pan-fried color on both sides.

One final note, please make sure to enjoy these pan-fried rice paper rolls right away. As they turn cold, store overnight, or even reheat afterwards, the rice paper will become soggy and soft. It'll be like eating a sheet of gelatinous mass instead, not good.

Other recipes using ground chicken:

• Mountain yam, shio kombu, and ground chicken patties 山藥塩昆布雞肉餅
• Ground chicken and shiitake mushroom congee 香菇雞肉粥

Pan-Fried Lotus Root and Pork Patties 蓮藕煎肉餅

This lotus root and pork patties can definitely make a good lunchbox side dish. Doesn't matter served cold or hot, its deliciousness holds. But you know what? It's also a good "otsumami," something to munch on alongside a few drinks (don't drink and drive).

Pan-fried lotus root and pork patties 蓮藕煎肉餅 -

Ingredients (about 1 medium large piece or 6 individual servings)?

• 320 grams ground pork
• 1 medium small chunk lotus root (about 1/2 cup peeled and chopped)
• 2 to 3 bulbs shallot (about 1 tablespoon peeled and chopped)
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon dried shrimps 蝦米
• 1 small bundle cilantro 
• 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon potato starch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper powder

How?

Use 1 tablespoon of soy sauce to massage and marinate the ground pork. Let it sit under room temperature for 10 minutes.

Rinse then soak the dried shrimps using room temperature water. Should take about 10 to 15 minutes. Once ready, drain and pat really dry. Give it a good chop.

Peel and chop the shallot, we will need about 1 tablespoon of chopped shallot in the end. Peel and fine chop the lotus root, this one we will need about 1/2 loosely packed cup. Chop the cilantro stems and keep the leafy part aside for now.

Crack one egg, separate the yolk and the white. You can save the yolk for something else or store in the fridge first. We will only need the egg white for this recipe. Beat the egg white till tiny bit foamy.

To the marinated ground pork, add the chopped dried shrimp, chopped shallot, 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro stems, 1 beaten egg white, 2 tablespoon of potato starch, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of white pepper powder. Mix till evenly blended.

Have a pan ready and drizzle 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Use medium heat and wait till warmed up. You can either sear the pork mixture into one big patty, or I actually shape the pork mixture into 6 individual patties instead.

Carefully transfer the patties to the pan and sear till the bottom turn browned. Flip and sear the other side till the same.

Once fully cooked, transfer the patties to serving plate and garnish with some cilantro leaves.

The patties were well-seasoned so there's no need to prepare extra dipping sauce. However, I would imagine serving the patties with some Thai sweet chili sauce sounds like a delicious idea.  

Other recipes using lotus root:

• Lotus root and pork belly in Asian seasonings
• Sweet and sour lotus root 酸甜蓮藕片

Less Oil Fried Cream Cheese Wontons

As much as I love fried food, making it at home can be quite a challenge. How so? First it's the smell and aftermath cleaning, then there's tremendous amount of oil involved. 

So to remedy the hard work after frying anything at home, I've decided to use half the amount of oil this time with deeper pot instead. But it only works for frying food that are thinner or flatter shaped. If I'm going to fry big meatballs or thicker cut of chicken, using less oil might not give you the best texture in the end.

Less oil fried cream cheese wontons - 

Ingredients (about 10 big or 20 medium small ones)?

• 10 big or 20 medium small wonton wrappers
• 200g cream cheese
• 1 string scallion
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• Some preferred frying oil
• Some powdered sugar (optional)

How?

Destem and chop the scallion. We only need one string here, not the entire stalk. The scallion is used for final decoration and a tiny bit aroma pop. Line a big plate with paper towel.

Have a medium bowl ready and mix in softened cream cheese. Also add in white section of the chopped scallion, 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder, and 1/4 teaspoon of onion powder. Mix till evenly blended.

Have a wonton wrapping station ready. I like to have a small bowl of drinkable water, some paper towel standing by, and a plate for wontons.

Scoop the cream cheese filling to the center of wonton wrapper. About 1 tablespoon for big wonton wrapper, use smaller amount for small wrapper. Wet the edge of all four sides with drinkable water then fold and seal to triangular shaped wonton.

Repeat till all the cream cheese filling is gone. It's better to have leftover wonton wrappers than cream cheese filling. If only a few wrappers left, perhaps cut them into strips and fry in oil in the end. You'll have something crunchy for salad later on. Or just dust with powdered sugar and enjoy as a simple snack.

Once all the wontons are ready, pour in some oil to the pot and switch to medium to medium high heat. Only need to pour enough oil till about half inch high.

Wait till the temperature rises. You can test it out by dipping the edge of the wonton and see if it starts to sizzle. If so, the oil is ready and go ahead to transfer the wontons over.

Don't overcrowd the pot, make sure all the wontons have enough room without overlapping one another. Fry in batches if needed.

Once the bottom appears golden brown, flip to the other side and fry till golden brown again. Remove to the plate lined with paper towel. The paper towel will help absorbing excess oil.

When ready to serve, transfer the wontons to the serving plate and dust some powered sugar on top. Garnish with chopped scallion greens. 

Some prefer to serve the cream cheese wontons with sweet chili sauce. That works too, but I personally like the powered sugar for a gentle sweetness boost. It's like a slightly sweet yet savory snack in the end.

If somehow you can't finish all the fried wontons and you had to store them in the fridge, I would suggest simply eat the leftover without reheating the wontons. The wrappers actually stay crunchy even after storing in the fridge, no need to risk loosing that bite trying to bring up the temperature again. 

A very important end note, even though we already use less oil and deeper pot to fry the wontons, the occasional hot oil splashing might still occur. One way to prevent that is to really make sure no water drips into the hot oil.

Also when frying the wontons, some might start to puff up in the center. When that happens, don't move the wonton or don't even attempt to flip it because any extra movement might cause the wonton to break. And when wonton breaks, the fillings will be in direct contact with hot oil, that's when the serious oil splashing happens.

I had like a couple of wontons broke during the process, and all I can say is that I'm glad I use deeper pot to do the job. The tall side at least blocked half of the hot oil from landing on me.

Extended reading:

• Seared corn and seaweed fritters
• Salted seaweed flavored Chinese yam fries

Mountain Yam, Shio Kombu, and Ground Chicken Patties 山藥塩昆布雞肉餅

Instagram gives me a lot of inspirations especially when it comes to cooking. One time I was scrolling through other people's cooking videos, and one caught my attention. The person used ground chicken mixed with corn and corn starch, perhaps other ingredients and sear into patties.  

I was like that could work! So I started imagining what would go well with ground chicken patties. Since ground chicken can be on the soft side, I figured adding mountain yam cubes should bring a slight crunch to the patties. Then I turned that idea into reality, and it has been tested and proven that this recipe works. Not only served as a side dish, also great as an otsumami, something that goes well with drinks (don't drink and drive).

Mountain yam, shio kombu, and ground chicken patties 山藥塩昆布雞肉餅 - 

Ingredients (about 8 medium patties)?

• 310 grams ground chicken
• 3/4 loosely packed cup peeled and cubed mountain yam
• 3/4 loosely packed cup shio kombu
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Some dried seaweed flakes

How?

Peel and cube the mountain yam. Transfer that to a larger mixing bowl.

Also add to the bowl, shio kombu, ground chicken, and corn starch. Mix till evenly blended. Note that the mixture is really sticky, so perhaps wear gloves or use spoons to do the job.

Take out a pan and drizzle 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Switch to medium heat and wait till the oil gets warm. Use a spoon and scoop the chicken mixture to the pan. The shape doesn't have to be perfect. In fact, it might look like a small mound instead.

Do not move the chicken in the beginning. Just let them sear till the bottom turns golden. Then it'll be ok to flip them or change sides and continue to sear till golden brown. 

Some mountain yam cubes will fall out of the patties, which is totally fine. Simply let the cubes sear on the side. Pick them out earlier to prevent burning and serve along the patties later on.

When ready, scoop out the chicken patties and transfer to serving plate. Dust with dried seaweed flakes before serving.

If you don't like it too oily, you can let the chicken patties rest on top of the paper towel lined on the plate first to absorb excess oil.

One very important thing, handling mountain yam might cause itchy hands for some people. That's the case for me too. You can wear a glove when peeling and cutting the mountain yam. I was too lazy and worked barehanded, just have to endure that itchy feeling for the next 10 minutes or so.

Other recipes using shio kombu 塩昆布:

• Sashimi grade tuna otsumami served with nori sheet
• Pan-fried chicken with shio kombu 香煎塩昆布雞腿肉
• Canned tuna cold dish with bean sprouts and shio kombu

Sashimi Grade Tuna Otsumami Served with Nori Sheet

So happy to find high quality shio kombu 塩昆布 at the market the other day. What I meant by high quality is that the ingredients are simple and straightforward. So of course I had to grab one for myself, and soon used in this sake-pairing otsumami recipe (don't drink and drive).

Sashimi grade tuna otsumami served with nori sheet - 

Ingredients?

• 220 grams sashimi grade tuna
• 2 grams grated wasabi
• 1 tablespoon shio kombu 塩昆布
• 1 teaspoon toasted white sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• Some salt
• Some nori sheet

How?

Rub the sashimi grade tuna with some salt all over and let it sit in the fridge or in cooler room temperature environment for 10 minutes. You'll see some moisture starts to show, wipe that out, also wipe out excess salt.

Cube the tuna and transfer to a serving bowl.

Also add to the bowl, 2 grams of grated wasabi, 1 tablespoon of shio kombu, 1 teaspoon of toasted white sesame seeds, and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil. 

Give it a gentle mix. Taste and adjust with additional shio kombu or sesame oil if needed.

Serve with some nori sheet. I only have big square sized nori sheet used for onigiri at home, so I cut them into smaller rectangular sized pieces instead.

You can enjoy the sashimi otumami as it is, or take the nori sheet and scoop some tuna mixture over. Either roll it up like a miniature hand roll, or like a vessel to enjoy the fish.

I personally like the mini hand roll because of its extra fun and cute characters. 

Other otsumami recipes:

• Shiso and cheese stuffed tofu in Japanese seasonings
• Spicy Korean cucumber salad
• Tuna tataki coated with double roasted white sesame seeds
• Seared corn and seaweed fritters
• Salted seaweed flavored Chinese yam fries

Shiso and Cheese Stuffed Tofu in Japanese Seasonings

Mister saw a recipe online and made a request to me. It was like a beer food, or so called otsumami made with tofu stuffed with cheese and shiso. I glanced through the recipe and seemed pretty doable, therefore wish granted.

Shiso and cheese stuffed tofu in Japanese seasonings -

Ingredients?

• 2 big pieces fried tofu (soft skin kind)
• 10 shiso leaves
• 125 grams mixed shredded cheese (mozzarella and Cheddar)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 1 tablespoon hot water
• 1 teaspoon sugar

How?

I remember the original recipe uses fried tofu, the soft yellow skin kind. That works too, but for my version, I started off with fried tofu too, but with extra step by storing the tofu in the freezer first.

So remember to defrost the tofu the day before cooking if using the frozen kind. Also carefully squeeze out all the thawed liquid without tearing the delicate tofu apart. The reason why I chose to use frozen tofu is that the freeze and thaw texture will be able to suck in even more sauce compared to the regular tofu, which means a more satisfying and juicy bite as a result.

Roll up the shiso leaves and give it a fine chop. Transfer chopped shiso to a mixing bowl. Add in shredded mix cheese. Use a fork and mix till about evenly blended.

Add all the ingredients under the "sauce" section. Mix and make sure the sugar has been fully dissolved. Set aside for later use.

If using fresh tofu, simply slice to big triangular shaped pieces. If using freeze and defrost kind, make sure to really squeeze out the liquid as prep work then slice to triangular shaped pieces too.

Make a slit in the center on the sliced side of the triangular tofu. Avoid cutting all the way down and break the shape, more so just to create a pocket space for the filling.

Stuff the shiso and cheese mixture inside the tofu. Try to squeeze in as much as you can but not poking through the tofu skin.

Use a non-stick pan and drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Switch to medium heat and wait till the oil turns warm.

Gently transfer the tofu pieces over. I try to sear all sides except for the side that I stuffed in the filling.

Once more sides are seared and got a slightly brown color, lay down the tofu and pour in the sauce mixture. Let the sauce boil and cook for a bit. Carefully flip to the other side and continue to cook till the sauce has been reduced a little.

One little trick here, when laying down the big triangular tofu pieces, you can try to arrange the tofu with cut side facing one another. That way we can kind of closing the slit, preventing oozing cheese to flow out.

Plate the tofu cut side up when plating and serving, showing the most delicious part to diners.

Even though frozen tofu won't hold up the shape as well as fresh tofu, but the sogginess is due to all the sauce being absorbed within. Don't know about you, but I do prefer a spongy sauce-filled tofu over looks.

Put the appearance aside, I successfully fulfilled the request. Mister got what he wanted, and hopefully the actual result turned out better than what he imagined.

Other otsumami recipes:

• Spicy Korean cucumber salad
• Seared corn and seaweed fritters
• Salted seaweed flavored Chinese yam fries