Mandu



Steamed, then pan-fried,
my favouite type of mandu.

Steamed mandu,
the healthiest way to eat them.


  

Mandu is a Korean dumpling that can be steamed, pan fried or deep fried.  Making mandu is time consuming, so I make it in bulk, steam the whole lot and freeze them.  My favourite way of making of mandu is steaming them  first, then pan frying to finish it off.  Love that crusty and golden exterior.

Ingredients:

-700 grams of ground beef or pork

-1 carrot, 1/2 zucchini, 1 onion, 2 eggs

-250 grams of tofu, salt and pepper

-3 packs of mandu wrappers (about 30 in each pack)

Instructions:

-Shred the carrot and zucchini.  Finely chop the onion. 

-Drain and squeeze out as much liquid from the tofu with a straining cloth or your hands.

-Combine and mix the meat, vegetables, tofu, eggs, salt & pepper.

-Take a mandu wrapper and place a spoonful of the meat mixture in the middle.  Be sure not to over stuff. 

-With your finger tip, wet the edge of the mandu wrapper with water. 

-Fold the wrapper in half and seal the edges together.  Repeat until all the wrappers and meat mixture are used up.

-Boil water on your steamer.  Line the steamer with a paper towel, so that the mandu does not stick to the pot.  Place the mandu in the steamer and let it cook for 4 minutes.  Be sure not to overcook, otherwise the mandu edges will dry out.

-After steaming, pan fry in vegetable oil for a few minutes on each side.

Optional:

-Once cooled after steaming, place mandus in a Ziploc bag and freeze.

-After steaming or defrosting, pan fry the mandu on each side in vegetable oil for a few minutes and serve warm.

-Serve mandu with dipping sauce (1/4 cup of soy sauce,  3 tablespoons of apple vinegar, 2 teaspoons honey, dash of sesame oil, a pinch of Korean red pepper powder and a pinch of sesame seeds).

Lasagna Rolls

Had some left over roast beef, so I used it in the bolognese sauce for this lasagna roll.  I don't like waste, so I try to integrate left overs in other recipes.  Otherwise I freeze it and use it for the next occasion. The combination of the bolognese sauce, cheese and cream makes this dish a bit on the heavy side, but well worth it. 

Ingredients:
-350 grams of ground beef
-2 carrots & 2 celery sticks
-1 onion
-2 cans of chopped tomatoes (800 grams in total)
-Salt & pepper
-1 tablespoon of chilli paste
-1 tablespoon of olive oil
-8 sheets of lasagna noodles
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- 1 cup shredded Swiss/emmental cheese
- 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese
-A few sprigs of fresh parsley

Instructions:

-For the bolognese sauce, peel carrots and onion.  Chop up the carrots, celery and onion.  Sauté the vegetables in olive oil for about 7 minutes.  Add ground beef and mix together for a few minutes.

-Add chopped tomatoes, 2 tomato cans of water, chilli paste, salt & pepper.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 45 minutes.

-Boil the lasagna noodles for about 12 minutes.  Add a bit of salt and cooking oil in the water.

-In a baking dish, spread with bolognese sauce.

-To assemble the lasagna roll, place the noodle flat down.  Lather with the cream, then with the bolognese sauce, sprinkle with the shredded Swiss cheese and top off with salt and pepper.

-Carefully roll the lasagna.  Place the lasagna roll in a baking dish.  Repeat the steps until all the lasagna noodles are used up.

-Once all the lasagna rolls are placed in the baking dish, spread the remaining bolognese sauce on top of the rolls and top off with the Swiss cheese.

-Bake in the oven for 35 minutes at 200 degrees C.

-Serve warm and top off each lasagna roll with shredded parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.
-Goes great with a side of salad.

Exotic Spiced Meatballs with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

An explosion of different flavours topped off with a cool yogurt sauce is just the right balance for this dish.  Furthermore, this recipe allows for versatility and creativity. Use any kind of preferred ground meat, such as turkey, beef or lamb and any combination of spices can be added or changed. 

Ingredients for Meatballs:
-350 grams of ground lamb or beef
-2 eggs
-1/2 cup of bread crumbs
-1/2 cup of milk or cream
-1 small finely chopped onion
-1/2 cup of fresh coriander and parsley
-2 garlic cloves
-1 teaspoon of cumin powder
-1 teaspoon of paprika
-1 teaspoon of curry powder
-1 teaspoon of salt
-1 teaspoon of olive oil

Instructions for Meatballs:

-With an electric mixer, combine and mix the garlic cloves, parsley and coriander.

-In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients, except for the olive oil.  Mix well.

-Form into 1-1/2 inch balls.
-Pan fry the balls with olive oil for a few minutes, browning on each side. To finish, place meatballs in the oven at 200 degrees C for 5 minutes. 

Ingredients for Yogurt Sauce:

-1 yogurt container (125 grams)
-1/2 cucumber
-1 teaspoon of salt
-Juice of 1/2 a lemon
-1 minced garlic clove

Instructions for Yogurt Sauce:

-Peel and grate the cucumber.  Sprinkle with salt and let it sit for 15 minutes to draw out the excess moisture.

-In a bowl, combine and mix the yogurt, lemon juice and minced garlic.

-With your hands, squeeze the water out of the grated cucumber.

-Add cucumber to the yogurt mixture and mix well.

Optional:

-To serve, place meatballs on a bed of couscous and drizzle with yogurt sauce. 

-As an appetizer, skewer the meatballs or serve with toothpicks.

-Yogurt sauce can also serve as a veggie dip.

Jap Chae

This Korean noodle dish is quite easy and can serve as a delicious vegetarian meal or side dish. With Korean cuisine, measuring ingredients is not the norm.  It's a little bit of this and a little bit of that, depending largely on your taste, therefore it's best to taste as you go and adjust the ingredients and sauce, according to your personal preference. 

 Ingredients:
-250 grams of Korean starch vermicelli noodles
-1 carrot & 1 onion
-1/2 red bell pepper
-1/2 cup of chopped mushrooms (I used dried sliced Chinese mushrooms)
-A handful of spinach
-2 cloves of garlic
-2 tablespoons of sesame oil
-3 tablespoons of soy sauce
-2 tablespoons of sugar
-1 tablespoon of sesame seeds

Instructions:

-Boil the noodles for 5 minutes.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  Coat the noodles with 1 tablespoon of sesame oil and with kitchen scissors, cut up the noodles.

-Peel carrot and onion,  julienne the carrot and red pepper, chop onion and mushrooms into small pieces, rinse and drain the spinach and mince the garlic (for dried mushrooms, soak in water for 15 minutes).

-Combine the soy sauce and sugar.

-With cooking oil, sauté the carrots, red pepper and onions together for a few minutes.  Add and sauté the garlic, mushrooms, spinach and soy sauce mixture.  Eventually, add the noodles and sauté for a few minutes until all the flavours are well mixed together.

-Mix in the sesame oil and sesame seeds.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Osso Bucco

This is one of my favourite recipes.  I love this Italian, slow braised veal dish and it's great for dinner parties, as this can be prepared in advance and heated up just before serving. 

Ingredients:
-1.5 kg of  veal shanks
-2 carrots
-2 celery sticks
-1 onion
-2 garlic cloves
-3 cups of red or white wine
-3 cups of water
-1 teaspoon of chilli paste
-1 can of concentrated tomato paste (70g)
-Salt & pepper to taste
-1 tablespoon of olive oil
-A few sprigs of parsley
-Zest of 1 orange or lemon

Instructions:

-Peel onions & carrots.  Chop up the carrots, celery, onions and sauté in olive oil for 7 minutes.

-Take out the vegetables and add the veal.  Brown the meat on each side for a few minutes.

-Add the vegetables back with the meat along with red or white wine, water, chilli paste, tomato paste, salt and pepper.

.

-Bring everything to a boil and then simmer for about 2 hours.  Sir from time to time

-Chop up the parsley and combine with orange or lemon zest. 

-Boil your preferred pasta noodles in salted water for 12 minutes.

-To serve, place the pasta in a dish, add the veal with sauce and top off with parsley and orange zest mixture.

Oven Baked Mini-Hamburgers

Barbeque season is over, so I baked these mini-burgers in the oven.   I added my favourite toppings and condiments: Dijon mustard, ketchup, lettuce, a slice of emmental/Swiss cheese and sautéed mushrooms. 

Ingredients:
-400 grams of ground beef
-1 cup of dry bread crumbs
-1/2 cup of milk
-1 finely chopped onion
-2 eggs
-Salt & pepper to taste
-1 teaspoon of chilli paste

Instructions:

-In a bowl, combine and mix the meat, bread crumbs, onion, milk, eggs, chilli paste, salt and pepper.

-Shape meat mixture into small patties.

-Bake in the oven at 200 degrees C for 10 minutes.

-Add your favourite toppings on your hamburger and enjoy!  

A Very Berry Yogurt Cake

I learned this simple recipe from my belle-mère.  It's a typical French cake, gateau au yaourt.  She conveniently uses the yogurt pot/container to measure the sugar, flour and vegetable oil.  Instead of berries, you can add any favourite toppings on this cake, such as apples, apricots, coconut flakes, lemons, etc. 

Ingredients:
-1 yogurt pot (125 grams)
-2 yogurt pots of sugar
-3 yogurt pots of flour
-1/2 yogurt pot of vegetable oil
-2 eggs
-11 grams of baking powder
-1 cup of frozen assorted berries

Instructions:

-Mix together the yogurt, sugar, flour, vegetable oil, eggs and baking powder.

-Grease a baking pan and line with parchment paper.

-Add the cake mixture into the baking pan.

-Top the cake with the berries.

-Bake in the oven at 200 degree C for 25 minutes.

-Stick a toothpick in the middle of the cake.  If it comes out clean, the cake is done.

-Cool on a cake rack for 10 minutes and serve.