This recipe uses Alton Brown's method of making brown rice, except I cook for one and this is too much rice for me to eat, even for a couple days. Only white rice has a 1:1 ratio with water. Brown rice has more substance to it and requires a bit more water.
Basic recipe
1 c. brown rice (long grain like basmati, or short grain)
1 1/2 c. water
1 tbsp unsalted butter
pinch of saffron (optional)
pinch of salt
1. In a small saucepan, boil water, butter, and saffron (optional) together.
2. In an 8" x 8" baking pan (preferably glass), add rice pour water-butter liquid over it. Cover with a heat-proof lid or with aluminum foil.
No need to preheat the oven. You can put this into the oven as it heats up, just set the timer for 10 minutes longer, depending on how fast the oven comes up to temperature.
3. Bake at 375 degrees F for an hour.
Tomato curry rice
Instead of using water/butter/saffron as the liquid, use an equal amount of the sauce from the tomato curry chicken recipe, up to 2 cups of liquid for half a cup of brown basmati rice (long grain).
This dish tastes a lot like a rice pilaf or a rice dish that you'd find at an Indian restaurant. I'm sure someone has given this rice cooking method a name.
Tomato curry chicken
This is basically two dishes mixed together. This is tomato soup plus an already baked sweet potato that was diced, and a batch of curry chicken. The curry chicken is a family recipe.
Curry Chicken
4 tsp mild curry powder + 1 tbsp water
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 chili pepper, seeds removed and chopped (optional, if you like it spicy)
about 1 lb chicken parts, such as drumsticks
Directions
1. In a small prep bowl, combine curry powder and water to form a paste.
2. In a kettle, bring several cups of water to a boil. Set aside.
3. In a 2-quart pan (with a lid), heat olive oil until it spreads easily across the pan. Add the curry paste and stir until the oil is fragrant with the smell of curry. Quickly add the chicken and brown the sides of the chicken.
4. Add soy sauce and chili pepper. Then fill the pan with boiling water until the chicken is submerged.
5. Cover the pan with its lid and cook the chicken over low-medium heat for 45 minutes. If you were using a glass, enamel, or stainless steel pan, you could also bake this covered in the oven at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes.
Tomato curry chicken
One batch of curry chicken, cooked
One batch of tomato soup
One baked sweet potato, diced (optional)
In the same pan that has the chicken, add the tomato soup and diced sweet potato. Cook until the liquid has reduced somewhat. Serve over rice.
Curry Chicken
4 tsp mild curry powder + 1 tbsp water
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 chili pepper, seeds removed and chopped (optional, if you like it spicy)
about 1 lb chicken parts, such as drumsticks
Directions
1. In a small prep bowl, combine curry powder and water to form a paste.
2. In a kettle, bring several cups of water to a boil. Set aside.
3. In a 2-quart pan (with a lid), heat olive oil until it spreads easily across the pan. Add the curry paste and stir until the oil is fragrant with the smell of curry. Quickly add the chicken and brown the sides of the chicken.
4. Add soy sauce and chili pepper. Then fill the pan with boiling water until the chicken is submerged.
5. Cover the pan with its lid and cook the chicken over low-medium heat for 45 minutes. If you were using a glass, enamel, or stainless steel pan, you could also bake this covered in the oven at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes.
Tomato curry chicken
One batch of curry chicken, cooked
One batch of tomato soup
One baked sweet potato, diced (optional)
In the same pan that has the chicken, add the tomato soup and diced sweet potato. Cook until the liquid has reduced somewhat. Serve over rice.
Vegetarian lettuce wraps
For this weekend's Green Themed potluck, I made a vegetarian filling for the Asian lettuce wraps. I was rather surprised that hardly anyone touched the meat filling that I also prepared for this dish. The lime juice didn't stand out on its own in the sauce base against the stronger flavors of garlic, ginger, and soy sauce. This could also be served by itself as a salad. I had leftover chestnuts from when I made the zongzi, so these also went into the dish.
For the wraps: use washed/patted dry individual leaves of butter lettuce or romaine lettuce
Ingredients
1/4 c. roasted chestnuts, diced
1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
4 stalks green onion, thinly sliced
2 c. bean sprouts
red, yellow, orange bell peppers, thinly sliced
extra firm tofu, cut into small cubes or thin slices
6. fresh basil leaves, julienned
Marinade/Sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger, grated
1 red chili pepper, de-seeded and chopped (optional)
2 tbsp lime juice (1 lime)
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
1. In a large bowl, combine vegetables, tofu, and chestnuts.
2. In a small saucepan, heat olive oil over medium, then add ginger, garlic, chili pepper until the oil is fragrant and the garlic is lightly browned. Add soy sauce and lime juice. Stir to combine. Remove from heat and let cool.
3. Toss marinade and vegetables together.
For the wraps: use washed/patted dry individual leaves of butter lettuce or romaine lettuce
Ingredients
1/4 c. roasted chestnuts, diced
1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
4 stalks green onion, thinly sliced
2 c. bean sprouts
red, yellow, orange bell peppers, thinly sliced
extra firm tofu, cut into small cubes or thin slices
6. fresh basil leaves, julienned
Marinade/Sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger, grated
1 red chili pepper, de-seeded and chopped (optional)
2 tbsp lime juice (1 lime)
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
1. In a large bowl, combine vegetables, tofu, and chestnuts.
2. In a small saucepan, heat olive oil over medium, then add ginger, garlic, chili pepper until the oil is fragrant and the garlic is lightly browned. Add soy sauce and lime juice. Stir to combine. Remove from heat and let cool.
3. Toss marinade and vegetables together.
Wild Game Meat in PDX
Region: Portland, SW Washington
Surprisingly, while hunting big game is more common in both Oregon and Washington state (compared to my original stomping grounds, California), retail game meat / butcher shops are not easy to find. By common, I mean to suggest that one in every ten co-workers you come across knows at least one or more people who avidly hunts for the kitchen freezer and/or dinner table.
I'm talking meaty items for carnivores like wild pheasant, duck, goose, rabbit, elk, deer, and the not-so-wild-farm-raised lamb and buffalo. For any retail butcher shop to offer wild game meat, the meat has to be processed so that it meets USDA regulations. This adds some cost to the cuts but it's a lot better than slaying and hacking up an animal yourself in its native territory. Nearly all the standalone butcher shops I've come across in this region are family owned and operated. Buying direct from a butcher shop also gives you access to regionally-raised meats. It brings a whole new facet to buying local.
Game or specialty meats are those that you just can't run to a Fred Meyers to pick up from the deli case or butcher's counter. You can always find free range/naturally-raised ducks, turkeys, buffalo and lamb meat from Whole Foods or New Seasons.
I visited Chuck's Produce for the first time. If you haven't seen their weekly ad, it probably means you haven't been reading The Columbian. But, at least the specials are listed on their website now. Their meat aisle and butcher counter had an interesting assortment of unusual meats such as ground emu and frog legs. The store leans more towards locally farmed and raised meats, produce, and dairy.
These places are ones that I know of, have been recommended to me by other PDX foodies, or have visited on occassion:
[ SW Washington ]
Top Choice Meats
http://topchoicemeatmarket.com/
12313 Ne 4th Plain Rd
Vancouver, WA 98682
(360)896-8865
Meats: Beef, Pork, Sausages, Chicken, Buffalo, Elk, Free Range Turkey (seasonal)
Chuck's Produce
http://chucksproduce.com/
13215 Southeast Mill Plain Boulevard
Vancouver, WA 98684
(360) 597-2700
Meats: Beef/Pork/Chicken, Emu, Frog, Pheasant, Buffalo, Duck, Squab, Game hens, etc
[ Portland ]
Nicky USA
http://www.nickyusa.com
223 SE 3rd Avenue
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 234-4263
Meats: comprehensive (click for list)
Retail to the public: Yes, but call ahead or order online
SP Provisions
http://www.spprovisions.com
2331 NW 23rd Avenue
Portland, OR 97210
(503) 234-0579
Meats: Beef, Lamb, Veal, Pork, Poultry (Chicken, Turkey, specialty), Seafood, Sausages
Game Meats: venison, rabbit, quail, duck, elk, buffalo, wild boar, pheasant, ...
Retail to the public: Yes, but call ahead one week in advance for availability
Ordinary butcher shops until someone informs me otherwise:
Butcher Boys
4710 E Fourth Plain Blvd
Vancouver, WA 98661-4646
(360) 693-6241
Gartner's Country Meat Market
http://www.gartnersmeats.com
7450 N.E. Killingsworth
Portland, OR. 97218
(503) 252-7801
Meats: Beef, Pork, Chicken, Turkey, Cornish Game Hens, Sausages
Specialty services: custom cutting and game processing
Other resources:
Eat Wild - Washington, Oregon
Reister Farms (Washougal, WA) - lamb meat; usually at Vancouver Farmers Market
[Updated: 2011-09-08]
Surprisingly, while hunting big game is more common in both Oregon and Washington state (compared to my original stomping grounds, California), retail game meat / butcher shops are not easy to find. By common, I mean to suggest that one in every ten co-workers you come across knows at least one or more people who avidly hunts for the kitchen freezer and/or dinner table.
I'm talking meaty items for carnivores like wild pheasant, duck, goose, rabbit, elk, deer, and the not-so-wild-farm-raised lamb and buffalo. For any retail butcher shop to offer wild game meat, the meat has to be processed so that it meets USDA regulations. This adds some cost to the cuts but it's a lot better than slaying and hacking up an animal yourself in its native territory. Nearly all the standalone butcher shops I've come across in this region are family owned and operated. Buying direct from a butcher shop also gives you access to regionally-raised meats. It brings a whole new facet to buying local.
Game or specialty meats are those that you just can't run to a Fred Meyers to pick up from the deli case or butcher's counter. You can always find free range/naturally-raised ducks, turkeys, buffalo and lamb meat from Whole Foods or New Seasons.
I visited Chuck's Produce for the first time. If you haven't seen their weekly ad, it probably means you haven't been reading The Columbian. But, at least the specials are listed on their website now. Their meat aisle and butcher counter had an interesting assortment of unusual meats such as ground emu and frog legs. The store leans more towards locally farmed and raised meats, produce, and dairy.
These places are ones that I know of, have been recommended to me by other PDX foodies, or have visited on occassion:
[ SW Washington ]
Top Choice Meats
http://topchoicemeatmarket.com/
12313 Ne 4th Plain Rd
Vancouver, WA 98682
(360)896-8865
Meats: Beef, Pork, Sausages, Chicken, Buffalo, Elk, Free Range Turkey (seasonal)
Chuck's Produce
http://chucksproduce.com/
13215 Southeast Mill Plain Boulevard
Vancouver, WA 98684
(360) 597-2700
Meats: Beef/Pork/Chicken, Emu, Frog, Pheasant, Buffalo, Duck, Squab, Game hens, etc
[ Portland ]
Nicky USA
http://www.nickyusa.com
223 SE 3rd Avenue
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 234-4263
Meats: comprehensive (click for list)
Retail to the public: Yes, but call ahead or order online
SP Provisions
http://www.spprovisions.com
2331 NW 23rd Avenue
Portland, OR 97210
(503) 234-0579
Meats: Beef, Lamb, Veal, Pork, Poultry (Chicken, Turkey, specialty), Seafood, Sausages
Game Meats: venison, rabbit, quail, duck, elk, buffalo, wild boar, pheasant, ...
Retail to the public: Yes, but call ahead one week in advance for availability
Ordinary butcher shops until someone informs me otherwise:
Butcher Boys
4710 E Fourth Plain Blvd
Vancouver, WA 98661-4646
(360) 693-6241
Gartner's Country Meat Market
http://www.gartnersmeats.com
7450 N.E. Killingsworth
Portland, OR. 97218
(503) 252-7801
Meats: Beef, Pork, Chicken, Turkey, Cornish Game Hens, Sausages
Specialty services: custom cutting and game processing
Other resources:
Eat Wild - Washington, Oregon
Reister Farms (Washougal, WA) - lamb meat; usually at Vancouver Farmers Market
[Updated: 2011-09-08]
Zongzi
Also known as: zòng zi, sticky rice dumplings, Chinese tamales, or simply as rice dumplings. They are known in Japan as chimaki; in Indonesia, as bakcang or bacang; and as machang among Chinese Filipinos. Laotians, Thais, and Cambodians use lotus leaves to wrap their rice dumplings variants.
These aren't exactly dumplings, but they are either boiled or steamed for the final preparation. I found that boiling fared better than steaming did. For my first batch, I steamed (for an hour) and cooked (for an hour) because the rice wasn't cooked after an hour of steaming. And, while I have only experienced making in a group setting, there is a reason why few people actually make these on their own for personal consumption. This is a multi-prep process that takes hours and a lot of patience. I couldn't quite get the dumpling to conform to the traditional triangular bundle shape, so these look a lot like they were wrapped by someone who has no knowledge of how corn tamales are wrapped. The rice used is called glutinous rice, though it's also packaged as sweet white rice.
The history of these dumplings has evolved over the centuries and evoke a positive or neutral connotation, depending on which story you're told. They are typically eaten as a festival food for the Dragon Boat Festival that is usually held on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month and it looks like Portland's dragon boat races are in September. Reference recipes included: Saveur, Asian Dumpling Tips, and various sites with video instruction on how to wrap these darn things. It'll take a lot more practice to fold these the right way.
Day before
soak bamboo leaves in a sink basin or large tub of warm water
soak glutinous rice in water
Ingredients
1 lb boneless country pork rib, cut into 1/2" x 1" slices
1/2 c. dried shitake mushrooms, rehydrated and cut in to thin strips
3-5 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 star anise
1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1 tsp organic granulated sugar
1/2 c. low-sodium soy sauce
1/3 c. shaoxing rice wine
2 1/2 c. uncooked glutinous rice
2 stalks green onion, sliced into 1" pieces
small roasted chestnuts, shelled and rehydrated if using dried
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
vegetable oil for frying
bamboo leaves, rehydrated and pliable (need at least two per bundle)
kitchen string for tying dumpling bundles
Directions
1. In a medium bowl, wash rice under cold water until the water runs clear. Stir 1/2 c. cold water into the rice and put the bowl in the fridge. Let this sit for 8 hours or overnight.
2. In a small bowl, soak shitake mushrooms in warm water to rehydrate. Slice mushrooms into thin strips and set aside.
3. In a small lidded pot, if using dried chestnuts, add chestnuts to put and cover with water. Bring the pot up to a boil for 10 minutes then turn off the heat. Let the chestnuts soak for an hour.
4. In a separate bowl, combine pork, soy sauce, rice wine, mushrooms, garlic, sugar, star anise, salt, pepper, and five-spice powder. Mix pork in so that the marinade is combined. Cover bowl and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
5. In a frying pan large enough to accommodate all the pork and mushrooms, add about 2 tbsp cooking oil and the green onion. Stir until the onion has turned a vibrant green color and the oil is fragrant with the onion. Remove onion from pan and set aside in a small bowl.
Next, add the pork and stir fry briefly. Add the remainder of the ingredients (minus the star anise) to the pan and let it simmer for about an hour. Depending on how comfortable you are with transporting a food like this between places. I opted to cook the pork before packaging it into the dumpling. Some recipes for zongzi don't require cooking the meat before, and others do. When the pork is tender and cooked, drain off marinade and separate the pork from the mushrooms.
You could also fry the mushrooms and the pork separately; but alas, I was lazy and fried it all together.
Wrapping
I don't have any insight for wrapping techniques, so I'll refer you to the aforementioned reference links. What I do know, is that the spine side of the bamboo leaf faces down and you put a layer of rice, then your more substantive ingredients (some pork, some mushrooms, few slices of green onion, and a small chestnut), then another layer of rice, and close it up so that the rice doesn't escape in the cooking process.
Cooking
Pack dumplings (as many as you want to eat; 1-2 dumplings per person is an adequate serving size) into a large heavy pot and add enough water so that there is 1/2" above the dumplings. Cover pot and bring to a boil. Simmer zongzi over low-medium heat for 1-2 hours. Check the pot to make sure that there is enough water. Drain and serve.
Storage
The boiled zongzi can be soaked in water and stored in the refrigerator for a few days. Freeze uncooked zongzi in a freezer bag; keeps for several months.
These aren't exactly dumplings, but they are either boiled or steamed for the final preparation. I found that boiling fared better than steaming did. For my first batch, I steamed (for an hour) and cooked (for an hour) because the rice wasn't cooked after an hour of steaming. And, while I have only experienced making in a group setting, there is a reason why few people actually make these on their own for personal consumption. This is a multi-prep process that takes hours and a lot of patience. I couldn't quite get the dumpling to conform to the traditional triangular bundle shape, so these look a lot like they were wrapped by someone who has no knowledge of how corn tamales are wrapped. The rice used is called glutinous rice, though it's also packaged as sweet white rice.
The history of these dumplings has evolved over the centuries and evoke a positive or neutral connotation, depending on which story you're told. They are typically eaten as a festival food for the Dragon Boat Festival that is usually held on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month and it looks like Portland's dragon boat races are in September. Reference recipes included: Saveur, Asian Dumpling Tips, and various sites with video instruction on how to wrap these darn things. It'll take a lot more practice to fold these the right way.
Day before
soak bamboo leaves in a sink basin or large tub of warm water
soak glutinous rice in water
Ingredients
1 lb boneless country pork rib, cut into 1/2" x 1" slices
1/2 c. dried shitake mushrooms, rehydrated and cut in to thin strips
3-5 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 star anise
1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1 tsp organic granulated sugar
1/2 c. low-sodium soy sauce
1/3 c. shaoxing rice wine
2 1/2 c. uncooked glutinous rice
2 stalks green onion, sliced into 1" pieces
small roasted chestnuts, shelled and rehydrated if using dried
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
vegetable oil for frying
bamboo leaves, rehydrated and pliable (need at least two per bundle)
kitchen string for tying dumpling bundles
Directions
1. In a medium bowl, wash rice under cold water until the water runs clear. Stir 1/2 c. cold water into the rice and put the bowl in the fridge. Let this sit for 8 hours or overnight.
2. In a small bowl, soak shitake mushrooms in warm water to rehydrate. Slice mushrooms into thin strips and set aside.
3. In a small lidded pot, if using dried chestnuts, add chestnuts to put and cover with water. Bring the pot up to a boil for 10 minutes then turn off the heat. Let the chestnuts soak for an hour.
4. In a separate bowl, combine pork, soy sauce, rice wine, mushrooms, garlic, sugar, star anise, salt, pepper, and five-spice powder. Mix pork in so that the marinade is combined. Cover bowl and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
5. In a frying pan large enough to accommodate all the pork and mushrooms, add about 2 tbsp cooking oil and the green onion. Stir until the onion has turned a vibrant green color and the oil is fragrant with the onion. Remove onion from pan and set aside in a small bowl.
Next, add the pork and stir fry briefly. Add the remainder of the ingredients (minus the star anise) to the pan and let it simmer for about an hour. Depending on how comfortable you are with transporting a food like this between places. I opted to cook the pork before packaging it into the dumpling. Some recipes for zongzi don't require cooking the meat before, and others do. When the pork is tender and cooked, drain off marinade and separate the pork from the mushrooms.
You could also fry the mushrooms and the pork separately; but alas, I was lazy and fried it all together.
Wrapping
I don't have any insight for wrapping techniques, so I'll refer you to the aforementioned reference links. What I do know, is that the spine side of the bamboo leaf faces down and you put a layer of rice, then your more substantive ingredients (some pork, some mushrooms, few slices of green onion, and a small chestnut), then another layer of rice, and close it up so that the rice doesn't escape in the cooking process.
Cooking
Pack dumplings (as many as you want to eat; 1-2 dumplings per person is an adequate serving size) into a large heavy pot and add enough water so that there is 1/2" above the dumplings. Cover pot and bring to a boil. Simmer zongzi over low-medium heat for 1-2 hours. Check the pot to make sure that there is enough water. Drain and serve.
Storage
The boiled zongzi can be soaked in water and stored in the refrigerator for a few days. Freeze uncooked zongzi in a freezer bag; keeps for several months.
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| Bamboo leaves soaking in the sink |
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| Completed, but uncooked zongzi |
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| Inside a cooked zongzi |
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