How to make Japanese Gyoza

I did a presentation on dumpling, also known as potsticker

for my cooking class. 

Below show how dumpling is called in other languages.

Chinese: 饺子（jiǎo zi）

Japanese: 餃子(Gyoza)

I am going to share a few presentation slides with you all

about dumpling. 

Ever wonder why potsticker is called pot-sticker?

There are four major ways to prepare dumpling.

Okay, after you all have learned a little bit about dumpling. 

Today I am sharing my gyoza making process with my beloved Japanese friend, Kaoru.

My friend recommends the round wraps below which

you can get from a Winco store.

The ingredients for the gyoza fillings are:

Ground chicken

Cabbage

Green onion

Sesame oil

Pepper & Salt

Japanese Sake

Garlic 

Ginger

(You're also welcomed to create your own filling.

This is just for references.)

Watch the video below to see Kaoru-sensei teaches you how to wrap a gyoza.

This was my very first attempt. Not too bad.

After an hour....

After you are done wrapping them,

place them on a pan coated with oil.

I mean is PAN-fried gyoza after all. 

Fry them until the bottom is crispy and golden,

then add small amount of water.

Cover the lid

to steam and let it sit for approximately 5~7 mins

Remove lid and fry for a bit longer to dry off the potstickers

When they are ready, you need to transfer them to a plate with a "special" technique

Tada! 焼餃子の出来上がりです！

Now you may enjoy the potstickers with 

the sauce you preferred.

Once again, there is always an easier or a more complicated way to do something.

You may challenge yourself by wrapping your potstickers in a very fancy way!

Note: The pictures below shows different types of dumplings, they aren't potstickers.

Special thanks to my Japanese friend:

Kaoru

References:

☺Information on Japanese gyoza: http://www.japan-guide.com/r/e107.html
☺Japanese website of Gyoza’s recipe: http://cookpad.com/recipe/3399393
☺English website of Gyoza’s recipe: http://www.justonecookbook.com/gyoza
☺Andrea Nguyen’s blog: http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2013/12/pot-sticker-history.html
☺Another blog about dumplings: http://www.finechoicefoods.com/blog/gyozas-vs-postickers-what-is-the-difference/
☺Dumplings’ history: http://www.history.com/news/hungry-history/delightful-delicious-dumplings

Special guest: Tim Sommer from Purple Sage Farms

We had a special guest in our last class to educate us about organic farms, how and where to get real organic products and why we should spend more on buying healthier food.

The special guest is the owner of a local farm named Purple Sage Farms located in Middleton, Idaho. 

Tim brought a lot of fresh greens and herbs to show us and for tasting.

I felt like a bunny for munching that many different types of herbs. 

I don't quite remember all the names but they are definitely different 

from those we can buy on market in term of texture and freshness.

Purple Sage Farms also provides live stocks, so Tim brought some beef

for us to cook and try.

 Our instructor, Nicole did the cooking this time due to time concerns.

Cooking.....

Flipped the beef to cook the other side

Meanwhile, we also prepared a bean dish with the fresh herbs from the farms.

We might have overcooked the beef a little bit while 

letting it sit in the oven to keep the temperature.

The sauce was made by Nicole using the beef juice, homemade raspberry juice, seasonings

and melted the butter in it to create the consistency.

We decorated the beef with some scallions and 

chive blossoms (the tiny purple flower and petals). 

Now it's ready to be served! 

 Of course, the taste was great! I loved the sauce a lot! 

We all learned that chive blossoms can be used and 

it is a great decoration for dishes.

Thank you, Tim for sharing your knowledge and 

your amazing fresh herbs and greens with us.

(Tim is the second from the right on the picture below)

More information on Purple Sage Farms:

http://www.purplesagefarms.com/

Tim: "You pay the price for what you eat"

Spend a little bit more to eat healthier so you don't have 

a huge medical bill to pay ahead of your life. 

The pictures below sum up everything:

Class Field Trip to Boise CO-OP

On March 18 (Fri), our cooking class had a field trip to visit Boise CO-OP.

Boise CO-OP has been around since 1973 and it is a community-owned food marketplace that supplies high-quality, natural and organic food products. In short, a place where you can find healthy stuff. As I was fascinated by a lot of different departments' presentations and was focusing on all the delicious food tasting, I didn't take a lot of pictures.

I really loved the sunflower spouts. It is surprisingly fresh and delicious. 

(I did feel like a bunny for munching on that many spouts)

Besides the delicious food tasting, 

people who work at the CO-OP explained to us about their missions, 

philosophy and goals.

In addition, what they do at each different areas in the CO-OP and 

how they handle the food. 

They don't just serve food to customers, 

they serve the best and healthy food to customers. 

Also, since this is a community owned marketplace, 

they are always willing to take in feedback and listen to demands or suggestions.  

We were showed how they made one of the best selling sausages: Chorizo

A lot of workers have been working there for a long long time

One guy provided his family recipe to make chorizo, 

they tried it and established the recipe since then. 

Preparing to stuff the sausage into the intestine 

Inserting the stuffing

Lastly, spin the sausage to create separations. 

The taste of the chorizo was amazing. I mean it is their best selling sausage after all. I ate like 5 or 6 cups of samples (shh...secret). No guilt because there were still a lot of left over samples. 

Anyway, we learned a lot that day after the visit. 

If you have never been to the Boise CO-OP before, you should stop by sometimes and check it out. Maybe you will like it and become a regular of this marketplace.

To learn more about Boise CO-OP:   http://www.boise.coop

My cooking instructor's blog about this visit:

http://nicolepeyrafitte.com/blog/bsu-class-friday-class-basque-home-cooking-w-argia/

Ratatouille 2nd attempt

Before

After

After my failure on my first ratatouille for letting it sit

in the oven for too long and burning it slightly, 

I have decided to try again. 

Mainly to redeem my little pride as a cook.

I was really butt hurt about trusting the instructions for baking it for 90 mins

 instead of trusting my own instinct & judgement.

To see the full recipe for ratatouille:

http://junnyfoodstyle.blogspot.com/2016/02/five-days-of-home-cooked-meals-document.html

Here we go.

Once again, this dish was inspired by Pixar Movie: Ratatouille.

Used the remaining of my ingredients from my first attempt.

This time, instead of putting the mushroom in between, I just tossed them on top

along with some chopped garlic and rosemary.

Before

After

 Ratatouille! 

Only needed to bake the ratatouille for 40 mins.

After my second attempt, I was content and finally at peace.

Redeemed myself. Redeemed my ratatouille.

I thought I would have had left over for the amount I made but...

my roommate and I finished the whole dish.

If the Pixar movie's version is too much work and complicated for you,
my cooking class instructor shared a simpler version of ratatouille with me:
http://food52.com/recipes/14155-alice-waters-ratatouille

Once again.....

How to make おにぎり (Onigiri)- Rice ball

おにぎり　(Onigiri)

Onigiri means rice ball. 

Onigiri is a traditional Japanese food that compacts the rice and forms it 

into triangular or round shape, then wrapped it up with nori (seaweed).

Today, I am going to show you how I make Onigiri. 

First of all, you need to have the correct type of rice! Crucially important!

Sushi rice that actually sticks together. This is my recommended brand.

Available at Asian Markets on Fairview if you are in Boise Area.

I noticed that a lot of Westerners don't wash the rice before cooking! 

Rinse and wash the rice provides a better taste.

Why?

http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2009/03/myths-and-truths-about-cooking-rice-.html

Don't ask me about measurements. I am a measure-free cook. 

I highly rely on my instinct and feel~~

Add some salt into the water for cooking the rice. 

Why? 

I read it somewhere long ago, it seasons the rice and brings out the flavor better.

Just a little bit of salt but not too much.

"Rice without salt, is like cooking pasta without salt."

Use the magic button of a rice cooker then wait for it to be cooked!

Pictures above just show how I store the rice in the freezer. 

Why in the freezer instead of refrigerator?

The frozen ice formed will keep the rice moist and fresh when you reheat it in the microware.

I do 2 mins or 2.30minutes for heating the rice up.  

Courtesy: Got this idea from a Japanese friend

These unique Japanese rice seasoning is one of the biggest contributors 

to the tastiness of an onigiri. 

Pick your favor and mix it well with your defrosted rice.

Next, get a plastic wrap out. 

The size of it depends on how much rice you have.

Transfer the rice to the plastic wrap and add fillings.

For this one, I added chicken and ranch. 

Then, grab all four corners of the plastic wrap and make sure the 

wrap covers every single part of the rice (so your hand won't get sticky)

Also, make sure the fillings stay in the center of the rice ball.

Cup the rice ball with palm as shown in the picture.

        

This is how I make the triangular shape

Once you are done compacting and forming the shape,

unwrap the rice ball. Cut a stripe of seaweed.

Place the seaweed on the rice ball and...

Tada! Rice ball done!

Rewrap the plastic wrap if you want to carry it to somewhere.

If you have nothing else better to do in life like me, 

you may also give some identity or life to your rice ball.

The best thing about Onigiri is it is very convenience to bring it to everywhere.

You don't have to reheat it to eat it. 

Can be served both hot and cold.

Plus, no utensil is needed to eat it. 

An onigiri basically equal to a bowl of rice.

Since it is compacted, it doesn't look like a lot but it fills up your stomach well.

Alternative filling option:

For the filling of an onigiri, you can be really creative about it. 

The pictures above show the teriyaki beef that I cooked.

Some other fillings you may use are tuna, stir fried veggie, sausages, 

bacon, fresh uncooked veggie like cucumber/carrot/bell pepers....

Just another happy onigiri I made. 

Below are some other ideas from the internet for you all:

If you're really bored out of your mind and looking for something to do,

you may try something like these:

I might try it sometimes. haha

Now go be creative and make some onigiri!