Japanese Cooking - Contemporary & Traditional (26 page)

Read Japanese Cooking - Contemporary & Traditional Online

Authors: Miyoko Nishimoto Schinner

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BOOK: Japanese Cooking - Contemporary & Traditional
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1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons soy sauce
½ cup vital wheat gluten
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
5 dried shiitake, reconstituted and chopped
½ cup thinly sliced green onions
Oil or nonstick spray for cooking
25 to 30 potsticker skins (available in Asian and many regular supermarkets)
 
Saute the cabbage in a little water until tender. Reconstitute the soy protein granules with the boiling water for 10 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and soy sauce, and mix well. Add the vital wheat gluten and mix well. Add the sesame oil, shiitake, green onions, and cabbage, and combine well. Adjust the seasonings to taste.
 
This is a Japanese adaptation of a Chinese favorite. You can find vital wheat gluten in health food stores; it is pure powdered wheat protein used in bread baking and by vegetarians both in Asia and in the West to make vegetarian meat substitutes
.
 
Yield: 4 to 8 servings
 
Make sure that your hands are very clean and dry before starting to assemble the potstickers. Place a mounded teaspoon or so of the mixture in the center of a potsticker skin. (The amount will depend on the size of the wrappers; some are bigger than others.) Fold the skin over so that the edges meet. Dip a finger in some water, and run it along one of the inner edges of the skin so that the edges stick together. Then crimp the edges together (see illustration). Place on a plate or cookie sheet that has been lightly dusted with cornstarch. Continue with the remaining skins.
 
To cook, heat a small amount of oil, or use a nonstick cooking spray in a nonstick pan. When the pan is hot, place the
gyoza
(potstickers) in the pan in neat rows. (This will make it easier for flipping.) Over medium heat, cook on one side until nicely browned. Flip over, pour 3 to 4 tablespoons of water into the pan, and place a lid over the pan. Allow to cook for another couple of minutes until most of the water has evaporated and the potstickers are glistening. Serve with soy sauce, a dash of hot chili oil, if you have some on hand, and a dash of rice vinegar.
 
 
Vegetable Croquettes
 
Yasai Korrokeh
 
1½ pounds well-scrubbed potatoes
cup soymilk
2 carrots, diced small and steamed briefly until tender-crisp
½ to ¾ cup fresh or frozen green peas
½ to ¾ cup fresh or frozen corn
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste
Flour for coating
1 cup soymilk for dipping
2 cups
panko
(dry bread crumbs)
Oil for deep frying or nonstick cooking spray
½ cup ketchup
3 tablespoons soy sauce
 
Here is another excellent way to get your kids to eat their vegetables—mine will ask for seconds and thirds. “Ko-ro-keh,” as they are pronounced in Japanese, are presumably a Japanese adaptatione of French croquettes
.
They are generally potato-based with creamy bechamel sauce as a binder and are laced with ground meat, seafood, or vegetables. This more healthful version is just as satisfying
.
For those who want to avoid deep frying, they can be baked at a high temperature to yield similar results.
 
Yield: 6 servings
Place the potatoes in a pot with water to cover, and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and cook until tender. Allow to cool before handling, then slip the skins off. Place half the potatoes in a food processor, and process for a minute until smooth. The resulting mixture should be slightly elastic. (This helps it to bind together.) Mash the remaining potatoes in a bowl, and combine with the soymilk and processed potatoes. Mix in the vegetables and flavor with the 1 tablespoon soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Form 10 to 12 small croquettes about
to ½ inch thick. Coat each croquette with flour, dip in the soymilk, and coat well with the bread crumbs.
 
To cook, either use the traditional method of deep-frying until golden brown, or place on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with a nonstick cooking spray, spray the croquettes well, and then bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 400°F until crispy and brown. Serve with
tonkatsu sauce
(see
sosu
page 32) or combine the ketchup and 3 tablespoons soy sauce for a croquette sauce.
 
Croquettes are generally served with the ubiquitous tonkatsu sauce, but I like to serve them with the simple ketchup-soy sauce mixture in this recipe. The potatoes can be cooked hours or a day ahead if desired.
 
Croquettes with Ground “Beef”
 
Niku-Korrokeh
 
Prepare as for Vegetable Croquettes, but instead of the carrots, corn, and peas, add:
½ cup textured soy protein granules reconstituted with ¼ cup boiling water, plus 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 1 teaspoon sesame oil, or the equivalent of any other type of meat substitute, such as “ground beef” or “sausage”
Vegetarian “Pork”
 
2 cups water
3 tablespoons soy sauce or Bragg Liquid Aminos
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
Dash of black or white pepper
2 cups vital wheat gluten
Oil for sautéing
 
Flour for coating
1 cup
soymilk
for dipping
2 cups
panko
(dry bread crumbs)
Oil for deep frying or nonstick cooking spray
 
Combine the water with the soy sauce, garlic, nutritional yeast, and pepper. Mix in the vital wheat gluten; the mixture should be very soft. Divide this into 6 to 8 pieces, and pat out into “steak”-shaped pieces about ½-inch thick. Heat a little oil in a skillet (preferably nonstick), and fry the pieces until browned and crispy on both sides. Transfer the pieces to a pot of boiling water, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until tender. Drain the simmering liquid. (The resulting stock makes a good base for soup.)
Coat each piece of cooked gluten (seitan) in the flour, dip in the soymilk, then in the
panko
(dried breadcrumbs), and deep-fry until golden brown. Serve with
tonkatsu
sauce (see
sosu
page 32).

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