The dough for xiao long bao is the regular hot water dough that you make for any Chinese dumpling. Flour, salt and warm water that is then kneaded until smooth and elastic. Since this dough usually has only three ingredients—flour, salt, and water—you would think this would be simple.
Karl’s Xiao Long Bao (the complete recipe in one post)
Karl’s Xiao Long Bao (aka XLB or Soup Dumplings)
Filed under Main Dishes, Pork, Shrimp, Steaming
While the dough is resting set up an assembly station. You will need a floured flat surface and a small rolling pin. Put the meat mix with a spoon on one side, the cabbage pieces—drained and dried—and a steamer basket on the other.
Karl’s Xiao Long Bao (the complete recipe in one post)
Karl’s Xiao Long Bao (aka XLB or Soup Dumplings)
Filed under Main Dishes, Pork, Shrimp, Steaming
Xiao long bao (小笼包, literally “little-basket bun”) is the hot new food in San Jose this year—several restaurants have opened or recently started specializing in these Asian delights. XLBs—for short—is a kind of dim sum that falls somewhere between a steamed bun (baozi) and a dumpling (jiaozi). Both of these are usually filled with meat and/or vegetables. Boazi tend to be dry both inside and out. Jiaozi may be moister inside, but are frequently put into a soup. With xiao long bao the hot savory soup is actually already inside the bun with the filling. Son-in-law Chris has challenged me to learn to make this uniquely Shanghai dish.
Note: Although the Taiwanese claim it as their own.
Karl’s Xiao Long Bao (aka XLB or Soup Dumplings)
Note: Of particular interest—to anyone wishing to make Chinese dumplings—will be the discussion of the science of dumpling dough. Continue reading
Filed under Main Dishes, Pork, Shrimp, Steaming
My brother-in-law Dee is coming for another of his innumerable medical appointments at the VA. He is getting tired of the biscuits and gravy that I have been serving the last two times he came. He has requested wonton soup.
Karl’s Wonton Soup
Filed under Main Dishes, Pork, Shrimp, Side Dishes, Soups
Adapted from a Family Cookbook Project recipe
Jan and Eilene went to Hopi this summer and came back loving hominy. I made some Hopi beans and hominy, but I used canned corn for the dish. I bought a bag of pozole corn with the intent of making it fresh, but Eilene said she wanted Mexican pozole instead.
Note: In some American recipes it is spelled posole.
Karl’s Nayarit Pozole Roja
Filed under California Fusion, Holidays, Main Dishes, Pork
Spam Misubi is an Hawaiian-Japanese adaptation of a rice ball dating from WWII. Daughter Eilene loves them, but mother, Jan, will not allow Spam in the house. Jan is teaching a night class, so I thought I would make Eilene spam misubi for dinner.
Karl’s Spam Misubi
Filed under Main Dishes, Pork, Rice
Many weeks I will spend the entire week thinking about and planning Sunday’s dinner. I have had a rough week—broken car, broken shower, broken refrigerator—and I did not feel I had it in me to plan an elaborate meal ahead of time. A plain ham steak, steamed green beans, a simple coleslaw, and a baked sweet potato would have to do. While this is a meal that started off simply, I got carried away.
Karl’s Ham Steak with Brandied Peach Sauce
Filed under Broiling, California Fusion, Main Dishes, Pork, Sauces and Spices
Adapted from a Just One Cookbook recipe
Friday night my family had dinner at a new Japanese Ramen restaurant. While the atmosphere was fairly authentic, the ramen was more than disappointing. The soup was tepid, the noodles under done, and the egg was icy in the middle. Although I have never made anything but instant ramen before, I knew I could do better.
Karl’s Shoyu Ramen
Filed under Chicken, Main Dishes, Pork, Seafood, Soups
Jan’s “old” brother—long story involving 23&Me—and his wife are stopping by for breakfast. He has few teeth left and they have very standard “American” tastes—so nothing too chewy or exotically spiced. I decided that biscuits and gravy would be to their liking.
Karl’s Biscuits and Sage Sausage Gravy
Filed under Breakfast, California Fusion, Pork, Sauces and Spices
In the 1970’s I was working for a diving company based in Belle Chasse, LA. I can’t think about N’Orl’ns (one word) without thinking about the food. For two years I lived off of Muffulettas, Shrimp Etouffee, boiled crawfish, and Jambalaya. Louisiana food generally falls into two main cuisines Creole and Cajun, which roughly corresponds to city and country. I have posted a Cajun jambalaya, but today I decided to go Creole.
Karl’s Creole Jambalaya
Filed under Fish, Main Dishes, Pork, Poultry, Sauces and Spices, Seafood, Shrimp
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Miriam
Jabberwocky Stew 