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
I made some deviled eggs for Jan’s Ethno Breakfast—a local (Bay Area) meeting of corporate ethnologists. We had some leftover smoked trout and I thought I would experiment with it, in case Jan asked me to make another dish for the next event. Plain deviled eggs are an infinite canvas for creative new dishes.
Karl’s Smoked Trout Deviled Eggs
Filed under California Fusion, Holidays, Side Dishes
Since Jan discovered she is ¼ Cora—23&Me, long story—she has become interested in discovering what that means. She has taken an interest in learning Spanish and is taking Mexican food far more seriously. For her birthday, she asked for chicken mole.
Karl’s Drunken Chicken Mole
Filed under Chicken, Main Dishes, Sauces and Spices
Adapted from an America’s Test Kitchen recipe
When Jan asked for chicken mole for her birthday, the email at the top of my list was from America’s Test Kitchen with a video about chicken mole and drunken beans. The beans sounded like a good side dish for the mole, so I decided to make it myself.
Karl’s Drunken Pinto Beans
Filed under Beans, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian
I am making Jan’s birthday meal of chicken mole, beans, and rice. That is a lot of meat and starch, but Jan also likes to be vegetable forward. My original idea was for a mango and avocado salad, but for seven people that would either be very small serving for each person or very expensive.
Karl’s Avocado, Mango Slaw with Lime Dressing
Filed under California Fusion, Salads, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian
Technique drawn from Mel’s Kitchen Café
I am making Jan’s birthday dinner of chicken mole and drunken beans. We are having company so I decided to add a rice dish. Jan is pushing me to use more “low glycemic” starches in my diet so I made it with brown rice.
Karl’s Mexican Brown Rice II
Filed under Rice, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian
Being the cook of the family, Jan frequently asks me to make something when she needs a mitzva meal or a dish for a potluck. Last week it was Ethno Breakfast—a local (Bay Area) meeting of corporate ethnologists. Since all except the largest firms hire only one person in this discipline, this can be an isolated job—one anthropologist amongst an entire company of engineers and MBAs. Jan has been pushing this field for several years, so some of the local practitioners are her former students. Ethno Breakfast provides a community to share ideas and problems once a month.
Karl’s Potluck Curried Deviled Eggs
Packed up and ready to go
Filed under California Fusion, Holidays, Side Dishes, Treats
In the continued effort to make meals for Jan that she doesn’t have to do any biting—she has two front tooth temporary caps—I suggested salmon for dinner. She thought yams were a good soft starch to go with the fish. She then suggested that this was an Orange Dinner.
Karl’s Orange Dinner
Filed under California Fusion, Main Dishes, Potatoes, Salads, Side Dishes
In the continued effort to make meals for Jan that she doesn’t have to do any biting—she has two front tooth temporary caps—I suggested salmon for dinner. She thought yams were a good soft starch to go with the fish. She then suggested that this was an Orange Dinner.
Karl’s Mandarin Orange Salad
Filed under California Fusion, Salads, Vegan, Vegetarian
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Miriam
Jabberwocky Stew 