Pork-Ginger Potstickers with Fire Sauce

Homemade Potstickers take some effort to prepare, but the flavor and texture are superior to anything I've ever had at a restaurant, and a lot cheaper too.  The advantage to homemade is in the texture: ground pork with little nuggets of ginger, garlic, and water chestnuts wrapped in a bite-sized won-ton with a salty/spicy dipping sauce create a flavorgasm of deliciousness.

When selecting a mixing bowl, I stand by my rule that you should always grab one size bigger than you think you need.  Remember to cook the pork until crumbly, drain the grease, and allow it to cool before you add it to the mix.  You can use a big spoon to stir, but I prefer to use my hands for that task.

Wrapping the potstickers is the time-consuming part of the preparation.  Kate can usually crank out about 60 in an hour.  We prefer the square won ton wrappers, but the round ones would work just as well.  Make sure to try and squeeze out all the air when you fold the wrapper over the filling.

The Fire Sauce is just a simple mix of three ingredients: Soy Sauce, White Vinegar, and Mongolian Fire Oil. It will separate if it sits too long, so give it a vigorous stir before you eat.

Before you start cooking, preheat the skillet over medium-high.  Add a dollop of oil and as many potstickers as will fit without touching, and let them brown for 2-3 minutes.  I like to use a metal spatula to gently separate them from the pan before I add the water to steam.

When you think they are ready, pour in the water and immediately cover the pan.  Wait until very little steam is still escaping (about 2 minutes), then remove the lid and remove the potstickers.  Kate and I like to eat them as they cook, but you could prepare them all before serving.

Korean-Style Tuna with Cilantro Noodles

This one is fast, simple, and has loads of flavor.  We topped it with a Wasabi Compound Butter, but you could reserve some of the marinade before you add the tuna and use it as a dipping sauce. This is a great example of the "less is more" philosophy of cooking: a few ingredients, properly prepared, will result in a bold and satisfying meal.

Adding Red Pepper Flakes to the Marinade

I find it easier to mix the marinade in a measuring bowl and give it a vigorous stir before it goes in the bag with the tuna.

Grilling Tuna

Make sure that you don't over cook the steaks.  Tuna cooked well-done might as well be cardboard.  I prefer my tuna to be seared on the outside and nearly raw in the middle.  Kate likes hers more towards medium-rare.  We agreed that the rule of thumb in our house will be "two-minute tuna", and no more.

Ramen in the Wok

When you make the noodles, be sure to have all of your ingredients ready to go.  This dish cooks in a hurry, and you won't have time to measure and cut once you start.  This might be my favorite preparation for Ramen Noodles.

Shogayaki Chicken with Ginger-Apricot Rice

According to the recipe, "shoga" means ginger and "yaki" means grill or fry, so I guess you could call this Ginger Chicken.  We gave this a "good but not great" rating.  It takes about a half hour to make and uses two pots.

Using fresh ginger is critical in this dish.  Make sure that it is well minced before you add it to the marinade and the rice, because a large chunk in your mouth can be pretty intense.  You will also use Sesame Oil and Mirin, which make a noticeable difference in flavor.  Sesame Oil is one of my favorite ingredients in Asian dishes and has a distinct nutty flavor.  Mirin adds a sweetness to the dish to balance the ginger and garlic.

Ponzu Soba Noodles

Ponzu Soba Noodles with Grilled Flank Steak

This one is fast and really tasty.  We've altered the recipe a bit to fit our tastes by using Sesame Oil instead of Vegetable Oil and adding some other vegetables that we like.  We don't use Ponzu that often, but it works really well here.

1/3 Head of Sliced Cabbage

I don't think Cabbage can ever be sliced too thin.  We ended up using only half of what I prepared.

All the rabbit food mixed in a bowl

You could add peanuts or sesame seeds at this point.  Really, anything you have on hand that sounds good should be put in the bowl right now.

Soba Noodles and Sauce mixed in

Everything but the Soba Noodles should be cold and crispy at this point.  Add the sauce right after you add the noodles so that it has time to season everything and keep the noodles from sticking together.

Grilled Flank Steak

I prefer beef that is rare to medium-rare, and Kate likes hers a little less pink than mine.  Usually that means that she gets the pieces on the ends and I get the middle.  I seasoned it with Everglades Seasoning, something I got from my cousin.  (He calls it "monkey dust".  I'm not sure why.)  We used a George Foreman grill tonight because of the weather.

Sliced on the bias and across the grain

Cutting the meat on the bias and across the grain like this makes it easy to chew.  Cutting with the grain tastes the same, but isn't any fun to eat.