Gluten-Free XO Stir-Fried Rice Cakes
soft and chewy rice cakes are decadently coated in umami-rich xo sauce made from dried seafood, shallots, garlic, and chilis. tossed with ground pork, shrimp and greens, this dish makes for a quick and texturally satisfying meal.
note - not all xo sauces are gluten-free so make sure to read the labels!
Read More
Mama Lo's Watercress Dumplings for Dump The Hate
join me in fighting against anti-asian racism and violence with my #dumpthehate campaign!
these gluten-free crystal dumplings are stuffed with my mom’s classic filling of pork and watercress and can be made vegan with the use of meatless ground round (beyond or Impossible ‘meat’ work great).
the gluten-free dough may take a bit of practice to master, but once you get a feel for it, these will be your favourite dumplings! they’re delicate and chewy, and crisp up beautifully when fried. when assembling, err on the side of drier dough and only add water as needed. feel free to use pre-made wrappers if you do not have a gluten intolerance.
these dumplings can be eaten steamed or fried and are best served with a vinegary-soy dipping sauce!
Makes about 48 dumplings
Ingredients (Wrapper)
~ 1 1/2 cups water, as needed
1 1/4 cup tapioca starch
3/4 cup rice flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup glutinous rice flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsps. neutral cooking oiI, like canola or grapeseed
large ziplock bag
Ingredients (Mama Lo’s Watercress Filling)
4 garlic cloves, minced or grated
2-inches ginger, minced or grated
~1 lbs. ground meat (classic is pork) or meatless ground round
2 eggs, beaten (omit if making vegan)
2 tbsps. tamari
1 tbsp. gluten-free oyster sauce (or another 1/2 tbsp. tamari + 1/2 tbsp. brown sugar)
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 large handful watercress or spinach, thick stems removed, chopped
a handful of scallion greens or cilantro, chopped
few cracks of white or black pepper
2-3 tbsps. neutral cooking oil, like canola or grapeseed
Ingredients (Dipping Sauce)
combo of any of the following -
tamari
black vinegar or rice vinegar
chili crisp or sambal oelek
sesame oil
cilantro and/or scallion greens
Instructions
In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together tapioca starch, rice flour, glutinous rice flour, salt and oil until evenly combined.
Stabilize your bowl with a damp rag and slowly pour in a steady stream of boiled water as you mix with a wooden spoon. Use water as needed. Once the consistency of the dough reaches a somewhat dry shaggy ball, stop adding water and switch to kneading with your hands. You’re looking for most of the dough to form into clumps, with some drier crumbs along the edges of the bowl. Incorporate these dry crumbs as you knead. Dust your hands with rice flour as needed. The dough should be goldilocks, not too dry and not too sticky similar to the consistency of play dough. It is much easier to add water than to fix a wet dough!
Knead dough in the bowl or on the counter for 2 solid minutes, pushing with your knuckles and pulling back with your fingers. Form into a smooth ball, wrap in plastic wrap and rest on the counter for 30 minutes with the bowl flipped upside down as a cover.
Meanwhile, combine all filling ingredients together in a mixing bowl and set aside.
Dust counter with rice flour. With a bench scraper, divide the dough into 48 even pieces (approximately 13-15 grams each) and form into rough spheres. Cover cut dough with a large bowl to prevent it from drying out as you make the wrappers. Cut two 6x6” squares from a large ziplock bag. Using a tortilla press, smush each sphere between the 2 squares of plastic to form circular wrappers. If you don’t have a tortilla press, use a rolling pin to roll out each sphere between the sheets of plastic until wrappers are 3-3.5” in diameter. If the dough is a bit sticky, dust with additional flour. Wrappers should be pliable and sturdy, not easily breakable.
Form dumplings. Add about 2 tsps. of filling per dumpling and fold in half. Press firmly but delicately along the edges to seal. Feel free to research dumpling folding methods if you want to get fancy with the folds :)
Steam dumplings in batches in a parchment-lined steamer basket for 6 minutes per round, making sure the dumplings have plenty of space between them so they don’t stick. Serve immediately out of the steamer basket or transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet drizzled with oil if refrigerating and reheating later. Cover sheet with plastic wrap. Reheat dumplings by steaming for 2-3 minutes. You may also freeze cooked dumplings on a parchment-lined baking sheet before transferring them into a ziplock bag. Just steam for a couple of minutes longer from frozen.
For crispy dumplings, fry in a bit of oil on medium heat until golden brown on both sides. Serve with your favourite mixture of dipping sauce!
Sous-Vide Hainanese Chicken Rice
this is my homage to hainanese chicken rice. a ubiquitous dish found throughout parts of east and southeast asia, and a dish that hits close to home.
what I love about hainanese chicken rice is that it’s an incredibly simple dish. skin-on, bone-in chicken is poached in a ginger scallion broth until just cooked through. the broth is then used to cook rice, ‘cause that sh*t ain’t going to waste! the results are tender, succulent meat with glistening skin, paired with punchy dipping sauces and schmaltzy rice. it takes experience to master, but when done right, hainanese chicken rice can be utter perfection.
Read More
Sambal Maple Quinoa Bowl with Peanut Dressing
an all around feel-good grain bowl with glazey carrots, charred broc, jammy onions and savoury shroomies. a lot of the time, peanut sauce is too thick for my liking so this sauce is thinner than most without sacrificing on flavour. feel free to sub the peanut butter with any other nut butter (or even tahini!) if there’s an allergy involved.
Read More
Photo by Jess Kal Photography
Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Nuoc Cham
sweet and caramelized sweet potatoes are paired with classic vietnamese nuoc cham for a zesty take on roasted veg. feel free to sub the sweet potatoes with pumpkin or butternut squash (cooking time may be slightly less).
Read More
Roasted Sweet Potato, Brassica and Kimchi Bowl
I used to think that I needed a protein with every meal to make it a substantial one. during my early days of cooking, I would have to plan out exactly what type of meat, vegetable, and carb I had to buy at the grocery store. if I didn’t have all 3 components, the meal was incomplete. it’s been years since I’ve shopped and cooked that way, and now it seems only intuitive to grab what’s fresh and what’s in season.
this bowl is great for this frigid time of year as you can utilize any root vegetable and brassica available. feel free to sub the sweet potato with carrots or squash, the broccoli and brussel sprouts with other brassicas, and the noodles with any other grain. kimchi adds the perfect tang, spice, and crunch to brighten all the deeper notes. if you do want the protein, add a poached or sous-vide egg for extra unctuousness.
with a well-stocked pantry of grains and sauces, plus the addition of well-seasoned vegetables, it’s extremely easy to have super delicious and filling meals at your fingertips! this is just one version of what you can do.
Read More
Grilled Lamb Chops with Minty Nuoc Cham
another favourite from saigon star (see singaporean curry crab post), these grilled lamb chops are served with a minty, sweet, tangy, and punchy dipping sauce. you can definitely change up the protein here, but the classic mint-lamb combo is a classic for a reason as the vibrant mint marries well with the gaminess of lamb. serve as an app, or with some lettuce and rice vermicelli for a more substantial meal.
Read More
Gado Gado Bowl
one of the national dishes of indonesia, gado gado is a ‘mix mix’ of vegetables and rice in a thick peanut sauce. I like to use quinoa at times for a lighter option, but you can sub in other grains as well. you can also make it a heftier meal by adding traditional fixings like boiled eggs, tofu or tempeh. feel free to add whatever vegetable your heart desires as the peanut sauce goes well with just about everything.
Read More
Indonesian Corn Fritters (Bergedel Jagung)
a couple of years ago, reid and I spent 3 months backpacking around southeast asia, planning our days around eating all the food we possible could. our mission was to find locals who could give us lessons on what they cooked at home.
Read More
Fresh Noodle Salad with Tamarind Peanut Dressing
at one point I wanted to serve pad thai for lunch at my work but didn’t have the equipment or time to do it à la minute, so I took out the stir fry aspect and made this version instead! the ingredients are more or less the same, but this version is served cold like a salad.
plus, burners in home kitchens aren’t powerful enough to get the desired char and wok hay anyway (the flavour from the breath of the wok), so save yourself the hassle from ending up with a gloppy and broken pile of noodles.
this can easily be bulked and prepped the day ahead, just toss the salad in some dressing to keep the noodles from sticking together in the fridge. great option as a packed lunch!
Read More
Kimchi Fried Rice
there are a couple of tricks to ultimate fried rice:
1 - use leftover cooked rice rather than freshly cooked rice and store it uncovered in the fridge - the more it dries out, the better the fried rice will be!
2 - use the hottest setting on your stovetop at home
3 - when in doubt, add oil (加油!)
