Preparation / Directions:
I find Chinese recipes that use dairy products highly suspect and tend to turn my nose up at them.
But I just bought an excellent new cookbook--Asian Appetizers by Joyce Jue, a local (SF local, that is) food columnist. Check this one out... You should be able to get all the ingredients easily, including the Chinese sausages.
Cheese and cream are not traditional ingredients in Asian cooking. However, I enjoy the subtle flavor of a mild cheese, such as Monterey Jack, and the way it works in this gyoza (Japanese-style potsticker) recipe. The cheese acts as a velvety binder that melts in your mouth; the cream is used to make a lime-scented sauce.
A dozen gyozas makes a nice appetizer serving for four, but it's not really practical to make just a dozen at a time. This recipe makes 4 dozen, and the rest can be frozen for another use. The sauce recipe is enough for a dozen; if you want to make more, simply multiply the sauce ingredients, but bear in mind that you will have to make the sauce separately as part of each batch. Freeze extra uncooked gyozas on a baking sheet; when frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag. Do not defrost before browning.
1. Toss the shrimp with 1 teaspoon of the salt and let them stand for 10 minutes. Rinse thoroughly, drain, and pat dry. Finely chop the shrimp and put them into a mixing bowl. Add the remaining salt and the ginger, wine, cornstarch, water chestnuts, green onions, coriander, sausages and cheese: mix thoroughly.
2. If you are using won ton wrappers, trim the corners to make them round. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of the filling in the center of a wrapper. Moisten the edge of the wrapper with water and fold it in half to enclose the filling and form a half circle. Pinch the edges together to seal. Set the gyoza on a baking sheet; cover it with a towel. Repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers.
3. To cook and sauce 4 servings, add 1 tablespoon of oil to a 10- inch nonstick skillet and set it over medium heat. Arrange 12 gyozas in a single layer n the pan; pan-fry for 1 minute or until lightly browned. Turn the gyozas over and brown the other side, about 1 minute longer. Add the chicken stock; shake the pan to prevent the gyozas from sticking. Cover and cook at a low boil for 2 minutes. Remove the gyozas to a plate and keep them warm.
4. Increase the heat to high and add the cream; bring to a boil and cook, stirring until thickened, about 45 seconds. Stir in the lime juice; season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. To serve, divide the sauce among 4 plates; arrange 3 gyozas on each. Garnish with fresh coriander.
From "Asian Appetizers" by Joyce Jue, Harlow and Ratner, 1991. ISBN 0-9627345-1-9.
This is a gorgeous book by a local Asian food columnist. She covers all of east Asia and includes some of the new "East/West" recipes that seem to be evolving in California. The largest number of recipes are from Thailand and China but recipes from Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and the Philippines are also included. She calls these 'appetizers' but most will easily serve as main cours
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