Blood Pudding and Spinach, Feta, and Barley Salad

Tonight I struck out on my own to make dinner.  I felt like doing something that had a bit of a Greek flare as I loved how bright the food tasted there (mainly due to the lemon).  I've never made barley before.  But, I've been served it as a salad by others and really enjoyed it so gave it a try.  I paired it with some blood pudding (one of my favorite things) that I saw in the grocery store today and thought might go well with it.  If you've never had blood pudding, it is lighter than you might think.  It has a nice soft texture that I thought would go well with the chewier barley.  Since it is made with blood it also has a really rich earth flavor (from the iron I imagine).

Spinach, Feta, and Barley Salad

• 1 bunch spinach (coarse chop)
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 3 cloves garlic (chopped)
• 1 cup barley
• 2 cup beef broth, + variable amount of water
• 1/4 cup feta
• 1 lemon
• salt, pepper, and lots of dill (fresh if you have it)

Put about 1 tsp of olive oil in the pan and cook the onions until translucent.  Add garlic and saute about 1 minute. Add the spinach and cook until its all wilted.  Then add 2 cups of broth and a cup of water to start with the barley and the seasoning (not the lemon or feta).  Bring the mix up to a boil then turn it down to a high simmer and leave it.  I used pearl barley so it needs to be cooked about 45 minutes.  You need to check on it every 10 minutes or so and stir the barley and add a bit more water if it boiled off.  Don't add too much at the end.  Your making salad not soup.  When the salad has about 10 minutes left cut and fry the blood sausage.  When the barley is cooked through (soft) take it off the head and put in the juice of one lemon in.  let it sit a bit then add the feta.

Barley is cooking away . . .

Frying up the Blood pudding

All cooked up and ready to serve!

Salad and pudding all served up!

Doesn't it look yummy!

This meal turned out to be one my favorite recipes.  The salad had a great taste to it.  Not hot spicy, but full of flavor.  The blood pudding really complemented it.  A great meal and super simple to make.  It took about an hour total to make it.

Buttermilk pie . . . really

So, I got gifted some buttermilk.  Normally I would just make some biscuits.  However, there were extenuating circumstances this time and I had to many meals already in the works to make biscuits that didn't go with anything else I was making.  The internet search began.  I find that the internet really is the best place for recipes.  Most of the time I try something off of an individual's blog as they tend to be more interesting recipes, but today I went to Allrecipes.com and did the ingredient search.  I found Buttermilk Pie I submited by Glenda.  It had good reviews and the results looked like yummy custard.  The basic recipe calls for the following:

 

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch single crust

pie

1 1/4 cups white sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups buttermilk

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup butter

1.	Mix sugar and flour. Add buttermilk, beaten eggs, vanilla. Melt the butter over low heat. Add to buttermilk mixture and mix well.
2.	Pour into pie crust and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 - 40 minutes.

 I did not have nor did I want to go get a pie crust so I went crust-less (a quick perusal of the internet showed that that should still work). I also added a bunch of cinnamon and nutmeg for flavor.  The original recipe suggests topping with fruit, but I don't go for that - hence the spice!

The result was this -

Soft with a chewy edge!

It tastes like a nice tangy and spicy custard.  Pleasant, but not heavy.  In the end I wouldn't go out and buy buttermilk to make this, but if I happened to have buttermilk I might try again.  I might use my glutenous rice flour as well to see if it makes for good mochi!

Hoddeok! Korean Street Food Experiment!

So, its been awhile since my last blog.  This is because my friend Ybur-bot came to visit me and we did awesome stuff that took me away from my computer.

Taking pictures of the river valley in Edmonton!

However, I did make some delicious Hoddeok for us to enjoy.  Hoddeok is a korean style sweet pancake that you fill with yummy stuff such as brown sugar or cheese.  (I did both and both were great).  I used a recipe provided by Maangchi.  As mentioned before Maangchi's recipes are quickly becoming some of my favorites.  The link will give you the recipe. I also suggest watching the video.



The videos are great and particularly helpful so I recommend it!  Here are some step by step photos of me making this great recipe! I used both the brown sugar filling suggested by Maangchi and shredded mozzarella cheese (any melty cheese would work).

The yeast and goodies all mixed together in the bowl

Flour added, note that its quite wet!

Recipe detour: My house is very cold.  This is because it is Sept in Edmonton and I refuse to turn on heat before October.  So, I put the dough in the oven (off, but no draft) to rise for an hour.  However, it was not quite big enough (ie not doubled), so I turned the oven on for a bit (with no dough in it to get it up to normal room temp or slightly warmer).  Shut the oven off, rubbed the outside with some water (this combats the extreme dryness of Edmonton) and put the dough back in for another 10-15 minutes (when I checked it had now doubled in size!).  I then returned to following the recipe.

8 "evenly" sized dough balls

As a note I used the bigger balls to hold the cheese and the smaller ones for the sugar filling. Also, you may notice lots and lots of flour on the counter.  You'll need it!  This is really sticky dough.  Make sure to flour your hands really well before trying to kneed it.

Two fillings are better than 1!

First make a thick circle

Put in a bunch of cheese and pinch shut . . .

Or start to pinch shut and then push in more cheese!

I would like to note that my overfilling method worked really well and did not result in holes or explosions during the later cooking process.  It is really quite simple.  First, put in the normal amount of filling.  Then pinch half shut.  Then pack the hole as full of cheese as you can!

Then pinch the rest of the way shut!

Note that if you have previously had problems pinching dough closed and having seam leaks etc, that is unlikely with the nice wet Hoddeok dough.  It is marvelously forgiving dough!

Sugar, cinnamon, and walnuts!

I tried not to overfill the sugar ones as sugar explosions are much more dangerous than cheese explosions.

I had space for one at a time in my pan . .

they cook super fast so this really wasn't much of a problem.

Flipped and squished!

It takes a surprising amount of force to properly squish to a cd sized disc.  You will need a good spatula (a fairly stiff one works best) and must be willing to push on it with your other hand.  I did this sucessfully with no burns, but be careful.

I don't have a pan with a lid, so I used to pans . . .

At one point you much reduce heat and cover.  I didn't have a lid to use, so you see my solution above.  It works great.

1 done!

Here is one finished hoddeok on the paper towel.  I was a bit worried about the grease level, but this was not necessary.  They didn't absorb too much grease despite my zeal in greasing the pan and it patted off really nicely.  We ate them with our fingers and didn't have gross oil fingers at the end.

Cheese Hoddeok with ninjas . . .

Sugar hoddeok with ninjas . . .

Lots of Hoddeok and ninjas!

This was a really successful and easy meal (we had spinach salad with it to make it a bit more well rounded).  It fed two people to the point of being stuffed with two leftover sugar Hoddeok (that is 3 per person).  Delicious!  I will definitely be making this again!

Korean Pork Buns

As mentioned, I really like to make things that are filled with other things.  I've been experimenting with Pork Buns and was never satisfied (until now) the bun part was either to dense or too plain, the filling to boring or too complicated (even for me).  Finally, I found this Korean Pork Bun recipe from Maangchi.  Not only is there a written recipe with pictures, but there is a great Youtube video (I suggest watching it, she is pretty cute).



I did the recipe as directed and got a couple fewer buns (once again I blame this on Edmonton weather and altitude).

I followed the recipe pretty exactly.  I did use whole wheat all purpose flour instead of white flour.

While the dough was rising I made the veggies and pork (I used a full package of pork so about 30% more than the recipe)

I did end up with extra filling, which was great as it tastes great on rice!

Dough nuggets!

Once the dough finished rising I cut it into nuggets.  I had to wait a bit longer than I expected (even with putting the bowl into another bowl of warm water), but it did double in size.

Sorry its out of focus!

I rolled the dough into circles.  I found the dough was really easy to work with not prone to tearing nor too sticky.

Generally I put in two tablespoons of filling.

I put in good heaping tablespoons and did not have issues with my seams popping or the dough getting too thin.

Pinching it shut!

I pinched it shut in the manor shown in the video.  It was easier than I thought it would be and really made a good seal.   Make sure to up the dough up and over then pinch it tight.

Look how nice it looks!

There is a learning curve on making beautiful even pinches. This bun is about half way through the pinching.

All ready to go!

Here you can see the buns all ready to be steamed!  I have a giant steamer so they all fit (this is just one tear of the buns).

All done!

Here is a plate filled with the finished buns.  The wrappers come off clean if you do it right away, but if you let then cool in the cupcake wrappers they will stick.

Yum!

Here you can see that they did get a bit larger upon being steamed.  They were really delicious buns.  The dipping sauce is also just right and really add a lot to the flavor of the bun, which is otherwise minimally seasoned.  The only thing I would change is that I might use a bit less sesame oil next time as I don't love it.

Daifuku and Red Bean Buns!

So, I had a party this weekend and I made some diafuku and red bean buns.  Both turned out great and were a big hit.  I only have a couple of red bean buns left!  I'm a big fan of multistage baking endeavors, so I love making things like buns and daifuku.  The recipes are pretty easy they just take some time and patience!

The mochi is being protected for its own good!

First, I made the red bean buns.  I had made many different types of red bean and pork buns in the past and have never been completely satisfied with any of the recipes.  I believe part of the problem is that Edmonton is actually at a fairly high altitude and is extremely dry.  

This time I modified a recipe from The Vegan Table to make my buns and the results were pretty good.  Previously, I had only made steamed buns, but I modified the baked bun recipe this time.

Recipe For Red Bean Buns

Makes 24 (I got 21 out of my batch)

Ninja's love red bean buns

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup plus 1/3 cup lukewarm water, divided
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 cup milk

2 cups whole wheat all purpose flour plus 1 1/2 cup flour

1 bag or can of pre-made smooth red bean paste

1 egg yolk + 1 tbs water for egg wash

What to do:

1. Sift 2 cups flour, salt, and sugar into a large bowl. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the butter until it resembles course meal. 

2. In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup of the water with the yeast and let sit 5 minutes. 

3. Combine remaining water and milk and heat in a sauce pan or microwave to about 110°F (I checked temp with a candy thermometer). 

4. Stir in the yeast mixture. 

5. Add the yeast milk mixture to flour mixture and stir well. 

6. Add remaining 1 1/2 cups flour and mix. Turn the dough onto a well floured board and knead for about 5 minutes, or until smooth, adding flour as needed. 

7. Place the dough in a large lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm, draft free place for about 2 hour or until dabbled in bulk. (If you want it to rise faster or you have a very cold house like me place the bowl in a larger bowl filled with warm water then cover .  I used the bottom of my massive steamer). 

8. Punch down the dough.

Make Buns!

9. Grease two baking pans
10. Divide the dough into 24  pieces (or as many as you can and make them evenly sized). 

11. Use your fingers to flatten a piece of do into a circle 2-3 inches in diameter, leaving it a little thicker in the center. 

12. Place the circle in your palm and spoon 2 tsp of filling onto the dough (or as much as you can fit and still seal the bun!). 

13. Gather the edges of the dough and pinch together firmly to seal. 

14. Place pinch side down on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, placing buns about 2 inches apart. 

15. Cover loosely with plastic or a damp towel and allow to rise about 30 min. 

16. Preheat oven to 350°. 

17. Brush buns with egg wash. 

18. Bake for 20-25 min until golden brown. 

I also made some delicious daifuku, which is one of my favorite desserts.  It is simply mochi filled with something.  So, you get two delicious treats in one.  Just a warning you will make a ridiculous mess making these, both of yourself and your kitchen.  Mochi is very very sticky and dusting it so you can handle it tends to spread cornstarch or whatever all over your kitchen.  Daifuku are fun as they look really impressive, but aren't that hard.  They also aren't really that sweet, which is nice. 

For the party I made 3 types of daifuku (very small batches of each type).  I was already making red bean buns so I picked/adapted a simple mochi recipe from Paws are for Cookin' that made small batches in the microwave and then I made two batches.

Diafuku Recipe:

Will make 8ish daifuku

Peanut butter daifuku dusted with corn starch.

Red bean diafuku dusted with roasted sesame seeds and coconut diafuku dusted with coconut.

Ingredients:

1 cup mochiko sweet rice flour (any glutinous rice flour would do)
1 cup water
1/4 cup white sugar (I also did a batch with brown sugar and both times I used slightly more than 1/4 cup as I found this recipe to be not quite sweet enough the first time I used it)
* Corn starch/potato starch, mochiko flour or something for dusting the outside (I actually used some sweetened coconut and roasted sesame seeds)

*Filling of choice (I used red bean, coconut filling, and peanut butter.  You can't use anything too wet or it will make a hole through the daifuku. IE: if using strawberries first cover with red bean barrier then place in center)

1. Mix mochiko and sugar in a microwave safe bowl.
2. Add water and mix thoroughly (will be watery).
3. Cover with plastic wrap or the lid to the bowl (makes sure to leave it open a crack so it does not explode).
4. Microwave on high for 4 minutes. 

5. Take off plastic wrap. Cool for a few minutes, enough to handle without being scalded.  

6. Most people will tell you to dust your hands with flour or starch and then handle, but this method is hit or miss for me and often I end up stuck to my mochi, which makes it difficult to make it beautiful.  This time I sprayed Pam on my hands and rub it in a bit (make sure to get between your fingers).  If the mochi starts taking you over like it's the blob add more.  As I was coating the mochi the cornstarch stuck to the Pam and made and even stronger blob proof barrier!

7.  Options - you could just cut it up dust it with something and eat it or you could fill it and make daifuku! (cuts better with a plastic knife)

8. If you want to fill it take enough mochi to make a 2-3 inch circle about 1/4" thick and a bit thicker in the center (about the size of a golf ball).

9. Scoop in a heaping 1 tsp of filling (or more if you think you can manage without breaking the seal on the daifuku - ie I did 1 tbs of peanut butter).

10. Bring the edges together and pinch shut (this shouldn't be hard due to how sticky the mochi is)

11. Dust outside with chosen sticky/antiblob barrier.

More on Filling:

I used premade Red Bean, but you could make your own there are plenty of recipes online. 

For the peanut butter filling I scooped out 1 tbs globes of PB put it on a plate and froze it.  Freezing it is a crucial step - it is very very hard to place one gooey thing with no structural integrity inside another. 

For coconut filling I halved PuSiVa's recipe for coconut filling (its like the stuff that goes on a German chocolate cake), which made enough for like 6 daifuku.  I made the filling then let it cool and scooped it into the center. Next time I do this I will freeze it into little balls to make it easier to handle.

Heritage Festival

I went to the heritage festival in Edmonton this weekend.  It was really fun.  There were booths from all over and lots of music and dancing (folk dancing from the different countries). It was huge.  We were there 4 hours walking around and didn't really exhaust or options.

I had delicious Takoyaki otherwise known as octopus balls.  They were pretty good.  Not quite what I was expecting as they do not taste fishy at all.

I also had a bit of camel from the Somalie place (the flavor was great, I wish I knew what spices were used, but it was a bit tough . . . tastes a bit like goat). I had a orange mango shake.  A Bangladeshi samosa. I had some sort of bad pineapple drink from Guatemala. Really good bannock (an aboriginal Canadian specialty).

I also had some Kvas - a Russian drink that is fermented (though non-alcoholic) something.  The initial taste is fairly unpleasant, but the aftertaste is actually kind of nice.

After the fair we went to the T&T (my favorite Asian grocery story ever).  While there I got a steamed mochi cake (in rainbow colors!).

I know its blurry but you get the idea!

I don't know Mary, but she makes good mochi!  It has a real gentle sweet flavor with a hint of coconut. It is very very soft and rich. Not for eating in one sitting though its only about 4in around and 1/2 inch thick.  I may have to buy another then I get back to the T&T!

In keeping with talking about food.  I also made myself a pretty delicious lunch.

I have a cut up plum (I don't like to bit fruit with pits). Black bean salad and cucumber salad.
Both of those are easy to make.

For the Black bean salad I used 1 can of black beans, 2 small tomatos chopped, one avocado chopped, and the juice of one lime.  I then salted to taste and added a bit of Mexican hot sauce for spice.

Cucumber salad is just as easy.  Take 1/2 and english cucumber.  Cut in half the long way and remove seeds.  Peel a bit of the peel off to make a nice pattern and slice thinly.  Make dressing by combining 1/8 cup rice wine vinegar (white vinegar will work if that's what you have or another form of wine vinegar), 1/2 tsp sugar, and 1/8 tsp salt (or to taste). Stir together until dissolved.  Add cucumber and 1tbs toasted sesame seeds.

COMPS!

My comprehensive exams are coming up and I'm going a bit crazy.  This may be shocking, but its hard to study for a test where they can ask you anything. Also, whenever you do something that is not expressly related to study for the super super important test you feel bad.  Its annoying.

To cope I've been doing somethings that I technically need to do to survive like cook.  Tonight was butter chicken and a few night ago was thai eggplant. I would highly recommend Thai eggplant.  I'm still looking for a perfect butter chicken recipe that isn't ridiculous.

Weird but good . . . and a bit creepy

I've also started the Jdrama Akihabara@deep.  I decided to watch it as I love Ikuta Toma from Hanazakari no kimitachi (I still think he should have got the girl in the end).  So far @deep is strange, but interesting.  I'll give it a review when I'm done.

He is usually more adorable than this . . .

I'm also started a book Across the Face of the World.  Its and epic fantasy by Russell Kirkpatrick.  So, far I'm interested.  I'm not always good at sticking with an epic though . . .

Back to work :(

Ichigo Daifuku!

I love ichigo daifuku!  You can get pretty good stuff from the store, but it doesn't really compare to homemade daifuku.  Ichigo daifuku is simply mochi stuffed with red bean and strawberries.  You could do red bean diafuku or any other flavor you like really.  This video of Cooking with Dog is very helpful.  Remember you need well mashed and fairly dry red bean to cover the strawberries with.



Eating Out Loud has a good straight red bean recipe. Steaming the mochi works really well, but you will need a large steamer.

If you don't want to steam you can also microwave your mochi.  A nice version is at Paws are for Cooking.

Mochi can also be made in a pan and then used to wrap the filling.  The Anime Blog has a good recipe for cherry daifuku that makes just a few, which is nice as ichigo diafuku really needs to be eatten soon after being made or really by the next day.  I've done this recipe with strawberries instead and it is still really nice.

My Lunch Can Beat Up Your Lunch has another pot recipe that works very well for ichigo daifuku.

At this point I tend to combine a bit of all these recipes to get the results I'm going for.  Remember you may need to adjust the amount of liquid you use depending on the weather where you live.  You don't want them to wet or too try and this really makes a big difference on the final outcome.

This is what the cooked mochi looks like before you put it all together.

Caution - super sticky!

Here is some finished daifuku.  It is essential that you dust the outside and your hands while your working.  Else it will be an even bigger mess then it already is!

Not my prettiest batch . . . it took me a bit to get this down at the higher dryer altitude I find myself in here in Edmonton

Okonomiyaki!

I love Okonomiyaki, which tends to be translated as Japanese pizza.  It's really not like pizza other than you can put lots of different toppings on it.  You can make your own batter or you can use a pre-made mix.  Tonight I used a pre-made mix.  I've used it before and I like it.  If your in Edmonton you can get it at the T&T.

Look at all the cool stuff you get!

The mix comes with the four mix, yam powder (that makes it thicken up), some tempura crunches, and two packets of nori.  When I make my own I can't get the yam powder, so I substitute corn starch.

Okonomiyaki Batter Recipe
2 eggs
1 tsp flour
2 1/2 tbs cornstarch
1/3 tbs milk
140 grams cabbage

This will make a single one.  You can mix in whatever you want.  Same goes for when you make a mix.  The same cooking settings I used for the mix will work if you make your own. When you use the mix you get this cute set of instructions.

Handy english instructions, with pictures!

The instructions are in Japanese and English so that's helpful.  First you cut up your cabbage and any veggies etc.  You want.  Green onions are suggested by the package and do taste yummy.  For this time through I cut up spam, zuchinni, green onions, and a bit of cheese to add to my cabbage.  Its important to cut the cabbage in thin strips or squares if you want it to hold together (2-4 mm by 2-3 cm).

lots of junk in a bowl

Here you have my bowl of ingredients ready to go.  Looks good already.  Then you make up the batter.  First, you dissolve the yam powder into the water (if your making your own mix the cornstarch into the water first).

Yam powder - Yum!

Then mix in the batter mix.

Batter - looks like batter

Then mix in the two eggs and dump it on your ingredients.  Stir it really well with a big spoon.  The mix makes two Okonomiyaki (you can share or keep one for tomorrow . . . I actually usually get three meals out of one mix).

Battered veggies/spam

Now heat up an electric frying pan that has been lightly greased to 350F.  The mix directions suggest 400F, but that always results in burning for me.  So I turn down the heat a bit and let it cook a bit longer.

Giant Spatula of Doom!

You'll note the giant spatula, which is really essential.  If you don't have a giant spatula you'll need to use two spatulas and two hands to flip your okonomiyaki.  It's hard to do without losing some, but you can do it.  Next you need to dump in your batter/cabbage mix.

Fry!

Here we have it in the pan.  Now if you were going more traditional you would put a few strips of pork belly or bacon on the top right now (if you do that put the cover on the frying pan).  Let it cook for 3 minutes. Flip!  Cook 5 minutes.  Flip!  Cook 2 minutes and make sure the middle is done.  Also, its going to be puffy.  This is normal, don't squish it!

too much frying . . .

I didn't pay quite enough attention this time and got a few burnt bits as a result.  No problem I like it crunchy anyway.  Next, you need to dress it up.  I go for the traditional way with Bulldog Sauce and Kewpie mayonnaise for my sauces.

The best part is the toppings!

I don't have too much trouble finding them.  Next, sprinkle on the nori and the bonito flakes.

You can get three good sized okonomiyaki out of each package.

The bonito flakes will wave from the heat.  Its both creepy and fun!  In the end its a delicious and pretty fast meal.  Highly recommended.