Vermont Acupuncture

Category: Recipes

  • Cabbage Galore

    Spring has sprung and yet I still have pounds of winter vegetables from my CSA. You, too? Here’s some cabbage ideas. Enjoy!

    Indonesian Greens in Peanut Oil with Garlic

    Vietnamese Chicken and Cabbage Salad (Ga Xe Phai)

    Red Cabbage with Apples & Raisins

    Sautéed Cabbage

  • Indonesian Greens in Peanut Oil with Garlic

    Foodie extraordinaire, Nancy shared this recipe with me.

    It literally takes a couple minutes to make and is uniquely delicious. I make this dish last, just as everything else is being put on the table.

    The key is to keep the heat quite high and braise the garlic then the greens quickly, stirring periodically.

    prepare:

    1 small nappa cabbage, sliced (bok choy or green cabbage can be substituted)

    1-3 chilies, sliced (optional)

    4-6 cloves garlic, crushed & quartered

     

    heat in wok (high heat):

    3 T peanut oil

    when hot add garlic and chili

    stir to cook on all sides, but don’t brown

     

    add the greens

    add ¾ t kosher salt

    stir until wilted.

    serve immediately!

  • Vietnamese Chicken and Cabbage Salad (Ga Xe Phai)

    This recipe accompanies Vietnamese Chicken and Rice Soup.

    Instead of putting all of the chicken into the soup (below), save half of it for the salad.

     

    Combine in a small bowl to make dressing:

    3-4 t honey or palm sugar

    2 T hot or warm water – mix the honey or sugar until mostly dissolved

    Add 3-4 T good quality fish sauce,

    2 cloves of garlic, smashed or minced,

    and the juice of 2-3 limes.

    You can water it down with another 2-3 T of water to dilute or stretch out the sauce.

    Add crushed or sliced serrano or Thai chili to the sauce or serve on the side.

    (more…)

  • Vietnamese Chicken and Rice Soup (Chao Ga)

    This recipe accompanies Vietnamese Chicken and Cabbage Salad

     

    Put in a large soup pot:

    three local organic chicken legs

    approximately four quarts of water

    1 t salt (more…)

  • Red Cabbage with Apples & Raisins

    This recipe is from Becky from the Intervale Community Farm. Her grandmother used to make it. A family favorite.

    in large cast iron pan or wok sauté one large onion, sliced, in 1 T olive oil on medium-high for a few minutes.

    add one chili, minced (optional).

    add: half red cabbage, shredded, one apple, peeled and sliced, 1 t salt, 1 t maple syrup and ½ cup raisins or cranberries.

    cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

    turn off heat and add 1 T balsamic vinegar.

    mix and serve.

  • Sautéed Cabbage

    This recipe shared by my foodie friend July. Simple and tasty.

    heat 1 T butter in a large pan.

    add 4 cups finely chopped cabbage and saute for a few minutes on high, stirring as needed.

    add 2 T chicken broth, 1 t thyme, ½ t kosher salt and a pinch of pepper.

    continue cooking on high for another minute or two.

    Serve immediately.

  • Lemon Bundt Cake

    Here’s to 2011. This cake is so good that I’ve made it three times since New Year’s Eve! The diet starts next week…

    Grating the lemon takes some time and if you are not careful, some of your knuckles. Mine is still sore but the sacrifice was worth it.

    For Cake

    Finely grated zest from 3 lemons plus 3 T lemon juice

    3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

    1 t baking powder

    ½ t baking soda

    1 t salt

    1 t vanilla extract

    ¾ cup buttermilk

    3 large eggs plus 1 yolk, at room temperature

    2 ¼ sticks (18 T) unsalted butter, at room temperature

    2 cups sugar

    For Glaze (optional)

    2-3 T lemon juice

    1 T buttermilk

    2 cups confectioners’ sugar

    NOTE: You will need 5-6 T of lemon juice in total if you are making the glaze. Three lemons should be enough, but buy 4 just in case since the amount of juice in each lemon can vary.

    For the Cake:

    Finely grate lemon zest (just the yellow part, not the bitter white pith) from three lemons. Combine with 3 T of lemon juice in small bowl and set aside to soften.

    Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position. Heat over to 350 degrees.

    Coat bundt pan with butter and a little flour.

    Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.

    Combine vanilla and buttermilk with lemon mixture.

    In standing mixer fitted with flat beater, cream butter and sugar at medium high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down sides, reduce speed to medium and add one egg at a time. Scrape down sides again, reduce to low and add about one-third of flour mixture, followed by half of lemon mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Repeat using half of remaining flour mixture and all of remaining lemon mixture. Scrape bowl and add remaining flour mixture. Mix and medium-low until batter is thoroughly combined, about 15 seconds. Fold batter into prepared bundt pan.

    Bake until top is golden brown and knife or toothpick inserted into center comes out with no crumbs attached, 50-60 minutes.

    For the Glaze:

    While cake is baking, whisk 2 tablespoons lemon juice, buttermilk and confectioners’ sugar until smooth, adding more lemon juice gradually as needed until glaze is thick but still pourable (mixture should leave faint trial across bottom of mixing bowl when drizzled from whisk).

    Cool cake in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert warm cake directly onto the rack. Pour half of glaze over warm cake and let cool 1 hour. Pour remaining glaze evenly over top of cake and continue to cool to room temperature, at least 2 hours. Enjoy!

    Cook’s Illustrated, January & February 2006

  • STEAMED PORK BUNS aka BANH BAO


    Makes about 25 small bao.

    Vietnamese Banh Bao usually include a quail egg and Vietnamese sausage. My easy recipe has a simple meat and mushroom filling and is similar to some of the Chinese Bao Zi I’ve had, but my family enjoys saying “Banh Bao” so that’s what we call them.

    I make them small so I get 25 instead of just 12 like it says on the package. I also make a yeasted version which takes more time and doesn’t yield a significantly better bao. If you want to try it, get the Momofuku cookbook. You can use their dough to make traditionally shaped bao.

    To make meat filling

    Mix in small bowl:

    1/2 pound ground pork, chicken, turkey or beef (or mixture)

    8 shiitake mushrooms, reconstituted if dried, and chopped

    1/2 small onion, chopped

    2 cloves garlic, chopped

    about 2 T oyster sauce

    ½ t salt

    pinch of ground black pepper

    To make dough

    Thoroughly mix by hand for ten minutes:

    1 cup milk

    ¼ cup sugar

    1 t vegetable oil

    1 16 oz bag banh bao flour mix

    Let sit for 15 minutes or so.

    Knead for about 5 minutes.

    Roll dough into a long cylinder and then divide dough into 25 sections.

    To put together the bao

    Cut wax paper into 25 2×2 inch squares.

    For each Banh Bao, roll out each section of dough into a little circle. Put 1 T uncooked meat filling in center. Pleat dough up and around, gathering edges together on top. Pinch to seal well. Place on small square of wax paper and arrange in large steamer basket and large pot. Put extras on a cookie sheet and cover with a dish cloth.

    To steam the bao

    Put water in bottom of steamer or large pot with lid (and without the steamer basket) and set over high heat. When water starts to boil, put steamer tray on the pot and the lid on the steamer.

    Steam until cooked through, about 15 minutes.
    When done, allow to cool for about 10 minutes and enjoy.

    Banh Bao freeze well. Put left-over steamed buns in a container in the freezer. Thaw for about 15 minutes and re-steam them for about 1-2 minutes.

    Shopping list

    large steamer basket

    ½ pound ground pork or other meat

    8 shiitake mushrooms

    1 16 oz package of banh bao flour mix (Ba Chuong Vang or other brand)

    oyster sauce

    onion

    garlic

    milk

    sugar

    veg oil

    salt and pepper

    wax paper

  • STEAMED DUMPLINGS with SHRIMP AND PORK

    Makes 30.

    For this recipe, you will need a steamer basket of some kind. A simple collapsible steamer basket will do. Alternatively, you can get a bamboo or stainless steamer at an Asian market.

    Mix in medium bowl:

    12 ounces shrimp, raw, peeled and coarsely chopped

    4 ounces ground pork

    12 water chestnuts, minced

    1 T finely grated ginger

    1 T dry sherry or vermouth

    1 T cornstarch

    1 ½ T oyster sauce

    2 t sesame oil

    1 egg white

    1 t sugar

    ½ t salt

    Pinch ground pepper (or to taste)

    4 T minced scallion greens

    The filling can be prepared the day before and kept in the refrigerator.

    Take 1 package wonton wrappers, round out of the freezer at least one hour before you are ready to start making the dumplings.

    To make the dumplings:

    Shortly before you are ready to steam them, make the dumplings. Hold the wonton wrapper in the palm of your hand and place one rounded teaspoon of filling in the center. Cup your hand around the wonton wrapper, gathering folds up around the filling. Press the gathered folds lightly around the filling to adhere, forming a cup-shaped dumpling.

    You can put wax paper between layers if you want to stack them.

    Fill the pan under the steamer with enough water to almost reach the bottom of the steamer basket and begin heating. Lightly oil your steamer basket and place dumplings in basket ½ inch apart. When the water is getting close to boiling lower steamer into pan, cover and steam until the dumplings are cooked through, about 5 minutes.

    Serve with Ginger-Soy Dipping Sauce.

    Shopping list

    steamer basket

    12 oz shrimp

    4 oz ground pork

    water chestnuts

    ginger

    dry sherry or vermouth

    cornstarch

    oyster sauce

    sesame oil

    egg white

    sugar

    salt

    ground pepper

    scallion greens

    1 package wonton wrappers, round

    wax paper

  • GINGER-SOY DIPPING SAUCE

    This recipe can be prepared a day or two in advance. If there is any left over, use it in a stir fry or on noodles.

    Mix in small sauce pan:

    ¼ cup soy sauce

    ¼ cup rice vinegar

    2 ½ t sugar or honey

    ¼ cup water

    Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Pour into small bowl.

    Stir in:

    ½ medium scallion, minced

    2 t fresh ginger, minced or finely grated

    ½ t sesame oil

    ½ t chili oil

    Serve with Shrimp Shu Mai  or Steamed Dumplings with Shrimp and Pork.

     

    Shopping list

    soy sauce

    rice vinegar

    sugar

    scallions

    fresh ginger

    sesame oil

    chili oil