Tuesday, March 13, 2012

I can do MANDU

Part of Saturday's shopping was at a little hole-in-the-wall Asian market in Halifax.  The owner also speaks both Japanese and Korean, so it was an extra treat for the girls.  They picked up lots of snack items.  And I picked up some food to experiment with.

Beginning at the far left and travelling clockwise, we have Korean pork dumplings (Mandu in Korean; Gyoza in Japanese), Japanese brown rice, rice wine vinegar, Sriracha hot sauce, Kikkoman soy sauce (low sodium, of course), ginger tea mix, soba (buckwheat) noodles, tofu shirataki noodles and, in the centre, udon noodles.  Other than the soy sauce and regular rice, I've never cooked with any of the other products.   


The ginger tea mix is very interesting but very, very good.  (Elly bought citrus tea mix.)  When you open the bottle, it looks, smells and tastes like very strong marmalade; but a couple of heaping teaspoons in a mug full of boiling water turns it into a warming, soothing hot beverage -- just what aching cold and flu-fighting bodies need!

The tofu shirataki has been recommended many times in the past by Hungry Girl (http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/247) as being super nutritious - high in fiber, low in carbs and zero points for us WW followers.  I'd been looking for them for years, so I was very pleased to find them.  I'll let you know my verdict on taste when I try them.

Because they had thawed on the drive home, yesterday I made Mandu with Korean dipping sauce.  You pan fry the dumplings on all three sides, add a little water, cover and steam for a couple of minutes.  The dipping sauce consisted of soy sauce, sesame oil, minced garlic, toasted sesame seeds and green onions.  
Elly also suggested I try out the new Sriracha sauce -- just a dab on the side.  It was too hot for those pansy Asian girls but perfect for this hardened Newf!  

Despite my luck on Friday, today the only way I could successfully use my chopsticks was to spear the little suckers.  


Ummmmm!  Those little Mandu/Gyoza were delicious!




  




5 comments:

Unknown said...

Looks like you had a terrific weekend in Halifax. And what exotic food!!! Going to have to try the Korean dish you talked about in the last posting the next time I'm near a decent restaurant.

Pat MacKenzie said...

Your girls aren't the only ones learning about new customs and foods! How nice that you find these pieces of home for them to enjoy. They must love you.

Nezzy (Cow Patty Surprise) said...

You are definitely a gal with no boundaries. I bet the girls think your as awesome as you are.

Everything sounds so very good. I like thing hot too...the spicier the better!!! It's just the way I fly!!!

God bless and enjoy this beautifulday sweetie!!! :o)

TARYTERRE said...

Aha the truth comes out. Here I was feeling all bad because I can't use chopsticks effectively, like you did. And now you admit, your technique was SPEARING the food. That is a great idea. LOL I'm going to try it. Sriracha is HOT stuff. We keep a bottle on hand here. All that food looks delicious. ENJOY!

Sweet Tea said...

The names of all the food sound strange, but it all looks tastey! You are one adventuresome gal!

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