Beef And Ginger Shao Mai Recipes

EASY GINGER BEEF

Steps:

• Place steak, ginger, and soy sauce in a bowl; turn to coat steak. Cover tightly; marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.
• Heat a wok over high heat; pour in beef mixture. Cover wok; cook until beef is browned, about 5 minutes. Remove beef from wok.
• Heat butter in wok over high heat; stir in bell pepper, onion, mushrooms, and sweet and sour sauce. Cover and cook until vegetables begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir cooked beef into vegetable mixture; cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Serve over cooked rice.

SHU MAI (JAPANESE STEAMED WONTONS)

Steps:

• Stir together ground beef, ginger, green onion, soy sauce, sugar sesame oil and cornstarch in a bowl, until the mixture becomes very sticky.
• Divide mixture into 24 parts.
• Holding tips of index finger and thumb together, place a wonton skin on top and top the skin with a portion of the meat.
• Gently press the meat into the"hole" made by your fingers coming together to get the wrapper to come around the sides of meat.
• Gently flatten the bottom of the shu mai.
• Repeat with the remaining wrappers and meat.
• Place a pea in the center of the meat on each shu mai and top the meat with a thin coating of oil.
• Place shu mai in a steamer basket and steam for 12-14 minutes over high heat.
• To prepare dipping sauce, Combine mirin, soy sauce and dashi in a small saucepan; bring to a boil.
• Boil mixture for 1-2 minutes then allow to cool.

SHAO MAI (PORK DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• Combine the pork, water chestnuts, soy sauce, vinegar, oil, sugar, ginger, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well to combine (hands work well for this). Place a dumpling wrapper in the palm of one hand and cup it loosely. Place a generous tablespoon of filling in the center of the wrapper. With your free hand, gather the sides of the wrapper around the filling, letting the wrapper pleat naturally. Squeeze the middle gently and tap the dumpling to flatten the bottom so that it can stand upright. The meat filling will show a little at the top. Make the remaining dumplings in the same manner.
• Arrange filled dumplings about 1/4 inch apart in two steamer trays that have been lined with wet cheesecloth. (At this point, you can refrigerate dumplings, covered, for 24 hours.)
• When ready to steam, fill a wok or lower part of a steamer with water so that it comes within an inch of the steamer tray, and bring to a rolling boil. Stack the steamer trays in the wok or steamer, cover tightly, and steam dumplings for 20-25 minutes over high heat, reversing the trays after 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer dumplings to a platter and serve with Spicy Dipping Sauce.
• Combine ingredients in a small bowl and serve with Pork Dumplings.

BEEF AND GINGER SHAO MAI

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients except won ton wrappers in large bowl; let stand 20 minutes to blend flavors.
• Place 2 teaspoons filling in center of each won ton wrapper.
• Pull edges up around filling, pleating slightly and pressing in below top of filling to form purse shapes.
• Tap lightly on work surface to flatten bottoms.
• (Can be prepared 2 weeks ahead. Freeze on baking sheet until firm. Transfer to plastic bags and freeze.Thaw before steaming.).
• Lightly oil vegetable steamer.
• Add 2 inches water to saucepan and bring to boil.
• Arrange shao mai in steamer, spacing slightly.
• Place steamer on saucepan; cover and steam until filling is firm, about 15 minutes.
• (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Resteam until warmed through, about 4 minutes.
• Serve hot.

HUNAN BEEF AND PEPPERS (POP) AND SESAME SHAO BING (CHINESE PITA)

Steps:

• In a bowl, mix together steak, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, black pepper, wine, chiles, and cornstarch. Let marinate at least 2 hours, but preferably refrigerated overnight.
• Strain the beef and reserve marinade. In a very hot wok filled 1/4 with peanut oil, 'blanch' the beef for 5 seconds only. Set beef aside and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of oil.
• Stir-fry the onions and bell peppers for 3 minutes then add back the beef and the reserved marinade. Bring to a boil and reduce by 50 percent, until thickened.
• Stuff Hunan Beef in the Shao Bing and consume immediately.
• Suggested beverage: Loose teas and Hartley Ostini "Hitching Post" Pinot Noir 1997
• Prepare a saucepan filled with the vegetable oil over medium heat. Slowly add 2 cups of the wheat flour, stirring slowly to ensure that the paste achieves a smooth consistency. Cook for about 5 minutes and then set aside to cool. This is the oil paste.
• In a mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in a little warm water. Add 2 cups of the wheat flour and the baking powder and combine. Add more warm water to achieve a dough consistency. Cover the dough with plastic and allow the dough to rise, 45 minutes.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of boiling water with 2 pounds of the wheat flour. Mix until it has a slightly lumpy consistency and then add 1 or more cups of cold water. Continue mixing and kneading until the dough is soft and smooth. Cover the dough with plastic or cloth and let rest for 30 minutes.
• Add the warm water dough to the shao bing and knead until the doughs are incorporated. Cover the mixture and let sit for 15 minutes.
• On a well-floured surface, roll the dough into a flat, rectangular sheet, about 1/16 to 1/8-inch in thickness.
• Spread a generous layer of the oil paste over the surface of the dough. To prevent the oil paste from running off the dough, sprinkle lightly with flour.
• Starting from 1 edge, roll the dough until it becomes 1-inch in diameter. Be sure that the roll is tight. Cut the dough sheet so that the rolled dough may be removed when the diameter is 1 inch. Repeat the process until the entire sheet is transformed into rolls.
• Carefully, so as not to let the oil paste leak out, stretch out the rolls so that the diameter is reduced to 3/4 of an inch. Cut the stretched roll into 4-inch lengths.
• Place 1 of the rolls seam-side up and seal the end using a small rolling pin (this will prevent the oil paste from escaping). Fold the roll into thirds, so that the seam is covered. Then roll this tripled roll into a flat dough about 5-inches by 2-inches. Fold this piece into thirds. The stack should be about 2 by 3/4 inches thick. Flip the piece over so that the seam and fold are on the bottom. Cover and set aside. Repeat the process for the remaining rolls.
• Spread the sesame seeds onto a clean work surface. Flip the square with the smooth face over, onto the sesame seeds. Next, the square may be rolled into either a round or rectangular shape. The round is used in Northern China while the rectangular is common in the South. Rolling presses the sesame seeds into the face of the Shao Bing.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the Shao Bing, sesame seed side down, onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes and then flip and bake for another 5 minutes to brown the bottom.
• The uncooked Shao Bing may be frozen for future use. Place the Shao Bing between layers of waxed paper to prevent them from sticking to each other.
• Using scissors as one does in China, cut open the Shao Bing, like you would a pita bread pocket.

PORK DUMPLINGS (SHIU MAI)

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together the pork, sliced cabbage, scallions, cilantro, soy sauce, garlic, rice vinegar, 1 Tbs. cornstarch, ginger, sesame oil, sugar, pepper, and egg white.
• Sprinkle a rimmed baking sheet liberally with cornstarch. Set a small bowl of water on the work surface. If the wrappers are larger than 3 inches across in any direction, trim them with a cookie cutter to 3-inch rounds. Otherwise, leave as squares or rectangles.
• Working with one wrapper at a time, and keeping the remaining wrappers covered with plastic wrap so they don't dry out, place a heaping teaspoon of the pork filling in the center of the wrapper. Using a pastry brush or your fingers, dab a bit of water around the edge of the wrapper to moisten. Crimp the wrapper up and around the filling, squeezing slightly with your fingers to bring the wrapper together like a beggar's pouch.
• Place on the cornstarch-coated baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling until you run out of one or the other. You can steam the shiu mai immediately or freeze and steam them later (see Make-Ahead Tips, below).
• Steam the shiu mai:
• Set up a steamer with 2 inches of water in the bottom. Line the basket with cabbage leaves to keep the shiu mai from sticking. Set over medium-high heat and cover. When steam begins to escape from the steamer, remove from the heat and carefully take off the lid. Arrange the shiu mai in the steamer so that they don't touch, as they will stick together (you'll have to cook them in batches). Cover the steamer and return to medium-high heat. Steam until the pork is cooked through (cut into one to check), 5 to 7 minutes. Serve with preferred dipping sauce.
• Make Ahead Tips.
• Freeze the uncooked shiu mai on the baking sheet. When frozen, transfer them to an airtight container, setting parchment or plastic wrap between layers, or seal them in a plastic bag. Store in the freezer, where they'll keep for about a month. Do not thaw the shiu mai before steaming; cooking time will be 10 to 12 minutes.
• Variations.
• Shrimp & Scallop Shiu Mai: Instead of the ground pork, you can use 1/2 lb. peeled and deveined shrimp and 1/2 lb. dry-packed, fresh sea scallops (with the tough muscle removed). Pulse the shrimp and scallops in a food processor until almost smooth, about 12 pulses. Use this mixture instead of the ground pork in the shiu mai recipe.

SUI MAI (STEAMED DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• Chop the shrimp very fine using a knife or the food processor. Just be careful not to grind too too fine.
• Mix together the pork, shrimp, scallions, cilantro, fish sauce, salt, cornstarch, egg,sesame oil, water chestnuts. and ginger (I use my hands).
• Form the mixture into 1-2 inch balls and place on wax papper, parchment or a platter.
• Put one ball in the middle of a wonton wrapper and gather the wrapper around the ball leaving the top open.
• Kind of give it a "waist".
• Steam in a bamboo steamer for about 5 to 6 minutes.
• May be frozen after steamed and cooled.
• To reheat I put them in a large skillet with some water or resteam.
• Some people boil these but I have never had much luck with that.
• I serve with several dipping sauces of varying heat.