Journal SolemnDragon's Journal: Sol finally posts a recipe 5
The legend/tradition says that these are for feeding the gods in the new year. A korean friend says that they have a similar recipe, sans story, there. I'm going to follow my family's traditional listing process, which means that there are comments, descriptions of common issues, and hints along the way- along with an idea of what there's room for shifting ingredient amounts for and what there isn't.
You will need
1 lb ground meat. I use ground turkey because i can't eat pork; many people prefer pork. Ground beef throws off the taste quite a bit, as it has a heavy flavour.
4 Shiitake mushrooms, stemmed & chopped. Yes, the dried kind is fine; put them in water to soak when you put the rice in to soak. we'll get to that. And use separate bowls, one for mushrooms, one for rice. When you remove them from the water, cut the tougher stem off and don't use it. i find slicing them lengthwise first works best for chopping, but the most important thing here is to always remember that you'll get cut less often on a sharp knife, because a sharp knife requires less pressure, and is therefore easier to control and MUCH less likely to slip. These mushrooms slice better than they chop, when reconstituted, but whatever. Cut 'em to bits.
1 tsp water chestnuts, finely chopped. I add 1 tbsp; there's leeway in this. don't go over 3 tbsp as it changes the texture rather dramatically.
1 small onion, finely chopped. I use half a small onion, but use at least some onion, unless you're allergic or something- you don't immediately identify the taste, but the onion imparts a subtle flavour change as it cooks, and you'll notice it lacking. By the way- "small" in this case means "the smallest in the regular onion bin." Or about the size of a smaller MacIntosh Apple (the fruit.)If you've got only larger onions, that's fine, cut out a smaller percentage and chop it up fine. The food won't notice the difference. Four little white boiling onions is usually enough to do it, i've used them when they were all that was around.
1/2 tsp fresh ginger root, chopped. yes, you can leave out the ginger if you don't like ginger. i leave it out but i list it here because many people with less sensitive taste buds may really like it. If you add it, yes, it has to be fresh.
You will ALSO need:
A steamer (we'll get to the how to if you haven't got one)
1 tsp dry sherry completely optional. If you use it, remember the dry part, sweet sherry makes them taste peculiar. I go without.
1 tsp cornstarch. non-negotiable.
1 1/2 tbsp wheat-free or regular tamari. don't substitute soy sauce, the flavour is different.
1 egg amount is non-negotiable, however, egg equivalents may be used. Just be sure to read the label and use the equivalent of 1 egg.
1/2 tsp sugar. non-negotiable.
1/4 tsp pepper. optional.
1 cup short grain arborio rice. From Asia, not from italy; this is sushi rice. Glutinous rice does not contain gluten, it's just sticky. that's important here, so be fussy.
Instructions:
First, put the rice in 2 cups of water to soak. It needs to soak for about an hour. If you finish everything else early, just put it in the fridge...
MIX meat, onion, water chestnuts, mushrooms, water chestnuts together in a large bowl. Next,
COMBINE everything else except the rice. (Corn starch you might want to add last, so that less mixing is required.) Then add this mixture to the meat. Use the meatloaf mixing technique- wash your hands and then use them to squish the stuff around to make sure that everything is evenly distributed. Uneven means that some will have a harder time cohering.
DRAIN rice, and spread on a cookie sheet. ROLL meat mixture into 1" balls, and then coat by rolling in the rice. Aim for a relatively even coat, don't worry about the tiny bald spots between rice grains. As soon as you see these cooked, you'll understand how much rice should be used.
PLACE them in steamer. what's that? don't got a steamer? The cheat in case you don't happen to have a steamer. Wash something that makes a relatively sturdy mesh- larger than windowscreen, smaller than bread cooling racks. I use square foil pie plates that i poke lines of holes into with a clean nail. Pile them up on top of each other, at diagonals, so that they rest sturdily. Put a few small, well-washed rocks in the bottom of a stockpot with a lid. Oke, a giant saucepan with a lid. Whatever you've got that they fit into. Pour in about an inch of water, put the makeshift steamer trays on top of the rocks and each other, put on the lid.
STEAM for 20-30 minutes, using the extra time to roll the last of the meatballs, since this tends to be a two-batch process at best. Especially for me. Rice will be soft, meat will be completely cooked. take one out and break it open if you need to check.
The worst that can happen:
Burnt the pan because you let it run out of water? Get a better fitting lid, and if the pan is still usable, add water and try again. Finish the batch, testing for doneness along the way.
Had to skewer them with fork to get them out of the pan. Doing it wrong. Ice tongs work best, failing that, try a slotted spoon and a spatula or bowl scraper to roll them onto the spoon and then out to the plate. REMEMBER TO TURN OFF THE HEAT BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO REMOVE FROM PAN.
they still have bald spots. No one will care once they try them, not even the gods. But if you're worried about it, cook some more rice and stick it on while they're both still hot. If they look particularly bald when putting them in, just sprinkle more rice on them- it will stick together as it steams.
These are a time consuming process- especially if you're, er, well... physically limited. It usually takes me about 2 hours not counting half an hour extra when rice is soaking before i even start. But i AM limited, most folks will find it much less strenuous. If you're in a wheelchair and need to bring the pan down to workspace level, just take off the lid and leave the heat off for a bit. The trays will cool quickly if you used foil, and can be lifted out by the corners with relative ease so that you can bring them to your workspace. I find it impossible to lift the whole pan from a seated position- i'm usually perched on a wooden barstool in the kitchen when i'm cooking.
Also of note. The payoff for me is that it makes enough for me to have some for dinner, and then freeze the rest. These freeze WONDERFULLY. i generally pack them 6-8 per container, and so i get seven extra days' lunches to take to work. Bring more tamari, and chopsticks- they are fairly easy to eat with chopsticks. Remember to add some fresh vegetables or something to round out the meal. They are much more filling than you think. Like a good latke, they taste light as air and sit as solid as a stone- they taste and feel very nourishing. I save a packet or two in case i get sick; they're what replaced my former food cravings for when i am recovering. Let me know how they turn out, and i'll be happy to help if you end up stuck or have a problem.
Looks Good (Score:1)
wheat-free tamari (Score:3, Informative)
Thanks! (Score:2)
alternate recipe (Score:1)
And scallion instead of onion.
Also I do use soy sauce and it comes out just fine.
And sticky rice works just fine.
There's lots of room for experimentation with this recipe, and if you poke around on google you'll find quite a few versions of the recipe. In the end, they're all good
Re:alternate recipe (Score:2)
Thanks! there are also a lot of sauces for these out there, i usually just serve with tamari though.