Dumpling with Chili Garlic Dip

These dumplings are a treat and the dipping sauce although seems hot but actually is toned down by the oil and soy. 

Ingredients

Dumpling Stuffing:

200 gms pork mince

4 cloves of garlic crushed

2 red Thai chillies chopped fine

2 tsp fish sauce

1 tsp soy sauce

Dumpling Dough:

2 cups plain flour

pinch of salt 

Warm Green tea 

Dipping sauce:

5 cloves of garlic crushed

3 red Thai chillies chopped fine

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp vinegar sauce

1 cup peanut oil

Preparation time: 35 mins

Cooking time: 45 mins

To make stuffing combine the pork/chicken mince, garlic, chillies, fish sauce and soy sauce and set aside. Combine the flour and salt and use warm green tea to make the dough. Rest the dough for 15 mins. Meanwhile preheat the oven. Heat the peanut oil in a saucepan and add the garlic and chillies to the oil. Cook the garlic and chili until soft on medium heat. Turn the heat off and add the soy sauce and vinegar to the mixture. Cook the dipping sauce in the oven for 15 mins. 

Roll the dough in small round pieces and stuff the rolled dough with mince mix. Crimp the dough on the edges to make the dumpling. I tried using the gyoza fold in making these dumplings. This was a first for me and I found this video particularly helpful in learning the fold.

Heat the skillet on high heat and add some oil. Let the oil heat for a minute and then turn the heat down to medium. Place the dumplings in the skillet and give it about 1-2 mins to crisp at the bottom. Then add some water to the skillet around the dumplings and cover for 3-5 minutes. Serve with remaining green tea and dipping sauce.

Alternatively, you can even boil water in pot and slide the dumplings in. Cook the dumplings in boiling water on medium heat for 10 mins. Serve with remaining green tea and dipping sauce. 

Pasta Salad with Danish Feta

Ingredients

200 gms Penne
1/2 red onion
1 clove of garlic
5 cherry tomatoes
2 tsp chopped basil
2 tsp chopped mint
1 tsp freshly crushed black pepper
Cubed Danish feta cheese
Sea salt
2 tsp olive oil

Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins

Boil the penne, drain and wash with cold water. Thinly slice the onion and finely chop the mint, basil and garlic. Chop the tomatoes in half. Add the onion, basil, mint, tomato and garlic to the pasta. Grind the pepper and sea salt over the pasta. Add the olive oil and feta cheese to the salad and toss the salad to mix the ingredients.

Morrocan Lamb

This one beats the traditional Indian Curries fair and square. Mitra, my wife, who is not a big fan of meat was licking her fingers after having the lamb.

Ingredients:

500 gms lamb steaks cut into cubes

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 large onion finely chopped 

4 cloves of garlic finely chopped

2 tsp of coriander powder

2 tsp of cumin powder

2 tsp of red chili powder

1 tsp of turmeric powder

1 tsp of cinnamon powder

2 cups chicken stock

100 gms of pitted dates

Preparation time: 20 mins

cooking time: 30 mins

Add oil into a pressure cooker. Once hot, add the onion and garlic, fry until soft. Add the lamb to the pressure cooker and cook for 5 mins. Add the spices to the lamb and cook for further 5 mins on medium heat. Add the chicken stock and pitted dates. Fit the lid on the pressure cooker and cook for 25 mins under medium heat. Remove the lid of the pressure cooker and further cook the lamb until the curry becomes thick. Serve with couscous.