Nate is the Techie / Barbecue-y half of the House of Annie team. Born in Hawaii, his favorite hobby is surfing...WEB surfing that is.
Visit my Google+ Profile
When we go out to dim sum, we always look for the cart carrying the “char siu sou”, or char siu pillow puffs. They are so enticing, with a delightfully flaky crust and savory filling. Annie got a hold of a recipe to make these at home.
Finely diced char siew fried with shallots and seasoned with oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and thickened with flour and water.
Make a pastry dough. Flatten them into squares and spoon a little filling in the center. Fold the dough over and press closed with the back of a fork. Brush with egg wash and bake.
Not quite restaurant dim sum quality, but tasty nonetheless. We’ll have to do this again and perfect the recipe.
We had some fresh bamboo shoot in the fridge that was yearning to be used. We also had some green beans going as well as more char siu. So we cut them all up and stir-fried them together. Garnished with fried shallots.
Just a bit of “Musgovian” (or “simply hantam,” as Annie would say) cooking. She’s very good at this kind of cuisine.
Here in San Jose we have some restaurants and delis that make good char siu. But with char siu marinades available at the Asian groceries, you can now make it at home without too much fuss.
We marinated some “country-style” pork ribs in char siu marinade for 2 days, then grilled them until cooked through.
One of the things I enjoyed growing up in Hawaii was “miso butterfish”. There’s some confusion over what exactly this “butterfish” is. But there’s no denying how yummy it is.
Marinate some seabass fillets in sake, mirin, and white miso for 3 days, turning each day to ensure even coating.
Broil until the top starts to turn nicely brown. Then turn the oven to 400*F for about 8 minutes. Remove and cool.
Over the three days marinating, that lovely miso flavor permeated the flesh of the seabass. Definitely have to do this again!
Aloha, Nate
