China

Wonton Soup, Fried Wontons, and Sweet and Sour Pork

I made this meal on Friday September 10. It was really tasty! I just ate leftovers for lunch, so the flavors are still on my tongue and that gives me joy. It was rather difficult to choose what to cook for this country, as it is so big and so varied. There are five different regions, all with their own national dish, and there are eight different cuisines within which they cook. I decided to just cook Cantonese style, which is what is most common in America. I contemplated trying all of them, but decided against it.

Making the wontons was simple, but tedious. They were really delicious. I could really taste the sesame oil and the soy sauce, two flavors that I love! The same wontons were used in both the soup and the fried wontons. They were just cooked differently.

The sweet and sour pork had similar flavors to that at Chinese restaurants here in MN, but the sauce wasn't as gummy and the pork wasn't deep-fried, so it was much lighter. I liked it, especially the pork pieces, a lot.

Making Wontons
Ingredients:
-1/2 lb. ground pork
-1 T. scallions, minced
-1 egg, beaten
-1 tsp. salt
-1 T. soy sauce
-1 T. sugar
-1 tsp. sesame oil
-1 T. water
-60 wonton skins (I find these in the produce section of the grocery store)

Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a bowl.

2. Place 1 tsp. meat mixture in the center of a wonton skin.

Using a pastry brush, moisten the edges of the wonton skin with water.

Fold to form a triangle. Press edges together to seal.

Repeat over and over and over again (the recipe I used said it would make 48, I made 60).

Wonton Soup

Ingredients:

-36 wontons

-6 c. chicken broth

-4 scallions, sliced

-a few drops of sesame oil

Directions:

1) Bring a large pot of water to boil.

2) In another pot, heat the chicken broth.

3) Add wontons a few at a time to the boiling water, giving them room to float freely. Cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes.

4) Add boiled wontons to the broth. Add scallions and sesame oil to taste.

Fried Wontons

Ingredients:

-wontons (I had 24)

-peanut oil

Directions:

1) Heat about 1/8"-1/4" of oil in the bottom of a frying pan.

2) Add a batch wontons in a single layer. Allow to fry for 1 minute, then flip for about 45 seconds on the other side. Drain on paper towels.

3) Repeat with remaining wontons.

Sweet and Sour Pork

Ingredients:

-1/2 c. flour

-1 tsp. salt

-1 tsp. pepper

-1 lb. lean pork loin, cut into bite-sized pieces

-3 T. peanut oil

-2 green peppers, cut into large pieces

-1 onion, sliced

-1 carrot, peeled and sliced

-1/2 c. pineapple chunks

-1/2 c. pineapple juice

-1/4 c. white vinegar

-2 T. soy sauce

-1/4 c. brown sugar

-2 T. cornstarch

- a few drops of red food coloring

-Boiled rice, warm

Directions:

1) Prepare rice and keep warm.

2) Mix flour, salt and pepper in a large Ziploc bag. Add pork; seal and shake to coat each piece.

3) Heat oil in a large frying pan. Brown pork. Lower heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 mintues.

4) Add peppers, onion and carrot. Cook for 5 minutes.

5) Stir in pineapple, pineapple juice, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, cornstarch and food coloring.

6) Serve over cooked rice.

Chile

Pastel de Choclo

I made this delicious dish on Saturday, September 4. Andy, Mully and I all enjoyed it immensely, each taking seconds and relishing every bite. The flavors reminded me of Bolivia's Salteñas, which is not surprising given many of the similar ingredients. The meat mixture was savory and cumin-y, the olives added a nice metallic-y, salty surprise and the corn and basil topping was refreshingly sweet. I really, really enjoyed this meal and would definitely recommend it.

I used a combinations of this recipe and this one.



Ingredients:
-2 T. oil (I used olive)
-1 onion, finely chopped
-2-3 cloves garlic, minced
-1 lb. ground beef
-1 T. paprika
-1 tsp. cumin
-1 tsp. oregano
-1 c. water
-1 T. flour
-2 pieces cooked chicken, cut into cubes or strips
-1/4 c. black olives, sliced
-1/4 c. raisins
-1 lb. frozen corn, thawed
-1/4 c. cornmeal
-1-2 T. cornstarch
-1/4 c. fresh basil
-milk
-1 T. powdered sugar
-salt and pepper
-1 T. butter
-2-3 T. powdered sugar

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium flame. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Stir in garlic and sauté for another 1-2 minutes. Add beef, paprika, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper; sauté, breaking up the meat, until beef is just cooked through, 6-8 minutes.
2) Pour in water and bring to a simmer. Sprinkle flour over all and stir in well. Simmer for another 5-8 minutes until lightly thickened. Adjust seasoning, remove from hear and set aside.
3) Place the corn, cornmeal, cornstarch, basil and 1 T, powdered sugar in a food processor and process until well-pureed. With the blade running, add milk a little at a time until the corn forms a thick batter. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4) Melt the butter over medium low heat in a large saucepan. Add corn puree and cook, stirring constantly, until well-thickened, 5-8 minutes. Set aside.
4) Spread the beef mixture in a greased casserole dish. Arrange olives and raisins on top. Place chicken pieces over top. Top with the cooked corn puree and spread out evenly over the dish. Sprinkle the sugar over the corn topping.

Prior to baking; you can see the layering

Right before going in the oven

6) Set the dish in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until bubbling and golden brown on top.