Happy Year of the Tiger

Happy Year

Of The Tiger

February 14 is the New Year of the Tiger. Chinese New Year is all about enjoying good food with your family and friends. It means so much more when it is made at home. Enjoy our suggested Chinese New Year Dishes.

Recipe	Recipe	Recipe	Recipe
Recipe	Recipe	Recipe	Recipe

Copyright ©2010 Lizabetti.com, All Rights Reserved

Cool and Spicy Shrimp Spring Rolls

My husband introduced me to these roll on our 21st anniversary.  The filling was a little different, but quite tasty nonetheless.  Once I found the spring roll skin at our local Asian market, I thought it would be great to make them.  I just filled them with the taste that we love.  I think that you can put just about anything into them.  I have made them with grilled salmon instead of the shrimp.  That is the hubby's favorite.  The one key thing I learned as I experimented with these rolls is that the rice vermicelli works best because it is sticky when wet and it will stay put.  I tried using the bean thread vermicelli and its too slippery, making the rolling process rather difficult.   Also, I found that rolling the spring rolls worked best on a silicone mat.  The mats are available at most kitchen stores and are usually used for baking.  I find that the silicone helps the skin not stick to its surface, making the rolling process a breeze.

The great thing about these rolls is that they are served cold, which makes them a perfect appetizer on a hot summer day, just serve with hot sauce and your favorite cocktail!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of finely sliced lettuce-iceberg works best
• 1 small bundle of rice vermicelli
• 8 grilled shrimps or boiled
• 1 cup of daikon/cucumber salad 
• a handful of cilantro
• 4 spring roll skins
• 1 silicone mat
• a shallow container large enough for the spring roll to fit in

Directions:

1.  Prepare the daikon/cucumber salad.  Julienne the daikon and cucumber.  I find that this works best by first finely slicing the daikon and cucumber at an angle.  Then, cutting each slice into thin pieces about width of a matchstick.  Add about 2 tbsp of finely minced cilantro.  Marinate in about 2 tbsp of soy sauce and 1 tbsp of sesame oil.  Set aside for about 15 minutes or so. 
2. To season the shrimp for grilling, use 1 tsp of garlic powder, 1tsp of onion powder, 1 tbsp of soy sauce, 1 tbsp of sesame oil.  Toss and set aside.
   
3. Soak the rice vermicelli in hot water until it is soft.  It should take about 5 minutes or less.  Drain and set aside.
   
4. If you are grilling the shrimp, set the grill on medium/high and cook for about 2-3 minutes per side.  When the shrimp turns pink, you know its time to flip them.  This can also be done with a heavy bottome skillet.
   
5. To assemble the rolls, fill a wide flat bottom dish with warm water.  Place one spring roll skin in the water.  Putting more than one skin in the water will just give you a huge mess.  The skins won't separate easily once they are wet, so you will have to end up tossing all of them out.  The skin should become soft almost immediately.  Remove the skin from the water and gently shake any excess water from the skin. 
   
6. Place the skin on the silicone mat.  
   
7. Place a small amount of the sliced lettuce on the upper 1/3 of the spring roll skin.
   
8. Next lay a small quantity of the rice vermicelli.
   
9. Add the daikon/cucumber salad.  It is best if you drain the salad a bit.  If you add too much of the liquid from the salad, it will make the rolls soggy.
   
10. Next add 2 shrimps.
    
11. Place 2-3 sprigs of cilantro on top of the shrimps.
    
12. Now to roll the whole thing.  Take the top flap and fold it over the filling.
    
13. Next fold each of the side in.
    
14. Finally, roll the rest of the skin unto itself.
    
15. Roll the remaining spring rolls.
    
16. Serve with your favorite Asian dipping sauce.
    
    
    
    
    

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Copyright © 2010 Lizabetti.com, All Rights Reserved

Tasty Baked Kibbe (Kobeiba Shamy)

This is one my favorite dishes that Gedo makes. There are probably endless variations to this dish, but I love this version. Not only is it great the day you make, the leftovers freeze really well. We enjoy eating the kibbe with a little yogurt dip and hummus. It is great as a lunch leftover since it can be served at room temperature.

This dish is also very healthy because the burgul wheat is high in fiber, it is baked so it is low in fat. It is also very economical because the wheat helps to stretch the meat.

In Egypt, this dish is called Kobeiba Shamy. It is named after an ethnic population in Egypt, the Shamy people, who originated in Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. The Shamy people are famous for their delicious dishes, which are distinct in style and flavor from other Egyptian foods.

Now Gedo is actually from Jordan, so his style of making this dish is very authentic.

Ingredients:

The crust layers

• 1 lb of ground lean ground beef
  
• 2 cups of burghul #2 (Bulgur wheat)
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp of black pepper
• 1/8 tsp of allspice
• 1/4 cup of pine nuts
  

The meat filling

• 2 lbs coarsely chopped lean beef
• 2-3 medium size onions
• 1/2 clove of garlic
• 1/2 cup of coarsely chopped garlic
• 1/2 tbsp of salt
• 1/2 tbsp of black pepper
• 1/2 tbsp of allspice
• 1 tbsp of dried oregano
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• two 9 x 12 baking dishes
  

Directions:

1. Rinse and soak the burgul wheat for about 30 minutes in lukewarm water. I like to use the #2 burgul because it is coarse giving the dish a nice texture. Gedo uses the finer burgul. This is just a matter of preference.
2. Trim and coarsely chop the lean beef. Set the beef on a paper towel which will help to soak any liquid from the beef. This will ensure that the beef brown nicely, rather than be steamed in its own juices. Set the meat aside. If you are short on time, you can substitute this ingredient with ground beef.
3. Coarsely chop the onions.Clean and trim the parsley.
   
4. Coarsely chop the parsley.
5. Finely chop the garlic.
6. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
7. Using a large sauce pan, heat it on medium high. Add 2 tbsp of olive oil and brown the coarsely chopped beef.
8. Mix in the salt and allspice.
9. Once the meat is nicely browned, add the chopped onions and garlic. Cook them for a few minutes, until fragrant.
10. Drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil into the beef mixture. Mix the parsley in and cook until the parsley is wilted. Remove from the heat and set it aside.

10. Drain the burgul and place in a large container. Add the ground meat and remaining ingredients for the crust. Now for some fun. You need to thoroughly incorporate the beef with the burgul. This is best done using your hands. Kneed the mixture with your hands until it is completely mixed together. It should have the consistency of dough. Divide the mixture into approximately 4 portions. Two of the portions will be used for the bottom layers and 2 will become the top crust for the dishes.
11. Drizzle about 2 tbsp of olive oil into each of the 2 baking dishes.Take 1/4 of the crust mixture and press into each of the baking dishes. Use your hands to work the mix into a nice even bottom layer. There should be no gaps in the layer.
12. Diviide the cook meat mixture between the 2 dishes. Spread it even over the dishes.

13. For each of the top crust layer, take a small quantity of the mixture and form a flat patty with your hand. Careful place it on top of the other layers. Continue until you have cover the entire dish. You will have small gaps as you cover the layers with the final crust. Repeat this process for the remaining dish.
14. Fill a small bowl with water and wet your hand. Take your wet hand and careful smooth the top layer of the dish until all the small gaps have been fill in. Do not press hard. It should be a gentle smoothing over. Continue doing this until you have a nice smooth top layer.
15. Using a sharp knife, first score the dish into 3 lengthwise sections and 4 crosswise sections. When you are satisfied with the size of your sections, Cut the sections all the way through.
16. Place a few pieces of pine nuts onto each portion. Gently press the nuts in.
17. Bake for about 30 minutes in the oven. You will know that the dish is done when the top becomes a nice golden brown.
    
18. Cool for about 10 minutes and serve with yogurt sauce and hummus.
19. One of the dishes will generously serve 4-6. The other dish can be refrigerated or frozen

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Copyright © 2009 Lizabetti.com, All Rights Reserved