Author: Michael

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Stuffed Vine Leaves – Authentic Turkish Dolma

(Mine didn’t look exactly like this but pretty close 🙂 – And it wasn’t a lack of effort

 

TOTAL TIME
2hrs 30mins
PREP 1 HR 30 MINS
COOK 1 HR

“Dolma” in Turkish translates to any vegetable stuffed with a rice-based mixture. Lots of spices are used for the stuffing. For me, the most important one is the lemon salt. It gives a nice aromatic taste, which can not be replaced by the combination of lemon juice and table salt. If you can not locate any lemon salt, don’t forget to replace it with only half the amount of kosher salt (two tbsp will be too much) and juice of half a lemon. The process may be a little confusing, you can check out step-by-step pictures at my blog here: http://cafefernando.com/?p=42

INGREDIENTSNutrition

1040 dolmas

DIRECTIONS

  1. Dice the onions and sauté with 1/4 cup of olive oil.
  2. When they turn translucent, add the pine nuts and sauté for 5 more minutes.
  3. Add rice and stir constantly for 5-10 minutes until the rice is translucent.
  4. Add the spices (dried mint, cinnamon, lemon salt, black pepper, dried currants, sugar and allspice) and chopped parsley.
  5. After another quick stir, add 1/2 cup of boiling water and simmer on low medium heat for 15-20 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed by the rice mixture.
  6. Take off heat and let cool.
  7. And now, here comes the fun part. Traditionally, you would put a spoonful of the cooled mixture in the center of the top part of the leaf, fold the sides inwards and then roll the leaf like a cylinder. But since I have “The Ultimate Dolma Machine” (follow the link mentioned in the description section), I just placed a leaf on the rubber compartment of the machine, put a tbps of mixture in the middle and with a single slide, there comes my dolma from the other side of the machine. The process was a breeze. It took me only 10 minutes to roll nearly 40 perfectly shaped dolmas. Below is the process fully photographed.
  8. As the final step, spread a layer of vine leaves on the bottom of a large and heavy pot (to prevent the stuffed leaves from burning).
  9. Lay all your dolmas side by side and tuck very tightly.
  10. Transfer the remaining 1/4 cups of olive oil, juice of half a lemon and 2 cups of boiling water, cover with a plate upside down (so that the dolmas don’t move around in boiling water) and bring to a boil.
  11. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until all the water is absorbed (roughly 45-60 minutes).
  12. Transfer to your serving dish and let cool.
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Bánh Mì Sandwich

This is the recipe I used to compile my pickled carrots & radish with sticky chicken and the modified baguette recipe. I didn’t end up making my own mayonnaise. I couldn’t find Maggi seasoning so I used light soy-sauce.

For each sandwich:

1 petit baguette roll or a 7-inch section cut from a regular length baguette, purchased or homemade
Mayonnaise, real (whole egg) or homemade mayonnaise
Maggi Seasoning sauce or soy sauce
Your choice of boldly-flavored meat or tofu, sliced and at room temperature
3 or 4 thin seeded cucumber strips, pickling or English variety preferred
2 or 3 cilantro sprigs, roughly chopped
3 or 4 thin jalapeño pepper slices
Everyday Daikon and Carrot Pickle (do chua)

  1. Slit the bread lengthwise, and then use your fingers or a bread knife to hollow out the insides, making a trough in both halves. Discard the insides or save it for another use, such as breadcrumbs. If necessary, crisp up the bread in a toaster oven preheated to 325ºF, and then let it cool for a minute before proceeding.
  2. Generously spreading the inside with mayonnaise. Drizzle in some Maggi Seasoning sauce or soy sauce. Start from the bottom portion of bread to layer in the remaining ingredients. (As with all sandwiches, you’ll eventually develop an order for layering the filling so as to maximize the interaction between flavors and textures.) Close the sandwich, cut it in half crosswise for easy eating, and enjoy.

 

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Vietnamese Sticky Chicken with Daikon and Carrot Pickle (for Bánh Mì)

Gourmet March 2005

The chicken and pickled vegetables are meant to be wrapped up in lettuce leaves and eaten with your hands.

  • Yield: Makes 4 servings
  • Active Time: 30 min
  • Total Time:  35 min

I used this recipe for the “bold flavors” in my chicken Bánh Mì recipe. I also used this recipe for my pickled carrots and beets. That’s all I got from this recipe

Ingredients

For Chicken

  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Sriracha or other Asian hot chile sauce
  • 1 1/2 lb skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices

For Pickle

  • 2 medium carrots, peeled
  • 1/2 lb daikon radish, peeled
  • 1/2 cup rice vinegar (not seasoned)
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Special Equipment

  • A Japanese Benriner* or other adjustable-blade slicer; a well-seasoned ridged grill pan

Accompaniments

  • At least 8 large red- or green-leaf lettuce leaves; about 8 fresh mint, basil, and/or cilantro sprigs; Sriracha or other Asian hot chile sauce

Instructions

  1. Marinate chicken:
    • Whisk together garlic, sugar, fish sauce, oil, lime juice, and hot sauce in a large bowl until sugar is dissolved.
    • Add chicken and toss to coat, then marinate 15 minutes.
  2. Make pickle while chicken marinates:
    • Cut carrots and radish into 1/8-inch-thick matchsticks (2 inches long) with slicer.
    • Whisk together vinegar, sugar, and salt in a bowl until sugar is dissolved, then add vegetables and toss to combine.
    • Let stand, tossing occasionally, until wilted, about 15 minutes.
  3. Grill chicken:
    • Heat grill pan over moderately high heat until hot, then grill chicken in 4 batches, turning over once with tongs, until just cooked through, about 1 minute total per batch.
    • Transfer chicken to a plate as grilled and keep warm, covered with foil. Serve with pickle and accompaniments.