Pork & coriander dumpling noodle soup

For those who feel overwhelmed by the thought of re-creating a favorite Asian dish at home, the simplicity of this recipe makes this one a great meal to try.

For the ingredients, most will be available from your standard supermarket but for a complete (an often more economical) experience try shopping at your nearest Eastern supermarket. Put some extra time aside for this one as you'll most probably find yourself engrossed in exploring the aisles of your new found ethnic food bazarre.

This recipe makes roughly 25 dumplings & feeds four people. If you have time, the pork dumpling mixture can be made up to three days in advance & stored in an airtight container. By this stage the ginger & garlic flavors are well developed & most enhanced.

Shoppinglist:

200g Pork mince
frozen round, white dumpling wrappers (in this recipe I prefer the white, rather than the yellow variety)
500g bag fresh egg noodles
bunch fresh Bok Choy
sesame oil
bag fresh bean sprouts
bunch fresh coriander
bunch fresh garlic shoots (these are so delicious & versatile)
1 large garlic clove
3 by 4 inch piece of fresh ginger root
fish or squid sauce
soya sauce
fresh red or green chilli (heat according to preference)
palm sugar
sea salt



Defrost half the wrappers. Most come in bundles of two. Return one half to the freezer immediately as they will thaw quickly. Alternatively I have refrozen these wrappers in the past without any problems to flavor or texture.

In a bowl combine pork mince, 2 tablespoons fish sauce, fresh chilli, loosely packed 1/2 cup coriander leaves, 1 tablespoon grated palm sugar, 2 teaspoons sea salt, grated ginger root, garlic, 1/4 cup chopped, fresh garlic shoot. Place small amount of mixture in center of dumpling wrapper and work from the center out. A small amount of water on the edges will help the wrapper to adhere. Too much mixture will result in a difficult to close wrapper. After a couple of attempts you will be able to gauge the perfect amount for your individual wrapper. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel (to prevent wrappers becoming dry) & set aside.

In a deep pan bring 6 cups of filtered water to the boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Add the noodles & cook for five minutes. Add the half the dumplings, half the bok choy (leaves halved), two large handfuls of the sprouts, 1 tablespoon sea salt & palm sugar, 5 tablespoons fish sauce. The dumplings will take roughly five minutes to cook. By this time the vegetables will be just tender. Arrange the noodles into bowls, followed by the dumplings & vegetables. Lastly pour over the liquid to form the soup. Return the rest of the pan to the heat & repeat process. I prefer to cook in half batches to prevent the dumplings from sticking (they will!). Finally serve with lashings of drizzled sesame oil, fresh chopped coriander & halved lengths of garlic shoot.

Day of the Disposable

Day of the Peaceful World

Laura



Laura is earnest
erring on the side of caution
night
a brittle filament
from under which
she crawls.
Dexter carves the ocean
starves salt
from the walls
of their forgotten country home.
Alice is ignition
lighting fires around the yard.
Together smoke emerges
from a total fire ban.





Jordan



Jordon crossing
the night in infinite blue
a battlefield of expression

Jordan in shadow
we move closer
to the promise of flight
the gritty orange halo
of a street light
charts a path to your door
a third love
rigid
arrives neatly
wrapped in a Halloween joke
conducts a love poem for a lapis tree.
We have mountains and under them
the air spirals
dark & magick.


* * *


For years you bathed
fully clothed
your back to the North
your legs a plain sail
the ocean’s neat divide
pristine between us

the water shed
made buoyant by your plain white legs
purple toes
on rested taps
an alliance
between river basins.

Tuatua Fritters w. Paw Paw & Mango Salsa

Tuatua Fritters (serves 2)
The succulent mollusc I grew up believing to be Pipi were recently revealed to me as Tuatua, a similar & equally delicious shellfish variety found on the lower West coast of New Zealand.

After collecting your Tuatua from a vanishing low tide be sure to allow 24 hours for them to spit any sand deposits. If not, this can result in an impossibly gritty fritter. This must be done in an ample supply of seawater (fresh water will spoil the Tuatua rather quickly). If collected in the height of summer be conscious of where you store the Tuatua during this process. Too warm & the water will stagnate (also spoiling the Tuatua). If you can fit your catch in the fridge - do so!

Gently steam 20-30 medium/large Tuatua until shells open. It is hard to resist sampling a small handful, as the flesh is juicy & the flavour sweet & uncomplicated. Depending on the size chop the Tuatua roughly into small bite sizes. To make six large fritters you should have three cups of diced Tuatua.

In a separate bowl mix 3/4 C fresh breadcrumbs. I like to use a bread variety with a heavy grain to keep the bread rub coarse. Add to this mix one large free range egg, a clove of chopped/crushed garlic & one small, finely chopped red onion. If readily on hand a splash of good quality fish sauce is a nice flavor enhancer but don't overdo it. Add the Tuatua and stir a little. Next I add 1/4 to 1/2 of wholemeal organic flour and a light sprinkling of baking powder. This helps to combat density that can often be the result of an overcooked (BBQ'd) fritter. More or less flour determines how well this fritter holds. I prefer a crumbly fritter to a stodgy one so give or take this ingredient depending on your personal preference. I like to finish this batter with a good shake of organic herb salt or garlic salt. Often I use a combination of the two.

Cook in a heated skillet with a good quality oil until both sides are golden.


Paw Paw & Mango Salsa

This time of year, why not take advantage of heavily reduced imported Tropical fruits such as luscious mango & paw paw. This salsa is delicious with most seafood, chicken & pork and is great for the joints & the skin. Also, every discerning woman should know that a combination of mango & paw paw can be ingested for beauty that radiates or applied to the face for skin that simply glows.

Peel and roughly chop one mango & half a pitted paw paw. Finely chop a small red onion and combine in a bowl with a good squirt of lemon & a large sliced avocado. The avocado adds a creaminess that balances that fruit & tempers the onion.