The best dumplings in Sydney are found in Ashfield

I love Chinese dumplings-the boiled, steamed, deep-fried and pan-fried. Dumpling is carb, protein and fiber in one perfect little parcel. While I have been to many restaurants that charge big bucks for mediocre Chinese dumplings, there is one place that I can't stop going back to, for both culinary and economic reasons-the dumplings there are addictive, to say the least, and the price tag is negligible compared to the quality and quantity you are getting. And no, the place is not some fancy well-decorated restaurant in the City, it is a small and humble diner on the main drag in Ashfield (for those international readers, it is a suburb in Sydney). Don't be put off by its idiotically generic name: "Chinese Dumpling Restaurant" (located at 355 Liverpool Rd, Ashfield, Sydney), as most Chinese restaurant owners seem to be too busy cooking to care about the name of their restaurant. The regulars are certainly not put off by the name at all, as the tiny diner is always packed to the ceiling everytime I am there. The food is deceivingly good, especially given the price. For AUD$7.5, you get 16 boiled home-made dumplings, and for AUD$8.5, you get 12 pan-fried dumplings. I always go straight to the pan-fried ones, as the crispy bottom, perfectly-steamed top and juicy filling always get the better of me. 10 seconds later, I find myself having wolfed down a dozen dumplings and wanting more. Luckily, there is always plenty of dumpling vinegar to keep my digestive system going! BRING ON ANOTHER DOZEN, I SAY! 

Bulgogi-grilled beef with a twist

As a carnivore, I love my beef dearly. While I do love a good ol' steak and chips, sometimes I just crave something a bit more...interesting, if you will. Bulgogi is a simple Korean grilled marinated beef dish, commonly eaten in a lettuce roll with kimchi, Doenjang (Korean fermented soybean paste), rice and other side dishes and condiments. The secret to tender and sweet beef is in the marinade. Can you spot the secret ingredient in Bulgogi?

Bulgogi, served with lettuce, kimchi, Doenjang (Korean fermented soybean sauce) and steamed rice

Ingredients for Bulgogi (serves 4-6):

• 600 grams scotch fillet (or other lean cuts of beef)
• ¾ cup light soy sauce
• ¼ cup water
• 40 grams caster sugar
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 nashi/Asian pear
• 1 large onion (brown or white)
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• Black pepper and salt to taste
• 1 brown or white onion, sliced
• Shallots, sliced

Method:

1. Slice the beef as thin as possible. Add in soy sauce, water, sugar, garlic, salt and black pepper. Puree the pear and onion in a blender and add to the marinade. Leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes
2. Add sesame oil to the marinade right before grilling. Note: add the sesame oil earlier if you prefer a stronger sesame oil flavour
3. Heat a lightly-oiled heavy based grill pan or non-stick pan on high heat. Cook the marinated beef (minus the marinade) for around 2-3 minutes. Add a little marinade so that the beef would not dry out. Add sliced onion and cook for a minute or two, until the onion starts to collapse. Add sliced spring onion before turning off the heat
4. Serve bulgogi hot with a small amount of steamed rice, kimchi and a small amount of fermented soybean paste on a lettuce leaf. Roll up and enjoy! Note: it is considered rude in Korean etiquette to bite into the lettuce roll, so make sure your lettuce roll is small enough to fit into one mouth full!

Teriyaki chicken-simple, healthy, exotic and delicious

Chicken Teriyaki served with rice and Japanese coleslaw

Ingredients for the teriyaki chicken (serves 4):

·         6 tbsp light soy sauce

·         6 tbsp of mirin

·         6 tbsp cooking sake

·         4-6 tbsp of caster sugar (depending on how sweet you like your teriyaki)

·         1 clove garlic, bruised/lightly crushed 

·         4 large chicken thighs, diced

Method:

1. Mix the soy sauce, mirin, cooking sake, sugar and garlic. Leave the diced chicken to marinate in the mixture for 10-15 minutes
2. Saute the marinated chicken (minus the marinade) in a non-stick pan on medium high heat for a minute or two, or until they are slightly cameralised on the outside
3. Pour the teriyaki marinade over the chicken pieces in the pan and bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to medium to medium low so the mixture simmers. Cook with the lid for 5-6 minutes, or until the chicken pieces are cooked through
4. Remove the cooked chicken pieces with a slotted spoon and turn the heat up to reduce the sauce to a glossy, luster and slightly thickened teriyaki sauce
5. Return the cooked chicken back to the teriyaki sauce and toss well to make sure the chicken pieces are well coated. Serve with steamed Japanese rice (sushi rice or any short-grain rice) and Japanese coleslaw (see recipe below).

The juicy chicken coated in the glossy and thick Teriyaki sauce is best served with steamed rice and a refreshing Japanese coleslaw or salad, as the rice soaks up every drop of the flavoursome sauce, and the coleslaw freshens the palate and provides a much-needed tang to the dish. Also try Teriyaki salmon.

Ingredients for the Japanese coleslaw (serves 4-6):

Ingredients:

• 1/6 of a small red cabbage, shredded
• 1/4 of a small white cabbage, shredded
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 1 shallot, chopped finely
• 1/6 of a Spanish/red onion, shredded (optional)
• Japanese mayonnaise
• fresh orange juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Mix the shredded cabbages, carrot and Spanish onion and finely chopped shallot in a salad bowl
2. Whisk Japanese mayonnaise and orange juice together in a bowl to form a salad dressing consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add to the cabbage mixture and toss to combine. Voila!

Emma’s Japchae-korean comfort food

Emma’s Japchae (note: the picture below depicts a chicken Japchae)

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 150 grams scotch fillet or any other lean cuts of beef
• 250 grams Japchae sweet potato noodles (around half a packet, however, you can put in more and less noodles, depending on your liking)
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 large carrot (or two small carrots), julienned
• 1 large green or red capsicum, cut into thin strips
• 6 small dried shitake mushrooms, rehydrated in warm water for 1 hour, and cut into thin strips
• 2-3 Chinese black fungus, rehydrated in warm water for 1 hour and cut into thin strips
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Sauce for the noodles:

• 4-5 tbsp light soy sauce (to taste)
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp of sugar

 Ingredients for the beef marinade:

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp of sesame oil
• 1 tbsp of caster sugar
• 4 tbsp of light soy sauce
• Black pepper

 Method:

1. Cut the beef into thin strips and marinate in garlic, sesame oil, caster sugar, light soy sauce and black pepper for 30 minutes
2. Marinate the sliced shitake mushrooms with a pinch of sugar, a drizzle of light soy sauce and sesame oil, set aside
3. Cook the sweet potato noodles in boiling water for 5 minutes (or according to the packet instruction). Rinse in cold water well and drain well. Cut noodles with a pair of scissors. Add the sauce for the noodles and mix well. Set aside
4. Stir-fry the vegetables separately (one ingredient at a time) in a lightly oiled non-stick pan on high heat with a pinch of salt (to help draw the liquid out and help the vegetables collapse faster) and set aside
5. Stir-fry the shitake mushrooms and black fungus, and set aside
6. Stir-fry the marinated beef with garlic on high heat for a couple of minutes and set aside
7. Stir-fry the noodles for a couple of minutes on high heat to allow it to absorb the flavour and colour of the sauce mixture. Put the stir-fried noodles in a large bowl and mix with the cooked beef, vegetables and mushrooms. Add more light soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil to taste (it is a little like ‘salad dressing’ to this noodle dish, as the soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil help bring everything together. Make sure to taste before adding more in order to adjust the quantity to personal preference) while the noodles and other cooked ingredients are still warm. Mix well
8. Serve warm or cold, on its own or with steamed rice and Kimchi. The noodles should be glossy, shiny, soft and slightly chewy. Note: you can add English spinach, strips of omelette, Chinese broccoli, seafood and/or a variety of Asian mushrooms, and substitute beef with chicken or pork in this very ‘forgiving’ recipe. When it comes to what you put in Japchae, the sky is the limit!