photo by Tracy Hunter

Dim sum started out as modest tea house snacks.  That is really not the way Americans partake, but that shouldn't surprise anyone.  Dim sum has become something else entirely - an active weekend brunch where you try to convince the waiters to bring just one more order of Xiao Long Bao or Salt & Pepper Shrimp while carts of buns and dumplings whizz by.  Seating is tight, the wait staff is busy and after a while anyone would be convinced they are hoarding the soup dumplings for their best customers.

I decided to try Dim sum as a breakfast, since I intended to do breakfasts for the month of September.  Sometimes I already know how to make something, its just a matter of getting it down.  This was not one of those times.  It never occurred to me that Dim Sum was something to try at home, and there is probably good reason...

Honestly, the real deal, the fancy little dumplings in nearly translucent wrappers are more than a little intimidating.  I know how they are made, but I am not ready to dive off the cliff of perfection required to get them right.  This is a good first step, but doesn't hold a candle to the delicate little dumplings that really made dim sum such a fantastic experience.

Unless I am thrust into a Dim Sum kitchen or asked to participate in a Dim Sum pot luck, I doubt I will ever make these again.  Sure, there is justice and satisfaction in abusing a staple of the southern kitchen (white bread), but these little buns land on my table with about the same impact as fried empanadas.  That said, here they are.  I obviously need to make those beautiful little dumplings now.

Chicken Curry Bun - Dim Sum

1/2 a large sweet potato, diced

5 Tbsp oil

1 medium onion, diced

14oz can fire roasted tomatoes

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 in grated ginger

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup water or chicken broth

1 Tbsp white wine or sherry

2 lbs chicken breast, cut into pea sized pieces

1 Tbsp corn starch blended with 1 Tbsp water

Loaf of soft white sandwich bread

1 egg

Oil for frying

Spice Mix:

2 Tbsp curry powder

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp white pepper

Filling

1. Dice the potatoes, boil for 25 minutes, strain and set aside.


2. At the same time, cook the onion in the oil until translucent.


3. Add the tomatoes, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, water, wine and spices.  Cover and cook for 12 minutes.


4. Add the chicken, stir and cook for 12 minutes.


5. Uncover, add the potatoes and corn starch blend.  Cook for 1 minute and remove from heat.

The buns

1. Heat the oil over medium-high heat, but do not let it smoke (not over 400 degrees)


2. Trim the crusts off the bread.  Separate the yolk from the egg and beat with a little water.


3. Roll the bread out flat with a rolling pin until they are very flat.


4. Put some filling  in each piece.  Brush the edge of the bread with the egg wash and fold the bread over on itself to form a bun.  Trim the bun back with a knife (I use an empanada cutter)


5. Fry each bun in the oil.  It only takes about 1 minute each side.  Drain on paper towels.

photo by erewhon

Anyone travelling to New Orleans  will eventually make their way to Café Du Monde.  The New Orleans landmark either lives in the shadow of the farmer's market or provides its anchor.  Since its open 24 hours a day, vistor's memories of Café Du Monde will differ.  Some recall pleasant breakfasts drinking strong café au lait with chicory and eating warm beignets while the French Quarter starts the day.  Some recall a late night dessert to bring a night of drinking to an end.

Folks from New Orleans will most likely tell you their preference for a competitor - the Morning Call Coffee Stand.  According to their site, Morning Call has been making their version of Beignet's since 1870.  Some years back they left their French Quarter digs and moved to Metaire (Fat City).  Since you can buy beignet mix in some grocery stores, I thought it wiser to take a shot at Morning Call.  Especially since, frankly, they're better.

There are plenty of recipes for Café Du Monde beignets.  They all share a common flaw - they are way too large.  Unless you are planning to make doughnuts for the whole of the 9th Ward, you really want a recipe that makes a half dozen beignets, not 5-6 dozen.  This recipe takes care of that problem in two ways - frozen dough and a bread backup.  The dough is made ahead of time and frozen in whatever portions you like.  If you split the dough in two, you will end up with enough dough (after you've made your beignets) to make a loaf of sweet bread or yeast rolls.  This recipe assumes you have divided the dough recipe into two portions, but you can just as easily do many smaller batches and skip the bread altogether.

Beignets

Bread Dough:

2/3 cup lukewarm water

1 pkg. active dry yeast

1 1/2 cup water or milk

1/2 cup canola oil

2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1 cup sugar

5-6 cups flour

Beignets:

Frozen bread dough

Powdered sugar

To make the dough:

1. Dissolve yeast in a yeast a large mixing bowl with the warm water.  Let stand for 15 minutes.


2. Add the water/milk, oil, salt and sugar to the yeast and blend well.


3. Add the flour a cup at a time, blending until the dough starts to form.


4. Split the dough into two portions and freeze them both.

To make the beignets:

1. The night before you plan to have beignets, take the frozen dough out.    Wait until the end of the night.  Spread flour on a plate and put the dough on the plate.  Dust the top of the dough with flour and cover with a glass cover.  The dough is going to expand overnight.


2. In the morning, spread plenty of flour out on a board.  Be generous with the flour.


3. Roll the dough out to be about 1/8 - 1/4" thick.  Cut into 2 1/2" squares.


4. Heat 2-3" of cooking oil in a small pan to 375 degrees.


5. Cook each square, 2-3 at a time, until golden brown.  Usually just a minute or so per side.


6. Give each beignet a heavy dusting of powdered sugar.

To make the bread:

1. Grease your hands well.  Take the remaining dough and form it into a loaf or rolls.  Cover the loaf and let it rise an additional 45 minutes.


2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.


3. Using a greased pan, parchment paper or grease muffin tins, bake the bread for 30 minutes.


4. Remove from the oven and let the oven cool to 250 degrees.  Coat the bread with olive oil, cooking oil or butter to finish.  Bake another 30 minutes at 250 degrees.

photo by Duane Storey

I only know Costa Rica as a surf destination.  There are a wealth of things to do, but my experience is defined by a very cheap and lazy agenda - surf in the morning, have a good breakfast, cruise through the rest of the day with nothing really pressing or important.  If the waves are good, maybe its worth going surfing some more, but in general, they're not.  Food, was rarely at the top of my list.  Maybe this is typical of beach towns, but it seemed like every meal was some form of rice.  I thought the lack of variety actually helped with the effects of decompression.  Who needs a menu?  Just let me have some arroz con pollo and an Imperial, no need to rush.

Breakfast on the beach in Costa Rica is defined by one food - Gallo Pinto.  There must be a rule that if you have a kitchen, you have to serve it.  All that availability tends to drive down the price.  Last time I was there it seemed like $1 was the going rate for a nice plate of rice and beans with seasonings.  By the end of your first stay, Gallo Pinto seemed more natural and comforting than cereal with cold milk.

The real challenge to making Gallo Pinto outside of Costa Rica is the added sauce - Lizano Salsa.  Sure, you can substitute Worcestershire sauce, but its just not going to be the same.  I've tried to make it work with simple Worcestershire and there is something missing.  Perhaps equal parts mustard and Worcestershire sauce would do the trick, but Lizano is easier to come by than you might imagine.  Just hard to find at the corner store.  In Tamarindo, sure...

Gallo Pinto

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1/2 medium onion

1/2 red bell pepper

1-2 cloves of garlic

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 in ground ginger

1 cup cooked black beans

2 cups cooked rice

4 tsp Lizano Salsa

1 tsp butter

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.


2. Sauté the onion until the onion begins to soften and become translucent.


3. Add the garlic and pepper and cook for 5 minutes.


4. Add the cumin and ginger and mix through.


5. Add the beans and cook until hot.


6. Add the rice and cook until hot.  Break up and clumps in the rive


7. Add the salsa and butter and mix thoroughly.


8. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve hot.

I think the best way to do this is to stack a sunny-side-up fried egg on the rice.  Then you can manage the warm yolk as it mixes with the rice and meat.  You'll notice something missing in this recipe - the beef tapas.  I use day old carne asada.  In fact, tapsilog is the perfect way to use up highly seasoned meat left over from a day of grilling.  Fajitas, carne asada, kebabs - they all work wonders.  Not to mention it makes for a fantastic breakfast.  I might eventually figure out how to make beef tapas, but this is such a great compliment to an afternoon lunch of carne asada, it really seems like a waste.

Tapsilog

Garlic Rice:

1 1/2 cups cooked rice, preferably cooked the night before

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 medium onion, minced

Salt & pepper

1 Tbsp soy sauce

Directions

1. Sauté the garlic and onion in the oil over medium heat until the onion becomes translucent, usually a couple minutes.


2. Add the rice and mix well, breaking down any clumps.


3. Add the soy sauce, mix well, remove from heat.

Tapsilog:

Fry an egg whatever style you like.  Make sure to use black pepper to season the egg.

Make a mound of rice by packing a bowl then inverting the bowl onto a plate.  Put the egg on top of the mound.  Add the meat.

Other Tapsilog blogs:

http://80breakfasts.blogspot.com/2007/06/sunday-brunch-meme-tapsilog.html

http://pinoyfoodblog.com/restaurant-and-eating-places/tapsilog-from-rodics-diner/