Teriyaki Sauce

Aloha. This is my teriyaki, it might not be the most traditional sauce, but it is Brok' Da Mout (tastes delicious - yummy grinds)! It's also gluten free, for those that are into that.



3/4 cup Light Soy Sauce (gluten free)
1/4 cup Rice Wine Vinegar
3/4 cup Pineapple Juice - with or without crushed pineapple chunks
1/4 cup water
1 tsp Ginger Root - freshly grated
2-4 garlic cloves - crushed or minced
pinch of CRP
4 Tbls Brown Sugar - firmly packed
1 Tbls locally produced Honey
1/4 cup Cold Water
2 Tbls Corn Starch
1 Tbls Green Onion or Chives - thinly sliced on a bias

Mix all but the last three ingredients together in a medium sized saucepan.




Bring mixture to a boil, whisking occasionally.



When the sauce begins to boil, mix your cornstarch into the ice water until it's completely dissolved.

Whisk the slurry (ice cold liquid and a thickener) into your saucepan and immediately turn the heat down to medium low - low.



Let the sauce lightly simmer until it's at your desired thickness. The longer it cooks the thicker it will get. If it gets too thick, stir in a little more pineapple juice or water to thin it out.



I cook the sauce until it sticks to my spoon and leaves a line when I slide my finger down the spoon.





Either stir the scallions/chives into your sauce or sprinkle them over it after plating your dish.



This sauce has so many great uses: over chicken and rice with a side of macaroni salad (memories of my Hawaiian days), on a chicken sandwich or a hamburger, on pineapple skewers, as a marinade, in pasta salad, over grilled oysters, in a stir fry, over fish or tossed with noodles. I prefer ramen noodles with teriyaki, they hold up to the flavorful sauce.

Teriyaki makes a wonderful dip for stuff like spring rolls and dumplings.


Chicken Potstickers Recipe


Ramen Noodles topped with Teriyaki and Scallions


Tossed Noodles with Vegetables




Salmon Hot Pot Soup



Teriyaki over Poached Fish

Mahalo!

Fresh Pineapple Sweet and Sour Chicken

I learned to make this tasty dish when I lived in Hawaii. I make it in a wok, but it's also great cooked in an electric skillet, stove top, or on the grill outside. When I cook with my wok, I like to cook in stages, that way the wok doesn't cool down too much. When you're cooking in a wok you want to cook the food quickly at a high temperature, so cut the food into large, bit sized pieces before cooking and don't over crowd the pan.



This dish is versatile (and gluten free), so add or subtract the foods that you do or don't like. For instance, for a vegetarian meal, subtract the chicken and add extra veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, bok chow, mushrooms, snow peas, or any that you prefer.

Marinade
14 oz Chicken Tenders (breast or boneless thighs also work well)
1 T Onion - chopped
2 cloves Garlic - smashed
1/4 cup Pineapple Juice
3 T Soy Sauce
1 T EVOO
1/4 Serrano Pepper
Splash of Water

Slury
1/3 cup Pineapple Juice
1 T Brown Sugar
1 T Seasoned Rice Vinegar
1 T Soy Sauce
1/4 t Tomato Paste
1 T Cornstarch

Vegetables
5 Cloves of Garlic (split) 2 cloves sliced (optional) and 3 chopped
2 small or 1 large Carrot -sliced
1/2 Green Bell Pepper - diced
Serrano Pepper - very thinly sliced or finely chopped (optional)
1/2 Onion - diced
2 Roma Tomatoes - diced (seeds removed)
1/ fresh Pineapple - diced (skin/rind and core removed)

You'll also need cooking oil and a 1/4 cup of chicken stock or a combination of stock and sweet white wine.

Chicken Potstickers

Potstickers, like egg rolls and tamales are a great excuse to have a cooking party. Make the filling before your friends arrive. Then sit around the table together, fold, and fill. Be sure to make enough so that everyone gets some to go. Freeze the extras for latter. You don't have to defrost the potstickers before cooking, just increase the time a little.



These dumplings are great as a snack or a meal. I served them with swordfish and rice for dinner, and as an appetizer for that same dinner. We just couldn't get enough!



Chicken Breast* - ground**
Broccolini - finely chopped
Carrots - shredded
Cabbage - finely shredded
Red Bell Pepper - finely chopped
Garlic - finely chopped
Chives or Green onion - sniped
Soy Sauce
Rice Wine Vinegar
Sesame Oil
Wonton Wrappers
small bowl of Water
Cooking Oil
Chicken Stock*

In a small bowl, mix equal parts soy sauce and vinegar. Then add a very small amount of the oil and taste. You want the sesame to be subtle. Be careful not to over do it.

Next, mix the chicken and all the veggies (i.e. the next seven ingredients) together in a large bowl. Your clean hands work best for this task. At this time, mix the sauce in a spoon full at a time. The filling should be wet, but not runny.



Set one wonton wrapper in front of you and cover the rest with a damp cloth so they don't dry out. Place about 1/2 a teaspoon of the filling in the center of the wrapper.

Dip your finger in the bowl of water and then rub it around the edge of the wrapper. This will act as the glue to hold the sides together.

Then, you want to fold the wrapper so that all the air gets out and a tight seal is formed. There are many ways to do this. Experiment. Once you find a way you like, stick with it and you will become a very efficient dumpling maker. Tony helped me fold these, some of his looked nicer than mine. Who knew?



Once you have a batch sealed and ready to cook, heat a large pan. Add two tablespoons of oil and let it get very hot. Almost smoking hot.

Carefully, place your dumplings in the pan. They should not touch each other or the sides of the pan. Pour about a 1/4 cup of chicken stock in the pan and quickly cover it. Cook for 9-12 minutes, till the potstickers are crispy on the bottom and steamed on the other sides.



While this batch cooks, make more. When they are done, you can put the little purses in a warm oven or just start eating!

Serve with a soy, sweet and sour, or spicy mustard dipping sauce. A simple sauce can be made by adding chives and red pepper flakes or ground ginger to the left over sauce used to wet the chicken mixture.


*To make veggie potstickers omit the ground chicken and substitute the chicken stock with a vegetable stock.

**I used a food processor to grind my chicken, but you could buy it ground instead.