Jamie's Favourite Chip Buttie with a Balsamic Reduction

So my boyfriend wasn't feeling too good and was in need of some good comfort food. This chip buttie serves to be quite a quick and easy meal, as well as a good crowd pleaser. You may find yourself eating more than one, and they don't leave you with that overly heavy feeling afterwards.  Anyway, this is my take on the good ol' chip buttie and I hope it inspires you with alternative fillings for this classic.

Ingredients:

- Hamburger rolls
- Oven chips (prepared following packet instructions)
- Shiitake bacon bits (recipe here)
- Sauerkraut
- Tofutti mozzarella style cheese slices
- Sliced avocado
- Vegan gravy (prepared following packet intructions)
- Some sort of relish to use as a spread (I used a chilli one)
- 1 head of cos lettuce
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 clove of garlic, peeled and lightly crushed with the side of a knife
- 1 tsp mixed dried herbs
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 1 cup swiss brown mushrooms, sliced

Method:

Preheat the griller on a medium heat and slice the hamburger buns open. Once hot, put the buns in the griller, crusty side up. Make sure that you keep watch of them regularly to ensure that they don't start to burn. Should take about 15 minutes.While the buns are grilling, you should have sufficient time to get the mushroom and red onion in a balsamic reduction going. In a small saucepan, bring your balsamic vinegar to the boil over medium heat. Add in your garlic clove, dried mixed herbs, and dried thyme. Now you want to allow it to reduce. Do not increase the heat in hope of quickening the process as it can ruin it. It should take about 15 minutes to halve in volume. Remove from the heat and fish out the garlic clove. For future reference, this reduction can be prepared and stored in the fridge for a week, and also be used as a salad dressing or a drizzle for vegetables.

 

In a lightly oiled pan over medium heat, begin to fry the mushroom and onion. After a minute or so, add the balsamic vinegar reduction and stir fry for 10 minutes.

Once done, transfer the mixture onto absorbent paper.

Now comes the time to assemble the chip butties. Spread relish over the hamburger buns and lay down a layer of chips. Next pour over some gravy and top with a slice of Tofutti cheese. Add some avocado slices and a layer of the herby mushroom and onion balsamic reduction. Next comes the sauerkraut and cos lettuce to finish. Lastly place on the top part of the bun and enjoy this delicious treat while it's hot!

The Best Vegan Tofu Gyoza!

I love gyoza, I really do. Although they can be time consuming to prepare, the hard work all pays off when you feel the appreciation and enjoyment from sharing these cute little homemade morsels with family and loved ones, considering each piece is delicately crafted by hand.  I'm always trying to think up new combinations for fillings, and I currently have two favourite go-to fillings that I opt for when the mood strikes. They are quite similar, the only difference is swapping the tofu in this recipe with mashed sweet potato and chives, which makes for an interesting and unique variation.  I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone by noting that here. I find the most difficult part can be the cooking, so having a good quality non stick pan with a lid really comes in handy here and is important to prevent them from sticking and falling apart. Heavy duty cast iron pans work a treat too.

 Having one side steamed and one side fried serves to be the quintessence of gyoza, setting them apart from other forms of dumplings. If it's easier or more suiting for you; you can however fry or steam the entire thing. Only the result won't be as satisfying. Gyoza can be enjoyed with a number of accompaniments that I will list below! 

They are best when served immediately and eaten on the day they are cooked. Any left over gyoza should be left raw and can be refrigerated for up to 2 days before cooking. They can also be frozen, but be sure to allow them to defrost properly when you are ready to use them. Makes approx. 60 gyoza pieces.

Ingredients :

- oil of your choice, for frying
-  2 packets of Gyoza skins (1 pack = 30 skins)
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- 1 packet of firm tofu, crumbled
- 1 red chilli, chopped
- 2 thumbs of ginger, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 handful of coriander, chopped
- 3 shallots, sliced
- 1/2 cup sauerkraut
- 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, chopped
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- sesame oil, to drizzle

Dipping sauces :

option 1 : 2 parts soy sauce to one part orange juice
option 2 : 2 parts soy sauce to one part rice vinegar, dash of sesame oil
option 3 : good old Sriracha!

 
 Method :

Once all of your ingredients are prepped, heat about 1 tsp of oil in any ordinary fry pan. Once going, add garlic, ginger, and sesame seeds and fry until fragrant. Next add chilli, sauerkraut, shallots, shiitake mushroom, and crumbled tofu. Drizzle with a little sesame oil and pour in the soy sauce. Continue to fry until the mixture is well combined and forms a thick consistency.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool, for about 15 minutes to half an hour. Now comes the assembly.  It may be a bit tricky and fiddly at first but once you get the hang of it, its quite easy. Prepare a bowl of water to dip your fingers to aid in sealing the gyoza skin together.
  

Spoon roughly a teaspoon of mixture onto a skin and dampen the top half of the wrapper, in a semi circle. Pick up the skin with both hands and hold both ends up, sort of to form a taco shape.

Now dampen the outside part of the front lip, facing you. Now you want to start pleating the front skin and pinching it against the back part of the skin as you go. It sounds much more complicated than it is!

Now begin to heat your non stick frying pan with a little sesame oil in it, and get a cup of water ready.

Once it has reached high heat, arrange the gyoza in the pan leaving sufficient space between them.

Once they begin to sizzle profusely, pour in a 1/3 cup of water and immediately cover the pan with a lid. Once the steam dissipates and the water has evaporated from the pan, remove the lid. This may take some practice to get the gyoza to steam efficiently. Pick up the pan and shuffle/shake it forward to loosen any immobile gyoza. Allow them to continue frying until the underside is a nice golden brown, then remove from the pan, setting them upright to prevent the fried side from going soggy. Serve immediately with the dipping sauce/s of your choice!

 

So that's how I make gyoza :) hope you enjoyed reading.

xoxo cody