Gluten-Free Makeovers (36 page)

For the cooking sauce: Combine the Sriracha sauce, tamari, sherry, and sugar, together in a small bowl. Set the cooking sauce aside.

For the filling: Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons oil. When heated, add the ground chicken and stir-fry until the chicken is golden, breaking the mixture into small pieces as you stir. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the garlic, ginger, green onions, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots and sauté 2 minutes or just until the green onions are wilted. Add the cooking sauce and stir to coat. Stir in the sesame oil and remove from the heat.

Heat 1 cup of oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add a handful of rice vermicelli and cook for 30 seconds, until they are puffed. Use a large slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels and drain. Repeat with the remaining vermicelli.

Arrange a lettuce leaf on a serving plate and spoon about ½ cup of the stir-fry mixture onto each lettuce leaf. Top with a handful of the crisp noodles. Sprinkle with additional tamari sauce, if desired. Fold the ends and sides of the leaf and roll up.

Tip
:
To detach the lettuce leaves, cut around the stem and gently release the leaves from the stalk.

Use Dorot brand frozen minced garlic and ginger (see Pantry, page 277).

Dairy-free
and
Egg-free

When I met
Alfred Chung, chef and owner of Lilli and Loo, an Asian restaurant chain in New York City, he gave me his tempura recipe (page 112) and I gave him this recipe, which he now serves as part of their gluten-free menu. Don’t skimp on the ginger and other flavorings. They make the dish.

For the filling: Combine the ground chicken, cabbage, ginger, green onions, sherry, soy sauce, salt, garlic, and sesame oil in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

For the dipping sauce: Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, and red chili oil. Set aside.

For the dough: Combine the tapioca starch, cornstarch, rice flour, and xanthan gum in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process while slowly adding the boiling water in a thin stream just until the dough begins to clump and form a ball. Add the remaining 1 to 2 tablespoons water, a little at a time, until the dough is soft and pliable. Process 10 seconds more. Remove the dough and form into a ball. Knead gently for 2 to 3 minutes on a surface dusted with rice flour or between sheets of oiled plastic wrap.

Divide the dough in half. Wrap one half tightly in plastic wrap. Using both hands, roll the other half into a log about 1 inch in diameter. Cut the log into four equal pieces. Then cut those four pieces into four equal slices (16 total). Repeat with the remaining half of the dough.

Set a piece of dough on a smooth surface. Cover the remaining pieces with a moist paper towel. Using the palm of your hand, press the dough into a 3-inch round. Place 1 tablespoon of the filling off-center on the circle and fold the edges over the filling to form a half circle. Bring the edges together, pleating in accordion-fashion from the outside to the center. Repeat with the remaining dough and the remaining filling.