Well, today was our first planned Sunday Meal with the grandparents. We knew that we did not need a big meal, but one that was yummy and met the dietary requirements of everyone involved. We decided to go with an Asian theme. The menu consisted of:
- Egg Drop Soup
- California Rolls
- Crab Rolls
- Chicken Spring Rolls
We made some extra potstickers on the side, but since they were not gluten free and we did not really make them, just cooked them, they didn't get eaten. Nearly everything else did get eaten, and eaten quickly. The whole family was involved in the making of the meal and it was fun to see how excited the kids were to try the new foods they had learned to make.
Manisha worked on the Egg Drop Soup. We used a recipe from one of our favorite websites, AllRecipes. Restaurant Style Egg Drop Soup. We made one small mistake and did not have the broth hot enough before putting in the egg, consequently it did not get that pretty swirl that you often see in the restaurants. The soup still tasted fantastic and was a great start to the meal. Being our hot food fanatics, Manisha and her mother used some Sriracha in theirs. I also added some extra green onions on mine and Kayva put plenty of little crunchy noodles. We also used Kikkoman Gluten Free Soy Sauce. It is becoming much easier to find on Amazon and at Wal Mart.
Kathan had the challenging job of making the California Rolls. As with anything you make at home, it can be a little dicey. He did an awesome job of reading up on the process in a book that came with the basic tools to make your own rolls. The most important tool was the bamboo mat that helps you wrap it evenly. It came in the kit with the book. All the ingredients we purchased at Wal Mart in their grocery department. We have found that between the regular groceries, good prices, and surprising availability of gluten free products it has become our first stop for groceries. He started with your standard seaweed sheet, put in sticky rice, very thinly sliced carrots, cucumber, and avocado. He experimented by trying some bamboo, bell pepper, and onion in one roll to try various flavor combinations. This activity was neat because none of us had really seen or participated in making the rolls before. We realized that this particular dish can be changed in lots of ways from the traditional rolls you can buy in the store. If you have a picky eater you can modify the ingredients to their liking.
Our second roll was filled with vegetables and crab meat. Similar to the first rolls but without the seaweed wrap and we coated it in sesame seeds. Truly, this type of food is very versatile. Everybody usually likes rice and the choices of fillings is endless.
Our last item was the spring rolls. We sliced peppers, carrots, and cabbage and cooked it with finely chopped chicken in a GF Pad Thai sauce. While the mixture cooled enough to handle, we started up oil in our iron skillet and moistened our spring roll wrappers. Unlike egg roll wrappers, spring roll wrappers are made with rice and thus GF. They come dry and hard like pasta, and you need to wet them so they can be wrapped. We used a small water bottle and just sprayed them on both sides and let it sit for a bit. You need to be patient so you do not crack it or tear it. Some people say to dip the wrappers in water but you stand the chance of it tearing when you remove it from the water. I went the safe route and just sprayed it right on the cutting board. I then cooked it in the oil on medium-high heat for 1 min on three sides (shallow frying) after filling and rolling them. Having made chimichangas, french fries, and other fried foods before, I found these to be easy to cook and a lot less messy. Next time I think I would like to try hoisin or teriyaki in the mix to see what it is like.
We capped off the meal with a rousing game of Rummikub that always gets everyone young and old to stay at the table and spend a little quality time together. Of course we spent most of it talking about what we might make next week.
Please let us know what you think of our meals. We love discussing and discovering new ways to do GF inexpensively and in ways that everyone will want to eat. Happy eating!
