A trip to an Asian market is so heavenly.  Those markets are filled to the brim with flavor and inspiration.  My favorite Japanese shop is Tensuke Market.  It’s where I get my yuzu and some of the most delicious soy sauce ever.  It’s where you can pick up really fresh sushi, and carefully crafted bento boxes.  It’s also where I found the shumai wrappers for today’s Philippine siomai.

The Japanese don’t typically fill shumai with beef, but it’s common in the Philippines.  So with a little nod to a couple of different cultures, I wound up with a really tasty appetizer that’s a snap to assemble and serve thanks to the leftover brisket.

Beef Siomai, makes 28

3/4 pound leftover braised brisket, very finely chopped

2 inch piece of ginger, finely grated

2 green onions, finely sliced

1 heaping t of miso paste

3 T soy sauce

1/2 t sesame oil

splash of mirin

splash of rice wine vinegar

a few drops of sriracha

1/2 c homemade chicken, vegetable, or beef stock (otherwise, use water)

1 package shumai wrappers, thawed

cabbage leaves, optional, but necessary in my opinion

Combine all ingredients (except the shumai wrappers, yo) in a small sauce pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until most of the stock has been absorbed.

To assemble: take 1 shumai wrapper and place one teaspoon of the brisket filling in the middle.  gather up the edges to wrap around the filling to make a sort of open topped purse.  Cute.

To cook: I used a bamboo steamer.  You can find them in bigger grocery stores for about twenty bucks, but even better ones in, you guessed it, Asian markets.  You can also use a vegetable steamer basket.  I lined the bottom of each layer of the steamer with cabbage leaves and placed the siomai so they weren’t touching.  Steam over boiling water for15 minutes.

Serve with a daikon salad: four inches of daikon radish, thinly sliced and then cut into triangles, 1 small peeled, cored and diced green apple, small handful of daikon spouts, 1/2 t yuzu, 1/2 t sesame oil, 1/2 ume plum vinegar, pinch each of black and white sesame seeds.  Toss.  Taste for seasoning and adjust.

Playlist included Silver Rider by Low.  You may have heard Robert Plant and Band of Joy cover this, but here’s how it really goes down.