Kreplach in Dashi

The first time I ever made Kreplach was last year  for the meal before the fast for Yom Kippur.  Since then I have made them several times for other holidays and feasts.   I think this was the third time.

Kreplach are like dumplings that you can make boiled and served in soup or fried.
They are a traditional Jewish food to make on some of the holidays and Feasts, including Purim and before the fast of Yom Kippur.

When I started observing the holidays in Japan, I longed for the traditional foods from the holidays that I grew up with, and as there is nowhere to get any of the foods here in Southern Japan,   I started making them myself.  Foods like kugel, kreplach, bagels, and ...as you well know...challah!!

The foods started taking on a mixture of Jewish / Japanese just naturally.  As  I would go to make them using ingredients and seasonal items that we can find locally, the combinations just started to happen...  For example , a  Cherry Blossms Challah in springtime,  other Challah such as a Red Bean Challah, and Cherry Blossoms Hamentashen for Purim.

The Kreplach in Dashi became another such mix!

Dashi means soup stock. In Japan there are many kinds of soup stock.   I use a dashi in a `tea bag` form that is made from bonito fish base. Its light and natural and makes a good soup for miso soup or clear soup and it goes well with Kreplach too!!

 I read that Kreplach is a good food to eat before the fast.  It is filling, filled with protein, so you keep full for a while.   Melon is a good too,  as the melon gives the body water to store during the fast.







As I was making the Kreplach, I looked at the renkon (lotus root) and the writing on the package of dashi and Japanese ingredients,   I wanted to share some of the taste of God`s goodness and provision that we experience in Japan!  So I  jotted down some notes as a recipe, and am  finally sitting down to share it now as the fast is finished and we are `full` of  peace  after the High Holy Days!

I hope you enjoy it and might try making Kreplach in Dashi, using variations with what is grown where you are!   What are some of the tastes of the season where you are ?

Notes on how to make  Kreplach in Dashi! 

1. Filling


For the filling.  I used minced chicken, renkon (lotus root), and spinach. Renkon is readily available in Japan, and is a root vegetable with holes---a holey root vegetable you might say! Its become one of my favorite vegetables.  Its also good to eat at this time of year, as root vegetables are warming and good for change of seasons and all winter for immunity.  If you don`t have renkon where you are, use root vegetables native to your locale.

250 g. minced chicken

1 small renkon (about 60 grams)

a bunch of spinach

sliced ginger

Sautee all ingredients together.

2.
Dough:

Use your favorite recipe for Kreplach dough.  With thanks to those who provide so many recipes that we are able to use! I used this Basic Kreplach Recipe HERE for the dough. 

3.
Soup:

Place one Dashi `Tea Bag` in a pot of water, bring to a boil, and after boiling two minutes, turn off heat and remove Dashi `Tea Bag`.

Bring to a boil again,  Add about a few tablespoons, or up to a quarter cup of Japanese Sake to soup.
Cut up root vegetables of your choice, and add them to soup, let them cook and make a nice broth while you assemble Kreplach. I also add sliced ginger to the soup at this point.

Remove Dashi `tea bag` after boiling about 2 minutes, or make dashi to your liking from other stock

Add Japanese Sake to the soup to taste

4.  Assemble the Kreplach

Cut rounds or squares, I used rounds to keep with the `round` theme of the cycle of the year in the Fall Feasts.

Add one teaspoon of filling, and fold.  You can see the way to fold on the Basic Kreplach Recipe Here, or find on your favorite recipe.

Note:  In my photo I hadn`t yet sealed all the seams.  You must seal the seams or the ingredients will not stay when you boil them!!

Note:  Be careful! I took this photo before realizing we have to seal the edges!  I had a moment of mixing up Kreplach with Hamentashen!  Shayndel`s caution:  Seal the edges when you are making Kreplach!! (see finished photo of the Kreplach in Dashi, whew! Sealed just in time!!)

5.
Add them to soup, and boil about 15 minutes

6.

 Have some melon to follow, and seal it will a few glasses of water. 

Have a good fast!



 notes:Thank you Duta for the advice about sealing it with water! And for encouraging me to post about meals before and after fast, see the `after` to follow!


Link:
to try this Japanese dashi, the site to order is here: Kayano Dashi

Related posts on this blog:  Kreplach with Chopsticks