Tea Smoked Salmon with Crispy Vegetable Rice Paper Roll

     Tea Leaf Smoked Salmon:

     It is easy to assemble a small smoking box with ordinary old worn out kitchen items.  Once used for smoking, the items of the smoking box should only be used for smoking.  An old worn out pot makes a great smoking box!  

     The smoking mixture is placed on the bottom of small cheap pot or a worn out pot.  (Never use a good pot or a new pot for this smoking method!)  

     A couple of metal spacers of some kind, like old rusty ring molds or a metal coat hanger that has the paint stripped off are used to elevate a wire screen roasting rack above the tea leaves.  

     Set the wire screen in place about 1 inch above the smoking mixture, so it is propped on top of the metal spacers.

     Place the salmon filet on the roasting rack.

     Place a lid on the pot.  (The lid should not fit tightly.  There should be a tiny space for the excess smoke to escape.)

     Place the smoking pot over a burner that is set to medium heat or directly on medium hot embers in a char grill.

     Allow the salmon to smoke undisturbed for 7 minutes.

     Check the salmon for doneness.

     Continue smoking or baking with the home made smoker, even if the smoke is exhausted, till the salmon becomes fully cooked.  

     Note:  The home made little smoking box will work as an oven as well as a smoker.  Only some smoke is needed for flavor.  The salmon does not need to be heavily smoked all the way through the baking process in the hot smoking box!  After the smoke is gone, the salmon will slowly cook as if it were in an oven.

     Remove the salmon from the smoking box after it is fully cooked and smoked.

     Set the Tea Leaf Smoked Salmon aside to cool.

     Note:  For the home made smoker, just scrape the carbon black residue out of the pot.  Sanitize with soapy water and rinse.  The home made smoker can be used any time that a small amount of meat needs to be smoked! 

     Teriyaki Yukon Gold Potato Wedges:

     Boil 1 or 2 small Yukon Gold potatoes, till they become tender.

     Cut the potatoes into small wedges.

     Heat a small sate pan over medium heat.

     Add 2 tablespoons of thin soy sauce.

     Add 1 tablespoon of sugar.

     Simmer and reduce, till a teriyaki glaze is formed.

     Add the potato wedges.

     Toss the ingredients together.

     Keep the potatoes warm on a stove top. 

     

     Crispy Vegetable Rice Paper Roll:

     Heat a saute pan over medium heat.

     Add 1 small splash of vegetable oil.

     Add 1/2 teaspoon of minced ginger.

     Add 1 clove of minced garlic.

     Add 1 small handful of very thin sliced red cabbage.

     Add 1 small handful of very thin sliced white cabbage. 

     Add 1 tiny handful of thin sliced onion.

     Add a few strips of thin julienne sliced green bell pepper.

     Add 1 tiny handful of mung bean sprouts.

     Stir fry the vegetables, till they are half way cooked.  

     Add 1 pinch of five spice powder.

     Add 1 pinch of white pepper.

     Add sea salt.  

     Add 1/4 teaspoon of sesame oil.

     Toss the ingredients together.

     Set the vegetables aside.

     Soften 1 large 10" to 12" rice paper spring roll wrapper in warm water to reconstitute it.
     Place the wet rice paper flat on a dampened counter top.
     Set the vegetables across one third of the rice paper.
     Fold the rice paper over the ends of the vegetable row.
     Roll the rice paper into spring roll shape.
     Heat 4" of vegetable frying oil in a sauce pot to 360 degrees.
     Fry the spring roll, till it starts to become crispy.
     Place the spring roll on a dry towel to drain off the excess grease.
   
     Tea Smoked Salmon with Crispy Vegetable Rice Paper Roll Platter:
     Cut the ends of the fried rice paper roll flat, so the rice paper roll stands up straight on a plate.
     Bias cut the rice paper roll in half.
     Set the rice paper roll halves on the plate vertically.
     Mix dry wasabi and water for one sauce.
     Mix chinese dry mustard and water for the other sauce.
     Pour the sauces next to the rice paper roll on the plate.
     Season mung bean sprouts with sesame oil, chopped scallion and rice vinegar.
     Set the bean sprout salad on the plate.
     Place the teriyaki yukon gold potato wedges on the plate.
     Set the tea smoked salmon on the plate.
     Season 1 tiny handful of cube shaped tofu pieces with sesame oil, 1 pinch of five spice powder and 1/4 teaspoon of minced ginger.
     Set the ginger sesame tofu salad on the plate.
     Mix a few reconstituted sun dried small anchovies with a little bit of hoisin sauce and rice vinegar.  
     Set the anchovy salad on the plate.
     Place a little bit of cabbage kimchi on the plate.
     Place a little bit of daikon radish kimchi on the plate.
   
     The light smoked tea flavor is tasty with salmon!  The vegetable spring roll and sauces are a nice accompaniment.  The petite portions of Korean style side dish accompaniments adds a wide range of flavors to this plate.  Yum!  ...  Shawna