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The Hirshon Chinese Spicy and Numbing ‘Slippery’ Chicken – 滑鸡

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The Hirshon Chinese Spicy and Numbing ‘Slippery’ Chicken - 滑鸡

Slippery Chicken Image Used Under Creative Commons License From fat-of-the-land.blogspot.com

My Citizens – attend and pay heed to the dulcet notes of my mesmerizing words! Your gastronomically obsessive Leader – the discerning æsthete who ALONE is TFD! – today wishes to share another priceless nugget of culinary wisdom with the proud members of TFD Nation!

Today, I wish to better define a concept rarely discussed in Western culinary circles – texture. We typically gloss over this facet of the culinary experience because we are so laser-focused on taste. However, the Chinese have long known that there is a gestalt to gastronomy – a whole that is greater than the sum of just its parts. Taste may be paramount, but smell, texture, temperature and other more refined criteria also play into the ultimate end-result of a great meal.

The Chinese have long appreciated textures that Westerners either shy away from or flat-out RUN away from. This is a shame, because the refined appreciation of texture is a wonderful part of the gastronomic zeitgeist! Here is one previous example of a Chinese recipe I posted focusing on texture.

As well-stated in an article published by the British newspaper The Telegraph:

“Food might be one of the last barriers to fully immerse oneself in a foreign culture, and for British gourmet and writer Fuchsia Dunlop, that frontier for Westerners when it comes to Chinese food is kou gan (mouthfeel), or texture. She says: “Cross it, and you’re really inside.”

By texture, she particularly refers to that of the food Chinese people are famously interested in, such as goose intestines, ox throat cartilage, chicken feet, sea cucumber or abalone, which Westerners usually consider pointless since they taste like “a bike’s inner tube or plastic bags”.

In one of her popular books, Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper published in 2008, Dunlop devoted an entire chapter, The Rubber Factor, to what kou gan means in Chinese cuisine.

She lists some representatives: cui of fresh crunchy vegetables (a particular quality of crispness); tan xing (springy elasticity like that of a squid ball); nen (tenderness of just-cooked fish or meat); and shuang (that “evokes a refreshing, bright, slippery, cool sensation in the mouth.”)

In a wonderful scholarly paper on texture words in the major cuisines, I found these incredible findings:

The texture descriptive terms were studied in Chinese by a Sino-Japanese collaboration research team (Hayakawa et al. 2004). A total of 317 words were collected from an open-ended questionnaire by laboratory panels in Beijing (capital; north area), Shanxi (north inland area), Shanghai (east coastal area) and Guangdong (south coastal area). From these 317 words, 144 terms were selected as texture descriptive terms through a roundtable discussion by an expert panel.

  1. Firm and crisp (ying cui)
  2. Firm (ying)
  3. Hard and solid (jian ying)
  4. Dry and hard (gan ying)
  5. Loose and crisp (song cui)
  6. Dry, loose and crisp (gan cui)
  7. Loose and crisp (su cui)
  8. Detrital (sui xue zhuang)
  9. Tough (lao)
  10. Stiff (jiang)
  11. Stiff (gen)
  12. Crisp (cui)
  13. Crunchy (cui beng)
  14. Crunchy (ceng)
  15. Clear and brittle (shuang cui)
  16. Clear and brittle (cui shuang)
  17. Uncooked and crisp (sheng cui)
  18. Grain (ke li gan)
  19. Grain-like (ke li zhuang)
  20. Granule (li gan)
  21. Gritty (sha li gan)
  22. Gritty (sha li zhuang)
  23. Crisp and loose (su song)
  24. Rarefaction (shu song)
  25. Dry and crisp (gan su)
  26. Crystalline (jie jing zhuang)
  27. Glassy (bo li zhuang)
  28. Tightness (jin shi)
  29. Compact (jin mi)
  30. Substantial (jie shi)
  31. Solid and substantial (jian shi)
  32. Pycnotic (zhi mi)
  33. Mealy (fen zhi)
  34. Mealy (fen zhi gan)
  35. Powdered dregs (fen zha)
  36. Coarse (cu cao)
  37. Loose (song)
  38. Flaccidity (song san)
  39. Puffed (peng song)
  40. Fluffy (peng song)
  41. Dry and loose (gan song)
  42. Powdery (fen zhuang)
  43. Powdery (fen zhuang gan)
  44. Brittle (su)
  45. Fibrous (xian wei gan)
  46. Fibrous (xian wei zhuang)
  47. Fibrous (chai)
  48. Dregs (zha zhi)
  49. Dreg-sensed (zha zhi gan)
  50. Dry-damp (gan hu)
  51. Dry (gan)
  52. Tough and firm (jian ren)
  53. Oily and brittle (you su)
  54. Multiholed (duo kong zhuang)
  55. Gritty and daintily (sha shuang)
  56. Crisp and tender (cui nen)
  57. Tender and crisp (nen cui)
  58. Villiform (rong mao zhuang)
  59. Astringent (se kou)
  60. Astringent (shou lian gan)
  61. Loose and soft (song ruan)
  62. Soft and brittle (su ruan)
  63. Brittle and soft (ruan su)
  64. Brittle and mushy (su lan)
  65. Spongy (hai mian zhuang)
  66. Cystose (pao mo zhuang)
  67. Foamed (fa pao zhuang)
  68. Fine (xi mi)
  69. Fine (xi ni)
  70. Mastication (you ju jue xing)
  71. Tenacious (ren)
  72. Elasticity (you tan xing)
  73. Chewy (jin dou)
  74. Chewy (yao jing)
  75. Chewy (jin dao)
  76. Mastication (you jiao tou)
  77. Tendon (jin)
  78. Flexible (rou ren)
  79. Flexible (ruan ren)
  80. Coagulate floc (ning xu zhuang)
  81. Melt immediately (ru kou ji hua)
  82. Tasty and icy (shuang kou)
  83. Clear and tasty (qing shuang)
  84. Icy clear (bing shuang)
  85. Tasty (li kou)
  86. Clear and smooth (shuang)
  87. Soft (rou ruan)
  88. Soft and spongy (mian ruan)
  89. Sponge-like soft (ruan mian mian)
  90. Dense (nong hou)
  91. Dense (hou shi)
  92. Dense (hou)
  93. Thoroughly cooked (shu lan)
  94. Overcooked (gun lan)
  95. Thoroughly cooked (fen lan)
  96. Fatness (you ni)
  97. Greasy (ni)
  98. Oily (you wang wang)
  99. Thin (xi)
  100. Milkiness (ru zhuang)
  101. Thin and rare (xi bo)
  102. Flowing juice (liu zhi zhuang)
  103. Thin and rare (liu zhi gan)
  104. Soft and tender (rou neng)
  105. Tender (neng)
  106. Fine and tender (xi neng)
  107. Juicy (duo zhi)
  108. Watery (shui zi zi)
  109. Wet (shi run)
  110. Wet (run shi)
  111. Moist (shi)
  112. Moist (chao shi)
  113. Slippery and tasty (hua shuang)
  114. Slippery (hua)
  115. Smooth and watery (hua run)
  116. Watery and smooth (run hua)
  117. Watery and tasty (run kou)
  118. Smooth and watery (yuan run)
  119. Soft (ruan)
  120. Gelatinous (ning jiao zhuang)
  121. Gelatinous (ning jiao gan)
  122. Slippery and tender (hua nen)
  123. Tender and slippery (nen hua)
  124. Silkiness (rou hua)
  125. Silkiness (mian hua)
  126. Sliminess (hua liu)
  127. Smooth and slippery (guang hua)
  128. Smooth and slippery (yuan hua)
  129. Smooth and bare (guang liu)
  130. Pasty (hu)
  131. Thin and pasty (xi hu)
  132. Glutinous (nuo)
  133. Jelly (guo dong zhuang)
  134. Meat jelly (rou dong zhuang)
  135. Thick (chou)
  136. Thick (nong chou)
  137. Mushy and soft (lan ruan)
  138. Mushy and soft (hu ruan)
  139. Ointment-like (ruan gao zhuang)
  140. Viscosity (nian)
  141. Stick to teeth (nian ya)
  142. Gumminess (nian chou)
  143. Sticky (nian hu-hu)
  144. Gumminess (jiao nian xing)

…whew!…

So, it should be painfully obvious to even the most early-stage gastronomic tyros amongst you that the Chinese REALLY appreciate texture – which leads to today’s recipe, an easy one to enjoy by way of texture (no fish lips or sea cucumber here!).

This dish is all about flavor and texture as one – the ingredients blend into a harmonious whole and the texture is #113 – slippery and tasty as an integrated whole. This texture is achieved by the Chinese culinary technique known as “velveting” – more details are in the recipe.

I have every confidence you will achieve a new appreciation of texture through this delicious dish, my Citizens! I’ve added some additional Sichuan and Cantonese flavor elements to the classic dish, as noted in the recipe.

Battle on – the Generalissimo

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The Hirshon Chinese Spicy and Numbing ‘Slippery’ Chicken – 滑鸡
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The Hirshon Chinese Spicy and Numbing ‘Slippery’ Chicken - 滑鸡

Ingredients

  • 10 ounces boneless chicken breast, partially-frozen and cut into 1 ½” long julienne pieces
  • ½ head spinach, leaves only
  • 1 large egg white
  • 1 tbsp. cornstarch
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 5 cups and 3 tbsp. chicken stock
  • 2 tbsp. Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
  • 2 tbsp. soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp. white vinegar
  • 2 tbsp. sugar
  • pinch of ground white pepper
  • 2 scallions, trimmed and minced
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 2 tsp. peeled and minced fresh ginger
  • 2 tsp. XO sauce (TFD change - original called for hot bean paste)
  • 1 tbsp. cornstarch mixed with ⅓ cup cold chicken stock
  • ½ tsp. chili oil
  • ½ tsp. Sichuan peppercorn oil (TFD change, original called for chili oil only)

Instructions

  1. Mix chicken, egg white, cornstarch, salt, and 1 tablespoon of the oil, and set aside in a medium bowl.
  2. Bring 5 cups of stock to the boil, add 1 tablespoon of the oil, then the spinach, and cook for forty-five seconds until the spinach turns bright green, remove, drain, and put on a serving platter and cover with foil.
  3. Heat wok or pan, add the remaining oil, and add the chicken pieces, a few at a time, stir them for about forty-five seconds, remove and drain; and repeat until all are oil-blanched. This is the technique known as 'velveting in oil' and is a necessity for this dish!
  4. Discard all but two tablespoons of oil from the wok or pan. In a bowl, mix the three tablespoons of stock, the rice wine, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and white pepper.
  5. Heat wok with its oil, add scallions, garlic, and ginger, then add the chicken stock mixture, XO sauce, and the recently stirred cornstarch-stock mixture.
  6. Bring to the boil, return the chicken to the wok or pan, add the chili and Sichuan peppercorn oils, and stir-fry for 30 seconds until chicken is barely cooked (it will continue to cook until it is served).
  7. Remove foil from the spinach and put the chicken mixture on top of it and serve.
https://www.thefooddictator.com/the-hirshon-chinese-spicy-and-numbing-slippery-chicken-%e6%bb%91%e9%b8%a1/

The Hirshon Ultimate Icelandic Fish Stew – Plokkfiskur

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The Hirshon Ultimate Icelandic Fish Stew - Plokkfiskur

Plokkfiskur Image Used Under Creative Commons License From Jonathan Hirshon

My Citizens! Apologies all ’round for being dark these last 2 weeks – I have been extensively traveling throughout Iceland and Finland on my annual journey to my favorite places on the planet! While it is currently roasting in San Francisco at 107 degrees Fahrenheit (!) it was a cool and comfortable 45 degrees in Reykjavík, the capital city of Iceland.

Now that I have returned to my Sanctum Sanctorum, I have a renewed sense of drive, purpose and vision for the future of TFD Nation – but more on that another time. Today, allow me to tantalize your tastebuds with a seemingly humble dish I enjoyed in Iceland for the first time – a recipe that may even be properly called a National Dish of the country: creamy fish stew!

Plokkfiskur (which literally means “plucked fish”) is – at its simplest – a combination of mild ocean fish, potatoes, onions and béchamel sauce. It is a firm favorite in Icelandic kitchens, a traditional dish and a true comfort food. A dear friend of mine took me to visit the restaurant Þrír Frakkar (Three Jackets), a restaurant where she worked for several years as she was getting her Doctorate.

This restaurant is very famous in Iceland for its traditional dishes, and I was privileged to dine on one of the rarest Icelandic delicacies: the sky blue eggs of the Auk, a seagoing bird that nests on high cliffs and whose eggs are truly delicious, unique and dangerous to gather! They are only available 2-3 weeks in June when the birds are nesting – and before you ask, no they are NOT endangered in any way.

Auk Egg

Auk Egg Image Used Under Creative Commons License From Jonathan Hirshon

In addition to my favorite Icelandic langoustine soup, I also dined upon Plokkfiskur for the first time –  a speciality of Þrír Frakkar, it was uniquely flavored with rich Béarnaise sauce, gratinéed cheese and – wait for it – CURRY POWDER. This is a totally unexpected ingredient to be found in a traditional Icelandic dish – I can only assume curry powder was introduced to the Island by whalers in the 19th century and it became a rare and coveted ingredient.

It’s a flavor surprise – but by all the ancient Gods of Culinary Wisdom, it WORKS. Apparently, this “fancy version” of the recipe served at Þrír Frakkar is famous throughout the country, and while much humbler versions are eaten throughout the island, this is the ultimate and the variant I will share with you today.

As noted on noseychef.com:

Plokkfiskur has its origins in the most noble of food principles – using up leftovers. When we bought fish in Iceland (from Fiskbú∂in at Sundlaudavegi 12), the cuts were all presented as whole sides, so it might not be unusual for an Icelandic family to end up with leftover cooked fish. In the UK, we buy in much smaller cuts; so in the NoseyKitchen, we had to do the whole shebang from scratch. Plokkfiskur can be bland if not seasoned up the wazoo, which might be why 3 Frakkar add curry.

Traditionally served with the sweet, dense Icelandic rye bread known as rúgbrauð (Roog-braeth), this is as rich, decadent and satisfying as any fish stew you’ll find. Being the supreme Sovereign of all things superlative, I of course have based my version of this classic dish not on the simple fisherman version, but the uptown-style served at 3 Jackets.

One very optional tweak I have made to the recipe is to use a bit of smoked Haddock, also known as Finnan Haddie, in addition to the standard Cod or Haddock (you can buy some at the link). I find a tiny bit of this ingredient in the stew really adds to the total flavor gestalt – but you can easily omit it. I also call for the unmatched Icelandic butter (best in the world!) and rare wild Arctic Thyme – you can order both from the links.

Rúgbrauð is the classic accompaniment – you can order it at the link. Please note that you should NEVER eat more than two slices at a time of this sweet and dense bread. If you’re not used to it, indulging in more than a few slices of this fiber-rich item will cause you to understand the reason for its well-deserved nickname of “Thunder Bread”!

I hope you enjoy this delicious taste of the North, my Citizens – even if you don’t like fish, this is absolutely fantastic and a must-try!

Battle on – the Generalissimo

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The Hirshon Ultimate Icelandic Fish Stew – Plokkfiskur
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The Hirshon Ultimate Icelandic Fish Stew - Plokkfiskur

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. cod (or haddock or any other codfish)
  • ¼ lb. smoked haddock (Finnan Haddie) (TFD change here, original was just regular cod or haddock, but I like the smoky flavor)
  • 1 lb. Russet Burbank or Kennebec potatoes
  • 1 large white onion, finely chopped
  • 11 oz. whole milk
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 2 oz. Icelandic butter, if you can find it - Smjor is my go-to brand, although Kerry Irish butter makes a good substitute
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 2 tsp. mild yellow curry powder or to taste
  • ***
  • Béarnaise sauce:
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into ½" cubes
  • 3 tablespoons minced shallots
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon (or more) fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh tarragon
  • ***
  • Grated cheese to taste, TFD uses 50% Emmental and 50% cave-aged gruyere (about 1 cup total)
  • Salt, white pepper and course black pepper to taste
  • Wild arctic thyme for garnish
  • Snipped Chives for garnish (optional)
  • Rye Bread
  • Butter

Instructions

  1. First, make the béarnaise sauce:
  2. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and a pinch of salt and pepper; stir to coat. Stir in vinegar, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until vinegar is evaporated, 3-4 minutes.
  3. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking shallots, stirring frequently, until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer shallot reduction to a small bowl and let cool completely.
  4. Meanwhile, fill a blender with hot water to warm it; set aside. Melt remaining 1 cup butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until butter is foamy. Transfer butter to a measuring cup.
  5. Drain blender and dry well. Combine egg yolks, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon water in warm, dry blender. Purée mixture until smooth. Remove lid insert. With blender running, slowly pour in hot butter in a thin stream of droplets, discarding milk solids at bottom of measuring cup.
  6. Continue blending until a smooth, creamy sauce forms, 2-3 minutes. Pour sauce into a medium bowl. Stir in shallot reduction and tarragon and season to taste with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice, if desired. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 hour ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.
  7. For the stew:
  8. Peel the potatoes, then boil with bay leaves until fully cooked. Drain, discard the bay leaves and let cool.
  9. Bring plenty of water to a boil in pot: Put the cod and smoked haddock in, put the lid on and leave the fish in the water for about 10 minutes.
  10. Skin, bone and break up the fish into flakes - if using fillets, just flake the fish.
  11. Slowly heat milk in a saucepan almost to a boiling point.
  12. Meanwhile melt the butter and sauté onion over medium heat until soft. Do not allow it to brown. Add curry powder and stir.
  13. Sprinkle flour over the butter and onion, stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add warmed milk, stir and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
  14. Add fish and stir to break up the flakes. Season with salt, pepper and curry powder.
  15. Cut boiled potatoes into small bite-size pieces and fold into the stew.
  16. Preheat the oven to 200°C/390°F.
  17. Put the almost ready Plokkfiskur into a baking pan or gratiné pan. Pour béarnaise sauce on top of the fish stew. Then, put grated cheeses on top of it. Bake in the oven until the cheese turns golden brown, 3-5 minutes.
  18. Served with dark sweet Icelandic rye bread and plenty of butter.
https://www.thefooddictator.com/the-hirshon-ultimate-icelandic-fish-stew-plokkfiskur/

The Hirshon Czech Braised Beef in Spiced Cream Sauce with Bread Dumplings – Svíčková na Smetaně

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The Hirshon Czech Braised Beef in Spiced Cream Sauce with Bread Dumplings - Svíčková na Smetaně

Svíčková na Smetaně Image Used Under Creative Commons License From fresh.iprima.cz

Citizens, I wish all of you based in the United States a profound Memorial Day – please do remember all those who made the supreme sacrifice and gave their lives in service to our country!

One might expect a BBQ recipe given the holiday, especially since it’s the official start of Summer – but the always chaotic TFD marches to the beat of His own drummer, as do all the beloved members of TFD Nation! So, I am instead going to offer the most popular recipe in Czechia – formerly the Czech Republic and Czechoslovakia. Details on the name change are here.

Svíčková, or svíčková na smetaně is a rich and delicious Czech meat dish and one of the most popular Czech meals. It is sirloin steak, larded with bacon fat and marinated overnight with vegetables (carrots, parsley root, celeriac, and onion), spiced with black pepper, juniper, allspice, bay leaf, and baked together. Then, the vegetables and gravy are gathered, mashed/mixed with sour cream and used as a sauce.

It is generally served with bread dumplings (houskové knedlíky) and cranberry sauce. Note: In most restaurants and canteens the staff actually boils the beef, instead of baking it as is proper.

In many Czech restaurants, svíčková na smetaně is often served with a cream (smetana) topping, cranberry sauce and a slice of lemon. Knedliky (bread dumplings) often accompany the dish, and they are used to soak up the root vegetable sauce.

Svíčková na smetaně is widely considered to be one of the national dishes of the Czech Republic, along with guláš (goulash). A lot of Czech cuisine can be found in neighboring European countries such as Austria or Germany (Bavaria), but svíčková na smetaně can only be found in the Czech Republic.

The word svice, in Czech, means “candle”. As the shape of the beef is similar to the shape of a candle, the dish was called svíčková. Now, when people reference svíčková, they are often referring to the sauce rather than the meat.

One of the first references to this dish came in 1826 from Czech writer Magdalena Dobromila Rettigová, in her best-selling book, Domácí kuchařka (A Household Cookery Book). Beef tenderloin was cooked and marinated in wine vinegar, slowly cooked in beef stock and topped with sour cream. Root vegetables were not included in this recipe, but it contained lots of the common elements seen in the dish today.

More recent variations of the recipe call for the meat to be marinated overnight before cooking, while others cook the meat separately to the vegetable sauce so that it can be cooked to preference.

Following the First World War, immigrants brought the dish to the United States and a variation of the dish can easily be found in Chicago, but it is quite different from the original Czech recipe.

Bohemian immigrants to the United States following the First World War passed on an older variation of the dish to subsequent generations that is much closer to German sauerbraten, while regional tastes and product availability have influenced its preparation.

Rather than the root vegetables making up the creamy sauce, they are instead incorporated into a vinegar-based marinade. Svíčková na smetaně is often considered a festive dish, with some families serving it on First Christmas Feast (Christmas Day). Because of the time it takes to prepare the dish, it is now often eaten at special occasions such as weddings.

Citizens, this is not an overly difficult recipe to make, although the larding of the beef can be challenging if you’re not used to it. To make it easier, make sure the bacon fat is ice-cold and do yourself a favor: spend $10 or so and buy a proper larding needle here. The dumpling recipe is cribbed verbatim from a truly authentic one I found at eatingeurope.com.

Happy Memorial Day to all of TFD Nation!

Battle on – the Generalissimo

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The Hirshon Czech Braised Beef in Spiced Cream Sauce with Bread Dumplings – Svíčková na Smetaně
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7 ratings

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ lb. (680 g) beef sirloin
  • 2 oz. (55 g) bacon fat
  • 1 cup (235 ml) beef stock (use low-salt if canned, TFD strongly prefers homemade for this recipe)
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 2 tbsp. vinegar
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
  • 7 oz. (200 g) celeriac (1 medium root), peeled and diced
  • 1 medium parsley root, peeled and diced - optional but strongly recommended. If unavailable, use ⅓ a rutabaga and a small turnip
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 3 ½ oz. (100 g) butter, melted
  • 10 black peppercorns
  • 4 allspice berries
  • 6 juniper berries
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 cup (235 ml) full-fat sour cream (plus some milk) - TFD endorses only Daisy brand
  • sugar
  • 3 tbsp. strong Dijon mustard (TFD prefers Edmond Fallon brand)
  • ***
  • Recipe for bread dumplings:
  • 2 pinches salt
  • ½ tsp ground mace (and a bit of turmeric if you want to have a tasty-looking yellow tint to the dumplings; the flavor is good too)
  • 2 cups (475 ml) coarse flour (hruba mouka) – Mix all-purpose flour with semolina in a 1:1 ratio
  • 2 cups (475 ml) semi-coarse flour (polohruba mouka) – Mix all-purpose flour with semolina in a 2:1 ratio
  • Approx. 1 cup (235 ml) lukewarm milk (more if the dough is dry)
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 2-3 rolls or buns (the traditional-sized ones, they’re about 70g each)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cube fresh yeast (or the dried yeast equivalent)
  • ***
  • To garnish:
  • cranberry or lingonberry preserves
  • sour cream
  • lemon slices

Instructions

  1. Lard the meat (prick it with a knife or a big kitchen needle and stuff strips of the bacon fat through the sirloin). If you are using a big piece of meat, freeze the fat beforehand; it is much easier to get the fat through the whole length that way. Then, season with salt and pepper.
  2. Grind all the spices including the bay leaves, then add them to the meat with the diced root vegetables, 1 tbsp. vinegar and pour melted butter over the meat to seal it. Let it marinate in a fridge overnight.
  3. Add the stock, cover with a lid and braise in the oven at 320 °F (160 °C) until the meat is very soft – you should be able to cut it with a fork. This usually takes 2-4 hours.
  4. For the dumplings:
  5. First, mix the flours with the salt and spices.
  6. Dissolve the sugar in ½ the milk, add crumbled yeast and let it grow in there a bit, until “islands” of new yeast start to from on the surface.
  7. Pour the egg into the flour, then pour in the milk (bit by bit) and yeast, and knead with your hands. Keep adding milk until you have a nice dough that’s not too dry and not too sticky (though it can be slightly wetter and stickier than your instinct would suggest – you’ll still add the buns that soak up a bit of the milk).
  8. Cut the rolls or buns into a small dice (a little smaller than ½" cubed). Gently mix the bread into the dough. Then form the dumpling mixture into a roll(s) – a 2-3 inch diameter will give you sufficiently big dumplings after you’ve left the dough to rise for about 45 minutes.
  9. Gently lower the roll into salted boiling water and cook for 16-19 minutes. You want to take it out before the crust gets slick. Prick with a fork (this prevents it from collapsing after it cools down a bit)
  10. When you’re ready to serve, cut the dumpling into circles ⅔-inch thick – using floss or a cheese wire to cut is ideal.
  11. Set them aside in a warm oven.
  12. Remove the meat and press the vegetables through a fine sieve (you can even use cloth for an extra fine texture). Use a hand blender if the texture is still not very fine and creamy.
  13. Add the sour cream and mustard and bring to boil; add salt, and the last tbsp. of vinegar - add some whole milk if the sauce needs to be thinned out. To highlight the sweet and sour taste, add some caramelized sugar (caramelize 1 tbsp. of sugar - when it starts melting and turns brown, add some water and cook).
  14. Cut the sirloin into ½" thick circles; put these back into sauce to heat them through. Garnish with cranberry or lingonberry preserves, lemon slices, a dollop of sour cream and bread dumpling slices.
https://www.thefooddictator.com/the-hirshon-czech-braised-beef-in-spiced-cream-sauce-with-bread-dumplings-svickova-na-smetane/