Rice Noodles with Gravy

• 6-8 dried mushrooms, rehydrated in 2 cups hot water
• 1 pound fresh rice noodles
• soy sauce
• 2 inch knob fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• sweet sauce sauce
• whole fermented bean sauce
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 4 ounces sliced pork (may also add shrimp)
• 2 fistfuls Chinese greens
• 1 1/2 TBSP cornstarch mixed in water to dissolve

In a wok, heat oil on high heat and add rice noodles, a few handfuls at a time, to the pan, adding soy sauce to achieve brown color.  Allow the noodles to brown or char a bit.  Pour noodles into the serving dish.

Add more oil and stir fry ginger and garlic until fragrant.  Add dried or fresh shiitake mushrooms (thinly sliced).  Once the mushrooms have let out their water, add dark soy sauce, sweet sauce sauce, whole fermented bean sauce, chicken broth and mushroom water (if dried mushrooms used, otherwise, add more plain water).  Once seasoning is at desired level, add pork slices and vegetables.  Add shrimp when veggies are almost done, if using).  Once cooked through, add a slurry of water and corn starch and bring sauce to a boil to thicken.  Pour over noodles and serve immediately.  Serve with pickle chilis or chili sambal.

Pork Satay and Peanut Sauce

SATAY MARINADE

• 2 pound country spareribs cut into  thin strips
• about 6 oz coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon red curry paste
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• few stalks lemongrass, smashed
• half bunch cilantro stems, smashed

1. Marinate for a few hours, then thread pork onto small bamboo skewers that have been soaked for at least 30 minutes
2. Grill over medium heat

 

 

SAUCE

• about 6 oz coconut milk
• 1 heaping tablespoonful red curry paste
• 1/4 cup natural peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• fish sauce to taste
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1/4 cup water

1. Over a medium flame, stir the ingredients together in a small saucepan, cook until smooth.  Adjust seasoning to taste

Thai Chili Sauce

From the shesimmers blog: http://shesimmers.com/2011/03/thai-three-flavored-sauce-newbie.html

• 40 g red chilies (about 20 bird’s eye chilies or 3 large red jalapeño peppers), finely chopped
• 40 g peeled garlic (about 10 large cloves), finely chopped
• 40 g peeled shallots (2 large), finely chopped
• 20 g finely chopped cilantro roots or stems (about 1/2 cup, packed)
  (The above ingredients can be pulsed to a coarse paste in a food processor.)
• 150 g palm sugar, chopped (about 1 cup, packed)
• 4 fluid ounces water (1/2 cup)
• 70 g brown sugar (1/3 cup, packed)
  2.5 fluid ounces fish sauce (1/3 cup)
• 2.5 fluid ounces tamarind pulp (1/3 cup)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

 

1. In a medium saucepan, fry the garlic-shallot-cilantro-chili paste in the vegetable oil over medium-high heat just until fragrant.
2. Add the remaining ingredients to the saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat to maintain a simmer.
3. Reduce the sauce down to about 1 1/2 cups; remove from heat. The sauce will thicken up slightly upon cooling.
4. Store the cooled sauce in a glass jar and refrigerate or freeze.

kaffir lime chicken

INGREDIENTS
1 chicken breast, sliced into bite sized pieces
2T fish sauce
1tsp dark soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
about 2 tsp palm sugar
10-15 kaffir leaves, fine chiffonade
1 stalk of lemongrass, minced
small knob of galanga, sliced
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 red chili, sliced
2 tsp oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Marinate chicken in fish sauce, soy sauce, palm sugar and pepper
2. Heat wok with about 2 teaspoons oil till smoking
3. Add galanga and lemongrass and saute for 1 minute.  Then add garlic and kaffir lime 
4. Add chicken and stir-fry till cooked on outside
5. Add chicken broth, cover, lower heat and simmer till chicken is cooked
6. Add cornstarch mixed with a bit of broth to thicken as needed
7. Add chili before serving with hot rice

Red Curry Fish

I had left over coconut milk and defrosted ono (again), so I tried this quick recipe of fish simmered in curry and coconut milk.  I was able to again make used of our fresh herb garden in the back yard.

8-12 oz fish fillets
1/2 can coconut milk
healthy spoonful red curry paste
kaffir leaves
knob of ginger
basil leaves
cilantro
fresh chili pepper
fish sauce
salt
chicken broth

Heat oil on medium and add curry paste.  Stir till fragrant.
Add coconut milk, ginger, fish sauce and kaffir leaves and bring to a gentle boil.
Boil till a layer of oil form on the top.
Add fish chopped into 1 inch cubes, chilis and enough broth to cover.  Simmer for 3-4 minutes until fish is done.
Add a bit more coconut milk for desired consistency
Remove from heat and ad basil and cilantro
Serve over rice

thai cucumber salad

Ingredients:
4 Persian cucumbers, sliced
1 garlic clove
chilis, sliced
2T fish suce
2T water
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c rice vinegar

Combine water, fish sauce and sugar in small pot and heat till syrup forms. Allow syrup to cool
Add to cucumbers. Add vinegar.

Serve chilled

gai yang

B and I went out for Thai food last Thursday. I ordered the quintessential Thai BBQ chicken, gai yang and developed the urge to try to make this dish I have when I was a kid at home after the restaurant served a different version….it just didn’t hit the spot.

I called my mom to get an ingredient list. The recipe belongs to a family friend who grew up with my dad. My mom gave me a few pointers, highlighting that galanga is a very important ingredient and to keep the grill low to avoid burning the sugars in the marinade. The results were very rewarding and everyone’s tummies were happy!

Ingredients:
8 pieces of chicken
2 t curry powder
1 inch chunk of ginger, minced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
stems from 1 bunch of clantro, minced
3 T lemongrass, minced
2 t palm sugar
5 T fish sauce
a bit of soy sauce
pinch if salt to taste
white/black pepper
about 1/2 can of coconut milk

Pound herbs with mortar and pestle
Add all ingredients to a bowl. Season to taste
Add chicken and marinade for a few hours

Grill on medium, and turn to low. Another method to try is to turn have the burners on medium (350F), and grill over indirect heat till cook through.

Serve with rice (sticky rice preferred)

Curried Pork and Wok Tossed Spinach

• Pork Curry Paste
• Kaffir Leaf, fine chiffonade
• Fish Sauce
• Spinach

Slice pork into bite sized pieces Marinade pork in Fish Sauce Heat pan and fry curry paste till fragrant Add pork and sear. Add kaffir leaf Cook till pork is done Add fish sauce to taste Serve over wok-tossed spinach

Thai-inspired fish soup

We had left over pompano from our CNY celebration the night before, so I decided to try a tom yum style soup. Although traditionally the soup base is made with a seafood base, I used water and chicken and waited to add the fish at the last moment to ensure tender meat.

SOUP BASE
Water
Chicken broth
Fish Sauce
Salt
Thai Chili to taste
Galangal, sliced
Garlic, smashed
Kaffir lime leaves
Shallot, thinly sliced
Lemongrass, sliced
Chili sauce cooked in oil (prepared in a jar)
Limes and Lemons, juice and rind – added towards the end

OTHER INGREDIENTS
Pampano added at the end of cooking
Mushrooms
Cilantro for garnish