Recipes…

PLEASE, IF YOU USE ONE OF THESE RECIPES, PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU USED AND HOW YOU LIKED IT. IF I GET FEEDBACK I CAN DECIDE WHAT TO REMOVE, WHAT TO FIX, AND WHAT TO CONCENTRATE MORE ON.

New:

• Added recipe/instructions for making Kimchi (korean fermented cabbage), undeniably one of the best tasting things in the universe. Really.
• Added rankings from **-1/2 to **** in 1/2 star increments - why that range? Because I’m not going to go through the effort to post anything two stars and below. This isn’t a review column, this is a “Hey, if I put it here, it’s worth eating” column
• 06/21/08 - Added Jae Jang Myun - chinese noodles, meat, tofu, and veggies in a black bean paste ****

Recipes on the way:

• Son-in-Law Eggs (thai, VERY unique dish, people will look at you funny and mock you, but strangely every egg will be eaten)
• Crisp Chili Beef with Orange Rind and Szechuan Peppercorns (chinese, loosely)
• Bumbu Nasi Goreng (Philippines)
• Masuman Curry (thai)
• Shrimp, Red Bell Pepper, and Basil Stir-Fry (thai)
• Beef with Lemongrass Salad (vietnamese)

The recipes:

Thai Saute of Pork with Basil and Chilies ***-1/2

Tofu
10 oz tofu, cubed and drained, fried till golden in oil
Marinade the tofu in 1-2 Tbs soy, 1-1/2Tbs rice wine vinegar, 1T sesame oil - reserve

Meat
1-1/4 lb pork, sliced thin, marinade in 2Tbs garlic, 1-2Tbs fish sauce, 1tsp freshly ground pepper - 30 min to an hour, room temp.

The dish:
*****
Chilies, as hot as you like
3/4 Tbs crab-chili paste
1-2 Tbs garlic, chopped
*****
1 red bell, julienned
1/2 onion, julienned
*****
1-1/2 Tbs fish sauce
1 Tbs soy sauce
1/2 T shrimp paste (or 1/2 canned anchovy in a pinch)
3 tsp sugar
*****
1 C holy basil or sweet basil leaves

Making it:

Get wok screaming smoking hot.

Add pork and keep it moving.

When it is halfway done, add in the chilies, garlic, and crab/chile paste, cook until pork is almost all done - add the onion, bell, and tofu. Cook 5 minutes, keeping it moving but by folding so you don’t damage the tofu.

Add in the fish sauce, soy sauce, shrimp paste, and sugar. Cook 1 minute, stirring well.

Turn off heat, add basil leaves and mix it well, serve in a cool bowl or the basil will be a tad overdone and overpower the dish.

This has lots of seafood flavors that go well with pork, a nice balance of salty/savory, and rounded out well by the basil

Pad Krapow (Thai) ***

3 cloves garlic
3-4 dried serranos or other semi-hot peppers
1-1/2 C ground chicken (I use hamburger a lot)
1 T dark soy
1 T sweet soy (I usually use 2 T dark soy and a Tbs of sugar instead of dark/sweet soy)
3-1/2 T fish sauce
1 T chile paste
1 med-large onion, cut in half and slivered
2 red bell peppers, slivered
1-2 C basil - I actually prefer sweet basil to holy basil even though it is less authentic
white pepper

- Brown the meat
- Add garlic and chilis and cook until garlic begins to brown
- dump in soy and fish sauces (and sugar if you’re using that method), cook until liquid reduces by 1/2
- stir in chile paste, cook briefly
- dump in onions and bell peppers, stir fry for 6-7 minutes to just wilt the veggies
- take off heat, stir in the basil leaves

Serve with jasmine rice.

Thai Cucumber Salad (Yam Taeng Kwa) ***

2 C cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 Tbs onion, minced
2 Tbs dried, salted shrimp, pounded into pieces
1 Tsp granulated sugar
3 Tbs lime juice
2 Tbs fish sauce (Nam Pla)
8 lettuce leaves (Romaine is great for this! See note below)
2 Tbs roasted peanuts, coarsely crushed
1/4-1/2 Tsp dried red chili flakes

Line a bowl with paper towels. Place the chopped cucumbers in the bowl and gently sqeeze out the moisture. Remove the towels and mix the cucumbers with onion, dried shrimp and sugar. Sprinkle with lime juice and fish sauce. Toss gently. Line a platter with lettuce leaves and mound the cucumber mixture in the center. Sprinkle with peanuts and chili flakes. Chill and serve.

I like the Romaine lettuce part because it’s shape near the heart allows it to be a scoop for the leftover peanuts and peppers. If you do use Romaine, iceberg lettuce still makes a nice edible liner for the platter.

As to the peppers… Feel absolutely free to use the pickled “Bird’s Eye” peppers chopped very finely - this removes the need for extra sitting time that is required for dry pepper flakes to blend with the cucumbers and fish sauce.

Please do give this a try and don’t let the fish sauce throw you! Is is good for you and the flavors make a wonderful blend that you just won’t find in the U.S.

Many thanks to: Jennifer Brennan - The Original Thai Cookbook.

Bul-Ko-Gi Beef (Korean) ****

1 tbsp. sesame seeds
1 lb. thinly sliced beef sirloin, rib eye or sandwich steak
2 - 3 tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 grated onion with juice (or 2 tbsp water if unavailable)
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 1/2 tbsp. sugar
2 cloves crushed garlic
1/3 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 green onions, including tops

(I add a Tbs of bean paste to this for a “brown” flavor - a bit more intense but not required)

Place sliced meat into a large bowl, add sugar and grated onion (with juice); mix and set aside for 5 minutes. Then add green onions and crushed garlic. After mixing again, sprinkle black pepper over meat. Sprinkle sesame seeds and soy sauce over meat and mix again. Finally, pour sesame oil over meat and mix one last time. Beef strips are then cooked on a charcoal grill for about 10 minutes or until meat is cooked. Makes 4 servings

Dead Animal Flesh Sate with Golden Rice and Peanut Sauce (various) **-1/2

This one is alot simpler and less time consuming than one would think.

12 oz lean boneless pork
12 oz beef round steak
12 oz boneless skinless chicken breast
6 tbs vegetable oil
6 tbs soy sauce
5 cloves garlic (or more)
1 tbs curry powder
1-1/2 tbs sugar

Peanut sauce:
2 tbs vegetable oil
1/2 onion finely chopped
5 cloves garlic
1-1/2 tbs chili powder (or more to taste)
1 tsp coriander (ground)
1 tsp cumin (ground)
3/4 c peanut butter (chunky)
1 c chicken stock
3 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs soy sauce
lemon juice (one whole lemon)

1. Cut pork, beef, and chicken into 1/2 inch cubes, place each meat in separate bowls.
2. In another medium bowl, combine oil, soy sauce, garlic, curry powder and sugar. Pour 1/3 of marinade over each meat. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours
3. Preheat broiler. To make sauce, heat oil in a medium saucepan. Stir in onion, garlic, chili powder, coriander and cumin; cook 2 minutes. Stir in peanut butter, chicken stock, brown sugar, soy sauce, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; Simmer 10 minutes or until creamy. Set aside to cool.
4. Thread marinated meats on 12 small skewers, using 4 for each type meat. If using wooden skewers, soak in cold water 30 minutes before using. Brush kabobs with a little peanut sauce. Place on broiler rack.
5. Broil under preheated broiler 6 to 8 minutes or until browned on all sides. Pork should be well-done. Serve hot with remaining peanut sauce. Makes 4 servings.
The rice is done with 1 tsp Turmeric to 1 cup of rice. Cook as usual.

Tofu Tricks, for the Metrosexually Inclined† ****

We also stretch our meat quite a bit by using 1/2 lb of either chicken or beef and then using tofu that has been fried and then marinated….

12 oz tofu - slice into 3/8″ thick slices, put on tea towel, then put a weight on them to press out the water for 20 minutes. Dice up the tofu and fry in 1 Tbs of oil until crispy. Take out of pan and put into bowl.

Immediately (while it is hot and vulnerable) add 1-1/2 Tbs soy, 1Tbs rice wine vinegar, and 2 Tbs sesame oil. Stir well and as it cools stir it around to get everything evenly coated with sesame and soy.

I have no idea why this works better than marinating first then frying but I discovered this quite unintentionally. As it turns out, you can almost totally substitute just meat for soy when prepared this way.

† A friend swears that I am metrosexual for even thinking of eating tofu. His loss.

Thai Cashew Chicken (ma-muang-him-paan gai) ***

2 T oil for cooking in wok
1 onion, halved then sliced lengthwise
2 red bell peppers, sliced lengthwise
16 oz tofu (cooked as mentioned for the pad krapow recipe)
8 oz chicken, medium cubes
2 T garlic
1 T chile paste/ground/dried/whatever
2 T sugar
2 T oyster sauce
1-2 T soy sauce
4 scallions, chopped
1 C cashews, chopped (they stretch further… ain’t cheap!)

Get the wok screamingly hot with oil, till it shimmers and almost smokes (don’t burn down the house tho)
Add chicken, stir-frying it constantly. When it is half done, sprinkle the sugar on a bit at a time - the goal here is to caramelize the sugar on the chicken.
Add the onion and bell peppers, stir-fry constantly and add the garlic/chilies after about 30 seconds
Around 5-6 minutes later, add the oyster and soy sauces (stir like mad), then add in the tofu and cashews - toss well until all is coated with the sauces. Add in the scallions and toss it to incorporate them into the dish.

Serve with jasmine rice.

Chap Chae (Korean) ****

1/2 lb. finely ground beef or pork
1/2 lb. cellophane noodles
1/2 bunch spinach (about 1 1/2 cup when cooked
10 mushrooms, fresh or dried
1/2-1 onion chopped
1-2 carrots, shredded or finely slivered
1 tablespoon sesame seed
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
2-4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon MSG
2 cloves garlic, crushed & finely chopped
X Salt and pepper to taste
X Cooking oil

Fry meat in small amount of cooking oil until done and set aside.

Cook noodles in boiling water, test for tenderness. They should be soft but firm. Rinse noodles in cold water when done. Cut noodles to 3 or 4 inch lengths.

Cook spinach in boiling water, drain, rinse in cold water and drain again. Cut into bite size pieces and set aside.

If dried mushrooms are used, wash well and soak in warm water for 15 minutes. If fresh, wash well. Chop mushrooms into small pieces.

Over medium heat in wok or frypan, heat some cooking oil and stir-fry mushrooms, onion and carrots until barely tender.

Add meat, noodles, spinach and more oil if needed to prevent sticking. Stir and cook, adding sesame seeds, sesame oil,soy sauce, sugar, MSG, garlic, pepper and salt. Taste as you cook and mix in seasonings, adjusting them to taste.

Heat just long enough to heat ingredients and blend flavors. This can be served chilled or at room temp.

Makes amout 6 servings.

Wakame, Bean Thread & Cucumber Salad (Vietnamese Inspired) **-1/2

Wakame, Bean Thread & Cucumber Salad Serves 4 Delicious, light and easy to prepare, this Vietnamese inspired noodle salad makes a refreshing meal on hot summer days. Sea palm fronds or Atlantic kelp may be substituted for the wakame.

Prep Time: 10 to 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 3 minutes

1 cup dried wakame
2 ounces dried bean thread noodles
4 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 tablespoon sesame oil
1 green onion, chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and sliced
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced into strips

1. Boil bean threads and wakame in three cups of water for three minutes. Drain bean threads and rinse them in cold water. Cut the wakame into thin strips 2 to 3 inches long by 1/8-inch wide.

2. To make salad dressing: Combine vinegar, soy sauce, honey and sesame oil in a small jar and shake vigorously.

3. Toss wakame strips, chopped onion and bean threads together with the dressing in a large salad bowl. Let marinate 30 minutes in refrigerator. Before serving add cucumber, carrots and red bell pepper and toss.

Bi-Bim-Bap (Korean) ****

** I need to warn you - fiddleheads, while delicious are considered carcinogenic and have been correlated to higher incidences of stomach cancer in Korean and Japanese eaters - I love ‘em, but it’s up to you.

4 cups steamed white rice
8 ounces mung bean or soy bean sprouts
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
1 garlic clove, crushed into a paste
1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
4 spring onions, finely chopped on the bias
1 large cucumber
Salt
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted
1 pound Fiddlehead Salad (see recipe below)
1 pound Spinach Salad (see recipe below)

2 sheets kingui, cut into strips, if available
Toasted sesame seeds
Kochujang, to taste - next recipe down

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Trim bean sprouts. Blanch just until tender in boiling water and pat dry. In a large pan stirfry bean sprouts with soy, sesame oil, sesame seeds, garlic, ginger and spring onions. Season with salt and pepper.

Thinly slice cucumber. Sprinkle with salt and cover with cold water. Allow to sit for one hour. Drain, rinse in fresh water and pat to remove excess water. In a large bowl combine vinegar, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. Add cucumber and toss to coat.

To prepare: Place a layer of cooked rice in 4 heated oven-proof bowls. Arrange layers the bean sprout mixture, cucumber mixture, Fiddlehead Salad and Spinach Salad over rice. Place in oven for 5 to 10 minutes.

Sprinkle with kingui and toasted sesame seeds. Add kochujang to taste. Serve with kimchi.

SPINACH SALAD:
1 pound baby spinach, washed
2 teaspoons sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

In a large pot of boiling, lightly salted water, blanch spinach for about 2 minutes, until just tender. Drain well. Pat the spinach dry with a towel or squeeze dry with hands. Chop spinach into large pieces. In a large bowl combine sugar, soy and sesame oil. Add spinach add toss to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve warm or chilled.Yield: 4 servings

FIDDLEHEAD SALAD:
1 pound fiddlehead ferns
2 teaspoons sugar
3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 1/2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

In a large pot of boiling, lightly salted water, blanch fiddleheads until just tender. Drain well. In a large bowl combine sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil. Add fiddleheads and toss to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve warm or at room temperature. Yield: 4 servings

Kochujang (essentially Korean ketchup) ***

I had to painstakingly create this to get it right the way I have eaten it at my favorite korean restaurant. It’s not perfect but it is very very close, which is why it gets three stars.

2 T Fermented red bean paste w/ chilies
2 small garlic cloves, peeled and pressed
1 T rice or cider vinegar
1 T soy sauce
1 T sesame oil
1 T toasted sesame seeds
1/2 T brown sugar

Mix well. Let set at room temperature for a while to blend.

Kimchi - making your own.

Well, why the hell not? Kimchi is like sauerkraut in that the homemade stuff spanks the store-bought stuff silly in no time at all. I am typically given homemade kimchi by a coworker whose mom is full-blown raised in Korea. (1) I would marry that woman, her kimchi is so good, and (2) I eat two cups of it all by itself within ten minutes. Makes my eyes water ever so slightly but it is just wonderful wonderful stuff.

Here is a PDF file that gives the directions far better than I could plus a lot of information about it: making-kimchi

Jae Jaeng Myun (it’s spelled 30 different ways, this is easy for me to remember) ****

Uh… you can eat about 247% more than normal when you fix this dish. Whatever you do, do not go to 250% or you will quite literally explode. It’s gross and it costs a lot in cleaning bills. I did pork and tofu last night and the only difference was I went heavier on the crab-chili paste. It was awesome.

2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon chili flakes in oil (also used a bit of crab-chili paste)
1 pound ground pork (I used 1/2lb shrimp and 1/2lb tofu instead and loved it)
2 tablespoons Mirin
1-1/2 tablespoons black bean paste
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper or to taste
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3/4lb broccoli florets

(optional: choice of toppings: shredded lettuce, julienned cucumbers, chopped scallions and/or bean sprouts)

The tofu:
Slice to make flat 1/4″ thick squares, drain them for 30 minutes on a towel. Cube them, then fry until golden/crunchy. Put in a mixing bowl and add 1-2T dark soy sauce, 1T brown sugar, 1T sesame oil, and 2T rice wine vinegar. Marinade them, stirring every so often for 20 minutes.

The broccoli:
Stir fry with a Tbs of oil until just softened, reserve.

The noodles:
I used thick chinese wheat/egg noodles. Cook them for four minutes, rinse under cold water, reserve with broccoli

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat.

Add garlic, ginger, and chilies and fry until fragrant. Be sure to keep it moving and add the meat/tofu before the chili/ginger/garlic is done - don’t let them burn.

Add ground pork (or shrimp and tofu). Keep stirring and breaking the clumps up until mixture is even

Add Mirin, bean and hoisin sauces, and sugar. Stir well. Add the broccoli and stir well.

Keep stir-frying until pork (or shrimp and tofu) is cooked through.. Just before the meat/tofu portion is done, add the noodles and mix well.

Put everything in a bowl, drizzle sesame oil and give the mixture another stir.